The New York herald., 1871-02-19
The Lontcn senson-lts History and Oh
servpucea.

nesuay, historic 0ay IN CnrlStendOm-a Gay
of fasting, humiliation and prayer, and which
marks the commencement of the forty days Of
Lent. In the Roman Catholic Church and In
the Protestant Episcopal Church much is made
of Ash Wednesday, and in the Greek Church,
the Lutheran Church and others much impor-
tance is attached to the forty days that follow.
Lent is an ancient institution of the Christian
Church, some dating it as far back as the days
of the Apostles. The presumption is that the
Lenten fast, although very proper and be-
coming thing in itself, is one of those institu-
tions which took shape under the skilful man.
agement of the Church leaders of the second
and third centuries. For the first century and
half at least the Church of Christ
was, no doubt, a growing and aggressive
power but il was also more or less in chaotic
| state. II wanted conference and organization.
II is possible that something like the Lenten
fast was known to the Christians of the first
century; but there is good reason to believe
that the forty days grew out of forty hours.
For forty hours the body of the Saviour Of
mankind lay in the tomb, and by the immediate
nually observed as season of fastiug, hu-
initiation and prayer. By and by-some
think as early as the year l3O-the forty hours
had swelled into forty days; and the forty
days retirement of Moses, of Elijah, both
types of Christ, and the forty days temptation
Of the Saviour Himself when He was led by the
Spirit into the wilderness and there TEN pied
of the Devil, were pointed to as the basis of
the institution. The name Lent comes to US
through the old Saxon lengten-tde which
originally signified the lengthening Of the day,
| and was commonly used in the sense
in which we use the word spring. The
fast of forty days which annually occurred
at this season gradually monopolized the
name. The transferrence of the name and the
contraction of the word require no further
explanation. Originally the Lenten season
began on what is now known as the first Sun
day in Lent; but Pope Gregory, no doubt for
the very best of reasons, ordained that the
fast should begin on the Wednesday preced-
ing-a day which is now known all the world
over as Ash Wednesday. Sprinkling with
Jewish custom-a custom not unfamiliar to
the ancient Asiatics, Greeks and Romans.
Sackcloth and ashes is a phrase familiar
to every reader Of Scripture. In pre-Refor-
nation times it was customary for the priest
on this day to take a quantity of ashes, bless
them and then sprinkle them with holy water,
The worshipper approaching in sackcloth, the
priest took up some Of the ashes on the ends Of
his fingers and made with them the mark of
the cross on the worshipper's forehead, saying
'lHemento homo, Guia civis es ct IN puloerem
reoerteris" (Remember, 0 man, that thou art
dust, and to dust thou shalt return.) The
ashes used were commonly made of the
palms consecrated on Palm Sunday of
TIE previous year. After the Reformation
the use of ashes was discontinued as "a vain
show" by the Anglican Church, although the
day is still relgiously observed and to the
great bulk of the Protestant world the day is
now without meaning. In all the Catholic
churches, however, the wide world over, the
ancient practice is observed; and we have no
doubt that while we write some of our priests
are looking forward 20 Wednesday as one of
those days which, but for high sense of duty,
they would rather avoid.
For forty days from Ash Wednesday some
six or seven millions Of the inhabitants of the
United States will, by system of abstinence
and by course of conduct characterized by
humiliation and prayer, testify to the power of
Christian teaching and Christian authority. 1t
is not to be denied that many members of the
Catholic Church will on this, as on former
occasions, take liberties which the Church
does not sanction, however their own con-
sciences may approve or condemn. 1t is as
and the Protestant Episcopalians alone will be
seen, during this time-honored, if not divinely
appointed season Of fasting, anything which
calls up the memory Of the sainted examples
Of the past-anything which proves that reli-
gion is loving, constraining, governing
power in the midst of US. AS we have said
already, fasts and festivals in connection with
religion are of great antiquity. In themselves,
whatever their origin, they cannot be said to
be other than commendable. In this age, in
which the growing tendency is to disregard the
teachings Of the Gospel, nothing which brings
us back to high standard of virtue ought to be
despsed. The season Of Lent is specially a
season which has for it's object the cultivation
of self-denial, the development Of the spirit of
self-sacrifce; and if the Church has still the
power of making the days of Lent helpful in
the direction Of moral and spiritual culture the
Church is not yet dead. In spite Of all our
vaunted Christianity-in spite Of our temples,
our cathedrals, our churches, our meeting
houses, our synagogues-our age is selfish,
grasping, goddess in the extreme. If this
season Of Lent has the effect of opening the
eyes Of some of our rich men to a sense of their