Melbourne Observer. 121219B. Deember 19, 2012. Part B. Pages 15-42

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Victoria Pictorial Historic Photo Collection

●●●●● St Kilda foreshore, 1920s●●●●● St Kilda foreshore, 1920s

●●●●● Bairnsdale Rowing Club Regetta. 1885.

●●●●● Swimming carnival. St Kilda. 1914. ●●●●● Capt. Kenney’s Brighton Beach baths. 1880s.

●●●●● View of the Esplanade, Beaconsfield Parade and Fitzroy Street, St. Kilda;showing buildings, beach, pier and Hegarty's Railway Baths. 1888? ●●●●● The beach and mineral springs, Drysdale. 1890.

●●●●● Surf Carnival. Bridgewater Bay, near Portland. 1977.


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●●●●● Robyn Hoyland

Reader Birthdays

Word Of The Week

Life’s Lessons

●●●●● Warrant Officer I Fleming enjoying his Christmas dinner at the 115th MilitaryHospital, Heidelberg, 1943.

Trivia ChallengeAnswer: Mr Tickle

■ “Life is what happens to you while you arebusy making other plans.”

■ Sphallolalia. Flirtatious talk that leads no-where.

■ What Mr Men character is orange with ri-diculously long arms and a blue hat?

■ Wednesday, December 19. Bill Duff, 71.Helen Relph, Macedon, 56.■ Friday, December 21. K Sims, Heidelberg,86. Lloyd Christmas, Frankston, 69.■ Saturday, December 22. Pauline Sturges,Frankston, 73. Michael J Wiklie, New York City.■ Monday, December 24. Alex Hutchinson,Moreland.■ Tuesday, December 25. Christmas Day.Neville Brown, East Burwood, 70.■ Wednesday, December 26. Boxing Day.■ Thursday, December 27. Tony Porter, 63.■ Saturday, December 29. Audrey Evans,Surrey Hills. Steve Frew, Phillip Island. BarryCreyton, 73. Angela Pippos.■ Sunday, December 30. Jillian Oregan,Cranbourne, 60. Garry Spry. Roberta Ashby,75.■ Monday, December 31. Shirley Tangey,Albert Park, 78. Fiona Hamilton.■ Thursday, January 3. Michael Lallo, 33.Denis Walter, Geelong, 58.■ Friday, January 4. Neil Hamilton, AlbertPark, 59.■ Sunday, January 6. Trent Mackenzie, for-merly of Thomastown, 60.■ Thursday, January 10. Kylie of Glenroy,Heart Transplant Anniversary (1992).■ Friday, January 11. Fiona McGregor ofTaylors Lakes. Joe Miller, Darwin.■ Monday, January 14. Peter Mery, formerlyof Ivanhoe, 56.■ Tuesday, January 15. Nancy Bowman,Bacchus Marsh.■ Wednesday, January 16. Sarah Long ofTownsville. Rod of Ivanhoe.■ Thursday, January 17. Maree Perry, StAlbans, 59. Lachlan Macdonald.■ Friday, January 18. Peter O’Callaghan ofMagic 1278.■ Saturday, January 19. Chris Ryan. BrendanScott, 37.■ Sunday, January 20. Paul Walsh of Ivanhoe.Rhonda Palmer of New York City.■ Monday, January 21. Sarah Anne Mooney,Moonee Ponds, 64.■ Tuesday, January 22. Kristi Bryant of Colo.■ Friday, Janaury 25. Julie Hyne.■ Saturday, January 26. Australia Day. JamesCosgrave, Glen Waverley, 62.■ Wednesday, January 30. Betty Jeffrey,Glenburn, 83.■ February 1. Gary Hamilton, HamptonPark, 61.■ February 2. Ron Mounsey, Melton, 76.■ February 3. Fleur Long, Eltham. MelissaRyan of Croydon

ARIES (MAR 21 - APR 20)Don't rely on others to help today. You'd be far better to work your own way throughyour list, especially if you want things done as you'd originally planned. Rewardscome via an unexpected offer.TAURUS (APR 21 - MAY 21)What counts in life is not what you say but what you do. Enough of the talking. It's timeto put your money where your mouth is and make the next step towards the dreamsyou have.GEMINI (MAY 22 - JUNE 21)Don't push a close one for answers you know they're not yet ready to give. You'd be farbetter to show them support instead of pressure. It's the only way you'll get the wholestory.CANCER (JUNE 22 - JULY 23)A new flirtation comes at a price. What you need to ask yourself my friend is if it's oneyou're really prepared to pay. A link with legal dealings helps you find peace over apast issue.LEO (JULY 24 - AUG 23)You've been trying to guess the next move of a close one when you should be givingthem space to decide and hopefully open up to you. Venus promises a confessionyou'd already guessed.VIRGO (AUG 24 - SEPT 23)You need to open up your eyes to how much your close ones think of you. Anger andstress have taken the place of your normally understanding nature. Mercury aids youin a financial hiccup.LIBRA (SEPT 24 - OCT 23)Happy times link to you making the effort to see the people you've been thinking don'tcare for you anymore. Not everyone has had as much time on their hands as you.Today you realise this fact.SCORPIO (OCT 24 - NOV 22)Make more of an effort to show your loved ones support in their dreams and ideas andyou'll find yourself getting support back. A cancelled trip linked to work or businessturns out to be a blessing.SAGITTARIUS (NOV 23 - DEC 21)You are a sign that lets their problems build up so that when you do eventually let offsteam it leaves close ones feeling shocked and bewildered. Promises made by youhave to be kept tonight.CAPRICORN (DEC 22 - JAN 20)I think the reason you're putting up such a barrier in your life right now is that you'resick of showing your true emotions. Let the real you shine through today and you'lldiscover some good news.AQUARIUS (JAN 21 - FEB 19)Don't make promises you know you have no intention of keeping. It will only undo thegood work you've done so far this month. Good news regarding Christmas makes yousmile.PISCES (FEB 20 - MARCH 20)Financially things haven't been as easy as you'd like them to be. From today thingstake a turn for the better, if that is you're willing to accept help from those around andnot ignore it.

Your Stars with Christina La Cross

■ VIP ropes and stanchions were in place for anumber of Observer readers who gathered for abirthday celebration for Robyn Hoyland at theTea Room on Spring Street at the weekend.

Amongst those spotted were John Parker,Natasha Stipanov, Andrea Birnie, ConFrantzeskos and Suzanne Carbone.

FILE IMAGE

●●●●● At the Tea Room On Spring Street

100 Years AgoCoburg Leader. Friday, December 13, 1912

SEQUEL TO DIVORCE CASE.Agnes Malvinia Strutt proceeded against herhusband, Oswald J. Strutt, at the Coburg courton Wednesday, before the P.HM. and MessrsWaters and Springhall, J's.P., on a charge ofleaving her without support.

Mr. Manchester appeared for the complain-ant and Mr W. T. Kelly for the defence.

Mr Manchester said that the acts of crueltywere alleged which would justify complaitnantin leaving defendant's house. For three yearsshe had remaining away from her husband'shome.

Agnes Malvinia Sttutt, the complainant, saidthat when she and her husband came to Coburghe used to drink and stay out late at night. Shetherefore got a young woman, Emma Quinn, tostay in the house as a companion. Witness atfirst did not suspect anything, but afterwardsthought defendant was paying too much atten-tion to Miss Quinn. He used to come homedrunk and drag. her out of bed, and on one ortwo. occasions had struck her. He also told herthat he loved Miss Quinn and that she shouldalways have a home with him as long as sheliked. Various letters had been written whichwitness identified as having been left by her-forher husband to get. Witness was earning 7s 6dper-week as a domestic servant.

Mrs Jane Shackleton gave evidence of visit-ing defendant's house in Coburg, and he wasvery nice for a few days. Then he took to drinkand was drunk several times a week.

Did You Know?

■ Give a person a fish and you feed them for aday. Teach a person how to use the internet andthey won’t bother you for weeks, months, maybeeven years ...

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

Observer Classic Books

BONUS

SECTION

Observer

www.MelbourneObserver.com.au Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 19, 2012 - Page 23

the little cocks.”And this other poem:—“There came a blow with a stick.“It was Punchinello who bestowed it on the cat.“It was not good for her; it hurt her.“Then a lady put Punchinello in prison.”It was there that a little abandoned child, a found-ling whom the convent was bringing up out ofcharity, uttered this sweet and heart-breakingsaying. She heard the others talking of theirmothers, and she murmured in her corner:—“As for me, my mother was not there when Iwas born!”There was a stout portress who could always beseen hurrying through the corridors with herbunch of keys, and whose name was SisterAgatha. The big big girls — those over ten yearsof age — called her Agathocles.The refectory, a large apartment of an oblongsquare form, which received no light exceptthrough a vaulted cloister on a level with thegarden, was dark and damp, and, as the chil-dren say, full of beasts. All the places round aboutfurnished their contingent of insects.Each of its four corners had received, in thelanguage of the pupils, a special and expressivename. There was Spider corner, Caterpillar cor-ner, Wood-louse corner, and Cricket corner.Cricket corner was near the kitchen and washighly esteemed. It was not so cold there aselsewhere. From the refectory the names hadpassed to the boarding-school, and there servedas in the old College Mazarin to distinguish fournations. Every pupil belonged to one of thesefour nations according to the corner of the re-fectory in which she sat at meals. One dayMonseigneur the Archbishop while making hispastoral visit saw a pretty little rosy girl withbeautiful golden hair enter the class-roomthrough which he was passing.He inquired of another pupil, a charming bru-nette with rosy cheeks, who stood near him:—“Who is that?”“She is a spider, Monseigneur.”“Bah! And that one yonder?”“She is a cricket.”“And that one?”“She is a caterpillar.”“Really! and yourself?”“I am a wood-louse, Monseigneur.”Every house of this sort has its own peculiari-ties. At the beginning of this century Ecouenwas one of those strict and graceful placeswhere young girls pass their childhood in ashadow that is almost august. At Ecouen, in or-der to take rank in the procession of the HolySacrament, a distinction was made between vir-gins and florists. There were also the “dais”and the “censors,”— the first who held the cordsof the dais, and the others who carried incensebefore the Holy Sacrament. The flowers be-longed by right to the florists. Four “virgins”walked in advance. On the morning of that greatday it was no rare thing to hear the question putin the dormitory, “Who is a virgin?”Madame Campan used to quote this saying of a“little one” of seven years, to a “big girl” ofsixteen, who took the head of the procession,while she, the little one, remained at the rear,“You are a virgin, but I am not.”

A Vocal Mother. Why are you weeping, mychild?The child (aged six). I told Alix that I knew myFrench history. She says that I do not know it,but I do.Alix, the big girl (aged nine). No; she does notknow it.The Mother. How is that, my child?Alix. She told me to open the book at randomand to ask her any question in the book, and shewould answer it.“Well?”“She did not answer it.”“Let us see about it. What did you ask her?”“I opened the book at random, as she proposed,and I put the first question that I came across.”“And what was the question?”“It was, ‘What happened after that?’”It was there that that profound remark was madeanent a rather greedy paroquet which belongedto a lady boarder:—“How well bred! it eats the top of the slice ofbread and butter just like a person!”It was on one of the flagstones of this cloisterthat there was once picked up a confession whichhad been written out in advance, in order thatshe might not forget it, by a sinner of sevenyears:—“Father, I accuse myself of having been avari-cious.“Father, I accuse myself of having been an adul-teress.“Father, I accuse myself of having raised myeyes to the gentlemen.”It was on one of the turf benches of this gardenthat a rosy mouth six years of age improvisedthe following tale, which was listened to by blueeyes aged four and five years:—“There were three little cocks who owned acountry where there were a great many flow-ers. They plucked the flowers and put them intheir pockets. After that they plucked the leavesand put them in their playthings. There was awolf in that country; there was a great deal offorest; and the wolf was in the forest; and he ate

full of merry light, all sorts of auroras, werescattered about amid these shadows. After thepsalmodies, the bells, the peals, and knells andoffices, the sound of these little girls burst forthon a sudden more sweetly than the noise of bees.The hive of joy was opened, and each onebrought her honey. They played, they called toeach other, they formed into groups, they ranabout; pretty little white teeth chattered in thecorners; the veils superintended the laughs froma distance, shades kept watch of the sunbeams,but what mattered it? Still they beamed andlaughed. Those four lugubrious walls had theirmoment of dazzling brilliancy. They looked on,vaguely blanched with the reflection of so muchjoy at this sweet swarming of the hives. It waslike a shower of roses falling athwart this houseof mourning. The young girls frolicked beneaththe eyes of the nuns; the gaze of impeccabilitydoes not embarrass innocence. Thanks to thesechildren, there was, among so many austerehours, one hour of ingenuousness. The little onesskipped about; the elder ones danced. In thiscloister play was mingled with heaven. Nothingis so delightful and so august as all these fresh,expanding young souls. Homer would havecome thither to laugh with Perrault; and therewas in that black garden, youth, health, noise,cries, giddiness, pleasure, happiness enough tosmooth out the wrinkles of all their ancestresses,those of the epic as well as those of the fairy-tale, those of the throne as well as those of thethatched cottage from Hecuba to la Mere–Grand.In that house more than anywhere else, per-haps, arise those children’s sayings which areso graceful and which evoke a smile that is fullof thoughtfulness. It was between those fourgloomy walls that a child of five years exclaimedone day: “Mother! one of the big girls has justtold me that I have only nine years and tenmonths longer to remain here. What happi-ness!”It was here, too, that this memorable dialoguetook place:— Continued on Page 24

●●●●● Victor Hugo

One is a postulant for two years at least, oftenfor four; a novice for four. It is rare that thedefinitive vows can be pronounced earlier thanthe age of twenty-three or twenty-four years.The Bernardines–Benedictines of Martin Vergado not admit widows to their order.In their cells, they deliver themselves up to manyunknown macerations, of which they must neverspeak.On the day when a novice makes her profes-sion, she is dressed in her handsomest attire,she is crowned with white roses, her hair isbrushed until it shines, and curled. Then she pros-trates herself; a great black veil is thrown overher, and the office for the dead is sung. Then thenuns separate into two files; one file passes closeto her, saying in plaintive accents, “Our sister isdead”; and the other file responds in a voice ofecstasy, “Our sister is alive in Jesus Christ!”At the epoch when this story takes place, a board-ing-school was attached to the convent — aboarding-school for young girls of noble andmostly wealthy families, among whom couldbe remarked Mademoiselle de Saint–Aulaireand de Belissen, and an English girl bearing theillustrious Catholic name of Talbot. These younggirls, reared by these nuns between four walls,grew up with a horror of the world and of theage. One of them said to us one day, “The sightof the street pavement made me shudder fromhead to foot.” They were dressed in blue, with awhite cap and a Holy Spirit of silver gilt or ofcopper on their breast. On certain grand festivaldays, particularly Saint Martha’s day, they werepermitted, as a high favor and a supreme happi-ness, to dress themselves as nuns and to carryout the offices and practice of Saint–Benoit fora whole day. In the early days the nuns were inthe habit of lending them their black garments.This seemed profane, and the prioress forbadeit. Only the novices were permitted to lend. It isremarkable that these performances, toleratedand encouraged, no doubt, in the convent out ofa secret spirit of proselytism and in order to givethese children a foretaste of the holy habit, werea genuine happiness and a real recreation forthe scholars. They simply amused themselveswith it. It was new; it gave them a change. Can-did reasons of childhood, which do not, how-ever, succeed in making us worldlings compre-hend the felicity of holding a holy water sprin-kler in one’s hand and standing for hours to-gether singing hard enough for four in front of areading-desk.The pupils conformed, with the exception of theausterities, to all the practices of the convent.There was a certain young woman who enteredthe world, and who after many years of marriedlife had not succeeded in breaking herself of thehabit of saying in great haste whenever any oneknocked at her door, “forever!” Like the nuns,the pupils saw their relatives only in the parlor.Their very mothers did not obtain permission toembrace them. The following illustrates to whata degree severity on that point was carried. Oneday a young girl received a visit from her mother,who was accompanied by a little sister threeyears of age. The young girl wept, for she wishedgreatly to embrace her sister. Impossible. Shebegged that, at least, the child might be permit-ted to pass her little hand through the bars so thatshe could kiss it. This was almost indignantlyrefused.

VOLUME II

COSETTE

BOOK SIXTH.— LE PETIT-PICPUS

CHAPTER III

AUSTERITIES

Continued From Last Week

CHAPTER IV

GAYETIES

None the less, these young girls filled this gravehouse with charming souvenirs.At certain hours childhood sparkled in that clois-ter. The recreation hour struck. A door swung onits hinges. The birds said, “Good; here comethe children!” An irruption of youth inundatedthat garden intersected with a cross like a shroud.Radiant faces, white foreheads, innocent eyes,

CHAPTER V

THE LITTLE CONVENT

In this enclosure of the Petit–Picpus there werethree perfectly distinct buildings,— the GreatConvent, inhabited by the nuns, the Boarding-school, where the scholars were lodged; andlastly, what was called the Little Convent. It wasa building with a garden, in which lived all sortsof aged nuns of various orders, the relics of clois-ters destroyed in the Revolution; a reunion of allthe black, gray, and white medleys of all com-munities and all possible varieties; what mightbe called, if such a coupling of words is permis-sible, a sort of harlequin convent.When the Empire was established, all these poorold dispersed and exiled women had been ac-corded permission to come and take shelter un-der the wings of the Bernardines–Benedictines.The government paid them a small pension, theladies of the Petit–Picpus received them cor


From Page 24

dially. It was a singular pell-mell. Each followedher own rule, Sometimes the pupils of the board-ing-school were allowed, as a great recreation,to pay them a visit; the result is, that all thoseyoung memories have retained among othersouvenirs that of Mother Sainte–Bazile, MotherSainte–Scolastique, and Mother Jacob.One of these refugees found herself almost athome. She was a nun of Sainte–Aure, the onlyone of her order who had survived. The ancientconvent of the ladies of Sainte–Aure occupied,at the beginning of the eighteenth century, thisvery house of the Petit–Picpus, which belongedlater to the Benedictines of Martin Verga. Thisholy woman, too poor to wear the magnificenthabit of her order, which was a white robe witha scarlet scapulary, had piously put it on a littlemanikin, which she exhibited with complacencyand which she bequeathed to the house at herdeath. In 1824, only one nun of this order re-mained; today, there remains only a doll.In addition to these worthy mothers, some oldsociety women had obtained permission of theprioress, like Madame Albertine, to retire intothe Little Convent. Among the number wereMadame Beaufort d’Hautpoul and MarquiseDufresne. Another was never known in the con-vent except by the formidable noise which shemade when she blew her nose. The pupils calledher Madame Vacarmini (hubbub).About 1820 or 1821, Madame de Genlis, whowas at that time editing a little periodical publi-cation called l’Intrepide, asked to be allowed toenter the convent of the Petit–Picpus as ladyresident. The Duc d’Orleans recommended her.Uproar in the hive; the vocal-mothers were allin a flutter; Madame de Genlis had made ro-mances. But she declared that she was the firstto detest them, and then, she had reached herfierce stage of devotion. With the aid of God,and of the Prince, she entered. She departed atthe end of six or eight months, alleging as areason, that there was no shade in the garden.The nuns were delighted. Although very old, shestill played the harp, and did it very well.When she went away she left her mark in hercell. Madame de Genlis was superstitious and aLatinist. These two words furnish a tolerablygood profile of her. A few years ago, there werestill to be seen, pasted in the inside of a littlecupboard in her cell in which she locked up hersilverware and her jewels, these five lines inLatin, written with her own hand in red ink onyellow paper, and which, in her opinion, pos-sessed the property of frightening away rob-bers:—Imparibus meritis pendent tria corpora ramis:15Dismas et Gesmas, media est divina potestas;Alta petit Dismas, infelix, infima, Gesmas;Nos et res nostras conservet summa potestas.Hos versus dicas, ne tu furto tua perdas.On the boughs hang three bodies of unequalmerits: Dismas and Gesmas, between is the di-vine power. Dismas seeks the heights, Gesmas,unhappy man, the lowest regions; the highestpower will preserve us and our effects. If yourepeat this verse, you will not lose your thingsby theft.These verses in sixth century Latin raise thequestion whether the two thieves of Calvarywere named, as is commonly believed, Dismasand Gestas, or Dismas and Gesmas. This or-thography might have confounded the preten-sions put forward in the last century by theVicomte de Gestas, of a descent from the wickedthief. However, the useful virtue attached tothese verses forms an article of faith in the orderof the Hospitallers.The church of the house, constructed in such amanner as to separate the Great Convent fromthe Boarding-school like a veritableintrenchment, was, of course, common to theBoarding-school, the Great Convent, and theLittle Convent. The public was even admittedby a sort of lazaretto entrance on the street. Butall was so arranged, that none of the inhabitantsof the cloister could see a face from the outsideworld. Suppose a church whose choir is graspedin a gigantic hand, and folded in such a manneras to form, not, as in ordinary churches, a pro-longation behind the altar, but a sort of hall, orobscure cellar, to the right of the officiating priest;suppose this hall to be shut off by a curtain sevenfeet in height, of which we have already spo-ken; in the shadow of that curtain, pile up onwooden stalls the nuns in the choir on the left,the school-girls on the right, the lay-sisters andthe novices at the bottom, and you will havesome idea of the nuns of the Petit–Picpus assist-

ing at divine service. That cavern, which wascalled the choir, communicated with the clois-ter by a lobby. The church was lighted from thegarden. When the nuns were present at serviceswhere their rule enjoined silence, the public waswarned of their presence only by the foldingseats of the stalls noisily rising and falling.

five.” Four-four was Madame de Genlis’s sig-nal. It was very often heard. “C’est le diable aquatre,— it’s the very deuce — said the unchari-table. Tennine strokes announced a great event.It was the opening of the door of seclusion, afrightful sheet of iron bristling with bolts whichonly turned on its hinges in the presence of thearchbishop.With the exception of the archbishop and thegardener, no man entered the convent, as wehave already said. The schoolgirls saw two oth-ers: one, the chaplain, the Abbe Banes, old andugly, whom they were permitted to contemplatein the choir, through a grating; the other the draw-ing-master, M. Ansiaux, whom the letter, ofwhich we have perused a few lines, calls M.Anciot, and describes as a frightful old hunch-back.It will be seen that all these men were carefullychosen.Such was this curious house.

- Continued on Page 33

Page 25 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Aumarais Lane was called Maugout Lane; theRue Droit–Mur was called the Rue desEglantiers, for God opened flowers before mancut stones.

CHAPTER VII

SOME SILHOUETTES

OF THIS DARKNESS

During the six years which separate 1819 from1825, the prioress of the Petit–Picpus was Ma-demoiselle de Blemeur, whose name, in reli-gion, was Mother Innocente. She came of thefamily of Marguerite de Blemeur, author ofLives of the Saints of the Order of Saint–Benoit.She had been re-elected. She was a womanabout sixty years of age, short, thick, “singinglike a cracked pot,” says the letter which wehave already quoted; an excellent woman, more-over, and the only merry one in the whole con-vent, and for that reason adored. She waslearned, erudite, wise, competent, curiously pro-ficient in history, crammed with Latin, stuffedwith Greek, full of Hebrew, and more of aBenedictine monk than a Benedictine nun.The sub-prioress was an old Spanish nun,Mother Cineres, who was almost blind.The most esteemed among the vocal motherswere Mother Sainte–Honorine; the treasurer,Mother Sainte–Gertrude, the chief mistress ofthe novices; Mother–Saint-Ange, the assistantmistress; Mother Annonciation, the sacristan;Mother Saint–Augustin, the nurse, the only onein the convent who was malicious; then MotherSainte–Mechtilde (Mademoiselle Gauvain),very young and with a beautiful voice; Motherdes Anges (Mademoiselle Drouet), who hadbeen in the convent of the Filles–Dieu, and inthe convent du Tresor, between Gisors andMagny; Mother Saint–Joseph (Mademoiselle deCogolludo), Mother Sainte–Adelaide (Made-moiselle d’Auverney), Mother Misericorde(Mademoiselle de Cifuentes, who could not re-sist austerities), Mother Compassion (Mademoi-selle de la Miltiere, received at the age of sixtyin defiance of the rule, and very wealthy); MotherProvidence (Mademoiselle de Laudiniere),Mother Presentation (Mademoiselle deSiguenza), who was prioress in 1847; and fi-nally, Mother Sainte–Celigne (sister of the sculp-tor Ceracchi), who went mad; Mother Sainte–Chantal (Mademoiselle de Suzon), who wentmad.There was also, among the prettiest of them, acharming girl of three and twenty, who was fromthe Isle de Bourbon, a descendant of the Cheva-lier Roze, whose name had been MademoiselleRoze, and who was called Mother Assumption.Mother Sainte–Mechtilde, intrusted with the sing-ing and the choir, was fond of making use of thepupils in this quarter. She usually took a com-plete scale of them, that is to say, seven, fromten to sixteen years of age, inclusive, of assortedvoices and sizes, whom she made sing stand-ing, drawn up in a line, side by side, accordingto age, from the smallest to the largest. Thispresented to the eye, something in the nature ofa reed-pipe of young girls, a sort of living Pan-pipe made of angels.Those of the lay-sisters whom the scholars lovedmost were Sister Euphrasie, Sister Sainte–Mar-guerite, Sister Sainte–Marthe, who was in herdotage, and Sister Sainte–Michel, whose longnose made them laugh.All these women were gentle with the children.The nuns were severe only towards themselves.No fire was lighted except in the school, and thefood was choice compared to that in the con-vent. Moreover, they lavished a thousand careson their scholars. Only, when a child passed neara nun and addressed her, the nun never replied.This rule of silence had had this effect, thatthroughout the whole convent, speech had beenwithdrawn from human creatures, and bestowedon inanimate objects. Now it was the church-bell which spoke, now it was the gardener’s bell.A very sonorous bell, placed beside the portress,and which was audible throughout the house,indicated by its varied peals, which formed asort of acoustic telegraph, all the actions ofmaterial life which were to be performed, andsummoned to the parlor, in case of need, suchor such an inhabitant of the house. Each personand each thing had its own peal. The prioresshad one and one, the sub-prioress one and two.Six-five announced lessons, so that the pupilsnever said “to go to lessons,” but “to go to six-

CHAPTER VIII

POST CORDA LAPIDES

After having sketched its moral face, it will notprove unprofitable to point out, in a few words,its material configuration. The reader alreadyhas some idea of it.The convent of the Petit–Picpus-Sainte–Antoinefilled almost the whole of the vast trapeziumwhich resulted from the intersection of the RuePolonceau, the Rue Droit–Mur, the Rue Petit–Picpus, and the unused lane, called RueAumarais on old plans. These four streets sur-rounded this trapezium like a moat. The con-vent was composed of several buildings and agarden. The principal building, taken in its en-tirety, was a juxtaposition of hybrid construc-tions which, viewed from a bird’s-eye view, out-lined, with considerable exactness, a gibbet laidflat on the ground. The main arm of the gibbetoccupied the whole of the fragment of the RueDroit–Mur comprised between the Rue Petit–Picpus and the Rue Polonceau; the lesser armwas a lofty, gray, severe grated facade whichfaced the Rue Petit–Picpus; the carriage en-trance No. 62 marked its extremity. Towardsthe centre of this facade was a low, arched door,whitened with dust and ashes, where the spiderswove their webs, and which was open only foran hour or two on Sundays, and on rare occa-sions, when the coffin of a nun left the convent.This was the public entrance of the church. Theelbow of the gibbet was a square hall which wasused as the servants’ hall, and which the nunscalled the buttery. In the main arm were thecells of the mothers, the sisters, and the nov-ices. In the lesser arm lay the kitchens, the re-fectory, backed up by the cloisters and thechurch. Between the door No. 62 and the cornerof the closed lane Aumarais, was the school,which was not visible from without. The remain-der of the trapezium formed the garden, whichwas much lower than the level of the RuePolonceau, which caused the walls to be verymuch higher on the inside than on the outside.The garden, which was slightly arched, had inits centre, on the summit of a hillock, a finepointed and conical fir-tree, whence ran, as fromthe peaked boss of a shield, four grand alleys,and, ranged by twos in between the branchingsof these, eight small ones, so that, if the enclo-sure had been circular, the geometrical plan ofthe alleys would have resembled a cross super-posed on a wheel. As the alleys all ended in thevery irregular walls of the garden, they were ofunequal length. They were bordered with cur-rant bushes. At the bottom, an alley of tall pop-lars ran from the ruins of the old convent, whichwas at the angle of the Rue Droit–Mur to thehouse of the Little Convent, which was at theangle of the Aumarais lane. In front of the LittleConvent was what was called the little garden.To this whole, let the reader add a courtyard, allsorts of varied angles formed by the interiorbuildings, prison walls, the long black line ofroofs which bordered the other side of the RuePolonceau for its sole perspective and neigh-borhood, and he will be able to form for himselfa complete image of what the house of theBernardines of the Petit–Picpus was forty yearsago. This holy house had been built on the pre-cise site of a famous tennis-ground of the four-teenth to the sixteenth century, which was calledthe “tennis-ground of the eleven thousand dev-ils.”All these streets, moreover, were more ancientthan Paris. These names, Droit–Mur andAumarais, are very ancient; the streets whichbear them are very much more ancient still.

CHAPTER IX

A CENTURY UNDER A GUIMPE

Since we are engaged in giving details as towhat the convent of the Petit–Picpus was informer times, and since we have ventured toopen a window on that discreet retreat, the readerwill permit us one other little digression, utterlyforeign to this book, but characteristic and use-ful, since it shows that the cloister even has itsoriginal figures.In the Little Convent there was a centenarianwho came from the Abbey of Fontevrault. Shehad even been in society before the Revolution.She talked a great deal of M. de Miromesnil,Keeper of the Seals under Louis XVI. and of aPresidentess Duplat, with whom she had beenvery intimate. It was her pleasure and her vanityto drag in these names on every pretext. Shetold wonders of the Abbey of Fontevrault,— thatit was like a city, and that there were streets inthe monastery.She talked with a Picard accent which amusedthe pupils. Every year, she solemnly renewedher vows, and at the moment of taking the oath,she said to the priest, “Monseigneur Saint–Francois gave it to Monseigneur Saint–Julien,Monseigneur Saint–Julien gave it toMonseigneur Saint–Eusebius, MonseigneurSaint–Eusebius gave it to Monseigneur Saint–Procopius, etc., etc.; and thus I give it to you,father.” And the school-girls would begin tolaugh, not in their sleeves, but under their veils;charming little stifled laughs which made thevocal mothers frown.On another occasion, the centenarian was tell-ing stories. She said that in her youth theBernardine monks were every whit as good asthe mousquetaires. It was a century which spokethrough her, but it was the eighteenth century.She told about the custom of the four wines,which existed before the Revolution in Cham-pagne and Bourgogne. When a great person-age, a marshal of France, a prince, a duke, anda peer, traversed a town in Burgundy or Cham-pagne, the city fathers came out to haranguehim and presented him with four silver gondolasinto which they had poured four different sortsof wine. On the first goblet this inscription couldbe read, monkey wine; on the second, lion wine;on the third, sheep wine; on the fourth, hog wine.These four legends express the four stages de-scended by the drunkard; the first, intoxication,which enlivens; the second, that which irritates;the third, that which dulls; and the fourth, thatwhich brutalizes.In a cupboard, under lock and key, she kept amysterious object of which she thought a greatdeal. The rule of Fontevrault did not forbid this.She would not show this object to anyone. Sheshut herself up, which her rule allowed her todo, and hid herself, every time that she desiredto contemplate it. If she heard a footstep in thecorridor, she closed the cupboard again as hast-ily as it was possible with her aged hands. Assoon as it was mentioned to her, she becamesilent, she who was so fond of talking. The mostcurious were baffled by her silence and the mosttenacious by her obstinacy. Thus it furnished asubject of comment for all those who were un-occupied or bored in the convent. What couldthat treasure of the centenarian be, which wasso precious and so secret? Some holy book, nodoubt? Some unique chaplet? Some authenticrelic? They lost themselves in conjectures.When the poor old woman died, they rushed toher cupboard more hastily than was fitting, per-haps, and opened it. They found the object be-neath a triple linen cloth, like some consecratedpaten. It was a Faenza platter representing littleLoves flitting away pursued by apothecary ladsarmed with enormous syringes. The chaseabounds in grimaces and in comical postures.One of the charming little Loves is already fairlyspitted. He is resisting, fluttering his tiny wings,and still making an effort to fly, but the dancer islaughing with a satanical air. Moral: Love con-quered by the colic. This platter, which is verycurious, and which had, possibly, the honor offurnishing Moliere with an idea, was still in ex-istence in September, 1845; it was for sale by abric-a-brac merchant in the BoulevardBeaumarchais.This good old woman would not receive anyvisits from outside because, said she, the parloris too gloomy.


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From the point of view of history, of reason, andof truth, monasticism is condemned. Monaster-ies, when they abound in a nation, are clogs inits circulation, cumbrous establishments, cen-tres of idleness where centres of labor shouldexist. Monastic communities are to the greatsocial community what the mistletoe is to theoak, what the wart is to the human body. Theirprosperity and their fatness mean the impover-ishment of the country. The monastic regime,good at the beginning of civilization, useful inthe reduction of the brutal by the spiritual, is badwhen peoples have reached their manhood.Moreover, when it becomes relaxed, and whenit enters into its period of disorder, it becomesbad for the very reasons which rendered it salu-tary in its period of purity, because it still contin-ues to set the example.Claustration has had its day. Cloisters, useful inthe early education of modern civilization, haveembarrassed its growth, and are injurious to itsdevelopment. So far as institution and forma-tion with relation to man are concerned, monas-teries, which were good in the tenth century,questionable in the fifteenth, are detestable inthe nineteenth. The leprosy of monasticism hasgnawed nearly to a skeleton two wonderful na-tions, Italy and Spain; the one the light, the otherthe splendor of Europe for centuries; and, at thepresent day, these two illustrious peoples arebut just beginning to convalesce, thanks to thehealthy and vigorous hygiene of 1789 alone.The convent — the ancient female convent inparticular, such as it still presents itself on thethreshold of this century, in Italy, in Austria, inSpain — is one of the most sombre concretionsof the Middle Ages. The cloister, that cloister, isthe point of intersection of horrors. The Catholiccloister, properly speaking, is wholly filled withthe black radiance of death.The Spanish convent is the most funereal of all.There rise, in obscurity, beneath vaults filled withgloom, beneath domes vague with shadow,massive altars of Babel, as high as cathedrals;there immense white crucifixes hang fromchains in the dark; there are extended, all nudeon the ebony, great Christs of ivory; more thanbleeding,— bloody; hideous and magnificent,with their elbows displaying the bones, their knee-pans showing their integuments, their woundsshowing their flesh, crowned with silver thorns,nailed with nails of gold, with blood drops ofrubies on their brows, and diamond tears in theireyes. The diamonds and rubies seem wet, andmake veiled beings in the shadow below weep,their sides bruised with the hair shirt and theiriron-tipped scourges, their breasts crushed withwicker hurdles, their knees excoriated withprayer; women who think themselves wives,spectres who think themselves seraphim. Dothese women think? No. Have they any will?No. Do they love? No. Do they live? No. Theirnerves have turned to bone; their bones haveturned to stone. Their veil is of woven night.Their breath under their veil resembles the in-describably tragic respiration of death. The ab-bess, a spectre, sanctifies them and terrifiesthem. The immaculate one is there, and veryfierce. Such are the ancient monasteries ofSpain. Liars of terrible devotion, caverns of vir-gins, ferocious places.Catholic Spain is more Roman than Rome her-self. The Spanish convent was, above all oth-ers, the Catholic convent. There was a flavor ofthe Orient about it. The archbishop, the kislar-aga of heaven, locked up and kept watch overthis seraglio of souls reserved for God. The nunwas the odalisque, the priest was the eunuch.The fervent were chosen in dreams and pos-sessed Christ. At night, the beautiful, nude youngman descended from the cross and became theecstasy of the cloistered one. Lofty walls guardedthe mystic sultana, who had the crucified forher sultan, from all living distraction. A glanceon the outer world was infidelity. The in pacereplaced the leather sack. That which was castinto the sea in the East was thrown into the groundin the West. In both quarters, women wrung theirhands; the waves for the first, the grave for thelast; here the drowned, there the buried. Mon-strous parallel.To-day the upholders of the past, unable to denythese things, have adopted the expedient of smil-ing at them. There has come into fashion astrange and easy manner of suppressing the rev-

elations of history, of invalidating the commen-taries of philosophy, of eliding all embarrassingfacts and all gloomy questions. A matter for dec-lamations, say the clever. Declamations, repeatthe foolish. Jean–Jacques a declaimer; Diderota declaimer; Voltaire on Calas, Labarre, andSirven, declaimers. I know not who has recentlydiscovered that Tacitus was a declaimer, thatNero was a victim, and that pity is decidedlydue to “that poor Holofernes.”Facts, however, are awkward things to discon-cert, and they are obstinate. The author of thisbook has seen, with his own eyes, eight leaguesdistant from Brussels,— there are relics of theMiddle Ages there which are attainable for ev-erybody,— at the Abbey of Villers, the hole ofthe oubliettes, in the middle of the field whichwas formerly the courtyard of the cloister, andon the banks of the Thil, four stone dungeons,half under ground, half under the water. Theywere in pace. Each of these dungeons has theremains of an iron door, a vault, and a gratedopening which, on the outside, is two feet abovethe level of the river, and on the inside, six feetabove the level of the ground. Four feet of riverflow past along the outside wall. The ground isalways soaked. The occupant of the in pace hadthis wet soil for his bed. In one of these dun-geons, there is a fragment of an iron neckletriveted to the wall; in another, there can be seena square box made of four slabs of granite, tooshort for a person to lie down in, too low for himto stand upright in. A human being was put in-side, with a coverlid of stone on top. This exists.It can be seen. It can be touched. These in pace,these dungeons, these iron hinges, thesenecklets, that lofty peep-hole on a level with theriver’s current, that box of stone closed with alid of granite like a tomb, with this difference,that the dead man here was a living being, thatsoil which is but mud, that vault hole, those ooz-ing walls,— what declaimers!

- Continued on Page 34


The rule of the Perpetual Adoration is so rigid inits nature that it alarms, vocations recoil beforeit, the order receives no recruits. In 1845, it stillobtained lay-sisters here and there. But of pro-fessed nuns, none at all. Forty years ago, thenuns numbered nearly a hundred; fifteen yearsago there were not more than twenty-eight ofthem. How many are there today? In 1847, theprioress was young, a sign that the circle ofchoice was restricted. She was not forty yearsold. In proportion as the number diminishes, thefatigue increases, the service of each becomesmore painful; the moment could then be seendrawing near when there would be but a dozenbent and aching shoulders to bear the heavy ruleof Saint–Benoit. The burden is implacable, andremains the same for the few as for the many. Itweighs down, it crushes. Thus they die. At theperiod when the author of this book still lived inParis, two died. One was twenty-five years old,the other twenty-three. This latter can say, likeJulia Alpinula: “Hic jaceo. Vixi annos viginti ettres.” It is in consequence of this decay that theconvent gave up the education of girls.We have not felt able to pass before this ex-traordinary house without entering it, and with-out introducing the minds which accompany us,and which are listening to our tale, to the profitof some, perchance, of the melancholy historyof Jean Valjean. We have penetrated into thiscommunity, full of those old practices whichseem so novel today. It is the closed garden,hortus conclusus. We have spoken of this singu-lar place in detail, but with respect, in so far, atleast, as detail and respect are compatible. Wedo not understand all, but we insult nothing. Weare equally far removed from the hosanna ofJoseph de Maistre, who wound up by anointingthe executioner, and from the sneer of Voltaire,who even goes so far as to ridicule the cross.An illogical act on Voltaire’s part, we may re-mark, by the way; for Voltaire would have de-fended Jesus as he defended Calas; and evenfor those who deny superhuman incarnations,what does the crucifix represent? The assassi-nated sage.In this nineteenth century, the religious idea isundergoing a crisis. People are unlearning cer-tain things, and they do well, provided that, whileunlearning them they learn this: There is novacuum in the human heart. Certain demolitionstake place, and it is well that they do, but oncondition that they are followed by reconstruc-tions.In the meantime, let us study things which areno more. It is necessary to know them, if onlyfor the purpose of avoiding them. The counter-feits of the past assume false names, and gladlycall themselves the future. This spectre, this past,is given to falsifying its own passport. Let usinform ourselves of the trap. Let us be on ourguard. The past has a visage, superstition, and amask, hypocrisy. Let us denounce the visageand let us tear off the mask.As for convents, they present a complex prob-lem,— a question of civilization, which con-demns them; a question of liberty, which pro-tects them.

From Page 24

CHAPTER X

ORIGIN OF THE

PERPETUAL ADORATION

However, this almost sepulchral parlor, of whichwe have sought to convey an idea, is a purelylocal trait which is not reproduced with the sameseverity in other convents. At the convent of theRue du Temple, in particular, which belonged,in truth, to another order, the black shutters werereplaced by brown curtains, and the parlor itselfwas a salon with a polished wood floor, whosewindows were draped in white muslin curtainsand whose walls admitted all sorts of frames, aportrait of a Benedictine nun with unveiled face,painted bouquets, and even the head of a Turk.It is in that garden of the Temple convent, thatstood that famous chestnut-tree which was re-nowned as the finest and the largest in France,and which bore the reputation among the goodpeople of the eighteenth century of being thefather of all the chestnut trees of the realm.As we have said, this convent of the Templewas occupied by Benedictines of the PerpetualAdoration, Benedictines quite different fromthose who depended on Citeaux. This order ofthe Perpetual Adoration is not very ancient anddoes not go back more than two hundred years.In 1649 the holy sacrament was profaned ontwo occasions a few days apart, in two churchesin Paris, at Saint–Sulpice and at Saint–Jean enGreve, a rare and frightful sacrilege which setthe whole town in an uproar. M. the Prior andVicar–General of Saint–Germain des Pres or-dered a solemn procession of all his clergy, inwhich the Pope’s Nuncio officiated. But thisexpiation did not satisfy two sainted women,Madame Courtin, Marquise de Boucs, and theComtesse de Chateauvieux. This outrage com-mitted on “the most holy sacrament of the al-tar,” though but temporary, would not depart fromthese holy souls, and it seemed to them that itcould only be extenuated by a “Perpetual Ado-ration” in some female monastery. Both of them,one in 1652, the other in 1653, made donationsof notable sums to Mother Catherine de Bar,called of the Holy Sacrament, a Benedictinenun, for the purpose of founding, to this piousend, a monastery of the order of Saint–Benoit;the first permission for this foundation was givento Mother Catherine de Bar by M. de Metz, Abbeof Saint–Germain, “on condition that no womancould be received unless she contributed threehundred livres income, which amounts to sixthousand livres, to the principal.” After the Abbeof Saint–Germain, the king accorded letters-patent; and all the rest, abbatial charter, and royalletters, was confirmed in 1654 by the Chamberof Accounts and the Parliament.Such is the origin of the legal consecration ofthe establishment of the Benedictines of thePerpetual Adoration of the Holy Sacrament atParis. Their first convent was “a new building”in the Rue Cassette, out of the contributions ofMesdames de Boucs and de Chateauvieux.This order, as it will be seen, was not to be con-founded with the Benedictine nuns of Citeaux.It mounted back to the Abbe of Saint–Germaindes Pres, in the same manner that the ladies ofthe Sacred Heart go back to the general of theJesuits, and the sisters of charity to the generalof the Lazarists.It was also totally different from the Bernardinesof the Petit–Picpus, whose interior we have justshown. In 1657, Pope Alexander VII. had au-thorized, by a special brief, the Bernardines ofthe Rue Petit–Picpus, to practise the PerpetualAdoration like the Benedictine nuns of the HolySacrament. But the two orders remained dis-tinct none the less.

CHAPTER XI

END OF THE PETIT-PICPUS

At the beginning of the Restoration, the conventof the Petit–Picpus was in its decay; this forms apart of the general death of the order, which,after the eighteenth century, has been disappear-ing like all the religious orders. Contemplationis, like prayer, one of humanity’s needs; but,like everything which the Revolution touched, itwill be transformed, and from being hostile tosocial progress, it will become favorable to it.The house of the Petit–Picpus was becomingrapidly depopulated. In 1840, the Little Conventhad disappeared, the school had disappeared.There were no longer any old women, nor younggirls; the first were dead, the latter had takentheir departure. Volaverunt.

BOOK SEVENTH.— PARENTHESIS

CHAPTER I

THE CONVENT AS AN ABSTRACT IDEA

This book is a drama, whose leading personageis the Infinite.Man is the second.Such being the case, and a convent having hap-pened to be on our road, it has been our duty toenter it. Why? Because the convent, which iscommon to the Orient as well as to the Occi-dent, to antiquity as well as to modern times, topaganism, to Buddhism, to Mahometanism, aswell as to Christianity, is one of the optical appa-ratuses applied by man to the Infinite.This is not the place for enlarging disproportion-ately on certain ideas; nevertheless, while ab-solutely maintaining our reserves, our restric-tions, and even our indignations, we must saythat every time we encounter man in the Infi-nite, either well or ill understood, we feel our-selves overpowered with respect. There is, inthe synagogue, in the mosque, in the pagoda, inthe wigwam, a hideous side which we execrate,and a sublime side, which we adore. What acontemplation for the mind, and what endlessfood for thought, is the reverberation of God uponthe human wall!

CHAPTER II

THE CONVENT AS AN

HISTORICAL FACT

CHAPTER III

ON WHAT CONDITIONS ONE CAN

RESPECT THE PAST

Monasticism, such as it existed in Spain, andsuch as it still exists in Thibet, is a sort of phthi-sis for civilization. It stops life short. It simplydepopulates. Claustration, castration. It has beenthe scourge of Europe. Add to this the violenceso often done to the conscience, the forced vo-cations, feudalism bolstered up by the cloister,the right of the first-born pouring the excess ofthe family into monasticism, the ferocities ofwhich we have just spoken, the in pace, theclosed mouths, the walled-up brains, so manyunfortunate minds placed in the dungeon of eter-nal vows, the taking of the habit, the intermentof living souls. Add individual tortures to nationaldegradations, and, whoever you may be, youwill shudder before the frock and the veil,—those two winding-sheets of human devising.Nevertheless, at certain points and in certainplaces, in spite of philosophy, in spite of progress,the spirit of the cloister persists in the midst ofthe nineteenth century, and a singular asceticrecrudescence is, at this moment, astonishingthe civilized world. The obstinacy of antiquatedinstitutions in perpetuating themselves re-sembles the stubbornness of the rancid perfumewhich should claim our hair, the pretensions ofthe spoiled fish which should persist in beingeaten, the persecution of the child’s garmentwhich should insist on clothing the man, the ten-derness of corpses which should return to em-brace the living.“Ingrates!” says the garment, “I protected youin inclement weather. Why will you have noth-ing to do with me?” “I have just come from thedeep sea,” says the fish. “I have been a rose,”says the perfume. “I have loved you,” says thecorpse. “I have civilized you,” says the con-vent.To this there is but one reply: “In former days.”To dream of the indefinite prolongation of de-funct things, and of the government of men byembalming, to restore dogmas in a bad condi-tion, to regild shrines, to patch up cloisters, torebless reliquaries, to refurnish superstitions, torevictual fanaticisms, to put new handles on holywater brushes and militarism, to reconstitutemonasticism and militarism, to believe in thesalvation of society by the multiplication of para-sites, to force the past on the present,— thisseems strange. Still, there are theorists who holdsuch theories. These theorists, who are in otherrespects people of intelligence, have a very


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Page 34 - Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Observer Crossword Solution No 35

first? Is it not the latter’s mirror, reflection, echo,an abyss which is concentric with another abyss?Is this second infinity intelligent also? Does itthink? Does it love? Does it will? If these twoinfinities are intelligent, each of them has a willprinciple, and there is an I in the upper infinityas there is an I in the lower infinity. The I belowis the soul; the I on high is God.To place the infinity here below in contact, bythe medium of thought, with the infinity on high,is called praying.Let us take nothing from the human mind; tosuppress is bad. We must reform and transform.Certain faculties in man are directed towardsthe Unknown; thought, revery, prayer. The Un-known is an ocean. What is conscience? It isthe compass of the Unknown. Thought, revery,prayer,— these are great and mysterious radia-tions. Let us respect them. Whither go thesemajestic irradiations of the soul? Into the shadow;that is to say, to the light.The grandeur of democracy is to disown noth-ing and to deny nothing of humanity. Close tothe right of the man, beside it, at the least, thereexists the right of the soul.To crush fanaticism and to venerate the infinite,such is the law. Let us not confine ourselves toprostrating ourselves before the tree of creation,and to the contemplation of its branches full ofstars. We have a duty to labor over the humansoul, to defend the mystery against the miracle,to adore the incomprehensible and reject theabsurd, to admit, as an inexplicable fact, onlywhat is necessary, to purify belief, to removesuperstitions from above religion; to clear Godof caterpillars. first? Is it not the latter’s mirror,reflection, echo, an abyss which is concentricwith another abyss? Is this second infinity intel-ligent also? Does it think? Does it love? Does itwill? If these two infinities are intelligent, eachof them has a will principle, and there is an I inthe upper infinity as there is an I in the lowerinfinity. The I below is the soul; the I on high isGod.To place the infinity here below in contact, bythe medium of thought, with the infinity on high,is called praying.Let us take nothing from the human mind; tosuppress is bad. We must reform and transform.Certain faculties in man are directed towardsthe Unknown; thought, revery, prayer. The Un-known is an ocean. What is conscience? It isthe compass of the Unknown. Thought, revery,prayer,— these are great and mysterious radia-tions. Let us respect them.

and dervishes multiply even like swarms of ver-min.This said, the religious question remains. Thisquestion has certain mysterious, almost formi-dable sides; may we be permitted to look at itfixedly.

have spoken of a convent with respectful ac-cents. The Middle Ages cast aside, Asia castaside, the historical and political question heldin reserve, from the purely philosophical pointof view, outside the requirements of militantpolicy, on condition that the monastery shall beabsolutely a voluntary matter and shall containonly consenting parties, I shall always considera cloistered community with a certain attentive,and, in some respects, a deferential gravity.Wherever there is a community, there is a com-mune; where there is a commune, there is right.The monastery is the product of the formula:Equality, Fraternity. Oh! how grand is liberty!And what a splendid transfiguration! Libertysuffices to transform the monastery into a re-public.Let us continue.But these men, or these women who are behindthese four walls. They dress themselves incoarse woollen, they are equals, they call eachother brothers, that is well; but they do some-thing else?Yes.What?They gaze on the darkness, they kneel, and theyclasp their hands.What does this signify?

simple process; they apply to the past a glazingwhich they call social order, divine right, moral-ity, family, the respect of elders, antique author-ity, sacred tradition, legitimacy, religion; and theygo about shouting, “Look! take this, honestpeople.” This logic was known to the ancients.The soothsayers practise it. They rubbed a blackheifer over with chalk, and said, “She is white,Bos cretatus.”As for us, we respect the past here and there,and we spare it, above all, provided that it con-sents to be dead. If it insists on being alive, weattack it, and we try to kill it.Superstitions, bigotries, affected devotion, preju-dices, those forms all forms as they are, aretenacious of life; they have teeth and nails intheir smoke, and they must be clasped close,body to body, and war must be made on them,and that without truce; for it is one of the fatali-ties of humanity to be condemned to eternalcombat with phantoms. It is difficult to seizedarkness by the throat, and to hurl it to the earth.A convent in France, in the broad daylight of thenineteenth century, is a college of owls facingthe light. A cloister, caught in the very act ofasceticism, in the very heart of the city of ‘89and of 1830 and of 1848, Rome blossoming outin Paris, is an anachronism. In ordinary times,in order to dissolve an anachronism and to causeit to vanish, one has only to make it spell out thedate. But we are not in ordinary times.Let us fight.Let us fight, but let us make a distinction. Thepeculiar property of truth is never to commitexcesses. What need has it of exaggeration?There is that which it is necessary to destroy,and there is that which it is simply necessary toelucidate and examine. What a force is kindlyand serious examination! Let us not apply aflame where only a light is required.So, given the nineteenth century, we are op-posed, as a general proposition, and among allpeoples, in Asia as well as in Europe, in India aswell as in Turkey, to ascetic claustration. Who-ever says cloister, says marsh. Their putrescenceis evident, their stagnation is unhealthy, theirfermentation infects people with fever, and eti-olates them; their multiplication becomes aplague of Egypt. We cannot think without af-fright of those lands where fakirs, bonzes,santons, Greek monks, marabouts, talapoins, ●●●●● To Be Continued Next Year

C O N S E R V E D C A V I T Y A H U R R A H S T E V E D O R E

A O V A U N I T N O D D L Y E M A N E X G R N

L U I S S U E C O N F E R O P U F F I N N I C E R C I

M O N O C L E T E A L I K N H I S K I D E M E R A L D

M S T A S H I D L E D E L I T E N O S E D P L U T O A

M A N S P I O T A R E P R E S E N T E D R I F E S P A C E

O R I O N B H C O L A M N I D O L O R M E T E D

U C O B L I G E D D M E A N D E R U A M M O N I A T D

N E A R B Y S R A K E U P N E A P R O N S X R E M E D Y

T R B E N C H T E N S U R E D T W I D O W N I

E M A I L S U M A R T Y R R E A G L E S D N E W T O N

D G E E S A U A O S T R A C I S M U P E E P S I G

S U E D E S M U T L R N C B N A Y S S T O O L

A M E W S M I L K O L I V E L E G S P A V E N

A P A I D E S P O U S E D U S K E L E T A L R A T A A

E M M A R I M S T R P G M T I O R A T O M M O B S

M R T S K E T C H I E R R E C E P T I O N O O E

M O C K U P S O E H C O V A K E D A M A R K E T S

A A E P R A N G M U G S P R I G N E R D S P T O

C O R K R A S S R E A R S I P N O T E H E W O C H O P

H N E A T E R S A M E R E E R G O G O I N S O L E P

O B E Y I T A N N U M A S I D E S O L I D F T O R G Y

O E N O R M S D O W N A G E E E N T E R W A

T O E D E I S W I N G U P P E D S U C K S N O N A G S

O P U N N E D I O R I P E C Y S T T I E S P I E S O

W H I P T G E N S L A M N I L P E T E A D S H D H A L

E C L E N S U E M A I N A S A P D E N I S E E V

D I S M A Y S V N A G A L I N C F S E S S E N C E

R E C E X C E P T I O N R E G R E T F U L R L U

J A V A L U L L L R N T I S L L U O R A L M O B Y

N L O A D O N E L I N E R C R E A L I S E D S A Y S E

B R S V P A L L Y O P E R A R O D E G L E N N

G R E E K E T N A M T C P C E D G E G A L A S

O I R E L S A M P L A Y A C T E D A O D E S F V G

V A C U U M E T R A S H Y P M E S S E D I E F F I G Y

E A D A L A I O R I S S O L E V I N D I A G P

R A B B I S R M U E S L I T I N A B B E D S R I V A L S

A R T H I N O U T T C U R D L E D L N A S T I E R T I

L E A S E I G P A P A O C E D A M N E S C O N E

L U C K T N O G O G A L L B L A D D E R K I W I F U R I S

R Y O U N G E L D E R L E O N E M E T R E N A R K S L

S O M E O N E E R I E R O O A E H O L D P E O P L E D

E I M A R I A V A N I T Y P C O R D O N O T H E R E I

T N P V S U E T E D I E G O I S E W N I E V N

S L I G H T E S T R H O D E S D N A T T E R E N D E A R I N G

MELBOURNE OBSERVERMEGA 035S- ( X grid)MEGA.eps.© Lovatts Crosswords 21/12/06 - Artist - JT

CHAPTER IV

THE CONVENT FROM THE POINT OF

VIEW OF PRINCIPLES

Men unite themselves and dwell in communi-ties. By virtue of what right? By virtue of theright of association.They shut themselves up at home. By virtue ofwhat right? By virtue of the right which everyman has to open or shut his door.They do not come forth. By virtue of what right?By virtue of the right to go and come, whichimplies the right to remain at home.There, at home, what do they do?They speak in low tones; they drop their eyes;they toil. They renounce the world, towns, sen-sualities, pleasures, vanities, pride, interests.They are clothed in coarse woollen or coarselinen. Not one of them possesses in his ownright anything whatever. On entering there, eachone who was rich makes himself poor. What hehas, he gives to all. He who was what is callednoble, a gentleman and a lord, is the equal ofhim who was a peasant. The cell is identical forall. All undergo the same tonsure, wear the samefrock, eat the same black bread, sleep on thesame straw, die on the same ashes. The samesack on their backs, the same rope around theirloins. If the decision has been to go barefoot, allgo barefoot. There may be a prince among them;that prince is the same shadow as the rest. Notitles. Even family names have disappeared.They bear only first names. All are bowed be-neath the equality of baptismal names. Theyhave dissolved the carnal family, and consti-tuted in their community a spiritual family. Theyhave no other relatives than all men. They suc-cor the poor, they care for the sick. They electthose whom they obey. They call each other“my brother.”You stop me and exclaim, “But that is the idealconvent!”It is sufficient that it may be the possible con-vent, that I should take notice of it.Thence it results that, in the preceding book, I

CHAPTER V

PRAYER

They pray.To whom?To God.To pray to God,— what is the meaning of thesewords?Is there an infinite beyond us? Is that infinitethere, inherent, permanent; necessarily substan-tial, since it is infinite; and because, if it lackedmatter it would be bounded; necessarily intelli-gent, since it is infinite, and because, if it lackedintelligence, it would end there? Does this infi-nite awaken in us the idea of essence, while wecan attribute to ourselves only the idea of exist-ence? In other terms, is it not the absolute, ofwhich we are only the relative?At the same time that there is an infinite withoutus, is there not an infinite within us? Are notthese two infinites (what an alarming plural!)superposed, the one upon the other? Is not thissecond infinite, so to speak, subjacent to the

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Victorian Sport

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BriefsHarness Racing

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ObserverMelbourne

GIRLS’ NIGHT OUTBaker’s Delight

Long awaited return■ Kyabram's Owen Schischka made a longawaited return to the winners list, when Equitable/Unique Vic 5-Y-0 gelding Hawkwood greeted thejudge in the Kliger Partners Lawyers Pace for C0class over 1690 metres at Kilmore on Thursday.

Driven by Tooleen based Nigel Milne, Hawkwoodwas trapped wide from gate five, having no optionbut to go back to the tail of the field, with TennesseeRebel burning across to lead from outside the frontrow.

Latching to the back of both Life Long Voyageand Rainless in the three wide line for the final cir-cuit, Hawkwood charged home wide out on turningto score by a metre on the wire over Worktorulewhich trailed the front runner and Rainless in a milerate of 2-00.3.

Sprouted wings■ Nanneella's Col Godden was victorious withsmart 5-Y-0 Jet Laag/Computerize gelding LightsAnd Music in the Im Themightyquinn PacersHandicap for C1 or better class over 2240 metres atTabcorp Park Melton on Friday.

With Gavin Lang holding the reins, Lights AndMusic first up since July made a mess of the startfrom inside the second line, settling six back alongthe markers with his chances looking remote.

Extricated to be right off the track on the finalbend, Lights And Music sprouted wings down theoutside fence to blouse Laughing Holme by a halfhead in a tricky finish, with the leader MyrniongPanorama 3.1 metres away in third place. The milerate 2-01.7.

Birthday celebration■ Darraweit Guam's Lisa Miles was stunned lastSunday (December 9) when attending the RiddellHotel for her birthday.

Expecting a quiet evening with husband Davidand son Alfie, Lisa was in for the shock of her lifeafter walking through the doors to find a plethora offamily, stable assistants and friends in attendance tocelebrate and wish her a happy birthday with a sur-prise party arranged by David.

Also in attendance were two of Lisa's greatestfriends Jill Neilson and Leah Harvey who made thetrip across from South Australia.

No doubt a night that Lisa will long remember.

Long awaited return■ Monegeetta trainer Jody Woodham-Murdochmade a long awaited return to the winners list, whenthe heavily supported Desinda Bromac scored inthe Bendigo Ladies Committee Pace for C0 classover 2150 metres at Lord's Raceway Bendigo onWednesday December 12.

Driven by Neil McCallum, Desinda Bromac a 6-Y-0 daughter of Courage Under Fire and DarleneBromac making her 30th race appearance, was giventhe run of the race from the pole trailing the pace-maker King Rafa (gate three).

Easing away from the markers approaching thehome turn to follow the favourite Rhinestone Cow-girl which took care of the leader, Desinda Bromacwas poised to pounce on straightening and that shedid, finishing best to defeat On Fire Within by 4.1metres in a rate of 2-00.2. Rhinestone Cowgirl fin-ished third 1.9 metres away.

At Yarra Valley■ Lisa and David Miles snared the 7th heat of theVicbred Platinum Mares Sprint Championship forC0 class over 1650 at Yarra Valley on Friday withsmart Live Or Die/Forest Charm 4-Y-0 Nats Sur-vival on protest.

Raced by the Im A Survivor Syndicate, Nats Sur-vival enjoyed a sweet passage from inside the sec-ond line trailing the Chintin trained pole markerCheshire Cat who was eye balled most of the wayby Sheila Blige.

Using the sprint lane, Nats Survival just failed ina nose finish to pick up the courageous leader, how-ever Lisa lodged a successful protest for interfer-ence approaching the finish which was upheld aftera relative short hearling. Illawong Geraldine (threewide last lap) finished third.

■ Two of Victoria's lead-ing reinswomen - KateGath and Jodi Quinlan -stole the show at TabcorpPark Melton on Saturday(Dec. 15), winning the twobig feature races on theprogram.

Kate won the $400,000(Group 1) SEW-Eurodrive Victoria Cupaboard Caribbean Blasterand Jodi scored the$50,000 (Group 1) SEW-Eurodrive V. L. DullardTrotters Cup with I DidntDo It.

On a night where se-lected themes were usedto introduce the VictoriaCup runners to the verylarge crowd in attendance,surely the most appropri-ate lyric was "I amwoman, hear me roar, innumbers too big to ignore”following the brilliant vic-tory of five-year-old entireCaribbean Blaster in theVictoria Cup.

Trained in the vicinityof Melton at Long Forestby husband Andy Gath(with Kate's assistance),Caribbean Blaster startingfrom the extreme draw inthe capacity 12 horse fieldover 2240 metres settledas expected at the tail ofthe field, with both ImThemightyquinn (gatethree) and The Gold Ace(gate four) scorching awayas the mobile barrierpulled clear, with MahSish holding his spot on themarkers from the pole totrail the favourite andTerrorway (gate two) oneout and one back.

Andy McCarthy pulledno punches and immedi-ately eased Terrorwaythree wide to challenge forthe lead heading into theback straight on the firstoccasion and was suc-cessful in doing so, some-thing that maybe TonyHerlihy on The Gold Aceshould have considered asa former stablemate of ImThemightyquinn, whileBitobliss which had beentrapped wide from the out-set was sent forward be-ing trailed by Washakie,with the pair taking turnsto occupy the position out-side the leader.

The action neverstopped as Lance Justiceand Smoken Up were onthe move three wide, be-ing followed up byPembrook Benny whowas never on the track,with Caribbean Blastertrailing the pair andMelpark Major joining thetrio at the rear.

Smoken Up had the au-dacity to join Terrorwayapproaching the finalbend, with CaribbeanBlaster putting in a claimfour wide and Gary Hall(Jnr) angling Im The-mightyquinn three wideto make a claim (obvi-ously not considering theuse of the sprint lane).

Looking set for victoryon straightening, ImThemightyquinn mo-mentarily hit the front, butwas no match for Carib-bean Blaster's surging fin-ish down the outside of thetrack, with Mah Sish us-ing the sprint lane to cutIm Themightyquinn outsecond place on hitting thewire.

With a lead time of 41.9seconds and quarters of30. 28.7, 29.2 and 28.5,Caribbean Blaster re-turned a mile rate of 1-53.7, only .3 seconds out-side Smoken Up's trackrecord set a year earlier.

Raced by SydneysiderRob Nalder in partnershipwith Alabar Bloodstock(Mgr Alan Galloway),Caribbean Blaster a clev-erly named son of BettorsDelight and Kalypso bredby Fran Hausfeld,chalked up his 20th vic-tory from 57 race appear-ances, taking his stakeearning to $695,285.

Eight year old Sundon/Miss Whizz gelding IDidnt Do It bred by DrMervyn Williamson andraced by son Mervyn(Jnr) in partnership withMichael Taranto, made ittwo wins in successionafter taking out the BillCollins Mile atCranbourne the week be-fore, when snaring theDullard Cup in a rate of2-01.1 (last half 59.2 - quar-ter 28.5).

Drawing outside thefront row, Jodi put the footto the floor in search of thelead, with Anthony Buttand Vulcan inside her try-ing to retain the front posi-tion from gate two.

Eventually drawingclear, I Didnt Do It ledfor the remainder of the2240 metre journey, scor-ing by a half neck overVulcan who used the sprintlane to get close, with El-egant Image (another ofthe Andy and Kate Gathteam) 7.6 metres away inthird place after joining thepacemaker in the last lap.

It was I Didnt Do It's24th success in 61 outings.

Jodi had also driven10-Y-0 Village Jasper/Painted Black gelding

Decorated Jasper to vic-tory in the $25,000 SEWEurodrive Casey Classicto cap off a great night,leading virtually through-out from gate five in de-feating Mach Alert andSmudge Bromac. Themile rate 1-56.

At Charlton■ Locally trained 8-Y-0grey mare Breakmyheartchalked up her fourth vic-tory in 57 outings, whensuccessful in the 1st HeatCharlton & District Com-munity Bank Pace for C1class over 2100 metres atCharlton on Monday De-cember 10.

Bred, raced andtrained by veteran MattDonaldson, Breakmy-heart (Jet Laag/BreakersDream) taking a conces-sion for ex-Charlton girlEllen Tormey led through-out from gate five, defeat-ing Juan Amigo whichraced in the open appear-ing to have her measureon straightening, withPariels Dry third after trail-ing the winner and mak-ing no impression alongthe sprint lane. The milerate 2-01.1.

Restrained■ Talented 5-Y-0 SealedN Delivered/Paralific en-tire Bookkeeper made itthree from five, when vic-torious in the 2nd Heat ofthe Charlton & DistrictCommunity Bank Pace ina rate of 2-00.3.

Trained by SteveO'Donoghue at Kialla(Shepparton) and drivenby Bec Bartley who tooka concession, Book-keeper was restrainedfrom outside the front rowto the rear of the field, be-fore circling his rivals mid-race to park outside theleader Meet Me InSeattlle.

Proving to be the bet-ter stayer, Bookkeeperregistered a 2.8 metremargin over Meet Me InSeattle, with Stealing Life(one/one - three widehome turn) third.

Happy Christmas to all■ To all readers of this column throughout the year- best wishes for a safe and happy Christmas and aprosperous 2013.

Man of the moment■ Elmore's Keith Cotchin was in the winners stallat Bendigo on Wednesday, following the victory ofDream Away/La Meriah 5-Y-0 gelding The Num-bers Man in the Santa At Bendigo Pace for C1 classover 1650 metres.

Driven by ‘man of the moment’ Greg Sugars,The Numbers Man led throughout from gate two,defeating Mumma Mia Lombo which trailed by ahead after using the sprint lane, with Classic Icon(one/one) closing fast to finish a neck back in thirdplace. The mile rate 1-58.1.

Overcame backmark■ Shelbourne trainer Michelle Eastman's 5-Y-0Sundon/Insulated mare Aleppo Midas was a bril-liant winner of the 12-12-12 Trotters Handicap forT1 or better class over 2150 metres at Bendigo aftercoming from a daunting 30 metre backmark in acapacity field.

Driven by Kate Gath, Aleppo Midas wasn't flashaway as the tapes released, settling a conspicuouslast with the exception of Marita Louise which gal-loped away.

Letting rip with a dynamite burst of speed racingfor the bell, Aleppo Midas crossed the pace makerMother Nature in a twinkling of an eye to lead forthe remainder of the journey, scoring by an un-touched 28 metres in a rate of 2-01.7 (last half 58seconds - quarter 28.9) in advance of Mother Na-ture which stuck to her guns, with Red Hot Chilliusing inside runs from four back the markers at thebell to finish third.

With a huge future ahead of her, Aleppo Midashas fronted the starter on 21 occasions for 7 wins.

Led throughout■ Local Junortoun trainer/driver Chris Svanosiosnared the Merry Christmas Trotters Handicap forT0 or better class over 2150 metres with 4-Y-0Framework/Idol Malhana gelding Tiroroa Idol ina rate of 2-07.7, leading throughout from barrier twoin accounting for the ever reliable Duchess Pat whichraced in the open and Brisco Silverwater which trailedthe winner.

Good night for Bendigo■ On what was a good night for Bendigo on Wednes-day, Maiden Gully trainer David Van Ryn andnephew Haydon Gray were successful with ArmbroVariable/Pepperell Mistral filly Paris Pepperell inthe Thank You Bendigo Volunteers 3-Y-0 TrottersMobile over 2150 metres.

Given a lovely passage from gate three trailingthe pacemaker Lime And Lemonade drawn outsidehim, Paris Pepperell trotted faultlessly, moving tothe outside on the home turn and finishing best todefeat the leader and Roxspur (three back the mark-ers) in 2-04.2.

This Week’s Meetings■ Wednesday - Maryborough/Geelong,■ Thursday - Ouyen @ Mildura/Cranbourne,■ Friday - Melton,■ Saturday - Shepparton,■ Sunday - Terang,■ Monday - Maryborough.

Horses To Follow■ Im Noddy, Magnificent Art, Toscano, Lavish Art,On Fire Within, Nonni Sheffield, One Wise Man,Gee Mae.

Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, December 19, 2012 - Page 35


Needless-end for trail-blazing aviator

Try this with Italian bangers and mash

ObserverMelbourne

Travellers’ Good Buys

ObserverMelbourne Wines & Liqueurs

withDavidEllis

withDavidEllis

■ When America’s Pan AmericanAirways decided in 1937 that the timewas right to look to opening-up a com-mercial flying route from San Fran-cisco across the South Pacific toSydney in far-off Australia. its founderJuan Trippe knew he had just the manto pioneer the route for them.

That was his Chief Pilot, CaptainEdwin Musick who had already donesuch a job to Hong Kong two yearsearlier, embracing a circuitous routevia Honolulu, Midway and Wake Is-lands, and Guam.

But the South Pacific decision wasto prove a fatal one for the popularCaptain Musick, who was somewhatof a living contradiction.

On the one hand his extraordinaryfeats had made him arguably theworld’s best-known commercial pilotat the time, while on the other he wasinordinately shy, cringing at publicityand facing crowds of admirers.

In those days with no airstrips onwhich to land on islands in the Pacificfor refuelling and rest-breaks, JuanTrippe planned to use S-42 Sikorskyflying boats, that he dubbed “Clippers”after the clipper-ships that once sailedthe routes he would follow, “landing”them at remote outposts.

But even in 1937 Britain eyed theSouth Pacific’s sunny islands for itsown Imperial Airways – and sobanned Pan American from using Fiji(then a British colony) as a vital re-fuelling point.

■ An interesting new blend out ofMcLaren Vale’s Kangarilla Road ismade up of three varieties that areeach delightful on their own, but havecome together here in a marvellouslyrewarding drop under a label dubbedTerzetto.

“The name is Italian for ‘three-some’,” said winemaker, KevinO’Brian of his blend of 45%Sangiovese, 35% Primitivo and 20%Nebbiolo. “The latter has an intenserose and tannin structure to it, whilethe Sangiovese and Primitivo addspicy cherry and plum.

“It means that on the palate whiteand black cherries are dominantalong with rose hip, spicy plums andnuances of cardamom, with rustic fruittannins culminating in a wine withincredible lingering flavours that seemto go on forever,” says Kevin.

Certainly it’s an unusual blend andwe’re sure the 2010 won’t be Kevin’sone and only foray with it. Pay $22and enjoy with Italian sausages and agarlic mash.

Pictured■ Ideal with Italian bangers ‘n gar-lic mash.

■ Great Aussie Sauvignon Blanc togo with all manner of seafoods.

One for lunch■ Coonawarra’s Rymill has re-leased a 2012 The YearlingSauvignon Blanc, a wine from anexceptional vintage that producedwhite wines of crisp acidity andwonderful varietal definition in timefor lighter summery meal-time en-joyment.

Best summed-up as crisp, richand zesty, it’s got beautiful varietaltropical fruit influences and a hintof zingy pink guava on the palate,which leads into a long-lasting zestylemon and lime finish.

Little wonder winemakerSandrine Gimon sums it up as “anoutstanding example of AustralianSauvignon Blanc.” At $15.95 its onethat’ll prove great on the table withall manner of seafoods or asummer’s Caesar salad.

We’re archived onhttp://vintnews.com

Undeterred, Juan Trippe decidedto test-out a route that would involvestops in Honolulu, a remote atoll calledKingman Reef 1700km south of Ha-waii, Pago Pago in American Samoa,and ultimately Auckland rather thanSydney.

He outlined his plans to his ChiefPilot, who despite his quiet personaehad actually begun his aviation ca-reer as an aerial barnstormer at Ameri-can county fairs, billing himself Mon-sieur Musick, The French Daredevil.

Edwin Musick set to planning theSouth Pacific route in meticulous de-tail, just as he had the Hong Kong routein 1935 – and which had won him theprestigious Harmon Trophy for theaviation feat of the year, and put himon the cover of Time magazine.

On their first survey flight CaptainMusick and his crew had no problemwith Honolulu, while at Kingman reef– a mere pin-point on the map butlarge enough for drums of fuel to bestored there – a special radio ship hadbeen anchored off-shore to relay di-rections to the Pan Am flying boat.

The mountains surrounding PagoPago harbour, however, proved morechallenging, rising between 490m and650m, and causing Musick to com-ment later that landing there “had beenlike landing in a darned teacup” – harshwords indeed for the normally reti-cent Chief Pilot.

Hundreds upon hundred of canoessurrounded the flying boat when itcame to a halt… and large as thatcrowd was, it was nothing to whatgreeted the flying boat on its arrival inAuckland in December 1937: 40,000people lined the harbour to watch thehistoric event.

Captain Musick made another sur-vey flight, and it was decided that justone more should be undertaken inJanuary 1938 before beginning com-mercial operations.

It was a catastrophic decision:American authorities had just discov-ered that should S-42 flying boats needto dump fuel in emergencies, someof that fuel could be swept back intocavities in the wings, making themakin to flying bombs.

So a ban was put on the dumpingof fuel by passenger-carrying S-42suntil a solution to the problem wasfound … but because CaptainMusick’s survey flights carried nopassengers, no one thought to tell himof the ban.

On January 11 1938 just after tak-ing off from Pago Pago, CaptainMusick’s S-42 (named Samoan Clip-per) developed an oil leak, so he de-cided to return to Pago Pago – dump-ing fuel along the way.

He had radioed his decision to au-thorities in Pago Pago, and when heneither arrived nor responded to radiomessages, a sea search wasorganised: a US Navy ship later thatday found the charred remains of thePan American Clipper floating in avast slick of oil.

Several items of clothing and per-sonal possessions were also found, butno trace ever of Captain Musick andhis six crew.

It would be 10 years before PanAmerican would finally fly commer-cially to Auckland, and ten more againto Sydney; the airline collapsed inbankruptcy in 1991.

●●●●● Pioneering Pan Am S-42 flying boat in Honolulu’s Pearl Harbour.


Travel Extra

ShowBiz Social ClubAt Bentleigh Club

Monday night (Oct. 22)Photos: Gigi Hellmuth

Currumbin Sands Apartments

Fact File

NAME: Currumbin Sands Apartments

ADDRESS: 955 Gold Coast Hwy,

Palm Beach, Qld 4221

PHONE: (07) 5525 5000

FAX: (07) 5525 5099

CONTACT: Sherryl Stack

WEB: www.currumbinsands.com.au

E-MAIL: [email protected]

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At Currumbin Sands you can surf the lo-

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swim in the calm waters of the creek, fish

along the quiet river bank, walk barefoot

together along the ocean beach and make

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The Currumbin Sands resort itself enjoys

a very high repeat booking rate with loyal

guests coming back year after year. This

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SEAMARK ON FIRST

Seamark On First29 First Ave, Mooloolaba, Qld 4557Phone: (07) 5457 8600.Fax: (07) 5457 8699Contact: Greg and Viv McKayWeb: www.seamarkresort.com.au

in the heart of the Sunshine Coast

Conveniently located in cosmopolitan Mooloolaba and close to the Sunshine Coast's award win-

ning tourist attractions, Seamark on First is perfectly positioned to enjoy Mooloolaba's relaxed

lifestyle. A perfect holiday destination, ideal for couples and families and of all ages to wind down

or visit and experience the abundance of attractions available. Our beautiful beaches, fully pa-

trolled daily, are just a short walk away. Enjoy a stroll along the white sandy shores; sip an

Expresso at a beachfront cafes or indulge in one the tempting dining options along the Espla-

nade. Whether you want relaxation, adventure or excitement,

Seamark on First is the perfect place for you.

PHONEFOR OURSPECIALS


McKenzie Ross Insurance BrokersEstablished in 1993

Providing coverage for all general and risk insurances

Phone (03) 9691 2222

Fax (03) 9602 4484

Email [email protected]

Web: www.mckenzieross.com.au

Twitter: mckenzierossib

If you haven't reviewed your insurances in the past 2 years you may be pleasantly surprised about what can be arranged.

ABN: 33 055 492 209AFSL: 246 988

Professional associationsIBNA and NIBA

Contact Details:Phone (03) 9691 2222Fax (03) 9602 4484

[email protected]

Web:www.mckenzieross.com.au

Twitter: mckenzierossib

Call us today for a noobligation quotationand review of existingcommercial insuranceprograms.Are you aware of whatthe trends are in theinsurance. Keep intouch with our MonthlyNewsletters outliningchanges to legislation

In the past two years hasyour broker:● Completed a fullreview of yourrequirements includingchanging risk, businesspractices and businessprofile?● Completed anextensive marketingexercise to ensure youare getting the bestproduct and pricing?● Offered alternateinsurances to protectyour exposuresincluding professionalrisks and interruptioncovers?● Raised any uninsuredcontingencies in yourcurrent program?● Explained what youare not covered for?

Specialties include:●●●●● Business, ISR,Commercial andCorporate●●●●● Loss of Profits●●●●● Motor Trades andMotor Fleet●●●●● Entertainment andEvents●●●●● Builders andBuilding Trades●●●●● Professional Risks,PI, D&O, IT andManagement Liability●●●●● Aviation●●●●● Income Protection●●●●● Marine Transit andHull

Melbourne Observer. 121219B. Deember 19, 2012. Part B. Pages 15-42

Documents

Transcript of Melbourne Observer. 121219B. Deember 19, 2012. Part B. Pages 15-42