The Irish standard., 1903-03-21
THE SENSATIONAL REPORTER.

What every sensible Catholic girl
would describe simply as u Retreat
for Old Pupils" has, in the case of
Father PardoW'S Iridium at the
Convent of the Sacred Heart on Mad.
ison avenue in New York City, been
described as Retreat for Society
Women" That, at least, is the ac.
count tabled by the fertile brains of a
group Of City reporters on the New
York Sun. That Il number Of convent
graduates should choose to come to-
gether in Lent in order to examine
their consciences and hear an old fash
toned Christian truth or two, is no new
thing in the history of the Church in
this country. Customs of that sort
make the higher life as we'll as the
glory of Catholicism. What is new
is that the secular press should think
the fact worth clronicling, merely be-
cause God-fearing lady Of name and
social position happens to be among
those who attend it. 1t would be very
unfair, Of course, to suppose that the
newspaper accounts Of these events are
inspired by the people who call them
selves Catholics; but it is a great
pity, none the less, that more pains
are not taken to instruct the guileless
penny-a-liner in quest Of copy" on the
spiritual, rather than on the social,
significance of so solemn business as
Il yearly "Old Pupils Retreat" at one
of our most representative schools for
girls. There will be snobs as long
as the world will endure; but it will go
ill with religion in a country like Amer
lea il snobbery of the Suns disquieting
accent be allowed to 80 without re-
bukc. This is but one count out Of
many on which Catholics have a griev-
ancc against this would-be omniscient
Journal, says the Providence Visitor.
There is no teaching body of women
in the Catholic Church today that de-
serves so we'll of the more cultivated
laity in the United States as the order
popularity known as the Religious Of
the Society of the Sacred Heart. 1t
is scarcely an cXaggcrntion to affirm
that all that is most representative and
arresting in talent, in Christian char
acter, in feminine scholarship and in
womanly charm in what, for lack of a
better word, must be called the more
influential classes throughout Christ
endom in all these times, inevitably
gravitates, when looking for an outlet
to it's higher religious aspirations, to
the novitiates Of the Sacred Heart.
Those who sincerely love the order,
therefore, for what it has accomplished
in the past century of its existence,
and devOut ideals of wise womanly
training one of the few assured hopes
for the future of higher feminine edu-
cation in this country, naturally resent
the ill-considered attempt of a band Of
clurlish-mindcd Journalists TO vulgar
iZc it by limiting that it's manifold spir-
consecratcd to the service only Of the
well-to-do. Such an imputation is as
ridiculous as it is un-Christian and un.
f, fair.
The Religious OF the Sacred Heart
like the Religious OF the Society of
Jesus, with whose wonderful Institute
they have so much in common, are as
broad in their humanity as the Church
itself. No class is shut out from their
ministrations. They recognize no arts
tocracy but that which brings newt
ably from their native union of talent
and character. They appeal to every
grade of society, and in every grade
of society they are consistently
Jealous for one thing. and for one thing
only-to build up, namely, in the hearts
of their pupils such intelligent types OF
Christian fortitude and purity rs may
best perpctuate the true work Of Oul
Lord upon earth. A Sacred Heart girl
it. is often asserted may be known the
world over by her own especial cachet
Il kind of grace of manner that 10 Other
woman is found to possess. The claim
may excite the envy of the less forum
ate but clcar-sightcd men, who are as
suredly the best, if not the lnal judges
IN tbic rottnr know tlot ,S ic S,,hStoO
TALLY irrefragNble and sound. We arr
not speaking from inspiration Mt SECOND
hand when we aver. that characters o
so rare hallmark would be the frs
to resent the unworthy imputatiol
which the editors of the Sun and on
or two other New York journals hav'
: read into the reports Of the "Retreat
: to which we refer.