The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-05-30
2 rho 'chd+oh in the Middle lAgea.l9f

bas the chd+ch in the Middle tAgea:aoi'hla.
80 80 b5h 'huA ,I3slnA-I-sd 3uosiA bs3stH3
Cathoiie Church isIoften charged by
her enc mics With being oppese:ii 10 pro
aSfess, Inventions aavaHcementi IN the arts
and sciences, 7ete. irPhe following ~ iabthrow
some iijgiit' 'Iip6u tie minds 6f those wHo
ALLOW fhenisf, lyes to be aeeeiS cd by these
false aeeusations 1.-The Arabian iarithmett-
cal ,npmbcrs were introduced Trfto' Enr"pe
BY I he fiiiadsb Gcrbert, iift ef'w ar,s Rope
Sylvester H.5,a' about THE yeae,9 flinl'hns
the fonndatitln OF he Mi thtaet e was hid,
and the scfen etpi Of, thiatb di6atiesg began
from tlps time TO be 'eStensiSefy studied.
Algebraic calcriiations we're also Introduced
into Europe Try the Itaiiaffs = in ,l4l2.
Though tfe ancient Greeks aud Romans
we're acquainted with glass, yet they seem
meyer To have used it in windows. This
improvements in the comforts OF life was
generally adopted in Europe IN the middle
ages. The first mention of glass windows
occurs IN writer's OF the third and fourth.
century. The chief snfferings' sin Europe
during the middle ages grow out of the
neglect of agriculture. The monks applied
themselves early to this Useful art, and
taught Others how to practise it. The
Monasteries were generally situatedEan
claimed the soil, drained the marshes,
fertilized even the rocky mountain tops,
1 and improved whole districts. They also
taught the people other useful arts, Thus,
when the people of Sussex were .perishing
with hunger during a famine in Cos, Bishop
MILFORD, at the head of hismonks, plunged
into the sea in presence OF the assembled
multitudes, and thus opened to them q new
| source of subsistence, of which their
| ignorance or druidcal superstltions had
hitherto deprived them. The monks also
cultivated botany, and studied the
| medicinal qualities of plants. The clergy
were in many places the only physicians.
| 1t is Il remarkable feature of that age, that
every pursuit was referred to, or connected
with religion. The names of flowers We're
taken from supposed aptitude to recall re-
ligious "Reminiscences. The passion flower,
the marygold and others are examples of
this. How beautiful and poetical the turn
| of thought, which suggested the idea of
the Floral Galandar, by which the plants,
| in their different times of towering,
marked the divisions of TING, and pointed
to the holy festivals of religion This was
| truly giving to the flowers a hapguage
which spoke of God and His saints, of
religion, of heaven. The clock was in-
vented. in the middle ages. The invention
j, is prior TO the twelfth century, though the
], author is not clearly known. The phrase
4 -'fthe clock has struck" was common IN the
twelfth century. Some award the honor
/ of the invention to the famous Gerbert,
i already men toned, who certainly put up q
i clock fur OHIO the Great at eMagde burg,
about the year 1000. Others. ascifbc it to
i the ltalkan monk lyaclhcuSi Rn1,Qthers to
i the ahBot William of. Hirsehau in Germany.
/ In the. thirteenth century painting was
Ereyived in Italy by Giunta Of Pisa, Guido
/ of Sienuas and the great Cjmabue. of
4 Florence, Thus was commenced that great
] Italian school of painting, Which afterwards
produced IL Raphael, u Titan, a Michael
Angelo, Domfnichipc, Hannibal Carr
racci, a Leopardo da Viuci. These ages
had the merit of originating and carrying
to the greatest perfection a new style of
architecture. Who, has not admired the
/ splendid specimens of Gothich architecture
still visible throughout Europe; specimens
which, even in the ruins which the fanati-
cal Vandalism of the sixteenth century has
left of many of them, in England, Ireland
and Scotland, are imposing still Take the
famous cathedral of Pisa, and let architec-
ture rear pile like that; upwards of 20t
feet high, six stories high besides the
basement and pinnacle, with 200 beautiful
marble columns encircling it, and leaning
between fifteen and twenty feet from the
perpendicular. 1t was built by William o
Norimberg and Bonanno of Pisa, in the
twelfth century, and has been standing fo
more than six hundred, years. Let men o
the present day build an edifice like this
let it stand six hundred years, and then
if it be still firm and uninjured, they ma,
sneer. at the darkness of the middle ages.