, 1870-07-16
DISTORTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY

FROM az Mt ear found
Tho prepoeterous idea that utterly useless
self-intlicted suffering gave man claim to
special felicity in the eternal life after death,
caused many Christians Of the first centuries
TO subject themselves to most severe depriya-
tons and pAins. To have any enjoyment in
this life wAs considered sinful and thoy only
were looked upon as thoroughly good Chr1s-
tiaDs who made their exiEtonce miserable.
Bishop zcno, Of Verona, Informs US That this
morbid view OF Christianity was entertained
generally in the fourth century, and that it
was believed TO be the highest glory uf
Christian virtue to tread nature under foot"
Because our Savior was recorded to have
stayed forty days in the desert and to hsvo
tasted, It became quite a fashion to retire to
the desert and ITO tread nature under foot"
The deserts Of Syria and Egypt wore crowded
with Belr-tormenting "salnfs." Tue suffor-
themselves, and the for!ituae with which they
endured them, arc wonderful. Ona Of thom
-he has his place az saint in tho almanac
lived for fifty years in q Bu6terranean cave,
without ever seeing tho friendly light Of the
sun. OtherA buried themsel Ives to the mock in
the glowing sand OF tho desert, OF aowed
themselves up in fur. Many burdsncd them
selves with heavy chains. st. EusebiuA always
carried two hundred and sixty pounds Of iron
about his body. Ono Thala,us forced his
cd in this highly useful position toward 30
ciety for ten years. After this he took up tis
dwelling in naIow cage. Some made VOW
not to speak word for years, and not to look
at any face others bound themselves to jump
about. on ono leg apiece.
St. Barnabas, u aomo accidont, got sharp
stone in his foot, winch cauAed him immense
paine. He reioiced, and would not have it re-
moved. Other saints slopt on bundles Of
tLorns, OF tried not to sleep At all. Simeon,
the son Of MI Egyptian shepherd, ate only
every Sunday, and wound round his waist
rope so tight that bois broke out all over him
which smelled 80 odiously that nobody could
boar his aaintly company. This Simeon WAS IN
ambitious saint !; he became the leader Of =
peculiar c'aaa, the styiites or col
tip Of O column and remained there for years,
He fret perched himself on column only four
yards high. but his columns grew With his
madness When his insanity reached its ut
most degree, lis column had risen {or il rop-
resented to have rsen) to tho height OF forty
i:rde; on this he managed to Keep alivo for
thirty years GGst it il difficult to understand
how he could sleep without falling OF. Ono Of
lis favorite recreations Was TO bow aB low and
az often IS possible in praying. An eye-wit-
nrss counted one thousand two hundred and
forty-four OF his bows, but then gave up
counting. Simeon at last aucceeded in fasting
for forty days. It is, however, well known
that lunatics can fast very long time. When
Simeon became too weak to stand upright, he
had post erected on the top Of lin column,
to which he was attached IN IN upright posi-
tion with chains. This madness found many
imitators in the Orient, but only one in Eu-
ropo. He was native Of Trier; the Bishop
OF that city. however, would not acknowledge
him as saint, but treated him simply ~ q
fool.
Immense numbers Of people resorting to
| tho desert, in order to live, had to form COM
nunities; these became associations Of self
/ tormentors, which were called monaster1es.
St. pasi.orn is looked upon as the originstoE OF
| these institutions. He hsd in his monastery
fourteen hundred monks, besides great num-
ber OF nuns; for the excitabfo BOZ were, Of
course, taken BY Ascetic fanaticism. Artificial
so!itudes also arose in the heart of citieB. The
city of Oxy1rbinChus had more convents than
l dwelling houses; and in them did pray, and not
| work, thirty thousand monks aud nuns. The
most respected fathers Of the Church called
the life in . convent tho direct road to Para
dice. st. jerome wrote, alnisbly: "Now, Il
thy young brothers and sistera throw thtm-
selves at thy breast, and thy mother, with
tears and dishevelled hair and torn garments,
shows her bosom which nourishcd thee, and
| thy father lays himself on the threshold, kick
them away from thee with thy feet, and hasten
with dry eyes to Join the standard OF the
croBs,"
The fathe1a Of the Church report many
miracles Of St. Anton. The animals OF the
desert obeyed him like we1l-taught poodle
1 dogs. They crowded frequently round his
cave, but always waited respectfully until he
lad finished his prayers; then received his
blessing and went sbout their business. When
| ST. Anton buried the hermit, St.. Paul, OF
Thebea who died In his one hundred and thir-
teentL year, two pioua lions assisted him in
digging grave;
st. Macarius had great power over wild AMI
mala. Once hyenA knocked modest1y at his
distressed mother, laid st his feet blind cub,
but at the same time. as fee, the skin Of i
lamb. "I do not want that skin, you have
stolen il" cried the saint sng.ily. Tho poor
hysna was so distressed that she shed teays.
The saint vas moved. ~ you viii promise
akin and heal the cub Tie ropentant hyena
! laughed "yes;'' the saint healed the cub,
! aud tho hyena trottcd OF a better animal.
Many Of these, gentry had wonderful perse.
verance ln PRAYING. Among them an 1rist
long that swallow had time, not only to lay
her eggs in his folded hands, but to hatct
them also!
Though the saints arc dead, they still take
care Of the interests Of pious people. The
Of st. George, st. Maurice, and St. Michael
The patron Of theologians is, most straugel,
and unaccountably, the doubter, st. Thomas
The patron Of the pigs is St. Antonius. The
Jurisdiction over lawyers is given to 81. 1vo
over phyEicians TO st. Cosmus and st. Damian
OSeA HEO1Icul6A ~ Oh nuoGlt A4A aPPtoAi
stand nnsteadily under the powerful protectio,
Of st. Martin. Nations have also their pstros
saints st.. Anton, though much occu
; pied with his protectorate pigs, ha'
ttill time to attend to the bnEness o
. tho Portuguese the spania1ds are take'
, care Of b, St. Jacob; tho Frsnch BY st. DENIS
the English IL st. George; the Venehans b,
st. Marc.
: The fanaticism which originated in the Eaa
; was soon transferred to Europe, where II VA
propogated BY St. Ambrose, Bishop Of Milan
, and st. jerome, who hAd been hermit him
sell, and wrote in praise Of solitary life wha
. is considered to be pattern Of eloqueuce
St. Martin was the first who established cor
yents in France, in the fourth century. H
, became Archbishop Of Tours, and was veE
: proud saint. When he appeared before th
| Emperor vs1entinian, that potentate did no
! feel Inclined to riso N his honor This yeze
St. Martin; he prayed, and To- flames burr
I from The imperial seat, and the Empero
. | Lad to get up quickly. From that perio
converts sprang up like mushrooms. At tn
- f..