Saint
Charles - Father
Charles
wearing apparel was of the poorest; habit and mantle being old, worn-out
and patched. But poverty and humility are quite compatible with strictest
neatness and cleanliness, whereas slovenliness and dirt as personal
adjuncts are always and everywhere superlatively disgusting. To these
latter Father Charles was a declared enemy, and a great believer in
the doctrine The cell he occupied, with little in it to be disturbed, he kept, as might be expected, well arranged and in good order. Towards the end of his life he seldom appeared in secular dress; and because it was seldom, it was strange, occasioning no small amusement amongst us students - Father Charles in secular dress seemed to us so incongruous a thing. When therefore he did appear for the first time in a long period, the signal ran along the line in that mysterious manner in which things become known so quickly in all colleges, boarding-schools the and some say Convents Broadcloth, silk hat and umbrella looked nearly as old as himself, ill-fitting, a bit crumpled and very much the worse of the wear. As he walked along the corridor close to the wall, observed of all furtive observers there, he could not help noticing how keenly interested they were in his wonderful transformation. And he enjoyed it too; for the happiest of smiles lit up his dear old face, until he was clear of the them and of the house, and away on his mission of mercy, to some poor sick person in the city. The
lest time he thus appeared was 14th October, 1892, less than three months
before his death. Generally speaking he visited the sick in his religious
habit and accompanied by a Brother. His presence away from home never
failing to draw crowds of admirers about him, a thing very distasteful
to his humility, he shunned going out a s much a s possible., and rarely
during his last three years did he go beyond the limits of the Monastery
grounds. |
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