St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-24
The Genesis Of Lenten OBJ
sePvances From the Ear
lest Times.
Evolution of the Practices and
Gus toms Of the Fasting
Season
Honored and Observed by ALI
Christian Ages in Some
Form.
Notifications That Have Toned
Down the Severity Of the
Early Rules.
when the torturing hour calls US to PEN

when the torturing hour calls us to pen
apce." Milton.
The period beginning Wednesday last
and ending on Easter Sunday, April 6.
comprises the season known as Lent,
which derives its name from the Saxon
leng (spring), with reference to the time
OF year i'll which it occurs. The origin
Of this period of self-denial and abstin-
ence is Of great antiquity. Religious
fasting has been practiced in all times
OF which we have record, by the people
OF countries wherein any devotional
feeling has prevailed. Abstinence from
food, to ''afflict the SOUL" and to hum
bic and humiliate the body, has ever
been regarded with favor by those who
wished to encourage a devotional state
OF mind. This was true of the Assyrians
and Egyptians Of ancient times. and
holds good of the MOhammedanS and
HindoO5 of to-day.
Moses found the practice living part
of the religion of the Jews. and it evil
IDENTIFY found favor in his eyes. Zecha-
rIah, the prophet, mentions several
fastS which were hOnored in his day,
On numerous occasions particular fasts
were appointed, and private fasts were
common among Jews of later time.
We learn from the tenth verse of the
third chapter of Daniel that the prophet
mourned for three weeks, and neither
pleasant bread, flesh nor wine crossed
his lips during that time. Nor did he
annOInt himself until the fast was ac-
cOmplished. The New Testament gives
evidence that the apostles favored the
practice of fasting; and Paul. that noble
old Bible hero, in his second epistle to
the Corinthians, puts in evidence
"WatchlDgs often, hunger and thirst,
hastings Often" as among the things
he had done and endured for the Mas
ter.
After the Savior's time the anniver-
sary of his crucifiXOn was observed by
PRAYER AND FASTING,
many hours being spent in Continual
devotion by the faithful: and in process
OF time, from being a matter of custom.
seasons of Self-repression, abstinence
and devotion were enjOined by positive
appointment. In the third and fourth
centuries notion prevailed that the
Vaccinations of evil spirits were chiefly
directed at the luxurious, indolent and
pleasure-l0ving, and fasting and peni-
tence as means of grace were in high
favor with prince and peasant at odd
times. Sucn periods of physical impov-
erishment and spiritual humbling of
passion and pride finally grew to be re-
garded as Indispensable, and the fathers
of the church enacted express rules
touching the matter.
The fast originally only extended to
forty hours; later thirty-six days was
the time covered, and subsequently, in
the ninth century, four days were
added, making the pentental season
correspond to the period of the Savior's
retirement and fast in the wilderness. AS
the custom became more general the
severity of the early regulations was
somewhat abated, and this Split of re-
Taxation has continued until the pres
ent time, when abstinence from wine
and flesh meat, eggs. fish, milk, butter,
etc, is judged sufficient under certain
conditions.
During the growth and strengthening
of this peculiar phase of Christian prac-
tice and belief, many ways have been
adopted by different classes of people
to attain the same end While fasting,
prayer, abstinence from pleasure or in
diligence, repression of desires, and
other minor details of Self-denial, have
been common and almost universal,
ascetics of more stringent class have
| adopted harsher measures to purge the
flesh and purify the spirit. Clothing
| the body in sackcIoth and plentifully
| sDrinkling the head with ashes was
measure of penitence rendered by
ndSBClldJlUu anu
| self-scOurging with instruments of
| torture more or less harsh has been ep-
| idemic at times. This was a favOrite
| means of grace with many orders of
monks, and it has been recorded that
! dellcately nurtured women have diyest-
| ed themselves of all jewels and apparel
| at the feet of the Savior, in their private
oratOries, and compelled their hand
| maidens to bruise and lacerate the
| delicate flesh with cruel thongs till they
| fell exhausted in ecstatic spiritual
| pleasure. Luckily for the appearance
| of modern ball rooms, this custom has
| fallen somewhat into dlSuse in recent
ages.
Bands of religious enthusiasts, who
| believed that IN
NOTIFYING THE BODY
in this manner they propltiated the
Deity, have appeared at different times
| in the early history of the church, and
have gone about publicly flogging them
| selves as greater humiliation. In the
middle of the thirteenth century the
abuse of this custOm-which was orig
inally calculated and intended to refine
and elevate the inward teelings-grew
to such an extent, aud these fanatical
bands became so disorderly and lawless,
that they were suppressed. both i'm Italy
were most numerous. The mania for
self-t0rtue reappeared again in 1349,
when the terrible ''Dlack death" scourge
swept away so many people throughout
Europe. The dreadful plague excited
the imaginatiOns of the people. and
bodies of these fanatics spread over Ger
many. Switzerland, Holland. Sweden,
England and other countries. Pope
Clement VI. issued a bull against the
abuse. and so severe were the laws
against them that they finally disap-
peared. A sect which rejected all forms
of worship, and held that faith and
flagellation alone were necessary to
salvation, sprang up in Germany i'm the
early part of the fifteenth century, and
were suppressed only after the burning
of their leader and some of his follow
ers as heretics.
All such extreme views of devotion
and bodily publication have persisted
with the advancement and broadening
of thought and education, though all
Christians are ready to acknowledge
that certain amount of restraint, In
the matter of animal indulgence, even
of the mildeSt passions, IS beneficial to
both mind and body. because it places
the animal part OF our nature in greater
submission to the spiritual, and induces
calmness of mind and lucidity of
thought which are favorable to medita-
ton and devotion.
Isolated instances of extreme penance
still exist in some places. and no better
example can be found than right here
in st. Paul. Nearly every resident of
the city has seen at one time or another
an upright, soldierly-appearing man,