The Washington times., 1895-03-24

fourteenth century in England they were
wont to pelt a puppet which they called
Jack or Jake o. Lent, at which they gibed as
much as at Rabelais Gargantua q centu-
ry or two later
In this day we accept Lent without de-
muir To those who are not of the
creeds which demand SPECIAL serv ces ard
Hastings il is time OF needed rest. No
one questions its worth now since phySl-
clans have been its defenders, but IN the
old days it was not question OF rest and
health, but of religious zeal 1t comes
down TO Us from apostolic times, and st.
jerome maintains that it is Of apostolic
origin 1t is mentioned by some of the
early writers of the church, OF whom Ter
tullian defines il most accurately. He
wrote in the third century, and accord
ing to him II W as an absolute fast OF forty
hours. An old legend of that period tells
of a bishop who, having he ther bread
nor fish to offer To aastlapger who came
to his cell, gave bim7 10 eat OF a bit OF
swines flesh. The stranger demurred,
saying, that, as a Christian, he Gould not
touch flesh. Whereupon the bishop pray
ed to God to bless the-food, and again Of
fered it to his guest SAYING that to the
pure all things were pure.
From forty hours Constantine the Great
made the Lenten period last seven weeks
although fasting was not compulsory on
Thursdays and Sundays in the Latin church,
and on Thursday Saturday, and Sunday
in the Greek church There were various
Quotations IN the length OF time after this
until the council of Toledo in 653 decreed
that one 1.-THE of each year-thirty. six days
should be dedicated TO God, thus gong
back tothe Bible regulations. How and why
the four days were added which fill out our
n
tito Gregory ii, and some to his predecessor
Gregory the Great. 1t was at this time that
dry food became the proper Lenten diet,
and the eighth council of Toledo strictly
forbade the use of flesh meat in 646. In
the Greek church it was expressly stated
that no wine, oil, or animal food should be
used, and in the Western church in the
eleventh century the good fathers went st,ll
furtherand prohihtedth the use OF eggs, cheese,
flesh, and wine. Afterw8rd flesh was
exempted from the list, but only for time
did the monks enjoy this more generous
fare.
Some old manuscripts of the thirteenth
century state pathetically that on fast
days during Lent it was decreed that a cold
luncheon might be served at midday, but
even that was denied them later.
BY the modern law OF the Roman Catholic
Church one meal is allowed on fast days, and
in addition only two ounces can be eaten
in the morning and eight ounces in the even
ing.
During the time OF the crusade against
the Moors the Spanish kings in order to en-
courage the wars allowed all crusaders the
privilege of eating any food on fast days.
The prerogative was called ''cruZade,"
and il was afterward sold to any one who
paid the trifiing sum required. l believe
fha Of dof atilI NO
purchased in Spain.
The old books of the middle ages are filled
with quaint references to Lenten fare. In
one of them, which is called "Quadrigesi-
male SpirituaIe, "occurs the following pas
sage: After the salad we eat fried
beans, by which we understand confes-
sion. When we would have beans well
sodden we lay them in steep, for otherwise
they VIII never seethe kindly. There
fore, if we propose to mend our faults, it
is not sufficient barely to confess them at all
adventure, but we must let our confessions
be in steepe, in the water of meditation"
That was written by godIy French priest
in 1865.
That the English did not take so kindly
TO ''beanes" is shown by few lines from
Skelton's Collins Ciout
In holy Lenten season
Ye will neither beaHes or peason.
But ye look to be letl9ose
To a pigge or goose"
The name of the Lenten season in the
Latin church of earlyit mes was jejunum
quadrigesmale, meaning forty days
fast Ash "Wednesday was called caput
jejuni, beginning of fast The word
in use to-day comes from an Anglo-SaXon
word, lencten; German, lenzand, means
spring.
The Lent OF our times differs in kind as
well as in degree from the same period
in mediaeval times. Then there were
pilgrimages to the shrres of different
saints, and penitents, were expected 10
fast with exceeding igor. AT one period,
when Theodosius the Great ruled, corporeal
punishment and imprisonment were for
hidden by royal ediot, ard later the coun-
Gil of CleTmont, al tie close OF the elev-
eHth century, decreed that there should
be observed peace of God from ash
Wednesday to Whitsuntde. Some of
the noblest passages Of the literature OF
the middle ages describe the plgrimages
and penitential procession OF Lenten
time, and ore of the favored books OF
this day, John Irglesant," devotes its
finest imagery ard word-panting TO the
description of a Lenten procession in
Rome III the seventeenth century The
fourth Sunday in Lent called Passion
Sunday now, was then given the name of
"Carl Sunday" from tie oIE;om OF cat
ing ard giving away peas and beans
called 'cariings'-oI that day.
Although many Of tie customs have been
neglected the ceremonies OF Lent are
still impressive, and the last, or holy
week, has never lest any of its observ-
ances, although the name has varied
In earlier tines IN the Latin chuIoh it
was called the Authentic week, and in
some parts OF Germany ard lie Soanda-
nayian peninsula t receives the pecul-
iarly appropriate name CT "stil week"