The Irish standard., 1905-05-06
Tribute to Little Sisters.

the house of the Little Sisters of the
Poor in Paris, and described his i'm.
pressions of the institution and the
Sisters in an article in his own maya
zine, Household Words" The great
English novelist's account of Cath
olic charity is so little known, not be-
ing included in his published works..
that it is worth reproducing here:
THE Little Sisters live with their
charges in the most frugal way, upon
the scraps and waste meat which they
can collect from the surrounding
houses. The voluntary contributions
by which they support their institu-
tion are truly the crumbs fallen from.
the rich mans table. The nurse fares
no better than the objects of her care;
she lives upon equal terms with Laza.
rus, and acts towards him in the spirit
of a younger sister.
1--WE are ushered into small parler
scantily furnished, with some Scrip.
ture prints upon the walls. A Sister
enters to us with bright look of
cheerfulness, such as faces wear when
hearts beneath them feel that they are
beating to some purpose in the world.
She accedes gladly to our desire, and
at once leads us into another room of
larger size, in which twenty or thirty
! old women are at this moment finish.
ing their dinner. 1t being Friday, rice
stands on the table in the place of
meat. The Sister moves and speaks
with the gentleness of mother among
creatures who are in or near the stage
OF second childhood. In the dormi-
tories on the first floor some lie bed
ridden. Gentler still, if possible, is
now the Sisters voice. The rooms
throughout the house are airy, with
large windows; and those inhabited
by the Sisters are distinguished from
the rest by no mark of indulgence or
superiority.
I'VE descend now into the old mems
department and enter a warm room,
with a stove in the center. One old
fellow has his feet upon little foot
warmer, and thinly pipes out that he
is very comfortable now, for he is
always warm. The chills of age and
the chills of the cold pavement remain
together in his memory, but he is very
comfortable now, very comfortable.
Another decrepit man, with white hair
and bowed back-who may have been
proud in his youth of rich voice fer
love songs-talks of music to the Sis
ter: and being asked to sing, blazes
out with joyous gestures, and strikes
up song OF Beranger's in cracked,
shaggy voice, which sometimes, like
river given to flow underground, is
lost entirely, and then bubbles up
again, quite thick with mud. We go
into a little oratory, where all pray
together nightly before they retire to
rest. Then we descend into garden
for men, and pass thence by door in
to the womens court.
and now we go into the kitchen.
Preparation for coffee is in progress;
the dregs of coffee that have been col
lected from the houses of the affluent
in the neighborhood are stewed for
long time with great care. The Sisters
say that they produce very tolerable
result; and, at any rate, every inmate
is thus enabled to have a cup Of coffee
every morning, to which love is able
to administer the finest mocha flavor.
A Sister enters from her rounds out
of doors with two cans Of broken
victuals. She is healthy and,
think, handsome woman. Her daily
work is to 60 out with the cans d.
rectly after she has had her morning
coffee to collect food for the house.
AS fast as she fills her cans she brings
them to the kitchen and goes ouG
again, continuing in this work daily
till o'clock.
"You do not. like this begging? What
are the advertisements on behalf Of
our own hospitals? What are the cob
lectors? What are the dinners, the
speeches, the charity sermons? A few
weak women strong in heart, without
advertisement or dinners, or charity
sermons, without urgent appeals to
sympathizing public, who have no o.
casion to exercise charity by enticing
it to balls and theatrical benefits,
patiently collect waste food from
house to house and feed the poor with
it, humbly and tenderly.
"The cans are now to be emptied,
+, the contents being divided into four
compartments, according to their ma
ture-broken meat, vegetables. slices
! of pudding, fish, etc. Each is after
wards submitted to the best cookery
! that can be contrived. The choicest
things are set aside. These. said
Sister, with a look of satisfaction, win
be for our poor, dear sick
"The Sisters divide the duties of the
home among themselves-two serve n
the kitchen, two in the laundry, one
begs, one devotes herself to constant
personal attendance on the wants Of
the old men; and 90 with others, each
having her special department The
whole sentiment of the household h