The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1912-08-17


more prayer ne eat on the chairs there
and we're allowed % talk untn ore
work
And when is the day's work don.
Ccoeliaf- I asked.
Wen. you see. each riri has A task
or 'steut.' that 10 a certain amount al
Hork that she must nnlsh before quit.
tinE time. that IL slK O'Clock. Ana "a
halt past I've O'Clock every evening
ne sisters In charge 80 around and
inspect the girls work 10 zee n each
mas hnished her task And. Mr. Buuu.
on the pieoo work In the laundry and
IN the shirt room and IN the ovcralis
room the number OF pieces each glrl
MUST do is 70 aufully large that no
giri dares stop 10 even look upi Why
| know girls"
"But, Cecilia" I interrupted, "thcse
sisters an claim that they are no,
even allowed 10 touch the qlrls 10 nun.
lah them, then Why should these glrls
toll and slave 20 hard al their tasks
u no one Is allowed 20 punish them ?"
suddenly she arose and BEGAN 20
pace the room neryously as she talked.
That's Just what | was going 20 tell
you about I started 20 say that I
know girls that those heartless, cruel
old sisters nearly beat 20 dsathl"
Cecilia paused Just before me and
her face was very white a. she went
on. her voice low and tense. zone
poor girl Just refused 20 do the task
they had set for her-the sisters
broke a broom handle into pieces
across her backl Oh! No, they they
are not allowed 10 touch the alrlsi'
Why sometimes az night I can hear
that girls yells and groans yeti Mr..
buss, ! Just want 20 tell you OF one
whipping ! got there. they whipped
me with rattan once until I was laid
IN bed 20 sore I could hardly move.
Next day my mother came 20 see me.
one OF the sisters came In and
said, 'Cecelia, get up and dress, dear.
and come downstairs with me. Your
mother Is waiting 10 see you. And
listen, dear, II you tell your mother
anything or show her one mark on
your body. Wen whip you again TN
you can't walkl OF course. mother
never knew!
"Oh! Mr.. Buss. you folks don't know
the misery and hell there Is behind
those wallsl You told about how when
you went through that laundry a few
girls we're sitting around reading and
crochetng. ! am Glad you were not
deceived by these things they fixed up
Tor you 20 see. But you don't know
how hard or how late those girls had
20 work 10 make up for the time they
shut down for your visit, do your And
you don't know how cross and spiteful
those 'sistorg' we're after you had loft
how they slapped those poor girls
around, or how many went 10 bed
without any mush and milk CHATS
what We had for supper)-but I can
guess, you see I've been through II
ALL"
Cecilia sat down agnln, and lean.
ing her head on her hand regarded me
steadily ! noticed that though her
eyes were fearless, her lips we're
twitching. She seemed waiting n reply.
Finally | said, "Cecelia, n I tell The
Menace readers and the world all these
things | wonder II they would believe
.us?"
This went home. Leaning forward
she said intensely: "Belleve us7 Why,
II don't make any difference whether
they believe us or not! They can
know for themselves. Just let them
tear down those high walls and fences,
unbar those doors, tear all the locks
OF and have these places open 90 peo-
pie can 90 through any hour Of the day
or night and then they can see-and
seeing Is believing you know"
Just here, gentle reader, We will
leave untold the rest OF her sad story,
because | have so closely described
Cecilia that / do not care 10 risk dis
closing her identity TO her Romish en-
emies who have already bounded her
all over this city-there is much that
/ fain would tell-perhaps later, but
not now.
On second thought, however, here
Is one more incident from her convent
life Indicative OF the fiendlsh cruelty
of these sweet sisters"-one wintry
day, coming out OF the tunnel at noon
from work Cecilia stole a ripe, red to-
mato from among the generous store
Of delleaeles being prepared for the
nuns tables. She was caught. She was
taken upstairs TO the bathroom, un-
dressed. plunged into a bathtub filed
with icy water and held there nearly
NV AAAhuNtos SVC "ob 1H"gU dI NVlb I
time. This experience landed her in |
the hospital-nearly the grave.
CAN YOU FORGIVE CECILIA THE |
WEARING OF THE YELLOW SILK |
klMoNo NoW7
Oh! The stories those dark convent
walls on Price Hin could tell n only |
stones and brick had tonguesl From |
the lives OF other "Cecelias" have
cleaned incidents grisly and CHASTITY |
with unnameable cruelty.
One eighteen-year-old girl from |
Georgia piteously begged for her free |
dom, her pleas we're met with renewed |
cruelties. Goaded TO desperation one /
evening about five O'Clock she threw |
herself from a third story window to |
the cement walk below. Both ankles |
were broken. She was taken to a hos
pital here In the city. While there a |
Mortified lady visitor exclaimed at her
bedside, Just think what you have |
done, child, you have crippled yourself /
for life-arent you sorry now?"
What do you think her answer was? |