The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-06-30
Defense Of the Education Given
in Convent Schools.
ABOUT DISCIPLINARY REGULATIONS
Untold Sacrifices by Sisters in
Their Holy Calling.

The following defense of the Sister
hood of the Church recently appeared
in the Ave Maria, published at Notre
Dame Indiana:
A Catholic person, let us call him.
who means well and who writes WE'LL
has sent us long series of criticisms
regarding the organization and methods
OF religious communities of women
operating in the United States-criti-
cisms OF Sisters in general and of some
Sisterlloods in particular. The writer
has genius for finding fault. He does
not neglect, it is true, to bestow praise,
but he is much more generous with
blame. He is confident man, to say
the least, to suppose that such an article
as he has written might find place in
these pages. 1t is contrary to our Gus
tom to assign reasons for not accepting
unsolicited contributions; but we are
entirely willing to make an exception
in this case, and, in a general way, to
tell how the present manuscript is de-
clined without thanks.
Its length condemns it, in the first
place; its tone, in the second place. All
the fault that can reasonably be found
with Sisters, it seems to us, might be
written on the back OF Columbian
postage stamp, We have sometimes
wished that they would not furnisl, pulTs
of patent medicines, or allow their pic
lures to be taken for advertising pur-
poses. But how few OF them ever do
such things, after all! And what trifling
faults these are! We hear, now and
then, OF Sisters being blamed for COL
lecting money without proper authorize
| ton; but when it is remembered that
they do not beg for the pleasure OF it,
or for themselves, criticism is silenccd
If it isn't, it ought to be.
When Catholic writer begins to
look for faults in the Sistcrhoods of the
church, losing sight OF the incalculablc
amount OF good they are doing, forget
ting how indispensable their services
are, instead of taking tip his pen, he
ought to take up his hat and go out
into the open air and bask in the warm
sunlight. Let him diet himself and take
more time for exercise. II there be a
high mountain anywhere near, it might
be we'll to ascend it occasionaly-say
three or four times week.
The Sistcrllood OF the church are
about as near perfection as anything on
earth. II all their members were to OBJ
serve minor rules, the wisdom OF which
is not always understood, as faithfully
as they fulfill the evident obligations OF
the religious state, we fail to see how
anyone could wish these institutions to
be at all different from what they arc.
Most OF the female religious orders were
founded by women. They are governed
by women, as is proper, and all OF them
arc approved by the church. This oughtto
count for something with critics, cspc-
cially critics OF the sex that is not fair.
Whatever may be thought of rules, Gus
toms and traditions pertaining to such
religious communities, it is unquestion-
able that the institutes in which they
are most zcalously safeguardcd are the
communities that are most abundantly
blessed.
1t is not necessary that outsiders
should understand all the why's and
whcreforcs of regulations governing
converts and convent schools; and if
those in charge of them decline to act
on the suggestion of every innovatcr
that comes along, it is for good and
sufficient reasons. It is the height OF
folly to be forever formulating new reg
ulations and letting old ones fall into
desuetude; and there could be no greater
waste of energy than experimenting
with every new method that is invented.
The general laws which govern re-
ligious communities are the work OF
saints like St. Augustine and St. Bene-
dict; and saints have their peculiar point
OF view. 1t must ever seem peculiar to
those who are not saints. The particu-
lar observances of different orders and
congregations are the fruit of expert
! ence; and it stands to reason that every
religious family ought to be the best
judge of what is the most likely to
promote its spiritual welfare and rem
der it as efficient as possible for the