From Sister Marie-Dosithée Guérin to her brother Isidore.
V.+J.
From our Le Mans Monastery
the 14 June 1863
My very dear brother
You say that you are embarrassed to find the substance of a letter that could suit me; nothing so easy my dear friend, everything that comes from you interests me to the highest degree, your thoughts, your studies, your actions, everything generally, except your diary; I thank you for your good intentions but if you only have subscribers like me, you won't have one, because I hate newspapers and parlors (however, you have to except the visits you make to me, those give me the greatest pleasure). I used to like to read a newspaper but now it's not the same thing, I'll tell you frankly that as long as we protect the rights of the Church I don't care who reigns, as long as it's not you (In 1863, opposition to the Empire experienced an awakening, both among the monarchists and among the republicans. The appearance of the “Liberal Union” is a symptom of this. We do not know the political opinions of I. Guérin in This time. Later, he will prove to be a convinced monarchist. As a student, he followed the courses of M. Berthelot, and closely approached E. Renan - he will evoke his memories about him in the newspaper "Le Normand" on October 8, 1892 In this month of June 1863 precisely, appears "The Life of Jesus" of Renan), I love you too much for that. I didn't understand what you tell me about the pleasures tortured by envy; I imagine it's not you you're talking about. Go, my dear friend, whatever you do, you will never find any pleasures, you may well lose your mind for a moment, but that is all, happiness consists only in the accomplishment of all one's duties. Last Friday we celebrated the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, you know it is a great feast for us since it originated in our order, I recommended you to the divine Heart of Our Lord. I felt pressed in a very special way to conjure him to make you happy, because whatever you say, I want you other than you are.
I'm not going to write you a long letter since you have to come and see me soon, so I'll tell you everything I have to tell you, but above all don't come to me looking too Parisian, I don't like these people -there; I mean the bad ones, for the good ones of whatever nation they are, they all make me happy.
Dad and Zélie will come to see me at the beginning of July with the 2 little girls (Marie and Pauline), as for the young one (Léonie, born June 3), I don't know how she is; Zélie wrote to me 8 days ago that she was going to die; but I think she's better since I haven't heard from her, she told me in her letter that if she continued to feel so bad, she would write to me in 2 or 3 days; Since I haven't heard of it that's a good sign.
Farewell dear brother
Your Sister who loves you and will always love you
Sr. M. Dosithee Guérin
From the Von Ste Marie
DSB
