The herald., 1897-03-17

Among the younger members of the
haut ct bon, clubs are the present
rage, to while away the short season be-
fore Easter Sunday Among the dozens
of clubs, formed on all sorts of pretexts,
from cooking to the study of Ibsen, or
on no prete-t at all except for small
oliques to get together and talk things
over the mos. popular are the charity
ciuos. To !. vote an hour or two week
to gold thimbles and gossip and the
making of Impossible garments for the
poor, puts one SO into the spirit of the
Lenten seapon, you know, ard imparts
conscious glow of duty done. Perhaps
the most useful of these clubs-of the
charity that -begins- home Sort In the
saving OF pater familias pocketbook-is
composed of young ladies' in the smart
set, who are learning TO ''cut enc Mt
under the direction of competent
modir.e, for the avowed object OF maxi
Ing over their own old gowns.
"RETREATS."
BY the way, did you know that 1t is
nowadays fashionable fad with society
ladies-rot all of them of the Romish
faith either-to retire from the world
for week or two, at different times
during tke year. or. in the language of
the church, to make retreat? There
Is no special time for this practice, and
il Is by no means a general one, but 1t
is said to be greatly on the increase, es-
pecia:iy in Boston and New YORK
washington has no great convent. ike
that of the Sacred Heart in Boston, for
example but the Sistsrs OF the Vista
t!on, whose abode Is on Connecticut ave-
nue., will at any time receive a limited
number of ,adiec who arc desirous to
80 into retreat for such mid
modification Of the flesh as their fancy
may dictate. A Eumber OF the most
shining lights of Capital socisty, wives
and daughters of distinguished men
whose names are household words IN
the land, have more than once been se-
Guided with the nuns. Naturally, more
women are moved to the practice DUR
Ing Lent, than at aIy other time, at the
close of the social.s ason, to recuperate
for the joys to come st the GUNNER re
sorts but few call halt in the gayest
part of the winter, towards the end OF
January, for the sake OF starting the
new year afresh equipped with set
of iror-cla6' resolutions for effectually
resisting the fiesh and the devil in the
guise OF se,ilshness and vanity. The
nuns make their retreat In summer. The
idea that the gentle sister can get away
from the world any more than they al
ways are, seems, pathetically amusing
to outsiders; but even nuns within
cloistered walls have their little dis
fractions ard retreat" with them
means absolute silence. When the
wording comes to the conyent-the mat
ter having been previously arranged
with the Mother Superior-she gener-
ally arrives in an escutcheoned carria &c
with pomp of glittering trappings and
Inverted coachman and footman; but the
fair penitente Is clad In her plainest
black gown and shorn OF ali fashionable
gew-gaws. A be2 is drawn inside the
portal. the great ooor swingll wide--then
cioses with: q hofinw sound. like the fall
ing of a clod on conn; my lady climbs
some oalcen stairs to dim corridor
passas behind an iron gretin1Cand Il
lost to the world, for es long time al
she electa to remain. But ehe Is {
wording sstill, though reduced to the
lowest possible termss-ae different from
the Guns as her plain black gown. rust