The Irish standard., 1912-11-23
ERRONEOUS VIEWS
OF THE CL0|STER
A Chicago Sectarian Editor Has
Wrong Idea of the Purpose of
Becoming a Nun.
The Monitor of New Jersey Shows
That he is in Dense Ignorance
of the Subject.
1t is Very Difficult to Condensc into
the Same Space a Greater Per-
version of Facts.

Recently daughter Of the Earl Of
Ashburnham england, became a nun
in tho Convent of the Sacred Heart
at Rochampton. She is one Of tho
hundreds Of Catholic young women
who every year abandon the world and
its vaniticS to conSccratc themselves
to the higher life. Had she been the
daughter of Il colnlnoncr her dctcr-
mination to enter Il convent would not
have evoked any comment outside OF
, the circle of her personal friends. Eutl
her father being an carl has caused
the newspapers to take note OF what
they would pass over in silence If it
We're not for parcntngc of the sister
novice. Some of these comments. OBJ
serves the "Munitor" Of New Jersey,
show what an erroneous view many
! protcstants take of the life led by the
Sisters. The manner in which tho
Western Christian Advocate moralizcs
over the step taken by the daughter
of the Earl of Ashburnam, illustrates
What VIC mean. "1hc other day." it
says, "wc read in the Press that the
/ daughter of the Earl of As1burnfnm,
England. had become Il vcird nun and
entered for life the Convent OF the Sa
cred Heart at I2ochamto1. The fam
'ttv-fro,, " hicl she springs is one Of
the, most eminent in England"
Taking This Fact as Its Text.
/ The 'Westcrn Christian Advocate"
proceeds to preach this bomily on tho
1 rcsrettable "misconception" OF Christ's
ters. We saw this item almost i'm
mediatcly after having read Mrs. Fc-
licia l'ulloz Clnrk's rumancc called
The Jesuit. in which the tragedy and
pathos of he nuns is very graphically
and knowingly pictured. II made one
feel as il those who take tho veil
almost he termed II living DEATH"
Then follows the lnmcntation over the
wasted potcntialitics that are INJURED
up within the four walls of every con-
vent: ''Whcn ono thinks of the no
ccssity for social welfare workers to-
day, and OF the great need Of religious
people with tender hearts and willing
hands to go to their relief, such n coll
caption Of the following of Christ, as
entering a dungeon ana staying there
lmmurcd as q prisoner for tho rest of
ones days seems to us a miscOncep-
tion. tragicHl in it's greatness Of the
teaching of the Master the spirit Of
the Gospel and the clnims Of Chris
tianity who would follow Him who
went about doing good
II would be difficult to cOndcnsc into
the same number of words n greater
amazed that such an erroneous view
OF the life work Of Catholic Sisters, 1s
is set forth by the "Wcstcrn Christian
Advocate" could be entertained by
amy intelligent Protestant. One finds
himself asking, how is IT possible that
IL writer living in q great American
city could pen Inc words VIC have
quoted above. The work OF Catholic
Sisters in Chicago work that in
cludcs within its scope all human
needs, however varied they may he, is
surely known to every one who is In
tcrcstcd in relieving human suffering
in the city where the Western Chris
tian Advocate" is published In the
, Archdiocese of Chicago these noble,
/. self sacrificing women have under
their charge twenty two academies for
girls, six orphan asylums, two infant
asylums, five homes for old men and
women, three working girls homes,
, sixteen hospitals, an Industrial school
for girls, four communities for nurs-
archdioscses and dioccscs throughout
the United States have within their
territorial limits similar institutions in
which Catholic Sisters are spending
3 their lives in works of benef1cence
which proclaim that they arc in every
! deed following Him who went about
1 doing good"
And yet the writer in the "Westerr