The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-04-07
RICHEST WOMAN
In History Was ST. MeIania, Whose
Income Was s175, 100000 Year.
CWashingtnn POst.l

| Cardinal RampOlla. secretary of state
10 Pope Leo XIII, discovered among the
manuscripts of the Escurial when ne was
pdpdl nunciO at Madrid. a biography Of
Saint Melania the Younger, which he has
/ lately translated, edited, and had printed
| at The Vatican press. What follows Is an
| sorlogment of his narrative:
The author of this biography was named
| GeTontius. From A. D. 100 TO 439 he
/ was IN the service of and daily assOcia-
/ ton with Melania. and after her death
| he succeeded her as the head of a mon
/ astery which she founded An eye-wit-
hess he tells who Melania was the
amount of her fortune, and what she did
/ with il.
! Melania and her husband were both
| Christians and wished to follow literally
! the Saviors precept: GO and sell all
| that thou hast and give to the poor and
/ tnOu shalt have treasure in heaven.
| They, therefore. resolved TO devote their
| Christ:
History records that during the fourth
I and the beginning of the fifth century,
after Christ certain patrician Roman
Il miles amassed enormous wealth. Me-
lania's fortune surpassed all others and
consisted Of villa on the Coelian at
Rome, which inclosed partOcied courts, a
circus, a hippodTome. and immense gar
| dens. Its buildings were decorated with
paintings, mosaiCs, statues, sculpture and
precious marbles. cared for and served
hY gardeners, butchers, bakers cooks.
waiting women, Wallets and all the in
Vulnerable host of necessary slaves.
a rural domain at the fifth milestone
on the Appian Way, three miles in cir
cumference-its ruins have yielded many
marbles to the Vatican museum.
An estate on the northern coast of Sicily
titled by 5000 slaves
Estates in africa, Numidia, Mauritania,
in Great Britain, in Spain and in Gaul,
with enough slaves 10 cultivate them.
Her yearly revenues, it is estimated
amounted to scores of millions of dollars;
They may we'll have exceeded the civil
list of any emperor or pOtentate who ever
lived. and were probably greater than
anv other woman ever possessed.
II is not known what use Melania made
Of her wealth before she decided to rid
herself of II: neT hlOgrapher begins his
story only when she had so resolved.
How hard II was to become poor! An
imperial edict alone could overcome the
opposition of relatives. of the law, and of
the senate. This Melania secured through
the favor of Serena, who was a niece of
the Emperor TheodOsius and his adopted
daughter; the wife of Stilicho and the
mother-in-law of HOnOrius, the son and
successor of TheodOsius. For many years
Stilicho and Serena had been the actual
rulers of the western half of the Roman
empire.
Public rumor, which had been busy with
Melania s future blaming or praising as
prejudice or religious bias swayed, had
aroused the queens curiosity. and its OBJ
ject had been several times hidden to the
imperial palace, commands which had in
variably been disObeyed. In the spring of
A. D. 404 the disobedient one remembered
that the imperial power could unmake
well as make laws and could smooth her
difficult road 30 poverty.
Accompanied by her husband, several
bishops and GeIontius. who chronicles the
event, she went to Palatine. Her train
included slaves bearing many and costly
presents, the customary offerings to the
powerful and their court. Closely yelled
nd wearing a nrpES of rbpan p
rial. the suppliant said to those who re-
monstrated with her.
81 shall not uncover the head which /
have covered for ChTist's sake: | shall
not change the garment which l have put
on for my Savior's glory"
Her humility had its immediate reward,
for Serena herself came forward to meet
and greet her. seated her at her side on
the golden throne, and calling her court
around her, said:
Sc Behold this woman, who could he sur
rounded by all that wealth could buy. yet
for Christ's sake renounces all the van
Serena herself declined the gifts offered
10 her and forbade any of her courtiers
or servants TO accept any. At her re-
quest the emperor at once gave orders to
the rulers of his provinces to sell Mela-
MAS estates and remit the proceeds to
her.
I'VE were all stupefied with amaze
ment" comments Gerontius.
ford Alaric captured II, and went to their
Siciiian estate. The troubles of the times
delayed the sale of their possessions for
years. Fast as they could they spent their
wealth in building and endOwing churches.
nunneries, hospitals, and en-
downing and adjoining their affairs with
vessels Of gold and of silver.
They relieved the necessities of thou
sands of the poor and needful. sending
vessels and messengers with money and
for them and TO the hermits
and monks of Egypt, Jerusalem and An
tioch. After twenty-seven years of con-
tinuous effort they had at last reduced
their once colossal fortune to the rem
nant of a small estate in Spain. They
then vent to Jerusalem. whore they end
ed their days and were buried in a NO
nastic retreat which they had built and
Gerontius never could give the number
Of slaves that Melania at one time owned, |
but stated that in two years $500 were
liberated. He stated that her annual in
come was 10000 pounds weight of gold |
equal to more than $30000.OO0 of United |
States gold coin; and. taking the pur-
chasing power of specie in the sixth cen
fury, A. D., fully equal it is estimated, |
to SIS, 10000 today.