Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-03-03
NEAR At HAND.
The Lenten Season to Open Wednes-
day.
BRILLIANT ROUND OF GAIETIES
To Come to Summary End in Two Days
More.
SOME CURIOUS OLD-TIME CUSTOMS

NUMh UUhlVUO VAD- VUDlVAD'
Lent begins Wednesday, and the season,
as ever, will be fittingly observed by Wheel
ING churches and Wheeling people. The
advent of ''the season of sorrow" will
put summary stop to the gay round OF
social erioyments, fer which the present
winter has been conspicuous over those OF
recent years, and will turn the trend of ac-
tive, thought from dinners, teas, dances
and cards TO more serious matters-at least
so far as outward appearances may indi-
cate. But although we are in mate
rialistic America, in the Nineteenth
century, and while it is true
the great body of the people
have lost sight of many Of the rigid
ideas connected with Lent, the season has
by no means last it's significance, and its
influence has not departed. 1t is almost
the universal custom to observe Lent with
more or less ettictness, albeit this observ-
ance. unfortunately, does not always arise
from o reverence for holy things or regard
for the truths of the Church. Many are
cs.entatious in their peaance because 1t IS
fashionable, while with others it is alto
qether, or very largely, matter of regard
for health. After the six or seven weeks
of fessting and social indulgeuces, and gen
efsl thigh living'-the loss of rest attend
ant upon teas and receptions, dances
and dinners-and the exposure and
general wear ard tear incident
to participation in anything like
the entire social programme, the forty
days of fasting are q great relief. For
the close attendant upon social Pleasures,
Lent means change from matchmaking
meat to brain .nourishing food, and an OPP
portunity is afforded Nature, through the
substitution Of the prayer book for the
favor of the german, and the change OF the
pew for the opera chair, to rebuild the
sorely faxed body and repair the onslaughts
upon the endangered constitution. Keen
Observers may detect, among the aug
mented congregations of the COM
irg weeks, the charming maids
or stsid matrons whose names have
been the recognized features of the chrOni-
cles ofsocial happenings, and who, while en-
tering with earnestness into the spirit of
the Lsnten time, still will not fail, during
the days intervening between each recurring
Sunday, to recount, one to another, past
conquests and successes, or outline IN
glowing terms the glories of the Easter
bonnet and the costumes which come with
the spring.
So much has been written of the origin
and customs of the Lenten season that 1t
almost superhuous to add anything to
what has gone before, and yet, like many
another, the subject has peculiar charm
and interest. In its name Lent is the
old English leynte, spring, and perhaps
the Anglo Saxon lencgan-tide or lengthen-
ing time of the year. Search for it's origin
as q season Of fasting and humiliation will
carry one back to the forty days deluge,
the forty years tramp of the Hebrews IN
the wilderness, Moses fast on the noun
tain and Elijah's abstinence in the woods
Careful analysis of the code of Moses will
demonstrate that he was one of the wisest
lawgivers the world has ever known. he
knew perfectly well that cleanliness is
next to godliness, especially in such
country as that travelled by bis followers,
and consequently when they settled down
in Canaan they had code with an excel
lent hygienic basis, which, however, was
gradually obscured in the ceremonial and
ritual born of the rich imagination of the
East But the remembrance Of the forty
days or years remained.
As many Of tie Hebrew customs were
engrafted upon the Christian church it
was natural that, when some time of self
denial was set apart as a preparation of
the feast of Easter, the period of forty days
should have been selected, and az Easter
came in the spring, contenp0raneous with
the feast of the passover, the time IN
which the annual fasting was observed
gave the name to it in England. At first
Lent began on what is now the frst Sun-
day in Lent-forty days before Easter
But as Sunday is never fast day, the six
Sundays being deducted from the six
weeks left but thirty-six days of fasting. !
To remedy this deficiency, to the six weeks
were added fOur days of the week pTeced
ing, at some time before the beginning Of
tie eighth century, and this originated
Ash Wednesday. At first the season was
rigidly observed by outward marks of hu-
initiation and by fasting. As the church
grew in power and extended her influence
to the ut.ermost parts of Europe, adapting
herself to circumstances, and in many in
stances arranging her festivals to supplans
or to incorporate those of the pagan na-
tions che corquered, many curious prac
tees grew up about the Lsnten fast.
In Eng and this was particularly the
case, but all Christian countries had their
list of observances. These have been told
innumerable times, but there yet remains
vast store Of incident and custom for the
benefit of those who may dip into tie sub
iect in future years.
II you want Buggy, Phaeton or Surrey
Aa-lt I'll nAL..aa na.;az., n.la .ala of 81 10