The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-12-08


expulsion of the religious or
1ers from Portugal and their immi.
nent expulsion from Spain. which will
drive many of them to seek refuge In
this country. The expulsion of the re-
hgious orders from France a few
years ago sent many monks and nuns
TO America and England and resulted
In the establishment of monasteries
and converts in various places. The
members of the Trappist order are
pledged to silence for the remainder
OF their days. 1t is the Order of the
Silent Brotherhood.
The abbey of Gethsemane is a self.
sustaining institution. Everything its
monks require is raised or made on
the 1000 acres of beautiful Kentucky
farm country that surrounds the mon
astery. And not only are they forbid.
den to speak to anyone. but they are
not allowed to read anything except
the old books in the monastery library,
Even letters or, newspapers are not
allowed to enter the siler.t place. II
Is doubtful IL three men In the abbey
know the name of the president of the
United States or the governor of Ken.
lucky. All tender and sympathetic
emotions which in this life visit the
human heart are suppressed. The
deaths of nearest and dearest rela
lives are announced to them.
Forgotten by the world. they them.
selves forget the world.
Among their number are many men
Of distinguished careers, many who
have borne titles. A once celebrated
,peratic tenor died among the monks
= few years ago. The son of the
founder of the famous Sunnybrook dis.
allery, who squandered nearly half a
million In less than a year, Is a mem.
Der OF the order. A farmer who drove
the writer over to the monastery from
B~ardstown. and who knows more
about the monks han anyone the
country round. pointed out the former
Count de Bourbon. Baron de Saumur
md Oscar Bachstetz as they left the
gate. There are many others. EQUALLY
important In their early days, In this
living tomb.
The guestmaster-a French monl
expelled from La Trappe by the recent
action OF the French government
showed me around the abbey, write.
Karl X. Kitchen. First we went Il
the church where the monks spene
one-fourth OF their time In silenr
prayer and meditation. We visited tn,
dormitory, where they sleep on hare
planks In little stalls not unlike those
to be found at the summer bathins
beaches. A single blanket, a wash
stand and a hard pillow is all eacf
one has. Not even a chair Is placed
In the stalls for their comfort. In the
~refectory two monks we're setting the
tables for the midday meal-the only
meal In "a hours for the members O
the order. The odor of vegetable souI
could be detected from the kitchen
and that, with bread boiled in water
and a little rice, is the daily fare. Ii
Lent only bread and water are par
taken Of and there are frequent othel
fasts.
In spite Of this seeming hardship
the Trappist monks are noted for thei
health and vigor and the goodly ag,
to which they live. When later In tn,
afternoon we went into the shops an,
out into the fields where the monk
were at work l was astonished at thei
muscular development and the health,
color of their skin. Nearly all O
them are good specimens of physica
manhood.
The only rooms I'm the abbey tina
are comfortably furnished are tn
library and the abbot's apartment. Al