The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-05-04

An audience of moderate size listened
last night to Professor Edward How
ard Griggs on the subject of "St. Fran
els of Assist" The first lecture of the
series was not we'll attended, and II is
a pleasure to see that these most valu-
able addresses from a literary and his
torical view are being appreciated.
Last nights lecture was an intellec-
tual treat, and led the hearers to a
higher plane of living in every re-
spect. In beginning. Professor Grlggs
spoke of st. Francis of Assist as "the
most perfect Christian since Christ"
He described in rich and beautiful die
tion the early surroundings of the little
Francesca, named thus from the be-
loved France of his father. The in
fiuence of Provencal song and poetry
was brought out, and the years of
youth among the gay young mobiles or
Assist were pictured. His visit to
Perugia, his illness. followed by the
more serious phase of his life, when he
desired to follow literally the advice
given by Christ to the ricn young man,
and his days of meditation in the
church of st. Damiano, were graphic
ally portrayed.
He was distinctly not a monk in the
monastic sense. He desired to choose
life of freedom life of sunshine and
not for himself. but to carry this gos
pei into all other lives. His mission to
the lepers began his great work, fol-
lowed by that at the "Capella della
Porzionculd."
4 GREAT TEACHER.
He was one of the few great teach
| ers the world has ever known. Few
| had the power to waken the spirit of
| others and yet leave the individuality
| The charm of this discipleship was in
the fact that the personality remained
| untouched. In the little group, what
each could do each did. All fulfilled
| the line of life previously followed.
The rules first of all was that of pow
| erty.
I'VE think of the Franciscans as go
| ing over Europe. the scorn of the age,
| begging wherever they went and heap
| ing up riches for the order" said the
speaker. THAT was not st. Francis
teaching. His idea was personal SER
| vice."
A number of beautiful stories were
told illustrating that personal service,
the work we reverence and despise
most 1t is the little things done, which
in looking back over the life of yes
terdaY are sweetest to remember.
The Grotto frescoes containing
Dante's portrait and the Little Poor
Man." in his symbolic betrothal Ia
| Poverty, were vividly described.
The speaker told of his own visit to
the Franciscan monastery, now divest-
ed of it's riches and returned to its
early poverty. A graceful description
of the influence of the personal friend
ship between Santa Clara of Assist and
st. Francis followed. The exquisite
grace of that incident, which was the
beginning Of the Second Order, being
charmingly given.
PATHETIC TRADITION.
The failure of st. Francis was illus
trated in that pathetic little tradition
of his night in the bitter cold, wher
his temptation to change his mode OF
life was exercised as he made mounds
in the snow for the wife and the chill,
dren that never would be. The great
characteristic of st. Francis was his
wonderful faith. His thought was
never like that of st. Dominck ant
others. He was a missionary in the
truest sense.
The pitiful experience of his home
coming to find that the order was be
ginning to possess property was vivid
ly portrayed The literalness of hi
conscience made him one of the half
dozen Christians of all times to follow
exactly the words of Christ.
The lecture closed with a recitation
of some of the canticles of St. Francis
as translated by Matthew Arnold.
"St. Francis" said the speaker
"symbolizes to us the enthusiasm anc
beauty of spiritual life. What we neeC
is not a new gospel, but gospe
anew"