The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-07-28
DISTORTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY.

first centuries - subject themselves to |
most severe depTivations and pains. To
have any enjoyment In this life was con-
sidered sinful and they only were locked
upon rs thoroughly good Christians VINO |
made their existence miserable. Bishop /
Zeno. Of Verona, informs Us that this |
morbid view OF Christianity was enter |
tanned generally in the fourth century, |
and tat it was believed to be ''the high |
est glory OF Christian virtue 10 tread Ia |
tGre under foot
Because our Savior was recorded to have
stayed forty days in the desert. and TO !
have tasted, il became quite "a fashion t. |
retire 20 the desert and "to tread nature |
under foot" The deserts Of Syria ard
EgYp. were crowded with selstOrBentinr
saints" The sufTerings which these
poor lunatics invented for themselves, and |
the f0rtitude with which they endured
them, are wonderful. One Of theln-he |
has his place as saint IN the almanac -
lived fer fifty years il 3 subterranean
cave, without ever seeing the friendly
light of the sur Others buried them
selves to the neck III the glowing sand OF
the desert, or sewed themselves up IL fur.
Many burdened themselves with heavy
chains. St EuSebiu5 always carried two
hundred and sixty pounds If iron shout
his body. One Tha.Ras forced his body
into the hoop &C c2rtwheei, and re-
manned IL this highly useful position TO-
ward society fer ten years. After this he
took UP his dwelling III s narrow cage.
Sone made 9 vow not to speak Il Tcrd
fog years, and not to look at any face
Others bound Themselves to jump about
or one leg apiece.
st. BaTnahas, By some acciic-., get
e. J. g
immense pain. He re,Ciced, and would
on bundles of th0rus, or tried not to sleep
at al. Simeon, the son of 81 Egyptian
shepherd, ate only every Sund2y, end
wourd r0and his waist 6 rope so tight
that bolls broke cut al over him,
which smelle.i SC 03iously that nobody
could bear HE sanity company. This
Simeon was an ambitious saint; he he
C-;ne the leader Of 6 peculiar class, tl;c
Stylites or colamn-saints. He placed him
SELF Oh tie top u column, and remained
there for years. lie first perchcd himself
az c0l1mn oaly four ya4t.s high but his
columns grew With his madness. When
his insanity reached It's utmost degree,
his column bad Tises (0ris represented to
have TiseE) 70 the height Of forty yards ;
Cn this lie managed to keep alive f0E
thirty years but It is tii1licult 70 under
stand how he cOuld sleep without falling
of. One Of his faYoriie recreatioaa was
10 bow es low and SIS often SIS possible II
praying. An eye wiiress counted cae
thousand two hundred anj forty-iouT OF
Lis bows, bat then gave Up counting.
Simeon at list succeeded IL f-sting Tor
forty days. IL Is, however, well known
that lunatics can fast very long tine.
when EireOn became too weak - stand
UPRIGHT, he had post arscied GG The top
81 his column, 10 which he was attached
II al upright position wi;b chains. Ills
madness found many i;nitators IN tie
Orient, bat only cue Il Europe. He was
q l2:iEc Of Irier; the Bishop of that city,
however, would not acknowledge him IS
t saint, brt treated hina simply IS = fool
Immense numbers c people resortiig
to the desert, IN cr1er to i've, had 10 form
communities these became associations
Il SELF toImentGTs, which we're called
Ilon&sterics. ST. PashcFn is locked upvn
IS the originator &C these institutions Ii
had II his monastery fourteen hundred
monks, besides y great number Oh Eans !;
T0r tie ezcitGtlc sex we're, o; course, tsEe1
- ascet:c ;a1at.cis-n. III eOisjutcs
also arose = the heart ol cities Tie c;iy
q. OEy9zhicc:aus asG more ccaYc-.ts tisn
dwelling houses; tx; II ti;cu! di1 pre-,
and not Uor4a, thirty tac-s.i;si ui0Gks and
En1s. Ahc 1aCsj resp c.cs. iaiLe1s ci tho
church called TIC 10 in Z convent tie Ill
Icct road 70 Paradise st -Ta:ac v-re:c,
az'ish'y: Eow, Il thy Eouns brothers
and sisters throw themselves = Thy breast,
ala thy mother, with tears aad Gi.i.cTcl-
lca hais ana torn garments, shows ieT
bosom Rich ncg.f;5i;ed thee, aaG .rY
tatGeI lays himself On the threshold, kick
them sway fror1 thee with thy feet, anl
hasten with dry eyes &c jioin tic standard
o. the eToss."
ihe fathers Of the Church rcport many
miracles 81 s.. Anton. TIE animals al
Tic desert obeyed him Ike well tau, II
poodle dogs. They crowded frequently
round his caTe, butslvGys waited respect
iuliy until he had finished his prayers;
Sj;en received his hes Ing and went a!,Gy,i
their business. When s.. Anton bu.ie1
the hermit, 81. Psi1i, OF Ghoises, Y, n, died
= his oac 1Hadrcd and thirteenth year
Two rious EGrs assisted him in Giggiug 4
grave.
d. Macarius had greet power over Tili
animals. Once a hyena knocked mOdestiy
81 his door, ard, wiicn the saint opened il
she, q distressed mother, laid st his fe6t
blind cub, bat at the sarnc time as 2 fee
the Skin Of q lamb. 81 do not want TIA
SKIN, yen have stolen il. cried the sain
argriIy- The poor iiyena was 50 distresse,
that she shed tsers. The saint was moved
" II you VII promise 5Ct to steal ar
moro skins, | VII take the skin and bea
the cub" The repentant hyena laughf,
yes" tie saint healed the ccb, ana -
hyeEa tr0tted off better animal.
Aany Of these gentry had ? wordeTia
perseverance, in praying Among then
al Irish saint OF the Lane of kew6On
8ho prayed so long that a swallow hai
time, not OILY TO lay her eggs in Lis foide,
hands, bu. t. batch them also
Though the SAINTS are dead, thew sill
take care Of the interests of pioGs peo1l,
The nobility stand under the particula
protection Of ST George, 81. Maurice, ant
81. hichsel The patron Of tAeoloc;an
IS, most strangely and unacc0unta0iy, tn
d0ubter, st. Thomas. The patron Of tn
pigs is st. Antoniu5. The Jurisdiction
over lawyers is given TO St Ivo; owe
physicians 70 s.. COsmus ANS. Damian
over sportsmen 10 ST. Hubert; ard tip
piers stand unsteadily under The 10 7erfn
protection OF 50. Martin. Nations bzv
also their patron saints. g. Anton
though much occupied with his piGtcC
torate pigs, has still time to attend to tn
business Of the Portuguese; Tie Spar
lards ere taken care Of by st. Jacob; TIN
French by ST. Denis; the English by 81
George; the Venetians by ST. aiarc.
The fanaticisIn which originated in th
East was soon Transferred to Europe
where it was propaglted by S. Ambrose
Bishop Of Milan, and St. Jerome, VIII
had been hermit himself and wrote il
praise Of solitary life what is considere,
to be pattern Of elequence Sc. Martin
tho fret a Cote I,f5cbcI c0rueY.fc
France, in the fourth century He be
came Archbishop Of Tours, aud was
very proud saint. When he appears
before the Emperor Valentinian, that 20
tentate did not feel inclined 10 rise in hi
honor. This vexed St Martin; he pray
cd, and lOl flames burst from the imperi,
seat, and the Emnernr bed 10 get NJ