CRUELTY IN GERMANY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 184, 6 October 1876, Page 8

CRUELTY IN GERMANY.

'■ " ♦ i Under the caption of " Unprecedented," the ' Mainzer Journal,' June 13th, relates t^e following occurrence which certainly seems to be an unjustifiable outrage :—: — The Nuns known as the " English ladies " have been forcibly stopped in the teaching of their schools in that city. Some of their own buildings have been seized, and strange school-mistresses brought in to teach the children whom hitherto they had taught. And all this in the most high-handed way. These Nuns first came to Mainz in 1752. Eleven rears later a citizen named Casper Altenaner, bequeathed to them the charge of a girl's school which he had founded, leaving them a house for a residence, and various funds to provide a maintenance. The teaching was to be free of chaige. The house was given to them, subject only to the condition, that two places in it should be set apart for the purpose of the school. The Nuns have never been disturbed during all those years in the possession of those properties. Oat of their own means they purchased a house out of which has grown their present boarding school. At the request of the authorities of the City of Mainz they opened first on?, and then another, and subsequently a third additional school, of a higher class of instruction than the original free schools established by Altenauer. About the middle of May the Burgomaster called on the Superior and demanded that, over and above the places already devoted to school purposes, she would give up five other commodious places, for common schools, under the direction of the municipality, He was even good enough to point out on the spot the places which he desired for this purpose. They were two day schools, which the Nuns had for the girls of the middle class from the city, and the two large dormitories of their boarding school, and the recreation hall — these three latter having been built by the Nuns out of their own private .property exclusively. The Superior explained the facts of the case, but all in vain. On the 30th of May an ordinance appeared assigning those localties for the common schools, and desiring the city architect to see that they were put into proper order. The Superior renewed her pi^otest. On the 11th June the Burgomaster came to the place, and brought a smith to force open the locks. He ordered the Superior to quit those rooms at once ; he brought laborers, who swept all the beds and bedding into one mass out of the rooms, while others set up the school. Next morning tt.'ange schoolmistresses were teaching school in rooms of the boarding house. An appeal has been made to the courts of law. Meantime t i 3 worth noting that those lxdies are daughters or sisters of some ot the chief citizens of Mainz.