Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 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 APP
| 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 heads for counting prayers was
peculiar to the Catholic church, or was
of mparatively modern date. To de-
tcrmine at what time the name rosary
| Gosenllranz) was introduced is ex-
| tremely difficult Garlands of roses,
| implying a 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 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
its application to the particular devO-
ton now under discussion was mainly
! due to the pOpularitw of a certain
story of a 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
preeXisting name.
The legend in question is briefly
this: A youth was accustomed to
make a 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, lie 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 a lonely wood, where robbers
were lying in wait. Quite unsuspi-
cious of their presence, he suddenly
remembered that his AYES were not
vet 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
| ,,,nn1y IppntiF,,I ,,,h; oh l.,
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.
! In the London municipal records OF
the thirteenth century we not infre
Quently find citizens described as
! paternosterers, and there can be nc
doubt that their trade primarily con
sisted in the turning, polishing, per
forating and mounting of beads fol-
devotional purposes. Their calling
evidently gave to Paternoster row its
name, for, as Father Thurston pointed
out, in the record of an inquest helC
In 1878, three Of the witnesses were
described as paternosterers They
resided in Paternoster lane, as it was
even then called, which lay just unde1
the shadow of the great cathedral anC
in the devotional center of London
| The craftsmen themselves lived there
but the lecturer was inclined to thinl
that their wares were largely retaileC
by the persons called 'stationers,' 81
lowed to occupy certain stations
round st. Pauls Cross and the Cheap
Rosary makers in England do no
seem to have been quite so specialized
as in France, where the makers O
rosaries were divided into four off
ferent guilds and companies, accord
ing to the material in which the,
wrought--whether in coral, mother o
pearl. bone and horn. amber and let
or belonging to the more miscellane
Gus association engaged largely il
metal work and the manufacture o
buttons, buckles and rings.
Speaking specially of the roSar,
as used in the Roman Catholic church
Father Thurston disagreed with tn
view that the devotional exercise wa
simply initiated from the Mohamme
dams and introduced into western
Europe by the crusaders OF Lad
Godiva of Coventry, the wife of Ear
Leofric, who lived long before tn
days of the crusaders, it is records
that she beQueathed to the monster
which she founded a circlet of gems
which she threaded on a string in oil
der that by lingering them one by one
as she successfully recited her pray
ers, she might not fall short OF he
exact number The use of rosario
was practice common TO many orier
tai races long before the Christia
era. They were en- ployed by the BuC
! dhists in India, China and Japan, an
by the Mohammedans Rosaries, e,
pecially those Of precious stones. wer
used for personal adornment as we
} as for purposes of devotion. with tn
) result that these objects of piety wer
not overlooked in the sumptuary law