, 1870-07-17
DISTORTIONS OF CHRISTIANITY

From All Tie fedr Round.
The prcposserous idea that utterly useIcu.
special felicity in the eternal LIE after death.
caused many Christians Of the frat centuries
10 subject themselves to most severe depriva-
tions aud pains. To have auy enjoyment in
this life was considered sinful. and they only
were looked upon as thoroughly good Clt1s-
,iaus who made their existenco miserable.
bishop Zeno. Of Verona, informs us that this
morbid view Of Christianity Was entctt ained
generally in the fourth century, and that it
waa believed to be the highest Elory Of
Christian virtue to tread nature un1es foot
Because our Savior Was recorded to haya
| stayed forty days iu tho desert and to hayo
tasted, it became quite fashion TO retire to
the desert and to tread nature nnder foot"
The deserts Of sEIis and Egypt were crowded
ings which these poor lunatics invented for
| themselves, and the fortitude with which they
| endured them, arc wonderful. One Of them
Tho has bis place - = saint in the ALMANAC
| lived for fifty years in subterr4nean caso.
run. Others buried themsc Ives to the neck in
the glowing sand o! the desert, or scwed
Themselves up in fur. Many hurdened them
selves with heavy chains. st. Euscbius always
| carried two hundred and sixty pounds Of iron
about his body. One Thalnas forced his
body into the hoop Of cArtwheel, and remain
cd in this highly useful position toward So
eietY for ten years. After thus he took up his
dwelling in narrow cage. Some made vow
not to speak word for years, aud not to look
At any face others bound themselves to jump
about, on ono leg spisce.
st. Batnabas, By come accident, got sharp
stone in bis foot, winch caused him immense
raino. He reioiced, aud would not hare it re-
moved. Other ealnts slept on bundles OF
thosne. o. tred not to sleep At all. Simeon,
the eon Of Al Egyptian shepherd, ate only
every Sunday. and woond round hiA naist
rope 20 tight t1lat bois hroEe out Ill over him
which smelled go odiousIy that nobody could
bear lis sanity company. This Simeon WAS IN
/ eculiar Glars, the stslites or col
unn. saints: lie placed himself on the
top pf column and remained there for years.
He 61sl pesched himself on : column only four
yards high. but his columns grew with bis
madness When his insanity reached iss Ut
Moas degree, his column had risen Tor is rep
resented to have rsen) to tho height Of fo1ty
Yards; on this he managed to Keep alive for
thirty years: but it "a dsHienN to undcsstsnd
how he could sleep without falling on. One Of
his favorite recreations WAS to bow - low and
as often ss possible in rssysns. Al sye-w's,
mesa counted one thousand two hundred and
fotty-foNr OF his bows, but then gsve UP
counting. Simeon At last succeeded III fasting
tns !o1sT days. II il, however, veil known
that lnllatics eau fast very long time When
Slmeon bccAne too weak to stand upright, be
lad post erected on the TOP Of biz column,
4 TO which he waa sttsched in An upright poni-
ton with chaiaa. This madness found nany
ituitatoEs in the 0rient, but only one in Eu-
'epe. He VAS native Of TrieH; the Bishop
Of that city. however, would not acknowledge
fool
lm,nense numbers OF people resoyting to
/ the dete1t. in order to live, had to form COM
, nun1tics; these became associations OF self
, | toEmentoss, which we're called monasteZles.
st. Pashorn is looked upon as the originator Of
| fhANa fHH4i$YttinN& a hAH in
fourteen hundred monks, besides great mum,
ber OF uuns; for the e1titablh ae1 we1e oi
course, taken BY asceie fanaticism- Artificial
; aolisudts also arose II the heaEt OF cities. The
dwelling houtes: md in them did pray, and moi
wosk, Thirty thousand monks Md nuns. Tit
most respected fathers Of tho Church c1llct
this lie iu convent the direct road to Pa1a
lise. st. Jerome wrote. auniab!y: "Sow, il
thE EeunS brothers nd sisters throw shtI,
+ tetrs and dishoyelled hair and torn garments
, | rhowa her bosom which pou1i.hel thee. AMI
) | thy father lays himself on tho threshold, Ecl
: them away from thee with thy feet, md haster
. wi,h h. d! eyes to Join the standard Of sh'
. The fathers OF the Church report man,
miracles OF st. Anton The animals Of tht
> desert obeyed him ike we11-t2ught poodl'
dogr- They crowded frequently round hi
t saSe' bat A.ayFs waited respeetfo]'y until b
i
!. blessing and vent about their business. Nhes
. st. Anton buried the hermit, St r1ul o
T. \ Thtbes, who died IN his one hundred and .hir
!. teenth ycat, two pious Lions sssisted hin il
= digging grave.
i s. M,cs1iu7 had great power over wild aoi
= m.1s- Once \ hycua knocked modesiy It hi
= | door. and when tbs saint opened it, she,
O distressed mother, lid 1t his feet blind cub
b but At the rama time ~ i fee the skin Of
0 la1nb ~ do rot want that tka, you hav
! l ~rrtn. fAa xS1%A StA T1,n
It hyen2 WAS 80 die:tested that she shed sesrs
It The saint WAS moved "If you viii promis
e not to steal any more skins. will take III
+ skin And he'd the cub" The repentant hyen
y laughed yea" the sAint healed the cut
i md the hyena trotted % better animal
o Many oi theee gentry had wonderful pcz.e
s Feranee u PRAYING. Among them m Hlk
d ealut, Of the name Of Eewion. who prayed 8
e long that swallow had time. not only to Il
Il hsr esEs in hts folded hauas, but to hats
,e Though the saints are dead, they still tax
u care OF the intcrests Of pious people. Th
Il nobility stand Under the particular protect:o
J. Ct St George, St Maurice. and St. 3GchAe
y Tbs patron Of theologians is, most sttangel
% and rnacrouptxblv, tho doubter. St. ThonA
10 Jurisdiction oEer lawyers is given to St. lvo
id over Phytici4ns 10 St. Cosuus and St D&nian
Or | over sportsrnen to St Hubert and tipplei
Is stand ursteadly under the powerful prosectio
10 VI d. AA{kAA- @A4AulA lave A44o LQeH pA&@u
u. saints. St. Anton, though much occ4
st pied with his pzotectosate pigs, h:
r. sti1 time to attend to the business (
ut the rartugueee; the Spaniaras Ale take
O. care Of b, St, Jacob; tho French BY St. Denis
10 the Englhh BY St George; the Teuesians
= St. Marc.
er The tanasicism which oziginated in tho Ea
=; Was soon transferred to Europe, where il VI
a. psopogased by St Ambrose, bishop a, Mia
Is and St. jerome, Who ha1 been : hermit biz
.et self, and wrote in praise Of SOLITARY life wh
= i considered to be pattern Of eloquenc
ic, St. Martin WAS the frst who established co
an vents in France, in the fourth century. I
m became Archbishop Of Touss, and WA : We
n proud saint. When he appeared before Il
ID Emperor v.lantiniau, that potentate did n
t. feel inclined to rise N bis honot. Thia ve1A
ed St Martin be prayed, md 10! flames tur
Of FROM the imperial seat, And the Emper
,he haa to get up quickly. Fsom that pers
1t conrents apzang up like mushrooms At i
= time OF the Reformation, no fewer Than fou
81 teen thousand nine hundred md ninesy-thr
u cooTepts, of the neudicant orde1s alone, b
ola beeu lnstituted. The Reformation sboIsh,