Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-07-29
TIE HERALD.
Some Long Fasts.

Nav York Times: The expert
meets in abstinence which Dr.. Tan.
ner is making naturally calls to mind
the many stories on record Of long
fasts, and brief history Of some of
the most famous instances will prove
Of interest st this time. DR.. VII,
liam a Hammond, who has made
the subject Of abstinence from food
the study of years, has collected a
great number Of these peculiar stor-
les in little book, entitled, "Fast-
ing Girls" and made such comments
on them as his Judgment dictated.
l. is singular fact that IN all ages
Of The world It is not the strong and
healthy men who have been report
cd as fasting for long periods, bat in
most cases the etories are told OF
weak and emaciated girls, and such
seem TO have no difficulty in finding
plenty of doctors and clergymen to
give them certificates attesting the
truth of the wonderful stories re-
garding them.
In the Middle ages the records OF
the church are filled with accounts
Of fasting saints and nuns, but the
power to abstain from food 10 these
cases Is usually attributed to mir
aculons agency. 1t is told Of Liduine
of Schiedala that she WAS taksn i'll
in 1895, aud 80 remained until her
destl, 80 years later. Daring the
drst 10 years she ste nothing but o
small piece of apple tbs siz3 Of
holy wafor daily, and drank littls
water or g swallow Of beer or sweet
milk Bat after that period she ate
and drank no!hIog at al, according
TO her own statement 10 some frlars
10 1922, to whom ste said that for
eight years nothing 10 the way of
nourishment bad passed her lips,
and that for 20 years she had seen
neither the aun nor the moon, and
had not touched the earth with her
foet s. Joseph OF Coperlino is said
20 have lived five years without ca
Jug bread, and ten years without
drinking wine, contsn!ing himself
with dried fruits, which 10 mixed
with various bitter herbs He fast
ed for forty days seven times during
every year, and during these peri.
ID. ate nothing a. ALT except on
Sundays and Thursdays. Nicholas
Of Flue, according to the pious
CORES, subsisted altogether On the
| holy eucharist after embracing the
mooAstic life. Doubts arose in re
gard to his honesty and the bishop
had hlm closely watched, but With
out detecting any fraud. Sill he
was suspected, and watch was put
over all the avenues leading 10 his
cabin for an entire month. M per-
son teng detected carrying fool TO
MIN during that time, the people
were convinced. II is needless to
say shat such q test 81 that would
not have satisfied tho scionusts OF
the present day.
1t wac not only saints IND holy
people who were credited with the
| power of Lying without food 10 the
Middle Agee. Tue same ability vas
claimed itr those
! POSSESSED OF DEMONS AND DEVILS.
CORES states that O person pos.
sossed by devil often lses AL It's q
for food If any kind, AMI can retain
~ nourishme13 ia his body. He
mentions one man thus possessed
who hid himself 10 cave Without
food for sixteen days, and on anoth
or occasion remained in tbs woods
wenty four days neither eating nor
drinking. FInaay his children found
him, and, taking him 70 a priest,
had The devil exercised aud lo " ~
cured. S.. Prosper Of Acqaainton,
speaks Of youag girl possessed OF
d devil, who liVed seventy days
without ea'iug, All those recorded
cases, however, ara 80 evidently dQa
TO lha superstition Of tho ago in
which The events afe fixed that they
deserve ana receive o consideration
from scientific mon. They are
simply interesting as showiag the
creauiiy OF this weird in the Middle
Ages; and if The events weeo seri-
ous'T related IS occurring in the
nineteenth century, with nothing
more 10 support tdom than tho tee.
timony OF monSa and religious en-,
thusiGsts, thsy would Do rejected
on their face IS impossible. In the
modern times they have boon sup.
planted by the stories of the fasting
girls, one or mere of which are in
tore ting cases is before the public
at nearly all times. Some have
been detected in fraud, and soma re-
main mysteries to this day, but al
are moro or less discredItod by the
leading physicians of the world. Il
will require the success of some such
experiment as Dr.. Tanners, undei
the eye of scientific men of acknow
lodged honesty, to convince the
public that any very long abstin.
eDoo from food is consistent with
tbs conditions of human lifo.
AMONG TUE FASTING GIRLS
who have not boon detected in any
imposition may be mentioned Mar.
gsret Wels, young girl ten years O.
age, who lived at Rode, small vii
lago near Spires in Bavaria, in 1912
aud whose history is related by
| GeraIdus Bac0ldianus. She is said
to have abatailed from all food and
drink for three years; in Tho mean.
time growing, walking about, laugh
ing and talking like other children
Of hec age. Margaret was Watched
By the priest Of the parish and DIR
! Bucoidiahus, aud declared by them
free from all juggling. Bucoldianu:
was somewhat staggered, for tho in.
| quirjes, "Whenoo comes the animal
heat since she neither cats mol
drinks, and Why does the body
grow when nothing goes into it?
Sobenckius, in 1900, quotes from
Paulus Lent2las the "wouderfnl his.
tory of this fasting Of Appoloui:
Sohreira, q virgin in Bernie" Thi.
| girl IS reported as genuine case Of
ability to live without food. III
thu r rot vp4p of bar Faatipo so