The New York herald., 1871-02-22
FEAST AND FAST.
Shr0ve Tuesday and Ash Wednesday-Tii6
Secular FOllies and Clerical Rites.

Might or by whatever name the day preceding tha
enten season Is called, Is always understood 10 ba
the
ANTrrnEsIs OF WASTED ANAroMY,
as represented by dsh and poor food OF all lescrI
tions Lent, seriously meant abstinence nom anil
NAL food for forty DAYS. ever considered n0th-
Ing more than an impulse natural TO humanity
which created the carnival; JUST as men on the
verge Of shameful death at the hand OF the execu-
toner have often roted through the preceding
night.
MUMMEIs, MAsKERs FOOLS,
and their witty folly were the features OF the sea-
son, and in the Catholic countries sin the oldcn
feast means fun and gayety uncontrolled At
Rome 1t Ia the popular holiday OF the year: for
though Faster all It's paschal splendor outshnes
II In magpihcence and display the carnival al over
Italy Is the only time when the peoples mrth buh-
bes over into the streets and turns them for a
while into the scene or
A MONSTER PANToMEME.
In Venice this year may be revived the spOrt,va
scenes OF which Byron sung in pralse-th corteae
of carriages the boaooas or c)xsett the hour bags
flung nom bysanders to carriages, from carriages
to draped balcony and back again with bte,s do,lc
and sweet wishes OF all kinds, verbal ana written.
In France the cynicism OF the modern school haa
been )
EDGINd THE CARNIVAL TO TIE WALL.
The FUN Is not so universal Yet If In its capital you
wished to see relic OF It's past you should leave tha
rtce dfon and cross the Seine into the quarter Latin.
There among the students you might but one year
ago have seen maskers enough, male and female
with all the olden abandon, Dittng from care to-
byuSseyfe. AT night under the hlnsy roof Of the
cloSelfe de3 tads you could them tripping
the light fantastic wklle the darkness lasted; for
woe TO the masSer whom the eye OF one OF Pietra
about the streets on Ash Wednesday. AT the Grand
Opera House and al the Chateet costly but not
nearly such real fun was evolved.
In England they simply eat pancakes. They
ALWAYS EAT IN ENGLAND. 1
and ID IS hailed as blessed reminder that there is
something else In the world besides roast beef. Tie
seniments element is represented BY q ring placed
In the pan OF batter from which the pancake
stulr Is ladled, and whoever finds the ring
is first TO be married. Ireland eats pancaKea
eat anything. Scotland eats ''sauty bannocks,S bus
takes no further notice OF The day. II In America
ceptions, to be little more than ghost Of It's 0den
THE SUCCEEDING ASH WEDNESDAY
Is still to immense numbers season or deep re-
ilgOuS significance. The carnival, flesh feast, was
80 called rom its being in Old times the farewell
epicurean Indulgence until Lent had vanished In the
sun OF Easter mornii g-tne Sun whose rays danced
with Joy that the Lord mad risen from the dead ana
the worlds mental darkness was no more.
The carnival oil over the world to such nations as
preserve Its traditions, has this year "fallen on
ey ,, days" Rome it, it, great centre may 20 mad
Roman mobiles, Barbernis or Borgias, Will not have
mingled Ia the motley crowd OF nour-ningng
hearts before the cafes and under the balconies Of
the stately Corso There win nave been no Sign Of
Roman POntlns court has wrapped Itself In
THE ITALIAN PROTEST OF SILENCE,
beautiful Venice such q living tomb. And France
too, lying under the conquerors heel, can she cast
s asr nea on he WIN esr
famished France, as TO Rome, Mardt Gyas will have
been u m0ckery and Ash Wednesday, with Its por-
tent OF sorrow and ira mortality, will be the httlng
day. The lesson OF modification of the nesh which
y nculcates is drawn from the forty days fast Of
Church. Gnu When It alone STOOD among men as
e ag S nss ns
ming, the composition and the end OF man. In
are Snd 'ns s @ 81 ha
solemn w A. :SsaS ID
weariness Of spirit. IL comes from the lips Of the
male choristers. A mass is sung. and the people
with bowed heads and saddened demeanOr approach
the altar rails The priest vested In his alb and cnc
ture, descends the steps, bearing IN his hands
branches sanctifed on the previous Palm Sunday.
A line Of people nave occupied the altar steps, and
OF the line and, dipping finger in the ashes makes
the sign Of the cross upon the forehead Of the first
p'''' THE soLnMs WORDS OF WARNING,
"Menento homo, Qufa putucs es, ct IN psAveren re-
UerteTtS." "Remember, man, thou art but
dust, ard Gnto dust thou shalt return.v
These are fitting words for reminding one Of
the spIi itua Importance Of the enten season, II out
ward signs have any use at all In the Protestant
Church 1t was retained for some time, but the re-
forming spirit swept it out OF the ritual as '.vain
show, with many OF the rites which, although VI
more pretentlousness, were scarcely OF 80 much
meaning. Lent, as season OF Tasting or absti-
nence from flesh meat, is fast disappearing in
Catholics lands, where 1t Is being SO modified as
scarcely to make any apprecable difference whether
1t be an Jour 9ndfQ1e or jour grdS-a fast or
feast. The age, with its last living, compares with
past ones as q ponder0us steam engine with wind
mill. 1t requires more nourlshment to keep IL
ming, and gives latter day reason for gentleman'S
exclamation at an Ash Wednesday dinner In Eng
land, that he could see as much connection between
pancakes aud piety as salt fish anu sanctity.