Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-13
SDD AND NEW PILCRIMACES
Attractions Of Sacred Places for Peo-
pie Of All Ages.
PIETY, PLEASURE, EDUCATION
Preparation for midsummer III
grimRge of knights Of Columbus
to Rome, Genoa and
OberammeFEau.
PTETY, PLEAsURE, EDUCAT1oI

Not since the first group Of Catholics
left these shores to pray at the tomb Of the
Apostles has there been such widespread
and serious interest in pilgrimages to holy
places as that excited by the announcement
OF the forthcoming journey to Home,
Genoa and the Passion Play to be made
BY knights Of Columbus and their friends
under the auspices of the original incor-
porators OF that order. The whole country.
and sections Of South America and Canada,
arc watching the progress Of this under
taking. Pilgrimage clubs are being formed
IN every big city in the union. There. IN
deed. appears TO be a revival OF the motives
that prompted devout Catholics in every
part Of Christendom TO make the journey
TO Rome and to the Holy Sepulchre at
Jerusalem; and the renewal must have in
cited a curious interest in the origin and
progress OF these exterior manifestations
OF devotion.
The word pilgrimage in its primitive
use denotod a journey to some place
thought SACRED. for the purpose Of dis
charging a religious obligation; and even
in these days It is associated in the Catholic
mind with penltential exercise. either i'm
y posed by ecclesiastical authority OF volun-
tarily performed by Individuals. The es-
ssntial character Of the pilgrimage has not
been changed by the motive OF education;
that motive having been regarded for
centuries as a beneficial part Of these
jSurneys. The practice Is IN old one, so
old that but little is known OF It's origin;
though trustworthy antiquarians have at
trtbuted It to the nature OF tribal religions.
Herodotus has given us a learned COM
pendulum OF the rites performed by the
ancient Egyptians and ascribes TO them
the custom Of visiting yearly, IN large num-
bers. the cities Of Baslris, Sails. Buto, Hell
topolis and Bubastis, where sacred cere-
monies we're performed in honor Of the
important deities. The Phoenicians had two
annual gatherings for Ashtoreth, at which
was celebrated the miracle OF the ball OF
fire appearing on the summit Of a noun
tain; thence falling into the sea. That
temple was destroyed by Constantine the
Great. An extraordinary evidence Of tribal
pilgrimages was discovered by Cortes in
1919. upon his entry into Mexico. At Cholua
he found crowds of pilgrims worshiping
at the Temple Of Zuetsalcoatl, the history
Of which was unknown. having been built
by a race earlier than the Aztecs, and
established upon a mound vieing in d.
mansions with the greatest of tho Bgyp-
tian pyramids. And just as in Rome today,
there are lovely chapels and gorgeous
b~asllicas representing the loyalty and de-
votions of Catholics in every section OF the
world, so in Mexico were found, grouped
about the holy city, numerous small shrines
built for the special use OF the several
allied or kindred nations which desired to
have national fanes near Ashtoreth.
Ancient Traces.
Numerous traces of the pilgrimage are
IN he found IN the ola TaafaunAnf fra.
quent references being made of visitations
TO the sanctuary Of the ark at Shiloh, and
afterward to Jerusalem. Even the mere
sight of the ruins of ancient shrines was
held sacred, and jeremiah has recorded at
least one devout pilgrimage after the de-
struction of the temple. The pedestrian
journeys of the Moslems have made famous
the ancient city of Mecca. India. however,
is held above all others as the land of pill
~grimages, 1T having observed them" one
historian relates, during a longer I'M
broken period than any other country Of
which We possess sufficient records, and
for frequency and multitude II would be
difficult to find any parallel"
There is no actual proof Of the first
Christian pilgrimage to holy places, though
even as early as the fourth century II was
believed the custom had prevailed un-
broken from apostolic times. Paula and
Eustochium I'm a letter to Marcella $3.50
confirmed that belief, and stated also that
pilgrims then flocked from Armenia, Per-
STA, India, Ethiopia and even Gaul and Brit
ain. The Empress Helena, mother Of
Constantine the Great, to whom she was
indebted for her knowledge of Christianity,
led the first OF the early pilgrimages TO
Jerusalem; and from that period until the
present day-excepting the several inter-
ruptions caused by wars-a devout multi
tude of both sexes has gathered annually
in that ancient city to contemplate the
original monumen of their redemption.
Eusebius In his life of Constantine makes
frequent allusion to the ~salutary custom.
Rtobably the largest crowd OF pilgrims
ATTRACTED to Jerusalem in those days was
that assembled on the occasion Of the con-
secTation OF the new Church Of the Resur-
rection in the year 1886. A century later the
daughter OF Arcadlus, Pulcheria. Arcadia
and Marina, emuiated the example OF the
Empress Helena. In the course OF tim
Rome supplented Jerusalem as the goal OF
pilgrims. II was the abiding place OF tn,
successors of Peter; there reposed the re-
maits Of the two chief apostles. Peter snt
Paul; and the city was justly regarded a.
the metropolis Of ChrtstendOm. SaxoT
England did much to make these vista
lions popular, and among the crowds o.
penitents who Travelled to the City OF tn,
Seven Hills were four kings, Ceadwalla
Ire Colnred and Offa, all OF whom died il
Rome.
Visiting Jerusalem.
In the ninth century the devout custom
OF visiting Jerusalem for the Easter cere
monies received fresh stimulus, tho pill
gItIns from the west including the Hol!
Sepulchre IN their itinerary. The condues
OF the east by the Turks checked the en-
thusiasm Of the devout Christians, and oc
casloned the formation Of those arme,
pilgrim0ges which are known to us a
The Crusadts.
IT is not necessary to dwell here on tn
origin and purpose OF tho holy wars. whicl