Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-05-26

Tracing the origin of the rosary
back to times and places far remote
Father Thurston, who read a recent
paper before the members of the ap-
piled art section of the Society of
Arts says the London Daily Tele-
graph, pointed out that it would be a
great mistake to suppose that the use
of beads for counting prayers was
peculiar to the Catholic church, or was
of comparatively modern date. To de-
| termine at what time the name rosary
| (rosenkranz) was introduced is ex-
! tremely difficult. Garlands Of roses,
| implying a reference to the term
rosary, were conspicuous feature of
pictures and tablets Of the fifteenth
century, but before this no clear ex-
ampIes are forthcoming. At that
epoch it was common for both men
and women in ordinary life to wear
garlands of flowers, and to place them
as a mark Of respect upon the heads
of persons and statues. Father Thurs
ton is strongly inclined to believe that
| it's application to the particular devo-
| ton now under discussion was mainly
due to the popularitW Of a certain
story of garland, which can be
traced very much earlier than the
| word itself in almost every part Of the
Christian world. The name must have
come from the story, and the story
was not evolved out Of an already
pre-existing name.
"The legend in question is briefly
this: A youth was accustomed to
make wreath of roses or other
flowers every day, and to place it up
on the head Of Our Lady's statue. He
became a monk, and in the cloister his
occupations no longer permitted him
to observe this pious practice. Being
much distressed, he asked counsel of
an aged priest, who advised him to
say his AYES every evening, which
would be accepted by Our Lady in lieu
of the garland. This the young man
faithfully observed, until one day,
while on a journey, he had to pass
through lonely wood, where robbers
were lying in wait. Quite unsuspi-
cious of their presence, he suddenly
remembered that his AYES were not
yet said and forthwith stopped to say
them. Then, to their surprise, the
robbers saw most glorious lady
stand before him, and take one after
another from the lips of the kneeling
monk fifty beautiful roses, which she
wove into garland and placed upon
her head. The robbers, conscience
stricken at the vision were all con-
verted to better life, and them
selves soon after entered the monas-
terry.
''In the London municipal records OF
the thirteenth century we not infre-
quently find citizens described as
paternosterers, and there can be no
doubt that their trade primarily con-
sisted in the turning, polishing, per-
forating and mounting of beads for
devotional purposes. Their calling
evidently gave to Paternoster row it's
name, for, as Father Thurston pointed
out, in the record Of an inquest held
In 1878, three of the witnesses were
described as paternosterers. They
resided in Paternoster lane, as it was
even then called, which lay just under
the shadow of the great cathedral and
in the devotional center of London.
The craftsmen themselves lived there.
but the lecturer was inclined to think
that their wares were largely retailed
by the persons called 'stationers,' so
styled from the fact that they were al
lowed = to occupy certain stations
round st. PauPs Cross and the Cheap.
Rosary makers in England do not
seem to have been quite so specialized
as in France, where the makers of
rosaries were divided into four diff
ferent guilds and companies, accord
ing to the material in which they
wrought-whether in coral, mother Of
pearl, bone and horn, amber and Jet,
or belonging to the more miscellane-
GUS association engaged largely in
metal work and the manufacture of
buttons, buckles and rings.
Speaking specially of the rosary
as used in the Roman Catholic church,
Father Thurston disagreed with the
view that the devotional exercise was
simply initiated from the Mohamme-
dams and introduced into western
Europe by the crusaders. Of Lady
Godiva of Coventry, the wife of Earl
Leofric, who lived long before the
days Of the crusaders, it is recorded
that she beQueathed to the monastery
which she founded "a circlet of gems,
which she threaded on a string in or
der that by lingering them one by one,
as she successfully recited her pray
ers, she might not fall short of her
exact number The use of rosaries
was practice common to many orien-
tai races long before the Christian
era. They were employed by the Bud
dhists in India, China and Japan, and
by the Mohammedans. Rosaries, es-
pecially those Of precious stones. were
used for personal adornment as well
as for purposes Of devotion, with the
result that these objects of ni@tv uora