The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1912-11-23

- -. NNNNNALHAH NMMNW - MMMU NlMM
cannot tell But there is enc oondi.
ton that win give yuu a little IDEA Of
the rest IN summer the girls we're
required 20 hathe once every week. In
winter once in two weeks. Here 10 a
choice bic OF Catholic economy; IN
the old convent the water waa only
changed Tor every seventh girl 10 the
new one tho nuns were more liberal
and changed the water for every
fourth Eirii Water costs money. you
know. In the city. Many OF the girls
were the victims OF awful and name
lcse discasea-and the danger OF In.
fection In bathing was something av.
full
"At bathing time an old Eiri.' or
stool pigeon. was IN charge OF the
tubs and examined all the girls un.
dcrWcar for symptoms of weakness:
when such symptoms were found. IN.
stead OF medical attention the unfor.
tunate victim received severe punish.
ment for alleged fmpurity' or i'm.
morality"
Dorothy paused and I asked her 70
tell mo frankly and fully what she
considered the cause OF the almost uni.
versal downfall OF the girl.prisoners
after they are released from the
Good shepherd cohvents-to tell for
The Menace what that hitherto un.
printed condition or teaching Is In
these penal converts that wrecks and
almost always ruins the m urs life OF
the victims
The real answer 20 your question
is well known 20 every girl or woman
who has ever been an inmate of these
Houses OF Good Shepherd but few
ever speak OF Il because-Oh, well.
because Il Is a very delicate subject.
and then Il would usually bring moth.
ing but suspicion upon the girls who
would tell OF this awful thing. And
few would perhaps believe her; 80 the
victims suffer silently" answered
Dorthy sadly. then | saw the light OF
n sudden resolve In her eyes and sho
continued frankly: Il sometimes think
that II the angels can see the ruin
and wretchedness here below. they
must weep when they see those girl.
lives wrecked by thousands every
year by the dcvlllsh teaching Of the
NuUspti0nub.s5h ~oy- those she
NtNAOun III uNu NaENG AANnN 0AhNtAH
Of the Good Shepherd"
But. Miss Dorothy. do YOU realize
that what you ara saying Is a terrible
An awful thing-do you mean to
say "Yes, a thousand times YESl"
And so, her tones growing even more
earnest. calmly and carefully choosing
each word, Dorothy continued her OK.
posure OF the systematic, cunning and
deliberate teaching of---to all the
little girls under their charge by these
unspeakably deprayed nuns.
army OF Menace readers might know
the terrible truth, how every evening
after the children had gone 20 bed,
from forty TO sixty little girls In each
dormitory In little single beds crowded
close together. furnished with corn.
shuok mattresses. after the lights
we're out these ite-garbed harples
came silently gliding through, spectre
like, scanning each little girlish form
with cold, cruel havkoyes. The most
powerful Of all teaching Is that given
in the form Of suggestion. And the
nuns display the cunning OF Hell itself
in their AWFUL teaching that wrecks
mind and bodyl
And In that little mind the sugges-
tive seed was forever Gown. the seed
OF suggestion that can never die-Rnd
ohi the harvest Of corruption, OF rulnl
And the victims, how old were they?
Little girls seven and eight years old!
Far kinder that the hand Of tho un.
speakable nun should have Hplit the
little skull vide open with an axe!
Aud further. Dorothy explained the
two-fold reason for this careful teach.
ing of------by these sweet doves
OF the temple." that those in.
mates who must be liberated. when
thus dopraved in body and mind. may
find shipvrcck in the red light dis
tricts and 80 finally be forced back TO
these penal Houses OF Good Shep-
herd,' tthen as "Magdalenes''), or that
thus with senses dulled and the power
OF decision wrecked the poor victims
viii be content 70 remain In the con
vent year after year, so becoming
what Is there called an "old girl"
Dorothy explains that an "old girl' Is
one whp voluntarily remains and Is
used by the nuns as a sort Of "trusty'
OF stool pigeon" The GOOD Shep.
herd" nuns grant numberless little
favors 70 the "oid girls" and they are
better fed and better dressed than the
others They become quite content
with their lot. They are all of course
slaves 20 that indescribablo habit
which usually enda only with the
grave. Dorothy has talked with mum.
bers OF these "old girls" about their
condition, asking them II all their
natural instincts were dead. II they
had no desire fer hume, for loved
ones, for n better life, and she says
that in every instance the answer was
summed up in the following reply of
one OF these "old girls" who said,
'Why, Of course I'd rather be here
than anywhere, I couldn't love any
man now, even II I was married TO
him"
Because OF the laek OF space. have
been forced 10 condense this story and
to give only the briefsst sketch OF the
/ a.