, 1873-07-20
Bon Jonhon, tho first quatratn Of hia famous
"Odc to Colia:
Drink to mo only with thy cyts,
And will pledge with mino;
Or leavc but 4 klsa In tho cup,
And I'll not aak for wine.
CLEANLINESS VERSUS GOODNESS.

CLEANLINESS VERSUS GOODNESS.
Tho historian Euaobus Inns recorded tradi-
ton that tho Apost1n james noyor used bath.
The assertion Is most improbable, for not only
wore al' tho Apostles strict JowB, but St. Jamoa,
tho Bishop Of Jorunalom, could loast Of nil hava
Afforded to dospao 80 gacrod jewish Lnbit na
oloanlinots, and ho was tho very Apostle whose
rano wnn hold In highest ostoom by tho Judaiz-
Ing party III tho Church. Tho reigu Of dirt In
tho Church Bpread by tlogroos. st. pachomiua
and his brother, st. John (who wcro converted
about tho year 312), must havo had Soma
amount Of clcanlinoss, for wo aro told TINT thoy
novor changed tlloir olotllQs except whom thoy
woro untlor the nocossity Of wnBhlng them,
Their contemporary, st. Ammon Of Nitria, re-
fused to wash himself; but 1t Becn1s that 1t was
rathcr from modoat dread OF seeing himself
without his clothes than from positive passion
for dirt. 1T. Hiiarion, however, who lived IN
the Same age. developed tho culture Of dirt for
ho noTor changed my coat until II WIS worn out,
and noyer washod tho sackcloth which ho had
once put on. The great st. Antony, as St.
Athanaaius tolls us In bis life Of him, had mover
washed hia feet up to extreme old age; ho says
that ho waa healthier than those who batho
themselves ind ofton change their clothes.
His disciple followed tho example OF thoir great
idoal patriarch. at. Abraham Of Edoasa, another
hermit OF tho fourth century, whoso lifo was
written by tho famous Ephrem, loft lis woalth
and Ills Uifo on the day Of his marriage, and
lived for fifty years, mostly in coll two miles
from tao CITY, without M once washing either hls
iaco or Lis feet. The fourth century was un-
doubtod'y tho ora Of tho religious apotheosis
Of dirt. We shall not 80 quickly condemn
tho dirty mon who had 40 great an influence
on tho Development Of tho Church and Of
thor own day, instead Of tho light Of ours.
They tried honestly to separate themselves
tnwardsy as vol "a outwnrdly from al
immoral and peHtiferous society, which lived IN
eorts Of interior filth. Bathing was rejected by
them at Tho first, tocauso tho senauous delight
and pleasure it gave In q hot Egyptian or Syrian
air n'ndo It the pnrfection Of bodily aolf-indul-
genco. Tho her1nits had no quarrel with 1t bo-
cause 1t was thoro and thon, quito AZ much as
eating and drinking, ono Of tic lu1urias in which
tho flesh, which thoy Ind renouuco1 at baptism,
took tho greatest delight. Attendance ut tho
wore tho contreH Of worldly dissipation in tho
Romanized cities Of East md West, was pro-
hiblted to all Christians by repeated oanonical
legislation. 1t s certain TINT at first tho public
have witness in tho very oariy legend which
toll us that tho Apostle John fled from certain
bath because tho horesiarch Corinthus WAS there,
and he would not romain under tho Hame roof.
The story, indeed, is seelfcontradietory it ia not
unlike tho John who wanted to call down fire
from heaven to burn tho Bamaritane, but totally
unlike tho John who was ut the same time writing
Gospel and EplatloB breathing charity to every
(book I. chnp, % not only forbid women to bathe
with men, but they further advise Chriatian
women q not to battle without occasion, nor Of
tcn nor in tho middle Of tho day, nor, If possi-
bic, every day" Tho Council Of Laodcea
prohibts an clerics, ascotica, and every malo
Christian from washing in tho same bath rs
sidoEe1 reproaehful even BY tho pagans. The
against it, and 1t may DO recollocted that Cicero
olllciIa" Tho Council lin Trullo renewed
this canon as ito own aeventy-ninth canon, In the
year 692, ordering the degradation Of egory
layman, who dared to violate it. 1t is certain,
from many inferonces throughout the 6ermona
of the great doctors and lives OF tho saints, be-
tween tho fourth and seventh centuries, that
tile public baths were usod by the Christians
generally, although the greatcat number Of tho
profeaBed ascctie vigorously abstainol, as st.
Epiphaniua snyB in hts ,Pamd,ion, from either
public Or private bathing: Thcodoret ,giyos q
longs to tho Hamo epoch u tho Pdnari0n. Euno-
mius was 30 unpopular with the Christian ma-
jority at Samosata, who were noarly all Catho-
lics that scarcely any ohriatien Of rspute or Ho-
when he was in tho baths, ho saw that many
persons stood waiting without. He seoms to
have fanciod that thoy rofrained from bathing
at tho same time out Of respect to his august Of
enter freely and bathe with him. They still con-
tinuod to stand elontly ut tho edge, as II wait
ing and he, out Of coneideration-stil think
ing their respect withhold then-hastily loft the
enter until all tho wator had been Withdrawn,
and the bath reilllod, foaring that their bodies
might bo polluted with his heresy il they used
the water in which he bad bathed himself A
century later, st. aaudensins, Of Brescla, III one
Of his sermons, advising Christians to sanctity
all their actions with the sign Of tho close, tells
them to use it also " at tho batl whom you como
In and when you 60 out" Whom the monks, in
Inter timos studied tho lives Of the early so1airos
discovery Of their own doclonsion from primitive
dirt and purity. " Our fathers" aay8 the Abbot
Alexander, "noyer waBhod thoir faces but, We
frequent tho public batha. M1. Lcoky quotes
Of Abbot Thoodosious. At lis urgent prayer,
God once suddenly opened stream !; az soon as
his monks began to uso it, not for drinking only,
but for washing, the stream mitacnously dried
up. They had dug pit IN Which to battle t, thenl-
selves. As soon III they had aalcd up this thcen-
tive to luxury, tho wator again flowed. It was
tho luxury OF tho act which thoy feared. Gould
any one have convinced these simple mon TINT
washing Is az necessary to bodily soundnesa as
the drying up Of tho water tho moment they be-
gan to dig d bath Chambers Journal.
nIynhoer GFoof.
From tbs MTG York Post.
Mynheor Groof, Hanguin0 Flemish gentleman,
believing that ho had penetrated tho secret Of a
new locomotive, announced tho othor day to the
denizona Of Brussels, Belgium, that he proposed