The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1900-09-02
NUNS GLIMPSE OF THE WORLD
Left Her Cloister for the First Time in
Forty-fve Years

From the New York World.
After forty-five years spent as a clois-
tered nun in the Ursuline convent at Bed
ford Park. in the Bronx, Cecilia Lawrence,
known in the sisterhood as Mother Cecilia,
passed for the first time since she entered
beyond the convent walls and for the first
time in her life rode on a railroad train.
Permission to leave the convent for a
brief period was obtained by a special dis
| pensation from Archbishop Corrigan on ac-
| count of Mother Cecilias failing health,
and yesterday she went to Babylon, l.. l.,
| where she will be nursed by the sisters of
| the Convent of st. Joseph.
Mother Cecilia is a daughter of Bryan
| Lawrence, who lived in New York and at
| his death left 100000 to the Ursuline con-
vent and like sum to his daughter. she
assumed the white veil when she was
| girl graduate, II years old.
Although reared In luxury and living with
her father in palatial residence in West
Seventy-second street. Miss Lawrence re-
nounced all earthly desires and entered the
Ursuline order. taking the VOW of the clois-
tered From that day until she came to
Babylon she had never been outside of the
convent yard, and had had absolutely no
communication with the outside world
Even when her father died, some years ago,
the rules of the convent prevented her from
attending his funeral.
On taking the final vows Miss Lawrence
devoted her whole fortune to the convent
of which she has now been an inmate near
ly half century. She is the aunt of Joseph
Lawrence, a son-in-law of John Byrns, one
of the wealthiest of Babylon's summer res
idents.
1t was with the utmost reluctance that
the venerable nun was persuaded to leave
her lifelong retreat Accompanied by two
of the sisters, she left the convent early
yesterday morning and went by train from
Bedford Park to the Grand Central Station.
Thence an electric car took her through the
busting streets and another across the
great bridge to the Flatbush avenue sta
ton, where another train was taken to
Babylon
She was like being suddenly TRANSLATED
from another world. All was strange be-
yound realization. She was stunned by the
rush and roar of the trains, by the speed
of the electric cars, by the noise and bustis
of the great city, by the immensely of the
crowds, the towering mass of the build
ngs Throughout the long journey she sat
outwardly impressive and almost silent, only
opening her lips to murmur wonderful"
"Wonderful!'' She was like one In dream
Grave fears were entertained lest the
shock of the journey and the excitement of
her new experience would have serious
effect in her enfeebled condition. but after
she had rested for while at Babylon she
dwelt with eager pleasure on her new ex-
perience. The trains, she said. frightened
her at first, but she soon became feassur-
ed and positively enjoyed the rapid mo-
ton The electric cars she thought even
more wonderful. what impressed me
more than anything else was the mighty
tide of humanity flowing along the streets
through which we passed." she said.
In the afternoon she was able to make
visit to Oak Island. There she had her
first view of the ocean and said that it
was the most glorious of all the sights
she had seen.
Mother Cecilia will remain at Babylon
until her health Is restored