Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1893-09-07

theFe = a purity If style and grace
| fuf tenderness that places the writer
dmong the most charming Of female
correspondents. II was to satisfy
Paulas passion for Biblical knowl-
edge that the Nulga;e was COM
plcted, It's sanity author declaring
in its preface that to her aud her
daughters was owing the existence
of the work. ''Iou are he said,
"eempctent indges in controversies
as IN tsKss npaa ,e osi,tin,sl He-
brew-csmpare i wiiifmy transla-
ton aud see il have risked
single word. " aud he pays n glow
ing tribute TO their attaiuments,
when ia a reply 10 "a ontburst of
criticism that such work should
be dedicated to females he adds:
''As If these women were not more
capable of forming judgment mp
on the work than most men who
know IA little of the Bible as they
do of Greek ami Roman history.
Huida prophesied when men were
silent, Deborah overclme the ene-
mics of Israel when Barak trembled,
Judith and Esther saved the peo-
pie of God-So much for the He-
brews. As for the Greeks. Plato
listened to Aspasia, Slppho held
the Tyre. Thernista was oue of the
philosophers. Among the Romans
1t would take up whole books to re
late all the greatness OF the Ro-
man women"
The fourth century was the An
GUSTAV age OF renowned Christian
women, and among its many names
there axe none more lllustrious
than that of Monic,,, the mother Of
Augustine, the model of patience
and prayer. 1t is as the sappIicant
standing ut the foot OF the cross
ever entreating for the conversion
of her unbclieving son that we pic
ture the mother of the great bishop
of Hippo. Few think of her, her
heavy cross laid down, as sitting on
the smooth sward N the shadow of
the gray olive boughs llccked with
the sunlight of an Italian sky, her
gifted son by her, surrounded by
his friends and pupils sharing their
philosophic discussions. st. Au-
gustine. in his great work, "Dc
Ordine, in reply TO her question,
"lf women were ever numbered
among the philosophers" answers,
"The earnest seekers for truth will
not take it amiss that have asso-
ciated you, mother, with myself in
philOsophic disputes
In that philosophic idyl, "Dc
Beata Vita Il dialogue III which
she bore a part, We find her award
ed the palm for arriving at the
highest truth in advancing the pro-
position that the soul has no natural
alimcnt but science, no intelligence
but truth.
While Paula bent over mann
scripts within the convent walls Of
bethlehem. aud Monica disputed
with philosophers in Italy, Gather
inc of Alexandra iilumincd her ma
tive city by her vast learning, which
was such as TO cntitlc her to be
chosen in the school the patron and
modei OF Christian philosophers.
All students Of ancient history
are familiar with the life OF PuIche-
ria, the granddaughter and sole in /,
heritor of the genius aud courage Of
TheOdosius the Great. Skilled in
Greek and Latin. having an init
mate knowledge Of all branches Of
science, the pairOncss of arts, her
letters attest the brilliancy Of the
woman who dlrod from Ter imperial
throne hurl defiance TO Attila, the
sccurge of God.
Under the Merovingians we find
Radegund, the Queen OF Clotaire,
extending her sccpire over learning
and receiving at POictiers many
celebrated scholars, among them
one of the last Of the Roman poets,
Venentius FOrtunatus, TO whom
she entrusted the lerary education
OF her nuns, one OF whom, Eaudoni-
va, wrote the life Of her royal mis-
trezs IN pure and classical Latin.
Radegund Was herself a pQetess;
there exists poem said To be die
tated By her 10 Fortunatus which
breathes an impassioned recollec-
ton Of her childhood days in her
Thuringian home, the captiye's