Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-28

that she was not sure that she had had
one in all the quarter of a century she had
been a sister.
I'VE get a new sleeve a new length in
our skirt, new back to our waist-always
a bit new as 1t is needed. but whole new
dress, we get that when we enter religion,
but do not know that we ever have an
ether. In twenty-five years l AM not sure
l have had a new habit. When l dress in
the morning 1 put the habit I lind in
my cell. 1t may be the one l wore the day
before, or 1t may be another-I never know.
l do not dress to my name. All that
We have Is the property of tho community.
There Is one sister who has charge of the
clothing and lays out for us what We are
to wear as a mother will apportion the
clothing of her children
do you ever think about how you look
in your dress?" asked. DO you pat 1t on
before a mirror?'
No Mirrors Needed.
This amused the sister immensely. 'I
have not looked In mirror since l became
a nun twenty-five years ago." she an
swered. There is rule against it. but
every detail of our dress was put in order
for us nearly 400 years ago; it is all so
exact and so familiar. we dress as uncon-
sciously as a tree puts forth its leaves. We
have need for a mirror. 1t is natural
that we should never think of one"
l haven't doubt this is one reason why
the face of a nun is commonly fair and
eXquisitely peaceful. Fancy never to be
afraid of seeing wrinkle in your face, of
never looking anxiously for the first gray
hair In your head, and with the joy of
this to know that all the pretty women
among your associates for want of gaz-
ing in a mirror, are never going to give
themselves airs from seeing how much bet
ter looking they are than yourself.
AS 1 came away from the convent of the
school of Sisters of Notre Dame L no
ticed that for the usual mirror in a hat
rack in the hall had been substituted
picture of the infant Jesus in His mothers
arms. Thus was any chance temptation
to vanity in a nun turned into thought
of religion.
Gowns of Sisters of Mercy.
The Sisters of Mercy owe the origin of
their order to the aspiration Of a woman of
aristocracy and fashion, whose Unborn ma
ture has expression in the elaborate re-
ligious habit she designed. This habit is
wonderfully graceful and impressive The
black veil is much longer than commonly
worn by nuns There is a profuSion of
white linen about the face and the dress
In princess form has a long sweeping
train. A rule of dress removes the burden
of this elaborate attire from the mind OF
the wearer, as in the instance of all women
in religion. But my worldly womans
point of view inclined to believe that
1t was simply impossible for even a woman
in religion to adjust this intricate dress
of Sister of Mercy without the assistance
The sister was as greatly amused as had
been the member of a different order whom
l had questioned about looking glasses.
She gave the same reason as did the other
that the eXactness and invariable style of
her dress rendered a mirror entirely super
fiuous, and she told me that in the mother
house from which she came, she recalled
that a physician attending a sick sister,
called for a mirror one day, and the old
sister waiting upon him FASTENED TO bring
him the Catholic Mirror-the only mirror
existing In her recollection of things by
that name.
There is a singular feature of the dress
of religions that is common TO all the
widely different fashions of different orders
any one Of which comprises many wide
ly different types and styles of women.
The dress of a nun is always becoming.
1t even seems to define a certain beauty in
the most irregular, plainest face.
Oh! that religion would inspire dress
reform easy and becoming for poor, wor-
ried worldlings like
PAULINE PRY.