Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-02-28
LENT IN DlsFAvoR
AT MANY COURTS,
Globe-Democrat.

Globe-Democrat.
Lent no longer finds much favor
with old world royalty, and save at
the courts of Madrid, OF MDnich, OF
Vienna and of 81. Petersburg, IL has
ceased to be observed by means of
fasting. The days when Queen Eliza
beth not only issued privy council
DEGREES, but likewise secured from
parliament the enactment OF statutes
providing divers pains and penalties
for those eating meat on fish days,
are past and gone and are as complete.
ly relegated to oblivion as are the
laws of some of the New England
states prescribing the rigid rules of
abstinence during the penitentlal sea
son. To such an extent have they
been forgotten that by many, both
in this country and Protestant Europe,
the observance of Lent is regarded as
matter of discipline enforced by the
Roman Catholic and orthodox diarchy,
but from the hardships of which mem.
bers OF other Christian denominations
are exempt. In England. for instance,
there Is no interruption of the hospi-
talities of the London season. Din
ners and dances will follow one an
other from now on until just before
Easter, while parliament Is in ses-
sion, without any regard to Lent, and
one or more courts will be held by
the king and queen before they go
abroad again for their customary
spring holiday on the continent. The
only day of the year on which any
pretense is made OF fasting by King
Edward and the reignlng family Is on
Good Friday, when meat is conspIcu-
ous by Its absence from the royal
table, and even this Is ascribed to the
Influence OF Queen Alexandria, who
learns towards the righ rather than
the low church. The abstinence from
meat under the circumstances Ia, how
ever, no very great hardship. For a
dinner" or "dejeuner maigre," that
Is to say, In which no meat figures, In
variably affords to famous chefs. such
as Menager, who Is at the head of
King Edwards kitchen, the opportun-
ity of displaying the acme of their
culinary art.
Both the emperor and empress of
Russia are very strict in their OBJ
servance of the fasts prescribed by
the orthodox church rite, which are in
finitely more rigorous than those OF
Roman Catholicism, prohibiting, as
they do, all foods before O'Clock in
the afternoon and allowing nothing
afterwards save bread and vegetables.
But these privations are not imposed
upon the imperial children, nor upon
the encourage and household of the
czar, whose strictness with regard to
himself in the matter Is attributed
not only to his sincere piety, but also
to the obligations imposed upon him
as the consecrated head of the ortho-
dox church. Few of the grand dukes
and grand duchesses accord any at
tention to Lent in matters culinary,
and by the Russian great world In
general the rules of fast are almost
entirely disregarded.
At the court of Vienna no balls are
given during Lent. But there is the
ordinary round of state banquets, and
in the event of foreign visitors OF
royal or imperial rank, festivities OF
still more elaborate character are
organized In their honor. When these
take place In Lent the menu is much
more complicated and extensive than
at other seasons, since It virtually
comprises two distinct meals instead
OF one, dinner gras," with meat for
the non-Catholics present, and din
er maigre' for those who accord their
spiritual allegiance to the successor
OF st. Peter at Rome. 1t is much the
same at Munich, and especially at
Madrid. where the observance of the
penitential season Is so pronounced
that, for instance, no wheel traffic Is
permitted in the streets Of the capital
between Holy Thursday and Easter
morning.