The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-08-19
PICTURES OF CARMELITE NUNS.
False Photographs Cause Much Pain
to These Religious.
lChurch Progress.)


Some time ago there appeared in the
! secular press an illustrated article on
what purported to be "camera-look
on the life and rule of the Carmelite
nuns. We find it again. or one similar
thereto, in the Woman's Home Com
panion for June. This would indicate
that it is going to make the rounds. But
it ought not 10 because it is grossly
false-and it viii not if the Catholic
press will help US spread. this con-
demnation and authoritive denial of its
reliability.
Knowing that the article would have
no weight without an explanation" as
10 how the alleged photographs of this
most strict and secluded of monastic
I orders" were secured, the author, in
display lines of black-face type, tells
! US that they were taken by a Carmel
tie nun for the purpose of obtaining
money for her beloved convent in time
of need.
The statement is absolutely false. 1t
convicts the writer of ignorance of his
: subject, or willful misrepresentation.
Hence in either event its reliability is
destroyed
The article has been the source of
much pain to the Ca1melite nuns. Here
/ IS the truth as vouched for by the
Mother Superior in st. Louis.
During the recent bitter prosecutions
of the religious communities in France
many slanderous and villainous
charges were made against the Car
melite nuns. These charges, of course,
I had existence only in the infidel and
debauched minds of those who origin
ated them. In order however, to still
( the slanderouS tongues to make known
the falsity of the charges and to pre-
serve the existence Of the community
itself the converts were thrown open
for inspection During the visits of the
public some" Of the photographs were
taken. Such is their history.
The number, however, was not more
than three or four. of the eleven shown
in the Woman'S Home Companion. The
others are absolutely false. Ofethe six
illustrations on page L of the above
journal ali are false with the possible
exception of that showing the Sisters in
their vegetable garden. This might be
true IN France; it is not true in the
United States. No such penances as
the kind portrayed by any of the pic
lures are permitted by the rule of the
Carmelite order.
Of the illustrations on page Is three
are true, the others also false. The two
at the top of the page and the smaller
one in the lower group of three at the
bottom are true. But in none do the
penanceS as stated exist, nor were any
save the two at the top of this page
taken in the convent. The smaller il
lustration was taken from a photograph
stolen" from the convent The original
has quite history and the life of the
nun whom it represents has been put
into print. It does not, however. repre-
sent the nun doing penance before the
cross in her cell, kneeling for hours
with outstretched arms" Nor IS it a
penance of pain. but represents a
custom peculiar to many religious
communities where at the ringing of a
bell at O'Clock in the afternoon the
Sisters assume this posture for a few
moments, saying a brief prayer in.
honor of the agony of our Lord
Such is briefly the facts concerning
these photographs. Space will not per-
NIT a more detailed denial of what the
writer of the article referred to makes
them represent. What has been said,
however should be sufficient to stop
any future appearance of the article
and its illustrations for one is as false
as the other. To this end we appeal for
the support of our Catholic contem-
f1r,r-.9r