The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-10-11
.DEsOLA7ION OF THE
GRANDE. GHAR /! B! |: IS:
r .
THE EXPELLED MONKS WERE
FAMOUS FOR THEIR LIBERAL
BENEFAC TIONS THEIR
RETURN WILL RESTORE PROS
PERITY TO THE LOCALITY.

Under the above heading the Sat
urday Review, London, contains an
account of the loss which at least
one section of France has been made
to suffer because of the expulsion of
the monks and the seizure of their
property by the French Government:
Ten years have now passed since
the monks of the Grande Chartreuse
were expelled from their monastery
and scattered to the four corners of
the earth. Members of all political
parties in the Department of the Isere
joined at the time in an almost unan-
imous protest against the decree
which drove them forth. Even some
strong supporters of M. Combes' Gov
eminent objected to the exile of
ly abstained from all political agita-
ton, but who had shown their charity
and their philanthropy on every occa-
sion. Their wealth, which was the
product of their own industry, had
also done substantial good to the
they paid were very high for the poor
district in which they lived. and varied
from 16 to Is shillings a week for their
farm laborers, to whom they also gave
an old age pension of 16 pounds a
year after twenty-five years work.
They contributed $4,000 pounds year
to national and local taxation. =
did cfn fhoi1s substance
in riotous or extravagant living, but
built churches, presbyteries, schools
and hospitals = Thus these
monks subscribed 1000 pounds to re-
lieve the distress occasioned by a
disaster at Voiron. A boys school
was opened by them at S. Pierre
d'Entremont and a girls school at S.
Pancrasse. Annual subscriptions of
200 pounds were paid to the Hospital
at Voiron and $50 pounds to that of
Entre-deux- Guiers Fifty-six thousand
pounds we're spent in 1892 in building
hospital at S. Laurent-du-Pont, and
from that time until their expulsion
they devoted $500 pounds annually
towards it's maintenance and it's sup
port They opened school for sixty
five deaf and dumb children at
Curieres, and devoted 2,400 pounds a
year to their elementary education
and instruction in the trade to which
they were best fitted. Their
liberal contributions gave substantial
help to every public object. Thus
they rebuilt the village of S. Pierre
des Chartreux in 1916. They repaired
over and over again all the mischief
done by fires and floods, and spent
their substance literally wherever a
road had to be either mended or
opened.
None of this good work was of the
slightest avail against sectarian ami
mostly. They had all assembled in
the church choir on April 20, 1903,
every monk in his own stall, when
they were forcibly removed by two
men and escorted to the door of the
monastery by the police. who then
marched them off to the hotel. Since
then all the buildings have been in
the custody of the State, which dur
| ing ten years did little or nothing to
arrest the havoc wrought by time
and by the inclemency of the
weather. The long corridors are
threatened with ruin. The vast roof
was giving way under the weight Of
the winter snow, water did it's fell
work through the leakages in the
/ cutters and pipe, and much of the
masonry was crumbling away; the
windows were broken, and neither
they nor the doors sufficed to keep
out the wind or rain. No urgent re-
pairs were made, and it was esti-
mated that if this were allowed to 60
on, the buildings would crumb1e into
decay in two years time 1t is said
that a member of our own Royal
family who lately paid visit to the
Grande Chartreuse observed, I'm my
own country this would be called a
crime"
It is only within the last year that
an agitation has been started by all
those who have the interests of the
country at heart Two Socialist
Deputies, NJ. Barthe, of the HerauIt,
and NJ. MietraI the member for the
district, have strongly urged that
something must be done, and that
without delay. Politicians, artists,
societies for the promotion of the
tourist traffic and for the develop
ment of the resources of the country,
the local mayors, town and county
councillors, architects, railway direct
ors, business men, merchants. jour
naIists, the local. the provincial, and
i Paris mess All ininpd iii the agitation