Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1872-02-14

otiEin ana GsssrtA o. the Cpssom-Its An
IIaaIiY and EaEIy Ohservnnce. -

OtIHIH ana GTsyytk Of the Cpstom-Its An
tIauiiy ssd Esriy Observance.
Uhrouologically considered TO day Is one Of
great Importance, being nj once the anniyet-
sary oil Ash Wednesday -inaugurating The
lcntUn scason--and 81. Valentines Day-lhe
latter nlling choice place 10 Lovcs almanac.
By many of the CAV votaries Of fashion,
who roigus right royalty during the winter
season AZ the capital,
IF ..sv. ASH WEDNESDAY
will be unwclcomcd, for with lts advent arc
ended tho grand balls, tho Ilvaling rUcep-
tlons, the delightful dinners, the pleasant pri-
vato parties, that 70 70 make up The con .lnu-
Gus round Of pleasure, tho eddying currents
Of " hitch eucircle both the gravo and the gay,
The religiOus and The irrcvercnt.
On the other hand, hundrods Of these same
fashlonables, whose desire for pleasure at the
bcghnlng Of the season seemed almost insa-
liable, will gladly hall the coming OF Lent-thc
scason Of rest aud peultence-as bringing with
IL q respite FROM the requirements OF society.
Tho origin OF the custom Of fasting seems
10 be cOeval With mans first experience Of
the beneficial results w health which follow
abstinence exercises, and with his apprccia-
ton OF the necessity Of keeping the body In
proper subieetion 20 the soul. ny easy stages
thls Standardization gradually became a
religious Observance was surrounded with
rltos and coremOnlals, aud adopted by
. THE EARLY CHURCH
as part Of la erocd In several Of the Orieu.
tai countries tho people have for centuries
| attached great Importance ~ the oNcrucia-
ion OF The body, aud many sun continue "
do so. History shows that Greece observed
and granted high place to occasional last
days, and II Is well known that the Romans
did not omit so important an element OF the
festivals which they had adopted IRON their
neiRhbors, though with them the periods Of
iastlng were Of hess frequent recurrence,
al NhFtaI hall
In hlyh estimation, and the bi-weckly mar.
ket days, on which the Judges sat aud JhC
law was expounded la the synagogue,
weTu especially set apatt Tor Us observance
by the Phareees. Il would seem, however,
that Christ himself neither approved nor dis.
approved u the CUSTOM but rs IN most mat
teTs of ceremony. permitted his followers,
INV AND GENTLE,
/ 10 act accoi dug or contrary 10 their old hab-
its. Yet by all religious denominations the
custom Is regarded a. n beautiful and bcnen'
cial one and by tho more powerful sects-tho
Catholic, Greek, Anglican and other churches
-lth recommended, and more or less Ob.
served by their members. The fasts Of all
these churches arc not, however, embraced
| within the period Of the lenten season, and
In some Instances have little connection with
II, so far a. dates aru concerned.
The lcnten fast--tho observance OF which
Ia rendered obligatory by the laws OF the
Catholic Church, but u simply regarded a.
praiscwurthy by tho Anglican Church.,
certainly Of very ancient origin, the lrst al
lusloos 10 it speaking. Of IL rs IAN usage
handed down from the fathers" IL Is bcautl.
| fully commemorative IL
QUA sAyIoURs FoKrI DAYS FAST
In the wilderness, and Of the similar fusts u
/ Moses aud Elias. Its observance begins with
Ash Wednesday aud extends " Easter Sun
day, between which periods forty clear day
| arc embraced when tho SUNDAYS on whlcl