The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-12-04

but the weak and uninviing monastery OF Ci-
teaux only founded when he was LAD OF 4 VA.
" 1O3s. and alrcndy languishing by reason
OF the exceptional strictness OF its rsRi.
men Yet oven this austere rulo did not
content Bernard. In 1ll5 hc SGT forth wlth
| twelve companions to found nov monastery
IN wild and desoiate tract which had pre-
yious,y borne the mn me OF the valley OF Worm
wood" Here in the following year nc was
consccrated abbot and proceeded to estaoiish
the strctest observance OF tho RUE Oh Dene-
diet. Among things insisted on were the
avoidance OF sensunlity and OF Idle or testing
| words. humility, patience under injuries.
| contcntment with tho meancst employ
| mept consistency in religious service anu
| regularity in labor. or course no PERSONA
| pronerty vas permitted. Each OF the monks
| served in his turn either in the kitchcn OF "
| the table. Meals were to be eaten IN siience'
| hut ACCOMPANIED with tho reading OF Scrip
| tures spiritual lecture was TO be gwen
each night before compline; after conphhe
| sience reigned. In summer. work was re-
| ouircd from prime to 10 o'clock. from ~ 10 IL
| readings, rejection. and perhaps rest; a'ter
| nones. labor till oven-song. Certain cohceS
sions were made to the aged, and the use oil
baths with u meat dict was permitted 10 me
sick Such was the rigorous rule at 'iair-
vaux as it was nominally at all the mohaste-
ries IN Europe. In many no doubt. MS ut 'he
onulent Cluny. it had been greatly
relaxed. Tho monastery SO conducted
| continually increased in numbers ana Ill
| fame. Applicants for admission nockeo l"
| Clairvaux n hundred at time. anu II lecane
necessary to rebuild it on much larger scale
| II was o beautiful scene which was ultinntey
presented by the great pilo OF the reconstruct
| ed abbey and its large subordinate builhinGs
| overlooking landscape OF rich anu various
pastoral beauty. all protected by an authority
| greater than any which arms could ouer
Many colonies. too. wont from it-one nun
! dred and sixty in Dernards own lie. The
| Fountain Abbey in York shire. England. was
| one Of these offshoo,s. In the end there Is
said to have been 800 abhcys affiliated with
| Clairvaux and adopting from it a rigorous OBJ
scrvance OF the rule Of Citeaux. Tho Impulse
| 10 such Il rapid MULTIPLICATION OF associated
| institutions came from Bernard. while ms own
| monastery had at his death 700 monks
| Amos, otter than any other Bernard eH-
| c,nplileG whatever was morally beautiful IN
| the monastir life and overcame III" Gnngcr"E-
| cidcnt to it. To ;he laHnesS AID disso!n'chess
| by which its rules were sometimes broken one
, cannot even conceive him tempted ltwere ms
easy to think Of blotches on tho sunshine.
| Even the more lmpa!rnbie dangers OF amol-
| ton spiritual pride, and hypocrisy. against
which the wisest have to bo on their guard.
seem not to ha>o touched him. From these
| rerils which beset even tho subtlost. Bernard
/ was Preserved not only by the sincerity and
| urtoy OF his soul. but by his assiduous study
| Of the Scriptures and by the multltudlnous
| activities within the convent and beyond 1t
which constantly engaged him. His was not
u, least the fugitive and clustered rittle OF
| which Milton disarprovcs uneN"rcis"d ana
| unLreatheL: that never sal!ics out and secs
the adversary Du, slips out of the race
| where tho immortal garland is to DO run Tor
not without dust and heat When ut home
Bernard preached every day. besides taking
| his part in tn" customary labors. He wrote
treatiscs rich in the products Of careful reficc-
| ton and rep!ete with passages OF beauty and
| power His letter writing was Of vast extent
| and variety: nearly IUn OF his letters are pre-
served They were addressed 10 men Of all
classes and conditions: indeed he wr"t" TO
| the poor and obscure at greater length than
| to princes. sending letters Ola dozen lines to
| the King OF England and of ten times as many
| pages to weak monk who needed his
counsel. His visitors were many and Of the
| most distinguished Of the time. His care OF
| the monastcr.s nfIilated with his own WAS
necessarily watchfuL His utmost energy was
called for in the successive crises which CON
| fronted him In the church and in the State
| In trnth nothing seems to have occurred in
| France and in the closely related countries
| during the latter years OF his life concerning
| directly or indirectly tho honor and inter-
| est OF religion upon which his practi-
| cal governing genius was not at once in
tenscly busy. Thus it was that the monas
| tic life to which his mother had devoted
| him continued to be 10 him IOv even to
| tho end He was Permitted 10 eud his
| days in tho abbey which lie and his COM
| ranions had redeemed from the forest and
| the swamp and had turned into homo OF Gull
| ture. peace. hospitality. and uninterrupted
religious service. 1t is tho conviction Of his
| present bograrher that not the least thought
| Of any earthly fume came to Bernard OF Clair
| vaux. 1t must have been to him !. matter Of
| supreme Indifference whether men ever should
| hear OF him or not. Nevertheless great fame
| has fullowcdhm. lie flied Carlyle, descrip-
| ton of = great man. representing what was
nobl.st in the spirit OF his day while associat-
| ing 1t with what was peculiar in his intense
| dyduality. His early cunoniZed name has
| shown star.lke in history ever since no WAS
buried. and it will 10, lose its lu$tre while
| men CONTINUE TO honor u character compact
OF tho noilest forces and Infused win se!i-
| forget.u love for God ana man.
The theology Of ST. Bernard is discussed in
| two chapters Of this volume, and especially in
that chapter which relates his controversy
with ADoIard. 1t has been asserted by some
| Pro,estants that Bernard WAS q roiormer be-
| fore the reformation. standing substantially
| with Taulcr. EcEhart. i;IysoucE. and the Ger
| man Friends 81 God" almost. in fact. with
Huss and Jerome OF Prague. DIR. Storrs docs
not take this view though he thinks that in