Waterbury Democrat., 1902-06-20

nartiey-Dunne. gravely. You know 1t is just possible that when lady tells you she has never been able to find servant to suit her, she herself may be a tiny bit to blame; and, for this reason it has been judged expedient that all masters and mistresses, after having their references thoroughly ex- amined into, shall be divided into two classes-the worthy and unworthy, and only the former shall be admitted as oblates of the order of St. Zita. They will pay yearly subscription, and be constantly supplied with servants from the home.''
 .It sounds most charming and de- l lightful,'' I exclaimed.
 "The greatest care will be taken in
 the placing of Zitines: and should worthy ever have the misfortune to be-
 come an unworthy, it's name will at once be taken off the books, and it's subscription returned. The lady ab-
 boss, however, will be particularly dis l erect in listening to Zitine's com l plaint, and she will frequently ad- ] monish a discontented servant that
 the circumstances objected to may
 very possibly be for the good of her
 soul"
 sMost wise,'' quoth I.
 "There are rules for the mistresses. too,' Mrs. Hartley-Dunne continued.
 'They must never lay traps for their
 servants, or fuss about after them
 whilst they are working; and they will have to hold chapter of faults every | Saturday morning, when the Zitlnes will one by one, accuse themselves of any breakages or acts of disobedience l that may have occurred during the week. The mistresses will be allowed, | if necessary, to administer gentle
 reprimand, but they will have no pow CT to infict penances on those under
 their care If it ever should happen I that a Zitine turns out to be really un- satisfactory, she will have to be re- | turned immediately to the Novitate house, where suitable penances will be inflicted upon her by the mothers of
 the congregation, and in this case, as
 in that of illness, her place will be at | once reflled by another sister"
 s'I am glad to know that somebody is going to give her what for" said I.
 Mrs. Hartley-Dunne looked at me disapprovingly. and went on: "Dur- | ing sickness and old age the Zitine will
 receive every care and attention at the Novitiate house, she will be sur rounded by home comforts, waited on by | bright young orphans, and allowed to | sit unoccupied with her hands clasped a ] Ia her patron saint. This is the great | feature of the order, which will be constantly alluded to, made the most | of, and held out as an inducement to { perseverance by the lady abbess and | all the mothers of the congre gation; and the thought of those folded hands in the future will cheer the young lay sister through many working day"
 Ut would" said I.
 1.-The motto of the order is Laborare est Orare, but the Zitine will not be required to study Latin; for all prac- tical purposes a general idea of the meaning of the expression Facta non Verba will be considered sufficient. , She will divide the 14 hours of her working day into seven parts, corre- spending to the seven canonical hours. and she will be educated to understand that a proper performance of her du- fties from six a. m. till eight is equiva- lent to course of devotional exer- cises."
 "How systema tically arranged!" I cried with admiration. "But are you never going to let her have any play time at alI?'
 'She will be allowed little mod est recreation during her dinner hour, and again little while just before she retires to rest; but should bells ring during that recreation she will be trained to answer them with cheerful ness and alacrity."
 '.Her price will be above rubies, as King Solomon observed"
 My dear. I cannot quite feel that you are entering into the spirit of the order with sufficient seriousness" said its founder, doubtfully.
 "Oh, please, yes. Really am. Do tell me more," I hastened to assure her. Should you think she will remain long in her situations ?" asked I.
 ''Yes. I should say, that, as rule, the Zitine will always remain in the same place." said Mrs. Hartley-Dunne. thoughtfully, 'and mistresses will soon discover that that is one of the great advantages of having a nun for seryant-being already in a state of perfection she can never have any in- tention of leaving to better herself" :" --Lady's Pictorial.