LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR

Evening Star, Issue 19078, 22 October 1925, Page 14

LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR

DUNEDIN HOME ENLARGED GAN NOW HOUSE 140 Tie ceremony of blessing and dedicating the recently-builb home of the Little Sisters of the Poor, at Anderson Bay, will be conducted by Bishop Whyte on Sunday afternoon. Dr Brodio is coming from Christchurch. The inmates at present number eighty, men and women about equally represented. The .new additions consist of the north wing for men and the south wing for women, with propci accommodation for the sixteen sisters who constitute the staff under the guidance of the Good Mother. Up to the present the sisters have lived m an old building on the grounds—a place tiiat is so far worn out as to be beyond repair. The new work also includes the enclosing with glass of the lower verandah, this being of importance to the etieetive working of the establishment. .1 ho increased accommodation will provide housing for 1-10 inmates. The enlargement has been earned out by the building firm of 0 Council and Paterson, under the control of Maude mi and Fraser, who drew the plans, ino north wing is 80ft in length and the south wing 88ft, each having its lavatory block. The height of the ridging above the three stories is o4tt from the ground. ... From every point of the exterior view the building now completed has an imposing and appropriate appearance—solid, sightly, and serviceable, sufficiently adorned, but without an atpm of pretence, thus in conformity with the spirit of the noble and Christlike order which it is to servo. The site is most advantageous. No better one could be found even in romanticallysituated Dunedin. From the upper windows the eye commands a view of the ocean right clown the coast, and to give an idea of the comprehensiveness of the panorama by land it is only ncccssary to state that the lower slopes of Saddle Hill arc in sight, A walk through the. buildings reveals thoroughness in planning and construction. Tt may be doubted whether in any similar building in the world the arra'ngements are more suitable and convenient. Not a sign of makeshift call be seen anywhere. The Good Mother opened every room and gave.all explanations asked for, and the. impression loft upon our representative is that in regard to the real essentials—■ light, air, space, comfort, taste in decoration, and so forth—the old men and women in this establishment are as well off as if they were, paying anything up to £1 per day in a first-rate hotel. There is no money to waste on frippery nr show-off luxury. But the Little Sisters provide for all renulrcineuts that count in life, in a delightful home sotting. The codings arc high, giving ample air space, and, recognising the aversion that old folks have to draughts, fho ventilators are all many feet overhead. The dormitories are not crowded. Seven or eight in a room is the maximum. It is remembered that aged people prefer quietness, and the design at the back of the plan of not haying too many in a room’ is that the inmates can lie closely classified according to their physical condition, so as to he company for one another. A central heating system is installed throughout the establishment. The lavatories and bathrooms are spacious, and verge on the luxurious. Nothing bettor could.be procured for a palace. These appointments arc so placed as to be easy, of access. By a system of cross ventilation the air in the bathrooms and .lavatories is kept quite sweet. Facilities arc provided for storing each class*of food separately. There is a bread room, and a room for vegetables, and another for the moat, so that the odors do not mix. The ceilings are of fibrous plaster. The floors are so finished as to allow of being oiled and washed. The inner walls are dadoed in cement that carries a smooth finish. The tinting of the upper parts of fho interior walls is specially attractive, giving the chambers a stylish appearance. The kitchen is such as would serve for a great hotel. A double island range is in the centre, accessible from the four sides. It was, it is understood, suggested to have the cooking done by steam, but some of the oldfashioned inmates preferred their roasted meat with that touch of a singe that direct contact with the fire gives, and they were humored to that extent. The stairways throughout the establishment are Ift Cin wide, and so constructed as to size and form as to act safely as fire escapes. The whole of the appointments have been so designed as to make the place as hygienic and labor-saving as possible. The Little Sisters are very pleased with the alterations and additions, and, though they do not say much, one can see that they are proud of tho place. A word or two as to this wonderful organisation, tho Little Sister of the Poor. It was founded in 1839,, in Brittany, by Ste. Marie de la Croix, whoso worldly name was Jean Jugan. She began in a very humble way to look after tho needs of the aged poor, and the work grow amazingly, watered, as wo arc reminded, by the blessing of God. To-day there are 813 homes in various parts of tho world, 111 in Franco alone. In these southern seas there are seven—at Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Noumea, Auckland, and Dunedin. Up to tho end of 1924 the total admissions to the 318 homos numbered 403,653. Tho number on the books at the end of 1924 was 46,237. The Good Mother now in charge at Anderson Bay is a courteous and altogether charming lady from Franco. She fe under orders to transfer shortly to some other sphere of duty. Where? She does not know. She is not anxious. Wherever it is, the work will bo the same—a work to which she and every sister has given her life—a work which one eminent Good Mother has described ns preparing men and women for the beautiful home beyond. That is the spirit in which these ladies go about work that would bo sometimes distasteful hut for their understanding of the. meaning of “service.” They glory in it, as service to their Master. And, with such attendants about tho house, are not the inmates fortunate?