Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-02-15
GAYETIES Or MARCI GRAS

The winter gaYeties are last draW=
ing 10 a close, and from all sections
curious sightseers are thron&ing to the
Crescent City to witness that high tiae
of marry-making in America. the "faf
Tuesday carnival more familiarly
known as "Mardi Gras But We
would suspect that all the festvitE
that there abounds is the aeeompani-
ment to tie temporary abandonment
i an article of feed? Fer sueh is tile
leal significance Of tie word @earna-
vale, farewell Ia meat. as his Tues
day is the last day Ct sfaea t. r"vei-
ers before -elften)ide begins and
throughout the civilized earth the IN
habitants thereof take advantage Of il
to go unciA lily mirth-mad.
The word Lent is Il corruption Of
tae Saxon "IengteMiae. ard simply
refers to the lengthening days of
spring Why the ap stole fathers,
who appear to have been rich in nom
enclatue. When they instituted the
ante-Easter fast should not have civ
en- it an appellation indicative G. its
character is not clear.
Tive
The creator of Lent Is supposed ID
have been Pope TelesphoIus who IN
y. D. 1870 decreed that the ,rty hours
intervening between the lime of tfe
crucitiXion and the resurract ion should
be kept as :, rigid fast AS the teaeA-
ings CT Christianity progressed. by de-
sl eea u longer season was observed.
HHtii finally fer1y Gays cane 10 be
the accepted period. Originally Lent
began en- Sunday, but "a the church
ever he'd that day to be a festival il
was considered eXpedient to exclude
tie Sabbaths, and this left but thirty
siE d2&s IS the period was also sym
hCiical cf The Sayi1r's fast in the Wild
e.4ssa ful ior1N da&s Wee required
for its 9emr!stiea 50 IN Tie fit ~
tuly Che f#.;r day preceding t..e ll..zf
Lenten Sunday Weae aldel DO 4l o45
tie requisite number.
The chronology of Lent is IL mi y
ed by tI.e date upon Nni,H
fails ASH We!:.esGay baias always IN
seventh "Wednesday before lie l-,era=
reetion day aea muy oscu: aayws.er7
between February , and Marca g.
The most rigid rules were eojoined
f1r the keeping of Lent by the patri.
arehs Of the primitive church. lhousA
many civil laws were relaxed curing
the term of fasting. Taxes were re
mitted the imperial laws forbade
criminal processes; no corporal pun
ishment was permitted: prisoners
We're released and peace was com
manded among contestants In the
reign Of Henry VII. that sensuous mon
arch modified the law rotating 10 tine
eating of meat 50 as to exclude the
partaking i white meal, from He
prohibition, but James / ana Charles
H. both revived the primeval et,itt f5f,-
bidding the use cf any meat Whatever
during the Lenten term.
Pre-lenten Days.
While is was designed that the eli
tire forty days should be given over 10
strenuous self-crucifXiGn and chur1d-
ly observances. there are certain eoe-
clal days in Lent that are regarded
with deeper significance ana accord
ed more elaborate observance than
others. These include the initial day
Ash WeA1esday. ard four days of
Holy Week, embracing Palm Sunday,
Maunday, Thursday, Good Friday and
Holy Saturday.
In anticipation CT their temporary
retirement from the world the eccles-
: E7atics allowed the people forty-eigth
hours respite to set their "houses in
order and thacf. ty,-o rarc-T o,1-1,