The Irish standard., 1905-08-12
TRIBUTE TO LITTLE SISTERS,
An Unpublished Account by Charles
Dickens Of Charity Work.

10 CQe House OF Lne LlCCle sisters OF
the Poor in Paris and described his
impressions of the institution and the
Sisters in an article in his own maga-
zine, Household Words" The great
English novelists account of Catho-
lie charity is so little known, not be-
ing included in his published works,
that it is worth reproducing here,
says The New World:
"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-
tions 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 Laz-
arus and acts toward him in the spirit
of younger sister.
"We are ushered into small parlor
scantily furnished, with some Scrip
ture prints upon the walls. A Sister
enters to us with a 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 a mother
among creatures who are in or near
the state of second childhood. In the
dormitories on the first floor some lie
bed ridden. Gentler still, if possible,
is now the Sisters voice. The rooms
throughout the mouse 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 mans
department and enter 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 is very
comfortable now, very comfortable.
Another decrepit man with white hair
and bowed back-who may have been
proud in his youth of a rich voice for
love song-talks of music to the Sis
ter and being asked to sing, blazes out
with joyous gestures, and strikes up
song of Gerander's in a cracked,
shaggy voice, which sometimes like
river given to flow underground is
lost entirely and then bubles 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 a garden
for men, and pass thence by a door
into women's court.
"And now we go into the kitchen.
Preparation for coffee is in progress;
the dregs of coffee that have been
collected from the homes of the af<
fluent in the neighborhood are stewed
for long time with great care. The
Sister says that they produce very
tolerable result; and, at any rate,
every inmate is thus enabled to have
cup of coffee every morning, to-
which love is able to administer the
finest mocha flavor. A Sister enters
from her rounds out or doors with
two cans of broken victuals; she is
a healthy, and l think, handsome
woman. Her daily work is to go out
with the cans directly 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 Htch-
en- and goes out again, continuing in
this work daily till four o'clock.
"You do not like this begging?
What are the advertisements on be-
half of our own hospitals? What are
the collectors? 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 ap-
peals to a sympathizing public, who
have no occasion to exercise charity
by enticing it to ball and theatrical
benefits, patiently collect waste foot
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
nature meat, vegetables.
slices of pudding, fish, etc. Each Is
afterwards submitted to the best cook
cry that can be contrived. The choic-
est things are set aside: These, said
| a Sister, with a look of satisfaction.
will be for our poor, dear sick.
! "The Sisters divide the duties of
the house among themselves: two
serve in the kitchen, two in the laun-,
| dry, one begs, one devotes herself to
constant personal attendance on the.
| wants of the old men, and so with
! others, each having her special de-