limits of our own parish. The rule led to curious incidents and many transgressions. One old Belgian friar who was afflicted with chronic thirst and did not find the monastic allowance sufficient, used to take the tram regularly to some hotel just outside the limits of the parish. A dispensation could only be obtained by calling together the elders of the community and asking their collective permission. Like all other rules, it was susceptible of many ingenious interpretations, and, finally, the opinion was started that the whole of the constitutions were invalid.
The mutual intercourse of the friars was limited, in theory, to the hour’s recreation after dinner. Wine was only granted by the constitutions about once per month, and whisky was entirely prohibited. In point of fact there were friaries in which whisky was given almost every day, every Saturday and Sunday evening, and sometimes three times per day. At Forest Gate, partly from greater sobriety, partly (and very much) from greater poverty, and partly on account of the presence of students, we only drank three or four times per week; whisky was discountenanced, but one friar found port to injure his tonsils, another complained of liver, another of heart, &c., so that it usually crept back to the table. Smoking also was prohibited in the monastery, but it was not very difficult to obtain a medical recommendation to smoke, and the local superior could always distribute cigars when occasion arose.
