The Irish standard., 1915-07-24

An
or women did more for suffering hui
mainly than the patient, Jealous Sis
tiers of Charity Of Nazareth, then. and
now, of Bardstown, KY. A score of
Sisters in that community offered
themselves and their services without
pay and without hope of earthly re-
ward OF any character. 1t was in the
spring of 1861 that Bishop Martin
John Spalding sent a formal commun-
ication to General Robert Anderson,
OF Fort Sumter fame, then in COM
mand of the Department of Kentucky,
rendering the services of the Sisters
OF Charity of Nazareth to nurse the
sick and wounded soldiers. Their
services were willingly accepted and
the understanding was that the Sis.
tiers were to work in the hospitals in
and around Louisville. Three large
manufacturing establishments in the
city of Louisville had been placed at
the service of the government and
were being used as hospitals at that
time. There were % Sisters in the
3 hospitals, in charge of an army sur
geon, and they worked faithfully from
their entrance into the hospitals until
the close of the war, without a cent
of compensation.
"The actual number of Catholic Sis.
tiers who laid down their lives during
the Civil war, that their fellow-crea-
lures might live, will probably never
be known, but there is no question
that hundreds did So Their names
are not cut upon any earthly monu-
ments, but they are surely emblazoned
in letters of gold in the great book of
the Recording Angel The Sisters of
Charity of Nazareth, as Mother Car.
roll could have testified, furnished
their full quota of fair martyrs. The
name of Sister Mary Lucy, who con-
tracted fever from one of her patients,
stands out most prominent, and her
death cast gloom over the entire
hospital.
I'm reviewing the heroic work of
the Sisters, it is interesting to note
that no tributes have ever been paid
them more cordial Or more emphatic
than those from non-C Catholic sources.
In the face of all the foregoing,
however, it is a strange but none the
less true statement to make that at
the anniversary of the battle of Get
tysburg, some 3 years ago, no invita-
ton of any kind was extended to the
Sisters of Charity to be present. Al
most in sight and sound of the cheer
ing attendant upon the celebration,
they were ignored and seemingly for
gotten, notwithstanding the important
service rendered when the country
stood in dire need of their aid. Such
an oversight would appear incredible,
but nevertheless the fact remains, a
dark blot on the escutcheon of those
in authority who were entrusted with
the mission of giving to all concerned
their just need OF appreciation and
courtesy"
No one could read of the heroic
work of these Catholic nuns without
feeling that this nation owes a debt
of gratitude to these sanity women
who served their country we'll.
Beautiful Arlington" which each
year becomes more and more a trea-
sure of the nation, is where this Mem
orial should be erected, for there are
few cemeteries in the world that con-
tain more interesting features. It's
location is all that could be desired
from the standpoint of natural beauty,
and in addition, it possesses historic
value from having been the country
home of several persons intimately
connected with the history of the
nation.
Within the past few years, many
monuments other than the individual
monuments have been dedicated there
-namely-the Spanish war monument
erected by the Legion of Loyal Wom-
en-; the Confederate Monument; the
monument to the Army nurses of the
Philippines; the Rough Riders monu-
ment, and the Maine monument.
1t has been suggested that to bring
about the erection of the Memorial
to the Nun of the Battlefield" in Ar
lington National Cemetery, it could be
accomplished by the passage of spe-
cial Act Of Congress, which would
grant the privilege now refused by the
War Department..