The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1903-04-17

with the people of the world, save on
this one occasion. when they travelled
from their mother house, near Balti-
more. to their new convent in Phila-
delphia.
No life known to modern times is to
the average healthy mind so absolute
" unnatural as that of the Carmelite
nuns. All the abstemious details of
their existence are not known, except
to a few who have studied the relig-
ious orders of the Roman Catholic
church. If their lives be unhappy or
distasteful in any way their secret is
never known to the world. From the
hour when they take their final vows
their faces are never seen. Neither
father, mother nor sister may ever
look upon them again, and even their
yelled forms may not be seen.
When business or some other impor-
tant matter demands converse with
the world they speak from behind
curtained bars. The daily life of
Carmelite nun is as barren of beauty
and luxury even of what are deemed
by the very poorest as absolute ne
cessities. as is the existence of a
doomed convict. Their bed is plain,
hard board, their clothes winter and
ever spotlessly clean, but harsh, and
in warm weather exceedingly uncom-
Portable. OF recreation and amuse-
ment they have absolutely none, not
even of the most childish and harmle SIS
kind. Their day begins at the first
hour when the chapel chimes toll IL.
Then they arise from their hard beds
and in silence enter their sanctuary,
where an hour is spent in prayer.
Their hour of midnight alteration
ended. they return to their board
couches and rest until the stars begin
to pale. when day of work and fast
and prayer is begun. There is another
hour before the altar, and then what
they very appropriately call break
fast.
Always the first meal of the day
consists of dry bread and black coffee,
except that in case of illness an egg
is given. With this scant nourish-
ment they start the work and exacting
prayer of the day.
After the tolling of the midday An
gelus another repast, ironically
called dinner. is served. Dry bread,
plain boiled potatoes and perhaps cod
fish balls or some other inexpensive
fish constitute the full menu Of their
midday meal. No butter. no sugar, NO
coffee or tea. never q beverage of any
kind nor a relish or dessert, and the
taste of flesh of any description is alb
strange to them.
Probably the strangest Of all the
customs of the Carmelites is that Of
placing on the dining table before
them a skull as reminder that death
must finally claim them all. 1t is said
that young novices frequently give up
their scant meals for days before they
can accustom themselves to the grew
somely nauseating object before them.
That fleshless face is always there.
But the young girls who enter the
Carmelite converts must become in
ured to this sight. The rosary, hung
with crucifix, is their only ornament,
and q crucifix and perhaps a skull. are
the only decorations in their ma. row.
gloomy cells.
Think of from six to 20 women sit
tingi in a room for two hours and not
speaking one word, and this when all |
the rest of the day had been spent in
silence. And yet this is what the Car
melite nuns do every day of their |
lives. Silence-silence-silence, al
ways except when their lips murmur
prayer, and even the fan of their feet
upon the rough wood doors il almost
noiseless.