The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-06-18

THE JESUITS VACATION HOUSE.
1t Is Near the Chesapeake in . Region OF
Historical Asso ella tons.

THE JESUITS VACATION HOUSE,
1t Is Near the Chesapeake in . Region OF
Historical Asso ella lions.
On an airy cape at the mouth OF 6s
Inigo's Creek and perhaps a dozen miles.
from the Chesapeake stands the vacation
house OF the Jesuits, in old Catholic Mary
land Of the Calvert palatinate.
The county is St. Marys, and st. lnigo's
Creek Is a branch Of the noble and lovely
st. Mary's River. just across the wide.
mouth Of the creek on fine plateau COM
handing the river Is the site OF the old
custom house Of the period when the CAPT.
tai Of Maryland was the little seventeenth
century town Of st. Marys.
Here dwelt the collector OF customs,
and from his comma nding bluf he could
halt any craft coming up the river, and do
mand tribute for the vioeregal Govern
ment. st. Mary's itself, with Its impressive
shaft concentrating the Calverts and
their vanished palatinate lies six or eight
miles up the river in a lovely hill country
rich in history and tradition.
The Jesuits could hardly have chosen
lovelier or more congenial spot for their re-
treat, or one more remote in spirit and
aspect from the affairs Of this century.
The whole geography Of the region COM
memorates the saints of the Church. The
next great estuary Of the Potomac is st.
Clements Bay.
dozen miles across the river Is tho
birthplace of Washington in Westmoreland
county, Va. a region where one OF the
commonest family names Is that OF the
first President. At quaint little old Leon
ardtown the county seat OF st. Mary's, -
a Catholic school. The very negroes WHO
fish the waters and work the farms are
Catholics, as were their slave ancestors for
generations.
That green and airy cape where the
Jesuits find retreat from time to time IL
almost thirty miles from the nearest rail-
way station on either shore OF Chesapeake
Bay. When the chief buildings Of neigh
boring county town were burned somo
years ago Baltimore was four days in learn
ing the news.
The fathers 60 to and from the retreat
by means Of a ti-weekly steamboat, which,
is normally thirty hours in making tho,
voyage between Baltimore and Washing:
ton. The nearest wharf is two miles by
water and a good deal more by land UP
St. Inigo's Creek. 3.
The steamer makes the wharf With 20
much deliberation that visitors to the vaca-,
ton house from Washington often leave,
the boat at St. Georges Island some mics
I'd the Potomac, walk across the island
and sail thence by small boats to their
destination. Eight or ten hours later tho
steamer. after having visited meanwhile
half dozen wharves up and down the
tortuous and beautiful tribut aries Of tho
Potomac on the Virginia side, reaches St.
tray alara from
the retreat to make Baltimore in ten or
twelve hours.
As seen from the water, the retreat sug-
gests almost anyt hing but a scene Of ascetic
rites. The vast square yellow house. four
stories high and nobly proportioned, looks.
with it's green blinds and many windows,
like a well kept seaside hotel of substan-
TALLY unusual with such structures
At a nearer approach it is found to be
great comfort able house. severely simple
in it's appoint ments, wit a pleasant garden
at hand and prevailing atmosphere OF
neatness. Here the brothers of the order
come for longer or shorter stays, some
only until the next boat can take them up
the Potomac to Washington, or down to
tho mouth of the river, and thence to Balti-
more.
MOI nlnI ~ COIllliloIcl dpodiu VIC pOotU
that link his quiet and remote region with
the out side world han the vision of Jesuit
father unostent tio,lsly occupied with his
devotions, or keenly cycling the land that
was once the Catholic stronghold in the
English speaking New World. These black
ed figures are Just such as have been
familiar to hese shores andtheir inhabitants
for two and three quarters centuries. and :
r..k % to =, ,ph n hnV
in old st. Mary's as were those who came
with the Calverts when they exchanged
the inhosptabe climate of Newfoundland
for thls land of warmth and richness.
The beauty and fert ility of The land must
fill the visiting atholic with regret at the
thought Of what the Calverts lost for the
Church. The bluff shores Of st. Inigo's
are clad in rich woodland or lined with cul-
tivat ed fields as far as the eye can reach.
Within sight of the retreat Ia he oldest
house in Maryland. quaint and lovely
honest cad looking across it's rich old box
garden to st, Mary's and the Potomac. ,
Wheat and corn and tobacco are still grown
in the staid old fashioned way. and oxen are
the chief draft animals,
All manner OF barnyard fowl flourish
ashore, and the waters fairly swarm with
wild ducks and geese in winter, and all the I
year round wit h fish OF many kinds. East :,
ern Shore men boast that they are the best
fed people In the world but there are few
places where one may live more cheaply
and subst ant ially than wit hin sight of the
great yellow house where he Jesuits find
refuge from the noise of the twentieth
century.
Two or three dollars will furnish fish for
whole Lent and fifty rich farms within
easy sailing dist ance are ready at hand with
cheap fare for he rest of he year.