The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-07-26


Sncrtcoming in brother whose lei
lows were all full beared, was readily
forgiGen.
PASSION FOR KNOWLEDGE.
Not only did he pray in his cell;
be stuoied-studied passionately.
And before five years had c2D1e and
gone Brother Basile" had become 8
regularly initiated monk and was
loved in and out OF the monastery as
GOOD Father Basiie.''
No one was so ready as be to go
amorg the poor OF the villages, to
watch beside sick peasants, to bring
food to the starving, to comfort the
dying and support the spirits CT the
bereavcd. For this the people came
to love him with devotion which 10
other monk erj2yed. All through the
district the name OF Father Basile vas
known and -evered.
Yet at times be was a strange being
whom no oae could fathom. There
we're times when his prayers were
mingled with heart-rending groans.
With face ghastly pale and his lea,
lures writhing as though IN nanl1es-
tatlon OF some almost inSuppo1tanie
mental agony, he would step beside
the road at dusk, his eyes apparently
fixed upon some object miles away.
At su,h times no one ,accoSced him.
twas something no one tried to un-
6erstand, but all respected the cause,
whatever it was, for all knew that
night good Father Bssile would re-
main the whole night on his knees in
his bare cell.
WENT HUNGRY TO FEED OTHERS.
Nowhere in the world is there q
monastery whose regulations are more
severe than are these OF Tzlducani.
Ualess he were i'll Father Basile di5n':
know the taste Of tea, coffee or cocoa.
Like the other monks ne slept in
cold, bare cell! At a. %. he rose fIono
his narrow, hard bed and said prayers
fjr half an hour, until the ringing OF
the Angelus. After that until
O'Clock, without norsel Of food, ne
aSterde6 various services. Then med
itation for half an hour, another hall
hour at work in the garden, or aU some
other kind OF manual labor. Now there
is meal Of the most frugal descrip
tion-lever a norSsl OF flesh meat:
al d during Lent not even eggs, cheese,
mix or butter.
Coarse bread, little FISH, some
times two eggs and a salad, with the
choice cf wine or beer-5hat was the
fare Of Father BaSile. And because
almost daily ne would lay aside some
portion OF it to relieve the 1ger Ct
some poor villager he was more often
hungry himself than any other monk
Such self. denial, and such deeds OF
kindness to all in the district who
ever appealed to him caused Faith
Basile's fame to spread ali over Europe
When be grew tco old to leave thf
monastery groun Is peasants aad even
rich and powerful persons made pill
grimages, even from great distances to-
obtain the blessing Ct the holiest o1
monks.
a little more than two months age
Father B.sile was ninety years old
The visitors who cid him honor or
that day were so numerous that the
monastery inelosure ccu!d hardly ho,e
thlm. HIS place in the monastery
uucfcialiy, was higher than that Of
the abbot, for it was the fame o.
Father B .sile:S piety and long ascetit
life that had caused Tziducani to rise
from obscurity and take it's place
anocg the most celebrated homes o.
religious orders.
Father Basile, on his ninetietf
birthday, was still active, but d ,af anc
partly blind. TIE outlines OF hi!
( Rripkled face were sottened by lon:
struggling hairs-barely enough O.
them to be called by courtesy beard
For the last half dozen years he hat
remained mostly in his cell, praying
more hours than ever. But he va!
more cheerful than formerly. What
ever had been the crime which be hal
confessed to the old abbot, now dead
he seemed to feel that it had beer
fully expiated.
DEAD AND A WOMAN.
Less than month later good Father
Basile was found dead in his cell
Hardly had the sad news reached the
neighboring villages where it was tol
lowed by the startling report that ir
preparing the monks body for buria.
the fathers had made the disc very
that had thrown the monastery into
uncomfortable excitement--that Fa.
ther Basile was a woman!
There had never been any suspic-
ions OF this to give rise to false re-
port, and the very reticelce OF the 40.
oot and all the fathers when details
were sought tended TO give the first
report stronger credence. Naturally
the aobot would shield the monastery
from gossip so damaging to it's fame,
and naturally the life long companions
OF Father Basile would strive to have
his fame continue uninpaired. And
thus there is only the first significant
fame OF excitement, and the first in
cautious admission Of the fact to sup.
port what every yoody believes to be
tie truth-that Father Basile was re-
ally woman.
Why should it occur to q woman to
take such step, considering tie risk
of discovery? She was q fugitive from