Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-09-20
Miss Drexel gave s1bo. ooo FOR estahllsh.

Miss Drexel gave $3.50, 900 for establish
ing Catholic missions among the In
dams. That was the first of her good
works In their behalf. Since then
many Indian schools have been found
ed with the Drexel millions, and one
good woman who bore the name of
Drexel has devoted her life to their
cause.
Mother Mary Katherine, even IL n
were u girl of wealth and to luxury
born, came rightly by her piety.
She inherited her goodness and love
OF the church not from n good rela-
tive but many.
There was her mother who was Miss
Longstreth, a devoutly religious wo-
man. who was determined to bring up
her little daughter just as she herself
had been brought up. There was her
father, Francis A. DreXel, q man of the
most strict religious habits. He was
the eldest of the three famous Drexel
brothers who made the name of Drexel
Il synonym for wealth, but throughout
his life II was not the love Of money
but the love of doing good that was
his strongest characteristic.
One would naturally think hat to
have a good mother and q good father
too was all hat any little girl could
expect n certainly all the good in
fluence she would require. But little
Katherine Drexel had q good grand
mother and a good stepmother be-
wealth of the family q religious atmo-
sphere surrounded her. She was a very
little girl when her own mother died.
Family Famous for ITS Charities.
Her father afterward married Miss
Bowler, Of New York, who belonged to
a prominent family famous for it's
charities to the church, and who never
made little Katherine DreXel feel the
lack Of mother love. She was as de-
voted TO both OF her stepdaughters as
TO her own daughter, Louise, who is
now Mrs. Edward De V. Bowler. Then
there was her grandmother Bowler,
and her stepmother's sisters, who were
all devoutly religious, one aunt becom-
Ing q nun.
And 1t was the sort of religion hat
proved itself worth while to the little
girl as she grew to be a big girl, for
1t was a religion of h~elpfulness, kind
words and good deeds. Katherine
DreXel, as soon as she was old enough
to reason for herself, was determined
to. be just as good a woman as her
stepmother, her grandmother Bowler
and her aunties were.
After her fathers death her income
was $1,000 a day, and by far the great
er part Of 1t was given away to those
in need.
One day a week Miss Drexel set aside
to receive the 200 Mt her home. Her
guests on this particular day were all
chosen because Of their poverty
or misfortune, and the young hostess
strove in every way to make this occa-
sion a red letter day in their lives.
Became Sister of Mercy in 1889.
In 1889 Miss Drexel decided to de-
vote her entire life to the church.
II WAS on Nav G. of hat Vaar that
she entered the mother house OF the
Sisters OF Mercy In Plttsburg as a pos
tulant. Six months later she took the
veil Of Il novice and then later
the black veil and the full vows Of the
order, making this order Of the Sisters
Of Mercy n of the richest In the Cath
Ollie church.
Mother Mary Katherine, as she was
then known, founded the order OF the
Sacrament for the uplifting OF
Indians and negroes.
She erected them other house of this
order on grounds which belonged to the
Drexel country estate known as
Michael, lei CORVALLIS, Pa, and
here over 100 sisters are busy through
out the day teaching Indians and col
ored children how to become self-sup-
porting men and women. Mother Mary
is also responsible for the
good work which is being accomplished
at st. Katherine's Indian school at
Fe, n. NJ, as well as at the
for colored children at Rock
castle, Va. She is now putting her
heart and soul into the great work
which she is planning at Cascade
1t is quite an interesting thing to see
a young oma with such vast inner
tied wealth in this country devote her
fortune to such a noble charity.
Out of all the DreXel family, notable
for their religion, their charity and
their good works somehow the work Of
his noble girl stands GU like a sill
against the very brilliant and
splendid work that the DreXel family
nave done in society.