The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-12-04
MONKS STILL ACTIVE
Work of Holy Men Is Yet
in Evidence.
FOUNDING OF FIRST ORDERS
Reign of Terror Offers Opportunity
TO Band of Pious Men for Laying
Foundation of Sect, which Later
Developed IntO Power of Inter
national Import.

As men of the time viewed the event.
/ the fall OF Rome must have seemed the
most direful calamity that ever befell the
race. For age the Eternal City had
stood as the symbol Of the imperishable.
Nations might rise and fall among the
people that formed the barbarian fringe
! or civilization; the Parthian might vaunt
himself of his skin in horsemanship, the
supercilioys Greek take effeminate pleas
ure in his arts, the Egyptian display the
mighty monuments reared by his ances-
tors. but the Roman could reply that all
of these had been brought to render trib-
ute to him and that heneeforth all the
ends of the world must bring of their
glory and pomp for his ACKNOWLEDGEMENT,
/ saws a writer in the Detroit Tribune.
/ But the Power that overrules in the af-
( fairs Of men had other purposes. Gradu-
1 ally, within, there began that process or
! dlsintegration which foreshadowed the
| end. while at the same moment Provi-
dence as though playing the world as a
giants chess game. began 10 push down
/ from the north those Irresistible hordes
| out of which the future nations of Eu-
rope were to be made Then came the
| fall and the blaekness of night settled
/ down over all the world. 1t was as
I though the same voice which in the be-
/ ginning said, Let there be light" had
revoked its mandate and had turned the
world back into darkness and primeval
Chaos From the Sociological point of
view the world was again without form
and void and darkness brooded over the
| great deep.
/ But entombed with the moldering form
| of the worlds best civilization was a
germ Of Immortality The same Provi-
dence that had been unwilling that the
worlds activities should center about
| the Mediterranean forever had implanted
the seeds Of Christianity at the meeting
| of the highways of the ancient world and
| had fostered il until the tiny growth
| should be able 20 stand the long desola-
ton Of the Middle Ages.
Teachings Are widespread.
There are those who have difficulty in
believing that Jesus Christ worked mira
cles when on earth. There is one mira
| Gle. the greatest OF all. that has never
ceased to be the marvel OF historians Of
every creed: the fact is established be-
yond doubt that the teachings OF Jesus
| OF the little town OF Nazareth in Galilee.
| permeated and honeycombed the whole
fabric OF Roman civilization within a
period of three centuries and though
Rome was conquered. Christianity was
able to conquer Rome's eonquerors.
The magnitude OF this task can hardly
| be conceived to-day. LUXURY and vice
had swept away the greater part OF all
that was good in tie old Roman civiliZa-
ton; the hOrdes that had accomplished
! Rome's overthrow were a disorganized
mass. These facts must be taken into
| account In studying the history Of that
/ time and IN observing the development
of the Christian church through the
early ages OF the new era. II has been
1 the practice in certain sources 10 attrib-
1 ute TO Christianity the cruelties. the
| enormities. the abnormalities which ap.
pear all too frequently In those early
! records. The wise and discreet are able
/ To see that Christianity was the sole saw
| ing factor in all that bedlam OF forces.
In the reign OF terror which so many
eentending forces instituted in those days
| II is difficult 10 understand how any SEM
1 blance of the gentle spirit and the stern
lself-control enjoined by Christ could sur
vive It all One element which predomi-
mates even Ia the savage breast was
taken advantage Of-the spirit OF rever-
| ence. The holy man" among all peo-
pies has ever been a mark OF veneratlon
/ Thus il came about that the property OF
/ the church and the persons OF those dedi-
Gated TO her service, when distinguished
/ by dress or demeanoT were seldom mo-
! Tested. There grew up, therefore. In the
midst OF all this turmoil Ravens OF refuge
where men might find peaceful spiritual
/ cultivation and quiet for reflection and
study The institution which most sue
| cessfully fOstered these privileges was
! monasticism
/ The nature OF the organization OF these
! orders gave them at the same time the
| greatest degree OF protection against the
cupidity of the epoch and enabled then
/ to render the service which was most
| needed. In an age when every mans
hand was against his neighbor and every
effort had to be directed toward physical
maintenance, there was little opportunity
! to conserve those finer arts which -four
! lsh in time Of peace. On the other hand
4 the acquisition of any amount or prop
erty, however small. obliged the posses
sor 10 be continually on the defensive
against attacks of mis- jealous neighbors
! The monk by his vows denied himself al
property. The very pen with which he
so laboriously copied the task assigned
him by his superior was not his own
| Whatever he had the use Of was the
property of the order and as belonging
20 a consecrated institution was fairly
4 free from lawless attack.
The wisdom of the founders of the or
| ders foresaw that II was necessary fol
the good OF the monks themselves that
they should render some service. "A la
boring monk is troubled by one devil; ar
| idle monk a host of devils, was the OBJ
servation of the great Cassianus. The
sick were TO be ministered TO, the sol
was to be cultivated. knowledge was t
be conserved. Both monasteries and nun
neries became the retreat for troubled
souls to whom the trials of this world
seemed more than they could bear. The
self-denial of the monastic VOWS at once
made a strong appeal 10 the imagination
! of the coarse barbarian. II gave TO thu
person OF the monk sort OF sacred
| character.
Monks Measure Up Well.
Well did those early monks measure NJ
to what was required OF them by those
strenuous times. It Is well to remembel
that the Teutonic people who had con
quered Rome were passing through th'
very earliest stages of civilized life. They