Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-02-19
LENTEN SEASON OPENS.
Fasting Period and Time for Self Denial
Entered Into Yesterday.

Lent, the fasting season, opened for
congregations of the Catholic and
Episcopal churches yesterday, Ash
Wednesday. The significance of
Lent to the people of these parishes,
who in Lancaster number nearly a
third of the population of the city
is that it commentaries the fast of
Christ in the wilderness, his struggle
with the powers of evil, his cruel
fxion on Good Friday and his resur-
rection on Easter Sunday. Holy
week, the last week in Lent, is made
the occasion Of special ceremonies
and the affairs of churches are drap-
ed in black, which on Easter Sun
day is replaced with white clothes
and Easter lilies. Easter is the day
of days for church offerings, the
people giving to the church the
amounts they have saved by alb
staining from much meat eating
and lrlxuries. There are forty seven
days in Lent but only forty of these
corresponding to Christ's fast period
are fast days. The seven Sundays
are feast days, and, while in Lent,
are not of it.
The Roman Catholic churches re-
quire of well persons not engaged in
hard labor that they abstain from
meat, which includes the flesh of
beasts and fowls but not that of
fishes, on Wednesdays and Fridays,
and that they eat meat at one meal
only on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thurs
days and Saturdays. The first and
last Saturdays of Lent are also full
fast days. Men engaged in manual
labor, women having the care OF
large families and doing their own
homework and invalids are wholly
excused from obedience to these re-
gulations. Practically they effect
only professional men, business men
clerks, teachers and others employ
ed at brain work or light manual
labor.
The Episcopal church endeavors
to be consistent and sincere in the
traditional observance of Lent, but
has no canonical regulation of strict
and binding obligation on her mem
bers. The law Of custom is well
understood and generally obeyed.
The forty days are devoted to more
frequent attendance on the services
of the church, the practice of some
form of abstin ence and self-denial
in reference to social engagements
and designations, as also restrictions
in the quantity and quality of food
and drink. The bishop does not set
forth lenten rule for the lay people
to be strictly adhered to by all. On
the contrary, every member OF the
church is left free to follow that law
of custom as his own judgment ap-
proves, his conscience dictates.
Lutheran churches observe the
season in a minor degree, not with
the emphasis of the Catholic and
EpiscOpalian but with more than
the evangelical churches. Austen
ton from eating meats is not requir
ed. A Lutheran may deny himself
if so inclined for the period SO full
of reminders to him Of the trials
and sorrows of the last days of
Christ.
Tuesday was Shrove Tuesday and
was observed in Catholic churches.
The name dates from the ancient
practice in the church of Rome of
con1essing sins and being shrived or
shrove- that is obtaining absolution
on that day. 1t is the day prior to
Ash Wednesday and may occur on
any date between the End of Febru-
ary and the 8th of March. 1t is
called by the French Mardi Gras
(fat Tuesday, since in the southern
countries the day is given over to
revelry and feasting. 1t is better
known the world over as Pancake
day." from the common practice of
eating pancakes on that day, the
use of eggs having formerly been
forbidden during Lent.
Eminent and other than eminent
physicians endorse Lenten fasting.
They say the system needs the eff
feet of vegetable and fish diet during
the transition period from winter to
mid-spring.
Fire Tax Statement.