The age-herald., 1898-01-02

training in Paris she was sent off to Tahiti, knowing absolutely nothing of the life task which lay before her But whether she like 1t or no, it will be her lot until the end, for having once pro fessed' she has neither home nor rela- tives. She belongs to the church, and no return is possible. Even her parents do not know her whereabouts. q have not written to them since I entered the convent" she remarks, simply. They would not have liked me to go as a mis- sionary."
 But the kindly old mother superior has no doubt about the result of her life's work. She is full of enthusiasm for the cause, and will talk for the hour about her dear scholars in Tahiti.
 Our children get a good education, all taking their certificates and many of them being stfterward drafted into government employ. In the early eight ies, when education was secularzed, it was noticeable that men who had voted for the reform most consistently cons tinued to send their children to our school. After time the Kanakas re- marked this and rebelled, deeming that what was not good for the whites was not good for them, and their children also returned to us. So that secular ed- ucation has proved a failure, and last year the government school had to be shut up simply because there were no scholars.
 Tn spite of all this must not charge for my pupils. If I did, they would go over to the Protestant schools, which are also gratuitous. To be sure, might insist on doing so, but I should then of- fend the bishop and thereby lose the one little help we have-house room, for our home is the missions property. The last bishop helped us more substantial ty, providing for board but his suc- cessor cannot meet the expense. How ever, I hear that during my absence. my nuns being in great straits, he has helped them with food"
 Times must be pretty bad in Tahiti for this poor struggling slsterhood, and the natives must be less generously dis posed toward their religious teachers than they are in other parts of the South seas.
 Life is easy there," explained the mother, "but people are very selfish. Yet they have many good points. They are very fond of their children-so much so that they will hardly hear of their girls marrying. Yet nearly all or fe- male pupils are married, often to white men, as soon as they are old enough. | Oh, yes, there is great demand for our girls because of the way we train l them!"
 "I want some bonbons,'' quoth the
 dear old mother when asked if all her needs were supplied. They must not be very dear, for want so many" Then, detecting a glance of astonishment motherly smile beamed from under the black cof. T go to my baby class ev- cry week to inspect progress, and bon bons are the reward. They are so pret- | ty, my babies" and the smile deepened; little white or cream colored creatures scarce one that you could call really
 brown. I promised them all toys. have a case full of drums and trumpets and dolls, but must have enough bon-
 bons to go round our six schools, and if you only knew how many that means!"
 And thus the venerable mother who has never known maternity, whose life has been one long self abnegation, sails away from us her first and last desire being the gladdening of young hearts.