Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-06
ORDER OF NEGRO NUNS.
The Only Organization of its Kind in
America.
From the ST. Louis Republic.l

q'rom the ST. Louis Republic)
In the old French quarter of New Or
leans, with its narrow streets, latticed
windows and jealously guarded courts,
where the fig and orange tree grow. is
square Of rather miscellaneous architect
ure. Its central building, No. Ut Orleans
street, is several hundred years old. 1t
has a stately entrance, with great pillars
and old-fashioned, ornately carved doors.
1t was once the old Creole Opera House
and ballroom Of the early days. Now it
is the home Of the coiored nuns.
The powdered and ringleted damsels
with hoop distended skirts who stepped
daintily across that threshold to scenes
Of gayety in bygone years, have given
place to dark-robed figures, whose white
rufted caps only bring into stronger relief
the bronze and ebony of their skins. The
history and romance. There are Orleans
and Bourbon, Chatres and--hin Of the iron
hand and gentle heart-Tonty. Shades Of
the past are josthng one another, though
in a gentle, shade-like way, at every
street corner, and at nothing do they
seem to be more astonished than at the
sight Of the colored nuns.
Het the order Is not such a very mod
ern one after all, for 1t was founded In
New orleans over half century ago.
Its members are now well-known figures
on the streets OF the Crescent City. The
special object OF its Institution was the
education and moral training of young
aged infirm people of the race. 1t has had
the cordial support of such eminent
churchmen as Archbishops Blame, Odin,
Perche, Leroy and Jansens, who success
lively filled the archiepiscopal see of New
Orleans. 1t is also novitiate where
young colored girls are trained for the
work of the order with the view of ex-
tending that work to every parish in Lou
isiana, and, if possible. into every south
ern state.
One Of the most interesting parts of the
convent is the orphan asylum, where chill
dren ranging in age from the wee tots
Just beginning to walk to girls of II and
"A years are cared for. One of the sisters
II charge of the babies was an ex-Aave.
She is a real NANNY still.
But, reverend mother, you seem to
have some white children here said the
white skin of some Of the children.
"Oh, no." said the nun, smiling a bit
Wistfully at the ignorance of her visitor;
they all have colored blood in their veins
Maybe they are only quadroons, octoroons:
some of them, indeed have only one-tenth
colored blood, but that one-tenth black
counts more than the nine-tenths white,
and makes them belong forever to the
colored people,.
One is reminded of some of Cables stor-
les, the pathos and tragedy thereof
In the orphan asylum 1856 children are
sheltered who would otherwise be thrown
upon the state. These, as we'll as the 60
poor old eolored men and women, and
many of the children in the school, are
dependent upon the sisters for their daily
bread. Formerly the sisters obtained a
fair revenue by going through the streets
Of New Orleans from door to door, and
into business houses and railroad Offices
soliciting aims for their charges. So quietly
did they labor that few outside the city
We're even aware of the existence of the
order, the only colored sisterhood In the
United States. But the yellow fever which
broke out in the south in August caused
that section to be heinmed in by quaran-
tine, and the wheels of commerce were
stopped. As pathetic letter just received
from one of the sisters says: Our friends
have always been among the poor laboring
classes, who seem to feel most for us, and
since this class has suffered particularly
| through lack of employment for three
months, and their distress at present is
almost as great as ours, we cannot in
conscience apply to them for aid Even
| i we did, it would not be forthcoming as
! they have not the means"