Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-08-22
+ !. 1. =
fFor Sunday Reading
+ All Sorts of Opinions. !.
THE TRAPpIsT MONKS.
A Community Of Prayer, Peaceful Me
ancholu and Silence

Community Of Prayer, Peaceful Mel
anchoy and Silence.
From Cappoquin, in Waterford, there
of the world, up the slopes of the
knockmeledown mountains, to the
Trappist monastery of Mount Meller
ay. Along this road you will find no
sign of human industry until the cross
surmounted gates leading to the poor
pastures warn you that you are on holy
ground. Once within those gates you
have left the world far behind you,
and are received into a family to whom
the voices of the world are silent. its
interests dead, and where the whole
business of life is preparation for
eternity. Founded sixty years ago by
Irish Clstercians who We're expelled
from France during the troubles that
followed the accession of Louis Phil
ippe, thee community has prospered
under the industry of the monks, who
have reclaimed large tract of wild,
| mountain land. planted it with trees,
and reared the plain quadrangle OF
buildings that forms their prison AMI
their home.
1t is u place of silence, strangely
peaceful and melancholy. The Trap
pist rule forbids all speech except of
praise or prayer, and all necessary
communication is made by signs. This
rule is only suspended In the case of
those attending on guests or transact
ing business; but even the guests are
expected to practice silence, and. in
deed. the atmosphere of the place Is
discouraging to speech. The monks rise
at in the morning all the year round.
except on Sundays and feast days when
they rise an hour earlier. From that
hour until eight at night they are con-
tinually occupied with the offices, as
well as by their manual work, and
their time is so divided and apportion-
ed that the hours and days seem to
glide away easily enough. They eat
nothing but bread and vegetables. and
drink nothing but skim-milk or water,
and even of this spare diet, they have
but two meals in their long day, and
some times only one. They sleep in
their habits in tiny cubicles partitioned
off in the great dormitory, and the
furniture of these cubicles is simply
raised wooden platform with a mattress
twenty years and never speak to the
man beside whom he kneels in chapel
or eats in the refectory. And he may
die here, and be laid in the burying
ground among the rows of his brethren
who sleep there. without a human soul
knowing what were his thoughts, his
Municipalities. the little mental char
acteristics that endear human beings to
one another.
In the guest-house the routine is also
monastic. The guests are confined eth
er to their rooms, the garden or the
chapel; they are expected to rise at 6
and to retire at s. 1 fell upon an
evil time, since not only was the week
of my visit a solemn octave. but two
out of the three days of my stay were
fast days. and the diet was dry bread
with milk or tea. and fish at midday.
But the monks are hospitality itself.
was the only hereto at the guest-table,
and the lay brother, discovering this
produced bottled beer for my benefit.
But the shadow of the church brooded
over even our .rnonls; In place of con-
versation a monk read aloud to us the
sad and repressive doctrines
of the fathers; and it was strange to
hear his rough, Irish voice admonish-
ing us that no earthly creature could
ever satisfy our desires.