The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-07
THE THREE SAINT ANTHoNrs.
The Hermit, Who Hated w~omen-Litt'o 81
Anthony and the saint OF Padun.

of hating women would be TO SANDER him. OF
course: still, 1t cannot be denied that his feeling
toward them was. on the whole. lust about as
unfriendiy as Christian charity would permit.
Why they had ever been created, indeed. he was
always at a loss to understand. unless II were to
make men long for the next world Ivy rendering
their lives q burden to them In this. He re-
gnrdcd the who'e sex with profound mIstrnst.
a mistrvst not untinged with fear; for,
although always on the alert. he, seems, to
have been never quite sare what trick
they might not be up to next, That they
most INSCRIPTIONS allies was n point about
which he. personally had very little doubt.
ng%in " oieOr HE", Mbn an iHn s , SS%rie OF Of tn them m't ard
their ways: he would refuse 10 look. on them or
hold parley with them and the burden OF much
than women. lie was. in fact. the orHani2"r
ard leader of the first anti. crusade;
and II was part Of h' regular propnennda TO
insist that there could I've neither peace
on earth nor good will among men unIe,s
the resisting powers Of his fellows: for the
lesson he mnst impressed uron them a.that.ln
dealing with women. their only chance of safety
lay In flight. lie even persuaded some hundreds
81 the weaker sort to retire from the world nj
walls and iron bars between Themselves aud
their tnrmcnt"rs. Yet. strange to lay, ~ spite
Of the su-t Iciou with which he regarded them.
ana Of the cuntutnrly with which hr sometimes
treated them, ST. Anthony seems ALWAYS to nave
been very popular ntnOrg ladies'. M mh'tcr
whose altar goes UNDECIDED. his j. sure OF It's due
need nf Hover. especially on the lTth OF Jahu-
nrv, his fetc day.
but he who could see no good thing In woman
for hts ewes we're holden was the -. Anthony
par excellence. the. one whose trials 40 tcmiia-
iions artists in all nrcs have loved tn depict.
lie was horn ", upper E:gyut ~ A !. 22l' aud
brains and worldly ~ sessions. These latter,
however. he did not long retain: for. while
llsteninv by chance to mass one day. he head
Nh. .gNNNNn "A NN ~ AAll Int fhnN lnaf ana
give 1t to the poor!' and. to the engagement ~
the world. he stralehtway ohey.d it. II : friends
but Tor that he cared not one whit. Having
despoIlrd himself Of his wealth. his next stem
WnndsriGhr. lie went from one holy hctml,
to another trying to learn how to adapt his
steps to that narrow path ~ wh,cH ne VA now
| his mind that he. too. would be n hermit. he re.
tired into al old ruin; and; In order To- guard
Notthat he gained much ny thn,; for. as he soon
found TO his sorrow. a stone wall and an 9pen
heart was set At. any, cost on driving him;
or temnting him. back into the world
him night and day: snmc were quite CHASTITY IN
their hideousness Others and they the worst -
lovely as flowers in early spring. And u sorry
time they led him. lie resisted, however. alike
their cruelty and their bland ishnents. and. in
spite Of all they. could do. spent, twenty years In
dry bread and none too much OF that and his
only drink was water.
| Meanwnlle rumOFS OF tne RhliAUt unttIc ~.
Anthony was waring against the devil were
spread abroad: and II became the custom. in
that part OF the world Tor persons VINO were
themselves sore b"set to resort to him for ad-
vice and HELM. After n time they went to him In
such numbers that tho road to his retreat be-
anne A. u thoroughfare, and the wilderness as a
crowded city. This beine the case, II was use
less 81 course ;or him TO remain there. some
other method Of securing solitude, not only for
himself. but for the little band Of special
followers that had gathered around hin
must he devised. he fe!t; anu he
prpmptly act 10 work 70 devise IL He
founded the first monastery the world had ever
seen. At frSt all went smoothly, aud NE saint
found. to his keen delight, that n monk Ia his
cell is more completely cut of from the world
Than even a hermit In the wilderness. Bnt a
m nine p %Hs %6 hn' e s"ipS Il h; S Snt"v Would IA worS
miracles. attracted such multitudes that there
w wsre ID d r PysSe to ~ ,he eh' wits'' end. 'r H"' Woe : NsO dsS
long there were crowds waiting around clamor-
ing at he door for u word with the saint for
his. hlcssinr. for a aiimnse OF his face
And. to make matters worse, amone those
who clamor.d most, nelsily, and persist.
but one thing Ia he done. .St. Anthony set hi'
house In order with all %possthlc ,pced. and drew
M minute instructions, ns TO how the members
Of his community should cornport them.elyes
what they should do and what leave undone
Then. one dark night he fed, taking care the
while that no one should know tn. way lie went
Years after lie was found In the wilderness hun.
drrds ~ miles away from the haunts OF men
he supported himself BY the work Of his hands
tothe last, cultiva,inc a little plot ~ ground;
III 80 INV wy e " HNa AhNNhf u . W.
cree is called. because he was nearer four feet
In height than six, Is OF all the saints one of IL,
most humane and lovable. lie was Archbishop
Of Florence In the fifteenth century. and. Will,
holding that office. won for himself the title o
the Father Of the Poor. There was great di~
tress In Florence IN his day, and lie made II
rule to feed all comer-, and To hestow aims or
all who begged. There was neither bound nj
limit to his charity: he would give away tn,
cloak from OF his back. and even the vet!
shoes from his feet. That he might have ~
means wherewith to feed the rOnr he sold al
his plate and jewels; he dismissed the guards o
the palace and his own retinl"; ana he re
strict-d himself IN food and clothing to bar
nrcessRries. And that at a time. too, when :
WAS the custom Of archbishops q vie witt King
In the splendor Of their surrounds
The third ~. Anthony, he Of lalua, was
very different sort of personag" from either tn
first -. Anthony or the second. lie was n Dor
fighter. and earned for himself in very early day
the name Of the Hammer ofthe l~lcretics. OWN
TO the force and vigor with which he deal, GU
blows on all sides metaphnrirally. OF course
while carrying on his crusade against the Moor
In Africa He was tho favurite pupil Of -
Francis OF Assist. and a preacher OF quite *
'raordinary eloquence. For some ineXplicahl
reason -. Anthony of Padua Is regarded a. til
special patron OF the careless, at least Of sue
Of them rs lose their possessions. Throughon
France. Spain. and Italy prayers are straight
way raised to him whenever anything goe
nstray. no matter whether q child, a sheep, or
thlmble. Not so very long ago, at n schoo
within fifty miles OF Paris. some sixty childre
+. ana their teachers were discovered, at the yer
r hour. too, when they ought to have been work
ing out sums. rending the very air with sur
plications to 81. Anthony to find for them som
? hook they had lost. The SOUS. prctct was scar
dalizcd when he heard uf the affair. an
threatened TO report II 10 Paris, hut the town
folk 10 n mar sup Ir'cd the teachers, and, ate
all, the book was certainly found.