The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-05-02
TO CHARITY.
Mother Nary Katherine Drexel Gives
$1,000 4 DAY.

Mother Nary Katherine Drexel Give!
$1,000 a Day.
The paradox of a well-known wom-
an who Is almost entirely unknown is
true of Miss Mary Katharine Drexel,
or, as she is now called, Mother Mary
Katherine. The public has heard Of
her as an heiress to AN income Of 81 900
a day who voluntarily took the vow Of
poverty as q nun; as the Philadelphia
society belle who founded new reli-
gious order, and who to-day governs
community Of almost four hundred
sisters. These facts the public knows.
And it knows little more. The pri-
vate life and personality of this typi-
cal American woman, as she is incom-
prehensible to the average woman of
to-day, has been hidden by a veil Of
eXclusiveness as impenetrable as the
convent veil she now wears.
Besides supporting the converts of
the Order of the Blessed Sacrament,
Mother Katharine has supported the
Catholic missionary schools for IN
dams in the west since the government
appropriation was withdrawn. She
accepted this burden rather than
have the schools closed, as was the
case with those of other denominations
hOn wifi
her assistance, promising to give what
ever amount should be necessary for
their support until the Catholic Church
could find some other means Of de-
fraying the expense. Last year she
donated about $15O,OO0 to this purpose.
Although working so unostentatious-
ly, few American millionaires have
done more for their fellowmen than
have the DreXels. Even the amount
given away by Carnegie, it is said,
does not exceed that which has been
dispensed by the members of this fam
ily The DreXel Institute in Phila-
delphia, where thousands of young
men and women receive instruction in
the arts and sciences at cost which
merely makes the institute self-sup-
porting, was built and endowed by the
DreXel family. The German Hospital,
an immense foundation presided over
by Lutheran sisterhood, was found
ed by an uncle of the Drexel sisters.
st. Francis Industrial school for boys
at Eddington, Pa. is the foundation of
the late Mrs. Walter George Smith,
nee Elizabeth Drexel. Here more than
two hundred boys are boarded, edu-
Gated and taught trades under the
supervision of the Christian Brothers.
The large Academy Of the Sacred
Heart Mt Eden Hall, which has been
erected beside the old convent, was
built by Francis A. Drexel in men,
DRY of his wife, and the city house of
the order, in Philadelphia, is the gift
Of Mrs. Drexel. 1t was Mrs. Morrell,
also, who lately embellished the church
at Eden Hall with sanctuary and
altar of Caen stone, so exquisite and
richly carved that for fear of its being
copied the nuns have never allowed it
to be photographed. The Drexel sis
tiers have now built beautiful chapel
beside the convent church, which
serves for a family crypt.
The converts which Mother Kath-
crime has built for her order and
which she supports are picturesque
bits of architecture, modelled after the
old Spanish mission buildings of Cali
fornia. st. Elizabeth's convent at
Cornwells, just outside Of Philadel-
phia, is the mother house, where the
novices receive their training. 1t Is
connected by beautiful clustered
walk with Holy Providence house, in
which live more than two hundred col
ored children of all denominations,
mostly orphans and foundlings picked
up in the poorest quarters Of the south.
Here, under the refining influence Of
the nuns, the girls may stay until they
are twenty years old thc boys are
sent to other schools at the age Of
twelve) and receive common school
education and instruction in all
branches of domestic service. Good
situations are found for them when
they leave. The same work is being
;,, h,,i1
by Mother Katharine at Rockcastle,
Va. In the west several converts have
been erected by her for the education
of the Indians.
Mother Mary Katharine is the sec
ond daughter Of Francis A. Drexel,
former partner of J. Pierpont Morgan
in the banking house Of DreXel, Nor
gan & Co. When she and her sister
Elizabeth were young their mother,
who had been a Miss Longstreth, died,
and their father married Miss Emma
Bowler of New York. The children
did not know until they were grown
that the second Mrs. DreXel was not
their mother and she showed as much
fondness for them as for her only
child Louise.
Mrs. Drexel brought her daughters
up as she had been trained. They
were taught to be fearless and
Straightforward, and never to give
away to their feelings. This last pre-
cept was SO firmly impressed upon