THE COUNTESS MALINKRODT.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VII, Issue 399, 3 December 1880, Page 17

THE COUNTESS MALINKRODT.

A large number of the Sisters of Christian Charity assembled at the North German Lloyd's pier lately, to bid good-bye to the Countess Malinkrodt, who sailed for Europe in the company's steamer which left at two o'clock in the afternoon. The countess is mother superior* general of the Order of Sisters of Charity in Europe and America. She has lately been making a tour in this country. She founded the order, and has expended millions of dollars in laudable work. While in this city she was duly honoured by Cardinal McCloskey, VicarGeneral Quinn, and other prominent Catholics. The brother of the Countess of Malinkrodt was the celebrated Count Herman von Malinkrodt, of the German Parliament, who, it may be remembered, received a blessing from the the Pope on his death-bed. The Bishop of Paderborn lived in seclusion, and his identity was unknown, under the pseudonym of " Monsieur L'Abbe," at Mont Guibert. At his death his remains were conveyed to Paderborn by the Countess of Malinkrodt. and Chrysostoma, her faithful friend, on the day of the festival of St. Laborius. The Malinkrodts are an old Westphalia family of Paderborn, and the countess's residence in Belgium is an enforced one. She is a wonderful linguist. The countess was accompanied to Europe by Sister Chrysostoma Speth Zwiefallen of Wurtemburg. who has been her companion during her travels in America. The mother-superior said she bad been highly gratified at her reception in New York, and that sh; would carry with her to Europe many pleasant memories of her f liends in this country. She has recently returned from a visit to South America, where she has been establishing new convents. The Brazilian Government haa shown great good will to the countess. Sbe has visited the majority of the twenty-seven houses of the Orders of Sisters of Christian Charity in this country. The most notable were those of New Orleans, Newark, St. Paul, Minnesota ; Detroit, Albany, Pittsburgh, Scranton, and Wilkesbarre, at each of which she was most cordially received. — iT. V, lablet.

Since the completion of the great work undertaken by Viollet le Due, and accomplished after twenty- two years of uninterrupted efforts, no important repairs had been executed at Notre Dame, as we do not count as such those rendered necessary by the criminal acts of 1871, and which consisted of the renewal of the woodwork of the choir, which had been damaged by the attempt to set the building on fire. The illumination by electric light on the 13th and 14th of July last, on the western front, brought out in relief the thousand details of that admirable piece of sculpture, and at the same time exhibited the necessity for certain works of restoration, which were immediately taken in hand, commencing by the Galerie des Rois. Flying scaffolds are raised in the spaces between the columns, and are removed with the greatest facility as required. Notre Dame de Paris, in which Victor Hugo placed the strange scenes of his romance, partly historical and partly imaginary, has long been popular in France and throughout the world. Built between the end of the 12th century and the commencement of the 14th ; enriched by the generosity of the bishops and archbishops since Maurice de Sully, and by sovereigns since Philippe-Auguste ; decorated by the ymaigiers who enriched it inside and out with bas-reliefs, and transformed each of its chapels into a museum, the old cathedral has suffered often from the hands of the restorer. The marble revetments executed by order of Lous XIV., the numerous mais affixed to the walls of the choir by the painters' guild, and the hangings pnt up for great occasions had singularly impaired the physiognomy of the venerable edifice, and a general restoration was decided on during the reign of Louis Philippe. After Viollet le Due little more remained to be done than to isolate the building in order to display its noble proportions. Recent demolitions have laid the principal front completely open. Tht, suppression of the caignards of the old Hotel Dieu and the rebuilding "of the Pont-au-Double will shortly enable the public to circulate freely over the site of the archbishop's palace and gardens, which will render accessible the entrance from the southern front, at present closed. The next work will be to widen the street which skirts the northern front by removing what little remains of the old cloisters. The church will then appear in all its architectural beauty. — Qalignani^,