Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-05-22

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 1t would be
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 reference to the term
rosary, were a conspicuous feature of
pictures and tablets of the fifteenth
century, but before this no clear ex-
amples are forthcoming. At that
epoch 1t was common for both men
and women in ordinary life to wear
garlands of flowers, and to place them
as mark of respect upon the heads
of persons and statues. Father Thurs
ton is strongly inclined to believe that
its application to the particular devo-
ton now under discussion was mainly
due to the popularitw of 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 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 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 a 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 a garland and placed upon
her head. The robbers, conscience
stricken at the vision were all con-
verified to a better life, and them
selves soon after entered the monas-
terry
I'm 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
resided in Patefnoster 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 Paul's 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
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