Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-08-04
DISTORTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY.

less self.nElcteQ suffering gave man q
claim to specisl felicity In the eternal life
after death, caused many Christians of the
first centuries to subject themselves TO
most severe deprivations and pains. To
have any enjoyment in this life was con-
sidered sinful and they only were looked
upon as thoroughly good Christians who
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 that it was believed to be ''the high
est glory Of Christian virtue to tread ma
ture under foot"
Because our Savior was recorded to have
stayed forty days in the desert, and to
have tasted, it became quite fashion to
retire to the desert and "to tread nature
under foot" The deserts of Syria and
Egypt were crowded with self tormenting
"saints" Tie sufferings which these
poor luna.ics invented for themselves, and
the fortitude with which they endured
them, are wonderful. One of them-he
has his place IS saint in the almanac -
lived for fifty years in subterranean
cave, without ever seeing the friendly
light of the sun. Others buried them
selves to the nec,, in the glowing sand Of
the desert, or sewed themselves up in fur.
Many burdened themselves with heavy
chains. S.. Eusebius always carried two
hundred and sixty pounds of iron about
his body. One Tha.9us forced his body
into the hoop of cartwheel, and re-
manned in this highly useful position to-
ward society for ten years. After this he
took up his dwelling in narrow cage.
Some made q VOW not to speak word
for years, and not to look at any face /;
others bound themselves to jump about
on one leg apiece.
st. Barnabas, by some accident, got q
sharp stone in his foot which caused him
immense pain. He rejoiced, and would
not have It removed. Other saints slept
on bundles OF thorns, or tried not to sleep
at all Simeon, the son Of an Egyptian
shepherd, ate only every Sunday, and
wound roanG his waist rope so tight
that boils broke out all over him,
which smelied so odiously that nobody
could bear his sanity company. This
Simeon was an ambitious saint; he be-
came the leader OF q peculiar class, the
Stylites or column saints. He placed him
self on the top of q column, and remained
there for years. He first perched himself
on column only four yards high, but his
columns grew with his madness. When
his insanity reached its utmost degree,
his column had risen Tor is represented to
have risen) TO the height of forty yards;
on this he managed to keep alive for
thirty years but it is difficult TO under
stand how he could sleep without falling
of. One OF his favorite recreations was
to bow as low and as often as possible in
praying. An eye witness counted one
thousand two hundred and forty four of
his bows, but then gave up counting
Simeon at last succeeded 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 a post erected ON the top
of his column, TO which he was attached
in an upright position with chains. This
madness tound many imitators in the
Orient, but only one in Europe. He was
q native of Trier; the Bishop of that city,
however, would not acknowledge him as
saint, but treated him simply as fool
Immense numbers Of people resorting
to the desert, in order to live, had to form
communities /; these became associations
of self tormeDtors, which were called
morasteries. st. Pashorn is looked upon
as the originator Of these institutions He
had in his monastery fourteen hundred
monks, besides a great number Of nuns |;
for the excitaoie sex were, OF course, taken
by ascetic ians.icism. Artificial solitudes
also arose In the heart of cities. The city
of OxyrrhirchUs had more converts than
dwelling houses; and in them did pray,
and not work, thirty thousand monks and
nuns. The most respected fathers of the
church called the life in convent the di.
rect road 70 Paradise. St Jerome wrote,
amisbly: NOW, il thy young brothers
and sisters throw themselves at thy breast,
and thy mother, with tears and dishevel-
led hair and torn garments, shows her
bosom which nourlshed thee, ard thy
father lays himself on the thres hold, kick
them away from thee with thy feet, and
hasten with dry eyes TO join the standard
Of the Cross"
The fathers of the church report many
miracles Of St. Anton. The animals Of
the desert obeyed him like well taught
poodle dogs. They crowded frequently
round his cave, but Away waited respect.
fully until he had finished his prayers !;
then received his b!es. ing and went about
their business When st. Anton buried
the hermit, st. Paul, of Thebes, who died
in his one hundred and thirteenth year,
two pious Lions assisted him in digging q
grave.
St Macarius had great power over wild
animals. Once hyena knocked modestly
at his door, and, when the saint opened it,
che, distressed mother, laid at his feet .
blind cub, but at the same time, as fee,
the skin Of lamb. II do not want that
skin, you have stolen it," cried the saint
angrily. The poor hyena was so distressed
that she shed tears. The saint was moved.
"n you win promise not TO steal any
more skins, l viii. take the skin and heal
the cub" The repentant hyena laughed
"yes;" the saint healed the cub, and the
hyena trotted off better animal.
Many Of these gentry had . wonderful
perseverance, in praying. Among them
an Irish saint Of the name Of Kewdon,
who prayed SO long that swallow had
time, net only to lay her eggs in his folded
hands, but TO hatch them also
Though the saints are dead, they still
take care Of the interests of pious people.
The nobility stand under the particular
protection Of ST George, st. Maurice, and
St. Michael The patron Of theologians
IL, most strangely and unaccountably, the
doubter, st. Thomas. The patron OF the
pigs Is st. AntoniuG The Jurisdiction
over lawyers Is given to st. Ivo; over