The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-05-17
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SISTERS OF THE GOOD SHEP-
HERD.

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SISTERS OF THE GOOD SHEP-
HERD.
Two classes of girls come under
the influence of the Sisters OF the
Good Shepherd, namely, those who are
in danger of falling from virtue, but
have not yet fallen, and those VINO
have already lost their virginia. in
nocence. These two classes are never
allowed to intermingle with one an
other. Between them there is no COM
munication that would render possible
the contamination of those who have
not yet sinned.
The Preservation Class.
The Preservation Glass;" as it is
called, is made up of children who
have been deprived, by death or other
wise, of one or both parents, or who
belong to homes in which the father
and mother are not fit guardians of
the young. Some of them are placed
under the care of the Sisters by
priests, others by their relatives or
guardians; and it often happens that
the people who have placed them in
the institution lose all interest in
them, if we may judge from the fact
that they seldom or never call to see
them. At the present time there are
seventy-two children in the preserva-
ton class That has been the aver
age for many years, because the
quarters assigned them are too small
to accommodate more. A large num-
Der is turned away each year for lack
of room. The children are kept until
they are sixteen or seventeen years
of age and during that time they are
trained more carefully than they would
be in the ordinary home. A large
part of each day is devoted to school
work in which they are taught the
ordinary branches of a common school
education as well as the catechism. In
addition to this, they learn how to do
homework and all kinds of sewing
such as embroidery, dressmaking,
crochet, darning, mending, and in fact,
everything woman ought to know
about housekeeping and allied arts.
Opportunities are also afforded them
for the study of music and similar sub
jects. The greatest insistence is
placed upon religious instruction
which is given regularly not only by
the Sisters but by the resident Chap
lain. These children are not asked to
assist in the laundry or to do any
work unsuited to their age and
strength. AS a matter of fact they
do not even do their own washing
They receive all that they have from
the Sisters. They are clothed, fed
housed and educated by the Com
munity without a cent of remuneration
Even parents or relatives who are in
position to contribute something to
ward their upbringing and education
do not, in the majority of cases, give
one dollar for their maintenance. The
whole burden falls upon the Sisters
AS soon as the girls reach the age
of sixteen or seventeen they are
placed, as far as possible, in gooC
Christian homes; and in the city o.
st. Paul and throughout the State
there are many women presiding ovel
comfortable homes Of their own, who
have graduated, so to speak, from the
preservation class of the House of the
Good Shepherd and who are upright
and intelligent members Of the com
munity. These women bless the name
and revere the memory of the Sisters
who made it possible for them to es
cape the dangers to which they would
otherwise have been exposed in their
youth and to which they might pos
sibly have succumbed.
The Penitents.
The other inmates, known as 'the
Penitents," are of an entirely different
caliber. They are young women who
have fallen by the wayside, whose
moral ideals have been shattered il
their contact with the world. Some
of them are placed under the care oil
the Sisters by the court; others are
brought by friends; while a few come
of their own accord No virtuous Cir
is ever permitted to become a member
of the Penitent Glass or to associate
with them either at work or during
recreation. When they cross the
threshold of the institution they lose
their identity in the sense that they
are never called by their right names
They are given name by which they
are known during their time Of proba
ton and unless they are indiscreei
themselves their true names are moi
known, even to their companions.
Those who are sent by the court fol
a specified time are allowed to go. i
they desire to do SO. as soon as thu
period Of probation has passed. The
others are free to go at any time, al
though the Sisters exhort them to re
main until their reformation is com
plete and they are once more placed
| in the path Of rectitude. The Sister.
never insist upon keeping any VIII
desire to leave, and none Of the in
mates is placed under any restrain
excent what fl necessary for order ami