The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-26

death and its future happiness or misery &C
cording to its deserts. Like Christianity too
Stoicsm had its apostles. who. not content with
addressing merely tho rich and we'll educated.
us did the votaries Of other philosophical
schools. preached to the people. One Of these.
Papirius Fabianus. originally an eminent adj
vocatc. gave public lectures. which were advcr-
tiscd in advance and to which came crowds Of
listeners. who. carried away by the cloquencc
OF tho speaker. frequently burst into applause.
Another popular champion OF stoicism. the
philosopher Seneca. has left behind him works
In which are OK pressed sentiments SO akin to the
doctrines OF Christianity that o tradition WIS
long current 81 his having been instructed 10y
81. Paul This tradition. N. Boissicr under
takes to show. cannot be true. though many
circumstances combine TO support 1t.
While thus the StOics were busy disseminate
ing these partially Christian phlosophc teach
ings. the poetry OF Virgil embodied ideas Of
the spiritual work and Of the life after death
which made caey. o. ,hOsc points. the adoption
Of the Christian faith. In the sixth book Of tho
Ened all tho current beliefs OF the timo are
skilfuy combined and brought into compara-
tive unity. aud 1t Is easy to zee how this grace
fully constructed worn must have faniliarzed
the public mind with the immortality which the
advocates OF Christianity made 80 prominent In
their appeals. In the same way that the pro-
cepts of the Stoics in regard to morality werc.
rs far rs they wont. those afterward presented
as Christian SO the pictures OF heaven and hell
drawn by Virgil were no less IN accord with
Christian imagery. How much. indeed. wns
recognized rs duo to Virgil in this respect IL
shown by tho fact that he was regarded as in
spircd by the Christians Of the early centuries.
and that Dante in tho "Divina Commedia."
makes him his guide through the realms OF de-
parted spirits.
Another elemen OF Roman paganism. to
which NJ Boissler calls attention us bearing
upon the triumph of Christianity arc the as
sociations. or colleges which had certain re-
ligious character. and which. multiplied and
extended until nearly every citizen was u MEM
Der OF some one or more Of them. were the pre-
cursors OF Christian churches. As early as tho
time of Numa. every trade had its special asso-
citation Of this sort. and as the nation grew.
merchants. mechanics. bakers. wine sellers.
mulcteers. sailors. and other industrial classes
banded themselves together. elected officers.
aud thus organized themselves not only for
mutual protection but for mutual entertain
ment. Each college had Its house OF assembly
where II transacted its business and held It's
banQuets; and cons picuous In this building was
n chapel for the performance OF religious rites.
Numerous burial societies also existed, which
bers when they died Of those rites OF seputure.
without which It was popularity believed the
spirit Of the departed could enjoy no rest In
these. as in other Roman societies. common re-
pasts were leading feature. and took place as
often as a sufficient preteXt could be found for
them. Rich members left cgacics 10 pay for
such repasts which at once aided in keeping
their own memories green. and promoted the
interests OF their college. Freedmen. and even
slaves. were admitted. thus weakening tho in
fiuenco OF caste distinction. Whether the living
as we'll as the dead received succor from the
common purse Is not clear. but in any caso
these societies served to strengthen the ties Of
brotherhood between their members. and the
early Christians awaited themselves Of the free
dom, with which their formation was permitted
TO use them for ecclesiastical purposes.
The effect OF all these causes. work ing togeth-
err. was that. by the end OF tho second century
Roman pagansm had become. outwardly. n
matter OF ceremonial worship. partly inherited
from antiquity and partly adopted from foreign
countries. while inwardly II was a compound OF
Stole morality and traditional supersttions.
tempered by n humanity which had slowly de
| veloped through civilization and the fostering
| influence OF social intercourse. To the posi-
| tive. compact. and energetic assaults OF Chris
tianity II offered for a long time the resistance
| OF cherished associations ana OF an anectionate
regard for tme-honorod customs. When It
finally yielded. 1t by no means surrendered all
its peculiaritles. Its adherents carried over
TO It's enemy mass Of opinions and usages
which 10 this day more or loss form part OF the
Christian faith; and as the Church adopted the
language OF pagan Romo and tho titles and the
yc-tments Of her priests and made her laws
the basis Of her ecclesiastical constitution. so
| she Incorporated into her unwritten creed the
! ideas VI the Roman philosophers and people.