The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-04-27

that bo6uflfm Work WHICH mus "a
precision - the lsbors Of such or1an-
tsrs Of Mercy, and Little Sisters Of the
Poor. They have over 900 colleges ana
academies for women, 100 INSTITUTIONS
OF charity. and 5000 parochisa schools;
they have 100000 orphans, patients
strays. waifs, and aged people TO care
for, 10000 girls In their colleges ana
academies. and 100000 children In their
parochisl schools.
Some idsa of the Immense value Of
the property. owned By the lis orders
OF sisterhood in America may be glean-
ed from the fact that the property OF
the Sisters Of Charity Of 81. Vincent
de Paul alone has been estimated 20
be worth over es0,o0o.000. They nave
thirtyrseysn hespitalA trsny-s ~.
lums. and some twenty other large IN.
situations, besides thirty-thres parocn-
fal schools. This order IL sometimes
known a. the white Corvette Sisters.
because OF the large and immaculate
~ white hsad covering they wear IN
public. They are but branch % =
worldwide order. and contribute to the
support. Of the mother-houss In France.
Noth~ithstanding the large number
OF women engaged IN the work. there
are thousands OF applications from
others to enter Il. Indeed, II IL SAID
that one of the difficulties that con-
front the church Is to keep the numper
within bounds. It is sought TO pre-
vent any mushroom growth Of any OF
of women ana girls who would De or
namental rather than valuable to the
work Especially has there been Q
tendency toward expansion since the
French government has taken steps
that are hostile TO the work and exist
ence Of the sisterhoods. Many OF tne
French orders are sending workers "
America.
From mother superior down 70 the
humbiesf novitiate. the saisries OF tho
sisters of all the orders are the same
board, clothes, necessary spending
money, attendance In sickness ana
burial in death. Those who engage In
teaching IN the church schools get sal.
aries OF from 800 to 5000 a year, but
never more than that. This does not
go direct to them. but to the order o.
which they are members. It Is through
the low salaries paid that the church -
able to maintain such splendid schools
at such small OUTLAWS Of money.
The Sisters OF Charity OF 81. Vincent
de Paul had their real beginning ~
America at E1mfnittsburs. Md, In 1909
At that time. Elisabeth Seton. dough.
ter OF an Episcopal clersyman. ana
wife Of a New xerk society leader who
had recently died embraced the Cath-
oiic faith and went to EmmitfsburK,
where she founded the mother-house OF
the American branch OF the order. The
Emmittsbprg mother-houss vas nrst
only humble log cabin. The found
er was talented woman. and .threy,
her whole soul into the work before
her. Az long 40 she lived, the SISTER
hood continued under one head But
later there arose q difference Of opin-
lon over the question OF the care o.
male orphans. The New YORK pranch
conteuded that it was not right for
them to turn these boys adrtft at the
are Of IL. years, while the Emmtfts-.
burg mother-house declared that II
was not proper to keep them beyond
that age. THE church OF New York
agreed with the sisters OF the New
York branch. while the Baitimore'
finally agreed TO disagree, and all Sis
ters were allowed to select the side
they would take In the separation. In
this the New York community claimed
to have followed the Drtneiptes Of the
foundress--to do what their HANDS
found to do.
The sisters of this organization were
never attended TO constitute a reiig-
ious community in the European sense
OF perpetual vows and cloistered lie.
but only charity organization Of de-
yout women. They take only simple
VOW, and that for only one year at a
time. The mother superior Is assisted
in the government OF the community
by three Officers: the assistant supe-
rior, treasurer. and procuratrix. The
four of them. together with the eccle-'
siastical superior. whose ONCE Is by
appointment of the Bishop or Arch
hishop in whose diocese the mother
house Is located, constitute the coun-
ell OF the community. The other ofi-
GERS are chosen by the SURFACES OF the
sisters. To be eligible to vote 9 Sis
tar must have passed novitiate OF
from two to i've years, and have Ia
ken the vows and habtts OF pro-
fessed," Only at elections OF q mother
superior are sisters summoned from
the outlying missions to sit In coun-
ell.
The Sisters Of Mercy have about
5000 members and they are scattered
all over the United States. The Latte
sisters of the Poor now have tnstitu-
lions in nearly every large city OF the
country and their ministrations to the
moor constitute one OF the most beau
tifuI examples of Christian charity.
without reference to creed, their SYM
patty goes out to iil-foFtuned human
ity, The hotels of the country have
always TenO6TeO tiAGt1 tuuNth 80
giving them whatever Is not used IN
the culinary department.
From the mother-house of the sis-
ters of Charity Of Nazeratm Ky. has
radiated an influence which Wen IL
Illustrates the history and growth OF
the various sisterhoods. 1t was esfab-
lished In 1912, with Mother Spalding as
fts head. She was only 10 years, old
al the time. The early sisterhoodl spent
a great deal OF their time spinning ana
weaving for the seminarians, ana they
were all trained that cooking ana
sucb work--the doing of common work
uncommonly well--was as honorable as
teaching or as being accomplished In
music.
In establishing branch houses the
sisters had to undergo many hard ex-
neriences. When the three sisters
ionrneyed to Union County In 1890 70
Establish what Is now the beautiful ST.
VincentSs Academy. they travelled 14Q
voiIes on horseback carrying across
their saddles their work aprons trans
SnrmAd into bags which contained
thair clothing, a few kitchen utensils
ana school room accessories. At the
end Of their Journey they found the
honae they were to occupy not vacated
and they had to clean out log hut
which had been used as chicken
house, before they could rest This
hut was their home for some months.
they taught out-of-doors for some
time when the weather permitted.
From the log house at Nazereth aud
tha hen roost at St. Vincent, the COM
rnunity has grown to the point where
II has. TIT members, twenty noxices'