St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-04-13
Correspondence.
MONTE CASINO.
written for the cALEDoNnNl

charged with the decision of ques-
tions relating to the internal welfare
of his church, revives an interest in
very old sanctuary well-nigh OBJ
scured by the stirring events among
which we live.
This institution retained for CEN
turies a marked zeal for learning of
the first importance to the culture of
our times. Within its walls was
established monastic order which
was destined to be the principal
agent in the spread Of Christianity,
civilization and learning in Western
Europe. This brotherhood possess
ed at one time no fewer than 81, 900
monasteres; and its rules required
obedience to superiors, to hold no
private property, to live sparely, to
be hospitable, and above all to be
Industrious. Monsignor Satolli,
Apostolic Delegate to America, was
once an inmate Of the monastery to
which we have referred.
The railroad leading south from
Rome crosses the old Via Appia
few miles from the city, passes
Albano and Velletri, and ascends in
to the plain country north and east
of the Volscian mountains. A little
way on, it reaches the valley of the
Gariglano, one of the largest and
most important of the rivers of
southern Italy. About half way to
Naples, by this route, not far from
Aquinum, the birthplace of Juvcnal
and Thomas Aquinas,, rises Monte
Casino, famed in the scholastic
world, and in the history of the
church, for its monastery.
The terrace of the abbey overlooks
one of the loveiest of Italian
valleys, and from the summit of
Mount Cairo, near at hand, 1912
feet above sea, the eye ranges from
Vesuvius and the monastery of
Camaldoli near Naples, northward
to the peak of Monte Caro-, a few
miles from Rome.
The silver thread of the river can
be traced through the plain south
ward toward the sea, till lost in the
distance near Sinuessa.
We may look toward Arpinum the
birthplace of Cicero and Marius ~,
the one hand, and on the other to
the sea outside Of the mole at Caeta
1t IS very ancient land and figured
prominently in the wars of tbo
Romans 1t has been ravaged again
and again by Goth, Lombard
Saracen, Norman, Frenchman, Span.
lard and German.
Hither came Benedict in 500, from
Subiaco in the Sabine mountains
some forty miles from Rome Thirt "
hive years of retreat had prepared
nm tor a new work, Upon the
borders of Samnium and Camna,;o
he found people still worshipinp at
the shrine of Apollo. The effects of b;s
preaching were soon seen in their
midst. They threw down thor
AFFAIRS and he founded among them
the order and monastery bearin,
his name, which have survived with
few intervals, the buffetinps q,
storm and time, down to the present
Here was the cradle of tbe ordo. -
benedlctlne monks. 1t Numbered
among ITS members for a long tim.
multitude OF laborious and nod.s,
scholars who rendered incalcr1ol,
service to literature and science
theirs was the flame which brrrod
though ever so dimly, through tb,
darkness of thousand years. anc
preserved to us much of the litero
ture we possess of old Greco. a.,
Rome. guy
These simple and austere ,,o.,
were 'or centuries almost the onl,
scholars in the world; for the md
ana warlke habits of men had or,
cluded elsewhere the crl,,r '
'et'ers and the arts, From III;
ROCK where Benedict died after = Il,
which to his disciples was a per,ec e.,
model for their imitation. nnnas,
cism and the order of Benedict
advanced with extraordinary ra ,,;e
ity through Europe. There re rape
great sL TOW! towns but received them !
.nelr midst The number Of soc;nt;,
i 1nn between the years sac ~
loo was very large. Before o an III
T Isss tha OF Constance, A. D. 1905. n n
;seJ nan al, 1870 had been orpa,
yea, They absorbed the o, aId'
orders for theirs was a more ,o o.1'
rule of monastic life, and IO e,, P YER