MORE ABOUT NAZARETH.
Bardstown occupied successively by the Union and the Confederate
troops. Six Sisters start for Lexington under a flag of truce. A
courteous letter from Brigadier-General Wood. Ex-Secretary of
State Guthrie applies to President Lincoln for protection to the
Nazareth Convent. A brief sketch of a famous school and some of
its distinguished graduates.
[Illustration]
Bardstown, three miles distant from Nazareth Academy, in Nelson County,
Ky., was occupied successively by the Union and the Confederate armies.
Some hostile engagements had taken place in the vicinity of the town and
in the neighboring counties, and as a result the place was kept in a
state of feverish anxiety. The victories and the defeats were attended
with the usual result, killed and wounded men and sickness and suffering
on all sides. Here again the peaceful aid of the Sisters came at an
opportune time. Fully aware of the great need there was for experienced
nurses, the Mother in charge of Nazareth sent a devoted band of Sisters
to the Baptist Female College in Bardstown, which had been temporarily
fitted up for hospital uses. On their arrival they found that they had
to care for a large number of disabled Confederate soldiers. They
quickly began their humane work and carried it to a successful
completion. The Confederates were on the march, and their wounds had to
be bound up quickly or not at all. When they had withdrawn from the
town, taking with them their convalescents, the Union forces came in.
Their sick and wounded were also nursed by another band of the same
Sisters at St. Joseph’s College, which was conducted by the Jesuit
fathers, but which, of course, at that time was not in educational use.
Thus in the midst of civil strife, with the bullets flying thick and
fast, did the Sisters work under one flag--a flag that was respected by
Northerner and Southerner alike--the flag of humanity.
Some of the episodes connected with the work of the Sisters was of an
exciting and dramatic nature. Late one night in September, 1862, twelve
Confederate soldiers in their gloomy gray uniforms marched into
Nazareth, after a wearisome journey from Lexington, Ky. They were
received, as all visitors are, with kindness and hospitality. They came
to ask the Sisters to nurse their sick and wounded comrades. The request
was granted at once.
“How many Sisters can you spare for the work?”
“Six now and more later, if necessary,” was the prompt reply.
“When will they be ready to return with us?”
“This very night, and at once,” was the incisive reply.
Such promptness was as surprising as it was pleasing to the couriers.
That very night six Sisters, without anything beyond the familiar garb
which they wore, their usual rosaries and a few books of devotion,
started on their mission, ready, if need be, to offer up their lives in
what they believed to be the service of God. They proceeded on their
long journey under the protection of a flag of truce. Resting in a
farmhouse one night and in Frankfort, the capital of the State, the
next, they finally reached Lexington in safety. In a few hours they were
installed in one of the large halls in that city, which had been fitted
up for hospital purposes, and without any preliminaries they began at
once to minister to the sufferers who were collected there. Later in the
same year another band of Sisters of Nazareth nursed the Union soldiers
in one of the colleges in another quarter of the city. As far as can be
ascertained this was Transylvania University.
Events that took place about that time proved that the Sisters believed
no material sacrifices were too great when made in the cause of
suffering humanity. In the spring of 1862 General Smith, who was then in
command of the Union troops, nearly seven thousand strong, in Paducah,
Southern Kentucky, asked the Nazareth Sisters to come to the assistance
of the many sick and wounded soldiers scattered about that city. He had
been advised to make the request by Dr. Hewit, who had the general
superintendence of all the hospitals in that section of the country. Dr.
Hewit was a man of great executive ability, who stood in the very
forefront of his profession. He had great faith in the ability of the
Sisters as nurses. He was a convert to the Catholic Church, and a
brother of the saintly superior of the Paulist Fathers of New York city.
As no communication could be had with the Mother of the house at
Nazareth at this time, owing to the disturbed condition of affairs, the
request caused the Sisters some perplexity. Only for a time, though. A
conclusion was soon reached. Sister Martha Drury at that time was at the
head of St. Mary’s Academy, probably the leading educational
institution in Paducah. She resolved to close the schools and go with
all of her Sisters to the relief of the soldiers. They went first to the
Marine Hospital and then moved to the Court House, which was known as
the Central Hospital. Their experiences in this place were similar to
those of the Sisters who were engaged in the hospitals at Louisville.
Their greatest difficulty was experienced in caring for those soldiers
who were afflicted with contagious diseases. Typhoid and similar fevers
held sway in their most virulent form. The havoc that war had made in
the human frame was painfully evident in this particular hospital. After
the close of the war the Sisters returned to their academy, which exists
in the town to-day in a flourishing condition. It will ever remain as a
monument to that brave little band of Sisters who gave up their peaceful
pursuits to minister to the afflicted, and it will ever be pointed out
as the house from which Sister Mary Lucy, the gentle little teacher,
went forth to meet her martyrdom a martyrdom as blessed in the sight of
heaven as any ever undergone by the saints of old.
The gentleness and devotion with which the Sisters nursed all of the
wounded soldiers, no matter what the color of their uniform and
regardless of rank, was not unappreciated by either “the boys in blue”
or “the boys in gray.” Throughout the whole of the war, with but few
exceptions, their institutions, mother houses and places of learning
were exempt from the usual ravages of internecine strife. This is
especially true of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Being in close
proximity to the contending armies and their camps, great apprehensions
were felt at one time for the safety of Nazareth. This, too, in spite
of the fact that the daughters and other relatives of the general
officers of both sides were still pupils in the school. At intervals
during the war some of the generals called at Nazareth for the purpose
of visiting their children. On these occasions they were always
hospitably entertained. Although the Sisters felt comparatively safe,
they desired some official assurance of that fact. As is usual in such
cases, over-timid persons, generally friends of the pupils, now and then
sounded alarms. The following letter, received by the Mother Superior
from General Wood, the original of which is still in possession of the
Sisters, reassured the community that it need not fear an intrusion of
the military into the sacred precincts. General Wood was in command of
the Union troops:
“Headquarters U. S. Forces,
“Bardstown, Ky., January 20, 1862.
“To the Lady Superior and Sisters of the Convent of Nazareth: I
have just had the pleasure to receive by the hands of your
messenger the very polite and complimentary note of the Right Rev.
Bishop Spalding, and I hasten to apprise you that it is my earnest
desire and intention to afford you perfect protection and the
enjoyment of all your rights both as an institution and as ladies
individually. It is my earnest wish and intention to secure you
and your ancient institution (which has educated so many of the
fair daughters of my own native State, Kentucky), from all
molestation and intrusion, and to this end I pray you will not
hesitate to make known to me any grievances you may have on
account of any misconduct on the part of any officer or soldier
under my command. I assure you it will be equally my duty and my
pleasure to attend to any request you may have to make. I beg you
to dismiss all apprehensions on account of the presence of the
soldiery in your sacred neighborhood, and to continue your
peaceful and beneficent vocations as if the clangor of arms did
not resound in our midst.
“I have the honor to be, ladies, your very obedient servant,
Th. J. Wood,
“Brigadier General Commanding.”
“Will you do me the favor to send the accompanying note to Bishop
Spalding?”
Later on Nazareth must again have been in dread of military trespass,
for one of its patrons, Hon. James Guthrie, of Louisville, Secretary of
State under a previous administration, applied to President Lincoln for
protection for the institution. The President graciously issued the
necessary orders, saying that the violation of such orders by any of the
commanders would invoke his serious displeasure.
General Smith, Doctors Hewit, Fry, Kay, Austin and the officers of the
Union army surrounded the Sisters with every mark of respect and esteem,
and they in turn devoted all their energies to ameliorating the
condition of the suffering soldiers.
In addition to the labors of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth already
mentioned, they did very effective work in the neighborhood of Owensboro
and Calhoun, Ky. At the last-named place the sick and wounded soldiers
were quartered in the two Protestant churches of the town. The Sisters
entered these places and attended the sufferers there with the same
diligence and patience that characterized their work in every other
locality. When Sisters had to be removed on account of their own
illness, their places were promptly supplied by other Sisters.
Reinforcements were on hand to fill every gap in the ranks. As before
mentioned, the Sisters of Nazareth neither required nor received
compensation of any sort. The hundreds of brave souls that have passed
away since the war have no doubt ere this received their reward in a
better world. Dr. Foster, who was engaged in the Louisville hospitals
while the Sisters were there, wrote eulogistic articles about them in
the Louisville papers at that time, but unfortunately these papers were
not preserved.
The famous convent school from which these Sisters came forth to do
their great work is worthy of more than passing notice. The organization
known as the “Sisters of Charity of Nazareth” was founded by Right Rev.
John B. David, D. D., who was consecrated the first Bishop of Bardstown
(now the Diocese of Louisville) in 1810. Henry Clay, who knew this good
man well, pronounced him “the best representative of royalty off the
throne.” The Bishop, with the Right Rev. B. J. Flaget, built the little
log cabin near Bardstown which was to be the birthplace of the new
order. It was a success from the start. This was largely due to the
piety and administrative capacity of the mothers in charge. They were
sketched in an article in the “Catholic World” a few years ago. The
first of these was Catherine Spalding, a member of the eminent Kentucky
family of that name. She held the position of Superior for more than a
quarter of a century, and by her great intellect and modesty won the
affection and admiration of all with whom she came in contact. On her
death, in 1858, she was attended by another distinguished member of her
family, Right Rev. Martin J. Spalding. After her came Mother Frances
Gardiner, who proved a worthy successor to a worthy Superior.
The last of this notable trio was Mother Columba Carroll, in the world
Margaret Carroll. For thirty-five years she was directress of studies
and teacher of the first and second classes. In 1862, when the Civil War
was beginning to rage fiercely, she was elected Superioress, and for ten
years held that position with credit to herself and the convent-school.
While Mother Columba took no active part in caring for wounded soldiers,
she was nevertheless the presiding genius of the establishment at that
time, and directed the movements of the Sisters with extraordinary tact
and good judgment. She held many interviews with persons in power, and
thus warded off petty annoyances and troubles. The occasion of Mother
Columba’s golden jubilee was celebrated with great fervor by the
community on February 22, 1877. A drama, written by Sister Seraphia,
entitled “Religion’s Tribute to Our Mother on Her Golden Jubilee,” was
performed by the pupils, and was one of the most successful features of
an elaborate programme. One of the touching incidents of the celebration
was a poem inspired by the venerable Sister Martha, one of the original
five that started at “Old Nazareth,” and addressed to Mother Columba.
Mother Columba was one of the first pupils under the care of Sister
Martha. The following lines from this graceful offering are worthy of a
place here:
There are many to-day, dear mother,
Who are crowning your head with gold,
And writing fine things of the record
Your fifty long years have told.
And, I too, should come with the others,
My offering before you to cast;
But I am old, and my thoughts, dear mother,
Somehow will fain run on the past.
On the days when our Naz’reth, dear Naz’reth,
Was not like what Naz’reth is now;
Our dear Lord only knew how.
Then we spun, and we wove, and we labored
Like men in the fields, and our fare
Was scanty enough, and our garments
Were coarse, and our feet often bare.
When we lived like the ravens and sparrows,
In the following year Mother Columba’s earthly career closed, but the
force of her example still lives in the hearts of those who were
fortunate enough to be her pupils and associates. Mothers Catherine,
Frances and Columba made a truly wonderful trio. They helped to give
Nazareth the reputation it enjoys to-day, and while the school exists
their memory will endure. The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth are
particularly known in Kentucky, and they are to be found wherever
suffering humanity calls.
The ancient house at Nazareth is the mother from which have sprung
forty-seven branch houses in various parts of the country--schools,
orphan asylums and hospitals. Perhaps the most conspicuous of the latter
is the “Mary and Elizabeth Hospital,” in Louisville, founded by William
Shakespeare Caldwell as a memorial to his wife and a tribute to the
Sisters who educated her. The mother house is located a few miles south
of Bardstown, which is forty miles from Louisville. The buildings are
extensive and imposing. There is a presbytery, a convent and academy, a
chapel and the commencement hall. In the old-fashioned hall are
full-length portraits of Bishops Flaget and David and Father Chambige.
The library contains five thousand volumes, and in the corner is an
excellent bust of the late Archbishop Spalding. Mother Helena is the
present Superior, and in the administration of her office she has clung
to the best traditions of the past.
I am sure I will be pardoned for digressing sufficiently from the main
subject of this volume to mention a few of the distinguished patrons and
graduates of this institution. The patrons included Henry Clay, who sent
his daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter there; Judge
Benjamin Winchester, John J. Crittenden, Judge John Rowan, Zachary
Taylor, Jefferson Davis, James Guthrie, George D. Prentice and Charles
Wickliffe. The graduates include Sarah Knox Taylor, daughter of
President Zachary Taylor; Madame Henrietta Spalding, now Superior of the
Sacred Heart Convent, in Chicago; the first wife of Jefferson Davis;
Mary Eliza, daughter of James Breckinridge, of Kentucky; Mary Gwendoline
Caldwell, the original benefactress of the Washington University; the
wife of United States Senator Vance, of North Carolina; the four nieces
of Jefferson Davis, all converts; Mary Anderson, whose professional
career is as much a matter of pride to the good Sisters as her private
virtues, and Miss Taney, the author of the State poem, “The Pioneer
Women of Kentucky,” written for the World’s Fair. Such is the
institution that furnished so many nurses for the camps and the
hospitals.