Show I NUNS DO THE TH WORK IN THIS BLACKSMITH UTH SHOP It seems hard to associate womans woman's frail fraU physique with the muscular callIng calling calling call call- ing of ot the blacksmith Nevertheless out in Cape Colony near King HIng WIlliams WIlliam's Wilham's Wil WIl- Wil- Wil Williams William's liams liam's Town a blacksmith shop controlled controlled controlled con con- trolled exclusively by women Is running running run run- ning at full blast The sisters of St. St Dominic are the originators of this novel phase of the new woman Their motives In going to the Cape were purely missionary to sow the seeds of ot religion in a a. country country country coun coun- try where hitherto It had received little encouragement Right from the start they found found- out that they would have to do their own plowing as farm tarm la laborers laborers laborers la- la borers were naturally unobtainable In itt Ina Ina itta a land where the only digging engaged in was for gold or diamonds The nuns put their hands to the plow without a a. murmur and they soon found out that that was not the only kind of manual labor that they would have to perform When the plowing implements were blunted or broken they found it necessary necessary ne ne- ne- ne to either repair them themselves themselves them- them selves or give UP their n K good work for no blacksmiths blacksmith's were to be found In that part Furt of Ot the country It was then that they conceived the idea idea- of establishing establishing lishing a smithy They immediately sent to Capetown for building materials materials mate mate- rials and the necessary tools and implements ments meats its tib S also for a blacksmith to act I as tutor They then learned to do their own smith work Becoming proficient enough to do even the most difficult forms of ot the work they dispensed with the services of the blacksmith professor sor Bor altogether The work has made the f feminine blacksmiths much mor more healthy than their tender-handed tender sisters The toll toil at the forge and in the field day after day and week after week has made their faces rosy and tanned and they are very different to the usual pale- pale faced nuns The smithy Is a long narrow building build baud ing InS with a strong frame the sides clapboarded and the whole surmounted with a red tower with slatted sides aides through which the smoke of ot the forge torge drifts drIts The forge Is of brick and the bellows of ox hide All the paraphernalia of ot the ordinary blacksmiths blacksmith's shop is to be found at this Dominican convent convent- hammers horseshoes and punches for making holes In them boxes of nails nalls pincers and wrenches The manager of the smithy is the Mother Superior herself The abbess is a practical woman and Is as S expert in the blacksmithing line as she Is in her more spiritual duties A recent visit to the smithy witnessed the wo wo- cromen women cro- cro men meon blacksmiths at work A nun bent over the nigh hind foot of ot ofa ota a a. big draught horse with a a. foot restIng restIng rest- rest Ing tag In her ber lap She She wore ore a a. strong leather apron and with a a. pair of ot tongs was fitting a a. shoe to the scorchIng scorching scorch scorch- ing hoot hoof With the assistance of another another another an an- other sister the nun nailed the shoe to the hoof of ot the impatient horse Once or twice the nail went in the wrong direction on which occasions the nun coolly withdrew it with her hel pincers and not t tr until ht her t task tatk was Ys completed did she he r release I the horses horse's foot dot The Job was quite as well done as the average blacksmith would have done It Hinges staples pes and similar smilar simi smi- lar articles were also being made by the fair blacksmiths and and In in the the- repairing of ot farm machinery the women seemed teemed to be experts The Boer neighbors regard the work with suspicion although realizing the the religious character of the sisters they I do not Interfere In any way he natives natives na na- na- na tives are plainly puzzled and may be constantly seen watching watching- the work with awe and reverence Needless to say the nuns find all they can do to repair their own machinery machinery maChinery ma ma- chinery and to manufacture the hardware hardware hardware hard hard- ware needed by them for tor or use In the convent and do no work for the pub pub- lic lie The Mother Superior is greatly gratl- gratl fled fied with the successful results so far obtained and it ills Is safe to say that even If male blacksmiths could be obtained their services would not now be engaged engaged engaged en en- so fascinated ted have the nuns become become become be be- come with their worK |