The Irish standard., 1908-02-22
the LITTLE SISTERS
Description of a Visit to q
Home for the Aged
Reveals the Sublimity of Their
Vocation.

ters of the Poor!" You have seen their
curious black wagon and inoffensive
horse, driven by some good old man,
standing before some hotel or in some
frequented street, and you have mar
veled, no doubt, at the wonderful life
they lead. And it is not surprising you
should. for it is miracle! They devote
themselves to the most wearsome,
thankless, laborious duty on the face
of the earth-that is. taking care of the
aged poor, so aged that they are quer-
ulous children sometimes and must be
cared for almost as infants, says "Mer-
cedes" in the Catholic Standard and
Times.
And these Little Sisters" do care
for them, serve them, beg for them
and are satisfied to eat what they
leave, to do nothing for themselves
until they are cared for, and, in fine,
to spend themselves in the most me-
nial way, for the love Of Christ, that
their reward in Heaven may be great.
If you have never visited their homes,
come with me to one, where the "bon-
ne mere,' with her sweet broken Eng
lish and motherly smile, will lead you
all over the house and show you the
apartments of the old people. Other
dear Little Sisters will come and talk
French to you if you wish, but the good
mother leads you.
You wait only few minutes in
the little bare parlor (what need have
they Of parlors?), and then you start on
your tour of inspection. Here you
come to cheerful room filled with
comfortable arm chairs, where a dozen
old men sit, some of them with their
stubby pipes, some of them with their
hats and comforters on, for there is no
conventionality here, only the ease of
the old people considered, quietly rest
ing and waiting-for what? Simply a
CAIN, holy death! Their dim eyes
see little in the world, and amid the
gentle rninistrations of these holy at
tendants they drift into eternity.
AS we enter the room adjoining
this our gaze is attracted to one of
the beds and it's occupant The face
on the pillow is almost as white as
the surrounding linen. A blessed candle
is burning and Little Sister is kneel-
ing In prayer Holy water is on a small
table near by. At the foot of the bed
is an old man praying. 1t needs but
a glance to tell us what it all means.
We kneel and murmur a DE Prof,n-
dis but the Little Sister rises with a
smile and a light in her eyes, "Poor
Baltasar!"' she says, "how easy he got
Off Just baptized, made his First Com
munion. anointed-and died. And near
ly so years old. How casy!" And she
smiles brightly and goes off to her old
men in the next room, while we look at
the pallid face and feel that it is indeed
well with the dead
Now we go to the chapel. Here
about dozen Of the Little Sisters
are standing in the pews chanting the
"Salve Regina" Then from corridor to
corridor, through clean, airy dormitor-
les and bed rooms filled with soft beds
for the weak old bodies that repose
there. Then to the women's side,
where, in the comfortable infirmary,
rests on one of the beds an aged wo-
man who tells us she has tried to die
three times, but could not do it," She
has boon there seventeen years, and
her weak blue eyes follow lovingly the
Little Sister who puts her beads in her
trembling hands and pats her pleas
antly on the withered cheek. A ritual
and stole are on the little altar at the
end of the room. The dear Lord had
been there that day!
Still more comfortable bed rooms.
and then to q room filled with help
less old women, some in rolling chairs,
some In rockers, some weeping like ba-
bies, some deaf and blind, and tooth
less, and shrunken, all like infants, a
charge almost incredible to these noble
women, who have taken the place of
daughters to the aged creatures. Their
white hairs are smooth and their wrink-
led faces and hands clean and their
dress neat and comfortable.
Another room is filled with a crowd
of merry faced aged danes without
homes or loving children-'nowhere to
go but to the Little Sisters God bless
them" They are Enthusiastically hap
py. The good mothers presence is a
signal for smiles, and when she calls
on, Mrs. Somebody for song and Mrs.
Somebody elst TO IA jig the response
is so hearty we are afraid the old peo-
pie will injure themselves. The jiss
and songs continue until We fear there
will be coroner's inquest, and we