ook at one of their
institutions just at the moment of its formation and see how the
preponderance passes over from the egoistic to the social instinct.
The first thing we always find at the origin of the enterprise is
compassion; a few kind hearts have been moved at the aspect of misery,
degradation and misconduct; souls or bodies were in distress and there
was danger of shipwreck; three or four saviors have come to the rescue.
At Rouen, in 1818, it is a poor girl who, by advice of her cure, brings
together a few of her friends in her garret; during the day they study
in a class and at night they work for their living; today, under the
title of "Soeurs du Sacre-Coeur de Jesus," they number 800. Elsewhere, at
Laval, the founder of the House of Refuge for poor repentants is a
plain ironing-girl who began her "House" by charitably harboring two
prostitutes; these brought others, and there are now a hundred of
similar institutions. Most frequently, the founder is the desservant or
vicar of the place, who, moved by local misery, fancies at first that
he is doing only local work. Thus, there is born in 1806 at
Rouisse-sur-Loire the congregation of "La Providence," which now has 918
"Sisters," in 193 houses; in 1817, at Lovallat, the association of "Les
Petits-Freres de Marie," which numbers to-day 3600 brethren; in 1840,
at Saint-Servan, the institution of "Les Petites-Soeurs des Pauvres," who
now number 2685, and, with no other help but alms-giving, feed and care
for, in their 158 houses, 20,000 old men, of which 13,000 live in their
93 domiciles in France; they take their meals after the inmates, and eat
only what they leave; they are prohibited from accepting any endowment
whatever; by virtue of their rules they are and remain mendicants, at
first, and especially, in behalf of their old men, and afterwards and
as accessory, in their own behalf. Note the circumstances of the
undertaking and the condition of the founders--they were two village
work-women, young girls between sixteen and eighteen for whom the vicar
of the parish had written short regulations (une petite regle); on
Sunday, together in the cleft of a rock on the seaside, they studied
and meditated over this little summary manual, performed the prescribed
devotions, this or that prayer or orison at certain hours, saying their
beads, the station in the church, self-examination and other ceremonies
of which the daily repetition deposits and strengthens the supernat