The Morning Star And Catholic Messenger

The Little Sisters of the Poor.

We copy the following interesting article on "The Little Sisters of the Poor" from the Manchester Guardian, of January 10. After giving an account of its origin, with which our readers are familiar, the writer goes on to say:

In January, 1862, five or six Little Sisters came to Manchester, and took two small houses in Higher Ardwick, which they made Home for forty old people. In September 1864, they removed to more spacious premises, No. 201 Plymouth Grove, where, by means of a bazaar, they were enabled to purchase. The old stone coach house which they thus acquired stands in extensive grounds that afford ample room for the new wings and chapel which were shortly erected, and give abundant room for pleasant summer exercise in the shade of old trees, and for a kitchen garden. The outbuildings include shippon, stable, piggeries and hencoop.

Building continued from 1864 to the close of 1868, when the chapel was finished and dedicated to St. Joseph, the patron saint of the Order. More building is about to be commenced, for the old house is somewhat dilapidated, and upon its site a new wing will afford the increased accommodation that is much needed. The building has no pretensions to architectural beauty. It is prominent in the grove for its height and plainness. The community in Plymouth Grove consists of thirteen Sisters, mostly from France and Belgium, but including one English lady belonging to this district; and their present head is Sister Agnes.

Like all such sisterhoods, the work performed by them is honorary. No salaries reward them; indeed, nothing that men could give could recompense them for the self-denying devotion of their entire lives to the work they have undertaken. That work is to provide a comfortable home for the old age of men and women, to whom such a thing is a priceless privilege. The first condition for admission is that the applicant must be sixty years of age, and if the old people are giving up housekeeping to enter the Home, they are able to contribute from the proceeds of the sale of their furniture £2 or £3, which is appropriated to the cost of their bed and bedding. This latter, however, is not an indispensable condition, as many are admitted who can bring nothing to the common fund. It is melancholy to reflect how many survive the capacity to labor, while at the same time surviving the lives or the help, or sometimes, alas, the affections of those upon whom they have the strongest claim. Once received by the Little Sisters, they are fed and clothed, nursed, if invalids, (which many of them are), and kept without the fear of becoming paupers all the rest of their days. But while remunerative labor is impossible to nearly, if not quite, all the residents in this Home for the aged, many of them can do little offices or undertake jobs for the comfort of the united family. Two of the old men are shoemakers, and make and mend the boots and shoes of the establishment. Two old tailors find plenty of occupation. An old joiner keeps the furniture in repair. Another old man is proud of the post of coachman, and the head groom gained his experience in noble service. Those who like gardening have plenty of room to indulge their inclinations. Another is building a new piggery, as the extension of the house will require that the pigs should be removed from their present quarters. Some of the old women occupy themselves in sewing or knitting, and can help in the general domestic work. All have perfect liberty to do what they like, to smoke, to read, to chat, and one day a week they may visit their friends outside. While, of course, the old men and women occupy separate wings, they visit one another when they please, and visitors from outside are always welcome. As the ages of the old people range from sixty to nearly ninety, many of them are very infirm. Some are blind and some are sick. The latter are carefully tended, receive the kindly and gratuitous medical advice of Mr. Rhodes, surgeon, and are supplied with medicines from the drug-room, where one of the Sisters is an efficient apothecary. As the religion of the Sisters is that of the Roman Catholic Church, it is natural that a large proportion of their family should be of the same faith. But religion has nothing to do with admission to the Home. Its inmates include several Protestants, and the honorary surgeon is a Protestant, while the support of the Home is largely obtained from Protestant sources.

In the chapel, which will accommodate about 200 worshipers, Mass is sung daily and every Sunday by the Rev. J. Back: Catholic chaplain of the city in the district may worship.

The daily routine is in bed at 8 o'clock, which in winter means early rising for many; dinner at noon, supper at a quarter past five. They have lunches between the meals of old men and women prepared from the remnants of previous meals. One old man who had a good dinner on Christmas replied that he had a good dinner.

Cooking is carried on in the most convenient kitchen. It has been our fortune to see it. It is manufactured by J. & Co., of Lyons. This range is in the middle of the kitchen, and is 10 ft. by 5 ft. The fire is in the center, with two boiling chambers on each side, upon which the pots for boiling are placed, and four ovens. By means of a handle the heat can be directed to one end of the range. At each corner is a brass column, which is divided into two parts, one for hot water and one for cold water that is drawn off as needed. No more ingenious cooking apparatus in any establishment could scarcely be found. The cooking is done by one Sister, with occasional aid from others.

Visitors are welcome here, and will find no difficulty in seeing the whole establishment, even if the family is increased to 200. The men and women at present number 106, of whom the men number 51.

They dine in the dining-rooms, and sleep in airy sleeping wards. The dining room has 88 shelves. Here are heaps of cast-off clothes, small, and the Sisters will be glad to receive any that may be given them, as the accommodation in this respect is inadequate.

The large linen-room on the ground floor is stored with clothes lying neatly arranged on shelves that have been given to the Sisters, and which have been cleaned, and washed when that has been practicable.

Besides cleaning, these clothes often require a great deal of mending, which is also done in the house. The Sister in charge distributes from these piles every Saturday, as well as change of linen.

Some of the chemises remind one of patchwork quilts, as they are made of such pieces of printed cottons as have been collected from warehouses; but doubtless they are not less comfortable though being of gay colors. The Home is supported by voluntary gifts, which are collected by the Sisters themselves, two of whom are constantly employed making house-to-house collection of subscriptions and donations. Other two are also at work every day, driving round the city in a van bearing the name and locality of the institution: probably this van is of the Little Sisters. They go to hotels, restaurants, dining rooms, and private houses, and collect broken victuals, meat, bread, tea leaves, anything, in short, that householders will give them. Almost everybody has something to give, something that would spoil if not taken away. From these sources alone the Home is supported. Among the gifts the Sisters have received are a cow, a donkey, pony and a goat. The pony is driven in the van; and the donkey is needed for fetching from breweries and elsewhere food for the pigs, which, with some fowl complete the live stock of the establishment. Sister Agnes has now forty applications for admission, none of which can be granted for want of room. If, she says, additional accommodation was provided for 60, it would be occupied in less than three weeks. So, within a month, it is proposed to commence an extension of the present premises, and the old two-story house will give place to a substantial three-story building, and the additional accommodation gained will increase the number of inmates to 200. We asked Sister Agnes if she expected to raise the money for the new building and the means of supporting her enlarged family by the present system. With the simplicity and perfect faith she replied, "God knows that we cannot build without money, and that we must have bread." The Sisters have clearly no concern whatever as to the future. They are doing a good work, and they know that all they require will come. But they have one grievance, which we cannot help thinking might be removed. While they are wholly maintaining 120 poor old creatures, at least three-fourths of whom would have to be supported by the rate payers, in the workhouses, but for the Sister's charity, they are rated for the relief of the poor by the township of Chorlton-upon-Medlock, and are called upon to pay this year no less a sum than £27 16s. 10d. It would be an absurdity to assess a work-house for the poor rate. Here is the same thing—a work-house, only without work, a poor-house, in short: and we cannot help urging that it is the strongest case we have ever met with calling for the consideration of the overseers. The Sisters have, we believe, bound themselves by a vow of poverty. They have nothing; and all that comes to them goes to the support of the poor. Why not include their name every year in the excused list, which no magistrate would refuse to sign because the little sisters are named in it! Or, if they must be rated, a nominal sum ought to suffice, and no rate payer would ever complain. This is the first charity we have described that has been organized entirely by members of the Roman Catholic Church. It occupies ground exclusively its own, and it is a specially interesting instance of how the special forms which the charity of Roman Catholic ladies takes, thrive upon English soil.