rim duties of the diocese, at least as far as the exclusively
episcopal functions were concerned, he learned to understand and
appreciate at their true value the sacrifices of the Charron Brothers,
whose work was unfortunately to remain fruitless.

In 1688 three pious laymen, MM. Jean Francois Charron, Pierre Le Ber,
and Jean Fredin had established in Montreal a house with a double
purpose of charity: to care for the poor and the sick, and to train men
and send them to open schools in the country districts. Their plan was
approved by the king, sanctioned by the bishop of the diocese,
encouraged by the seigneurs of the island, and welcomed by all the
citizens with gratitude. In spite of these symptoms of future prosperity
the work languished, and the members of the community were separated and
scattered one after the other. M. Charron did not lose courage. In 1692
he devoted his large fortune to the foundation of a hospital and a
school, and received numerous gifts from charitable persons. Six
hospitallers of the order of St. Joseph of the Cross, commonly called
Freres Charron, took the gown in 1701, and pronounced their vows in
1704, but the following year they ceased to receive novices. The
minister, M. de Pontchartrain, thought "the care of the sick is a task
better adapted to women than to men, notwithstanding the spirit of
charity which may animate the latter," and he forbade the wearing of the
costume adopted by the hospitallers. Francois Charron, seeing his work
nullified, yielded to the inevitable, and confined himself to the
training of teachers for country parishes. The existence of this
establishment, abandoned by the mother country to its own strength, was
to become more and more precarious and feeble. Almost all the
hospitallers left the institution to re-enter the world; the care of the
sick was entrusted to the Sisters. Francois Charron made a journey to
France in order to obtain the union for the purposes of the hospital of
the Brothers of St. Joseph with the Society of St. Sulpice, but he
failed in his efforts. He obtained, nevertheless, from the regent an
annual subvention of three thousand francs for the training of
school-masters (1718). He busied himself at once with finding fitting
recruits, and collected eight. The elder sister of our excellent normal
schools of the present day seemed then established on solid foundations,
but it was not to be so. Brother Charron died on the return voyage, and
his