Page:The Homes of the New World- Vol. III.djvu/398

Rh Finally, we were conducted into the sewing-room, which is at the same time the apartment where the aged sit together. Here, in this large, light, clean room, they sat in light-coloured and, for the most part white clothing, and with bright, kindly countenances also. There now assembled a great number of the sisters around us, and we had conversation and singing, and I read aloud to the sisters, by their desire, a Swedish psalm. I selected the one beginning, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help,” which they thought sounded quite proper, and we joined them in singing various of their hymns, which were very beautiful, the time of which was marked, as is customary with them, by the waving of their hands. After that I made a sketch of Sister Dora, who consented on condition that I should not publish her name, “because,” said the sister mildly, “we are not accustomed to such things.” Dora belongs to the church-family of the community, and has had “inspiration,” it is said. Of a truth, a more thankful, inspired glance than hers I never beheld. And her pure beauty charmed me still more as I sketched that noble, refined profile. I made a sketch also of Lavinia. She had not Dora's severe style of beauty, but, on the contrary, the gentlest grace.

I cannot tell you how much I liked all that I saw of this little community during the whole of this day, or how admirable appeared to me the order and the neatness of everything, from the sisters themselves to everything which came under their hands. The male portion of the community were busied with the harvest, and I saw merely a few representatives of them. These seemed to me to have either a gloomy, almost fanatical expression, or to have very well-fed bodies, without any spiritual expression at all. The good sisters, who now regarded us as their friends, gave us many presents from their stores of valuable wares; implements of the work-box, fragrant