Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk/Chapter 4
CHAPTER IV.
TEACHING AT St. DENIS-
and marriage.
AFTER I had been a novice four or five years from the time I commenced school in the Convent, one day I was treated by one of the nuns in a manner which displeased me, and because I expressed some resentment, I was required to beg her pardon. Not being satisfied with this, although I complied with the command, nor with the coldness with which the Superior treated me, I determined to quit the Convent at once, which I did without asking leave. There would have been no obstacle to my departure, novice as I then was, if I had asked permission; but I was too much displeased to wait for that, and went home without speaking to any one.
I soon after visited the town of St. Denis where I saw two young ladies with whom I had been formerly acquainted in Montreal, and one of them a school-mate at Mr. Workman's School. After some conversation with me, and learning that I had known a lady who kept a school in the place, they advised me to apply to her to be imployed as her assistant teacher; for she was then instructing the government school in that place.
I visited her, and found her willing, and I engaged at once as her assistant.
The government society paid her £20 a year: she was obliged to teach ten children gratuitously; might have fifteen pence a month, for each ten scholars more, and then she was at liberty, according to the regulations, to demand as much as she pleased for the other pupils. The course of instruction required by the society embraced only reading, writing and what was called ciphering. The books used were a spelling book, l' Instruction de la Jeunesse, the Catholic New Testament, and l' Histoire de Canada. When these had been read through, in regular succession, the children were dismissed as having completed their education. No difficulty is found in making the common French Canadians content with such an amount of instruction as this; on the contrary, it is often found very hard indeed to prevail upon them to send their children at all, for they say it takes too much of the love of God from them to send them to school. The teacher strictly complied with the requisition of the society, and the Roman Catholic catechism was regularly taught in the school, as much from choice, as from submission to authority, as she was a strict Catholic. I had brought with me the little bag in which I had so long kept the clippings of the thread left after making a dress for the Superior. Such was my regard for it, that I continued to wear it constantly around my neck, and to feel the same reverence for it as before. I occasionally had the tooth-ache during my stay at St. Denis, and then always relied on the influence of my little bag. On such occasions I would say — "By the virtue of this bag may I be delivered from the tooth-ache!" and I supposed that when it ceased it was owing to that cause.
While engaged in this manner I became acquainted with a man who soon proposed marriage; and young and ignorant of the world as I was, I heard his offers with favour. On consulting with my friend, she expressed a friendly interest for me, advised me against taking such a step, and especially as I knew so little about the man, except that a report was circulated unfavourable to his character. Unfortunately, I was not wise enough to listen to her advice, and hastily married. In a few weeks I had occasion to repent of the step I had taken, as the report proved true which I thought justified, and indeed required, our separation. After I had been in St. Denis about three months, finding myself thus situated, and not knowing what else to do, I determined to return to the Convent, and pursue my former intention of becoming a Black Nun, could I gain admittance. Knowing the inquiries the Superior would make relative to me during my absence, before leaving St. Denis I agreed with the lady with whom I had been associated (when she went to Montreal, which she did very frequently) to say to the Lady Superior I had been under her protection during my absence, which would stop further inquiry; as I was sensible, should they know I had been married I should not be admitted.
I soon returned to Montreal, and, on reaching the city, I visited the Seminary, and in another interview with the Superior communicated my wish, and desired her to procure my re-admission as a novice.
After leaving for a short time, she returned and told me that the Superior of the Convent had consented, and I was introduced to her. She blamed me for leaving the Nunnery, but told me that I ought to be ever grateful to my guardian angel for taking care of me, and bringing me in safety back. I requested that I might be secured against the reproaches and ridicule of all the novices and nuns, which I thought some might cast upon me, unless prohibited by the Superior; and this she promised me. The money usually required for the admission of novices had not been expected from me. I had been admitted the first time without any such requisition; but now I chose to pay for my re-admission. I knew that she was able to dispense with such a demand, and she knew that I was not in possession of anything like the sum required.
But I was bent on paying to the Nunnery, and accustomed to receive the doctrine often repeated to me before that time, that when the advantage of the church was consulted, the steps taken were justifiable, let them be what they would; I therefore resolved to obtain money on false pretenses, confident that if all were known, I should be far from displeasing the Superior. I went to the brigade-major, and asked him to give me the money payable to my mother from her pension, which amounted to about thirty dollars, and without questioning my authority to receive it in her name, he gave it to me.
From several of her friends I obtained small sums under the name of loans, so that altogether I had soon raised a number of pounds, with which I hastened to the Nunnery, and deposited a part in the hands of the Superior. She received the money with evident satisfaction, though she must have known that I could not have obtained it honestly; and I was at once re-admitted as a novice.
Much to my gratification, not a word fell from the lips of my old associates in relation to my unceremonious departure, nor my voluntary return. The Superior's orders, I had not a doubt, had been explicitly laid down, and they certainly were carefully obeyed, for I never heard an allusion made to that subject during my subsequent stay in the Convent, except that, when alone, the Superior would sometimes say a little about it.
There were numbers of young ladies who entered awhile as novices, and became weary or disgusted with some things they observed, and remained but a short time. One of my cousins, who lived at Lachine, named Reed spent about a fortnight in the Convent with me. She however, conceived such an antipathy to the priests, that she used expressions which offended the Superior.
The first day that she attended mass, while at dinner with us in full community, she said before us all, "What a rascal that priest was, to preach against his best friend!"
All stared at such an unusual exclamation, and some one enquired what she meant. I say," she continued, "he has been preaching against Him who has given him his bread. Do you suppose that if there were no devil, there would be any priests?"
This bold young novice was immediately dismissed and in the afternoon we had a long sermon from the Superior on the subject.
It happened that I one day got a leaf of an English Bible which had been brought into the Convent, wrapped around some sewing silk, purchased at a store in the city. For some reason or other I determined to commit to memory a chapter it contained, which I soon did. It is the only chapter I ever learnt in the Bible, and I can now repeat it. It is the second of St. Matthew's gospel. "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea," &c. It happened that I was observed reading the paper, and when the nature of it was discovered, I was condemned to do penance for my offence.
Great dislike to the Bible was shown by those who conversed with me about it, and several have remarked to me that if it were not for that Book, Catholics would never be led to renounce their own faith.
I have heard passages read from the Evangile, relating to the death of Christ; the conversion of Paul; a few chapters from St. Matthew, and perhaps a few others. The priests would also sometimes take a verse or two, and preach from it. I have read St. Peter's life, but only in the book called the "Lives of the Saints," He, I understood, has the keys of heaven and hell, and has founded our Church. As for Saint Paul, I remember, as I was taught to understand it, that he was once a great persecutor of the Roman Catholics, until he became convicted, and confessed to one of the father confessors, I don't know which. For who can expect to be forgiven, who does not become a catholic, and confess.