The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-09-24
THE LITTLE STORY
or BROTHER PAUL

Il was Easter eve in the little monas-
terry Of st. Luke, just beyond the Dor
der Of Northumbria.
Four brothers made up this quiet, In
dustrious household, brotherhood Of
letters as well as Of religion. It was
IN the old time, when printing was un-
known and there were monasteries.
wherein men spent a whole lifetime in
copying the Holly Scriptures upon
strong parchment In beautiful letters
illumined by choice handwork in gold
and silver colors
The monastery of st. Luke was one
Of the most famous. Father John, the
head of the little household, was full
OF years and learning. He had travel
ed far in his day, and had visited the
great houses in Southern Europe where
hundred monks sat in one room
copying the gospels while one read
slowly the sacred words.
But his house beside the northern
sea had no ambition to make many
copies OF the Holy Word. Rather, he
hoped 1t might be said that the mon
astery Of st. Luke produced the finest
and most neatly faultless copies of the
scriptures in all christendom.
And SO the brotherhood had been
carefully selected. There was Broth
or Stephen, man in middle life. whose
German accent betrayed his father
land. No monk could excel Stephen
in the regularity with which he wrote,
transcribing the words he had learned
to love. His letters never needed
erasures. His words were never mis-
spelled or misplaced. With slow, me-
thodical toll he wrote hour after hour
and his prayers were blended with the
words he wrote that they might reach
the hearts of pagans and heather and
win them to the Lord Christ.
Good Brother Stephen had 1t to his
credit that two bibles which he had
copied were in the possession OF royal
ty, and were read on holy days in
hearing of those who held the might
lest scepters in Europe. Stephen was
e. great comfort to his superior, Father
John.
Then there was Brother Philip.
Young and ruddy was the Saxon broth
er. A Danish warship had touched
upon the British coast one day and
had snatched two fair-haired children
from their mothers protection and had
sailed away to unknown southern seas.
Sold in slave market in Italy, the
girl, in resisting the insults of a Moor
1ah buyer, received blow from which
she died after few hours of agony.
The boy. fired to desperation by his
grief, had fought with his captors and
was rescued more dead than alive. by
an old priest, who took the lad home
and nursed him back to life.
The delirium effaced the boys men,
DRY for awhile and the good priest
called him Philip. And Philip was his
name when he entered monastery,
and developed a wonderful art for
painting
Philip would have enjoyed painting
the scenery of nature. but in that time
It was thought fit only to paint pic
lures OF the saints and OF the Madonna,
or to illumine the text of Holy Writ
with bright initials and rich margins.
So Philip turned to this last, and his
fame became so great that Father John
secured him as member of the little
brotherhood Of st. Luke. And here,
once more in the land of his birth,
Philip lived with the brothers, Illus
trating the beautiful texts of Brother
Stephen with splendid initial letters
bearing figures OF the Virgin and Of
<hc hlossod annsflea
Father John delighted in these two
brothers, Stephen and Philip. They
were ever at work. except sometimes
Philip would look through the narrow
window Of the monastery and watch
the sea simmer beneath the wester-
ing sun, and his brush would droO
from his hand and his eyes would fill
with tears. Then he would draw
picture Of sweet, childish face against
a sea-blue field. and in the silence Of
the monastery he would kiss the child.
face he had drawn.
Then there was another. Brother
Paul. No one quite knew why Paul
had ever been admitted to the studious
monastery OF st. Luke. He was diff
ferent from all the rest. On one high
shelf in the library was half-finished
copy OF the New Testament. Years OF
patient toll had been spent upon 1t.
and one day Brother Paul was working
a design of an eagle. at the conclusion
OF st. Johns Gospel. when an accident
occurred, and the blue and gold wan
spilled through all the pages OF the
precious volume and 1t was ruined be-
yond repair.
It must have been laundering care
lessness, Father John said. And
Brother Paul was sentenced to very
long and heavy penance. To be sure
It was told in the village Of Innesfei.
that Brother Paul had watched at the
bedside Of poor Gurth, the blind beg
gar, who was dying of the fever. and
that the brother had had no sleep tor
seven nights before the terrible acci-
dent happened to the book. But Faith
II Ill