The death which occurred at South Shields, on December 31, of Mother St, Austin, so affectionately remem-kered by hundreds of women and girls in Shanghai, has reminded us of a book this lady wrote on the life of one who ranks high for the good Works she accomplished in these parts, and who will long be remembered, not only for her social and religious work, but on account of her strong personality, and the hold she had on all affections.
This was Mother St. Dominic, who, for fifty-six years toiled in China, and who has been instrumental in furthers ing religious and social work around this city to a tremendous extent. Mother St, Austin has given a most interesting account of all this in her book, though she fails to take credit for the writing, and her authorship is nowhere mentioned, Credit must be given to the writer, and thanks also, for revealing to readers of later time the example of a life which, though almost impossible to follow, is inspiring to read of.
With Mother St, Dominic, self-abnegation was a passion; unlike many heroines of history, she did not come into prominence through any great national or industrial disaster. Though she did useful work during the war in Europe in 1870, her calling precluded her from receiving adulation other than the appreciation of her close associates, After coming to China the Reverend Mother lived and "worked in this country where disasters undreamt df by the rest of the world, are common occurrences, and part of the daily life of the people to whom she ministered. Her work for 56 long years was among want, ignorance, and a certain darkness of soul among all nationals and classes which must have appalled so spiritually minded a woman.
Mother St, Dominic was born Bugénie, the daughter of the Count de Maurepas, and her family belonged to the proud old French aristocracy, while her father had seen most of his family perish on the scaffold during the French Revolution. After her mother's death she decided to become a nun, and entered the Society of the Helpers of the Holy Souls in 1809. She arrived in Shanghai in November, 1871, following the termination of distinguished nursing service during the aforementioned war of 1870, "Stable" Foundations At that time the Helpers had two houses, or rather wooden sheds, one at Ziccawei, and one in Shanghai itself, a few yards from the walled Tartar City. The Convent in Rue (Montauban was the old stable of the French troops of General de Montauban, The place had been cleaned up and a thin wooden partition divided the lower part into a common-room and refectory, and the upper story into narrow cells, so IMother St. Austin tells us, It was Mother St, Dominic's idea to purchase the whole of the property now owned, and through her initiative that this was worked for and achieved. There was no money in the till for purchase, and when her ambitious suggestion was heard, this drawback was pointed out, but she simply said with great determination that this must be worked for and acquired, and, miraculously, it was.
The Ziccawei buildings were a few Chinese houses converted into a clean but poor convent. Her long view, keen business instinct, added to her enthusiasm and practical hard work, in time resulted in the fine buildings &nd the numerous workshops we have with us to-day—or at least which we had, previous to hostilities.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.