The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-08-18

| II IanQerS Wnere Tor time the excite
ment OF war seemed very pleasant &c
him: but he Was taken prisoner. and
! his dismal cell was a great deal more
| irksome TO him than his study at the
good bishops house.
/ He finally escaped from prison and
made a home of his own. where ne
! and his wife Beatrice lived together
! for several years. She died, leaving
Peter with three little children. These
! Peter gave TO friend 10 care for and
| fed TO hermit's cell Every Kind OF
| life he had tried had disappointed him.
| and he decided to live ali alone, thar
| he might pray and think until death
summoned him
| But death was a very long way of
! from Peter. In time the narrow cell
became very prison to him and he
grew very restless. He had vowed
that he would live the life Of a hermit,
and the only way in which he could
keep his vow and Yet take his place
I In the world OF action was TO go on
a pilgrimage. ~ thought OF this the
old Wild light flashed in hts eyes, 4
VIII walk" said he 10 himself, where
Christ has walked. Ny tears shat
fall on his sepulcher."
He yet forth upon the Journey and
after many adventures and dangers
~
went from place 10 place in the Holy
/ City his mind was full Of the great
tragedy that had been enacted there.
He burned with indignation at the way
! the unheltevers scorred and abused the
holy places, robbing the pilgrims who
had come 70 worship and think
He talked to the patriarch of Jeru-
salem Of what might be done to wrest
the Holy City from the Mosiems. and
he told the poor Christians that he
would go away and return with the
armies or all Europe 10 fight for the
holy places.
On the evening Of the day when
Peter departed from Jerusalem he
went into the Church OF the Cross to
pray. He was unutterabiy weary with
talking and thinking and much FOUR
neying about. and he fell asleep. While
he slept he thought that the Christ
came To him. saving. Arise, Peter and
have courage 10 do what thou hast
said. ] Will be with thee
Filled with JOY. Peter rose from his
knees and fastened from Jerusalem To
Rome, where the pope listened to him
gladly and blessed him. He babe him
travel from land 10 land. telling all
who would heed him of the suFerings
ne had seen and the detiiement OF the
places OF holy memory he had wit
messed.
How different WAS this life from
that Of "A hermit In a narrow cell,
Peter drank IL in His keen black eys
grew more piercing. and those who
looked at them forgot that Peter was
ungainiy and ugly. lie wore neither
shoes nor hat, and his robe was CON
fined at the waist with a rough girdle.
In his hands he bore always 4 eruci-
fx
When he started 10 speak he made
his listeners feel that the only thing in
all the world that really mattered was
TO save the noIS place from the inf =
deis
Those who followed Peter We're as
enthusiastic as no. when AZ had
preached to hundreds of people about
Jerusalem, the pope came and spoke
10 as many az could come together tn
hear him. The city in which he spoke
could not contain all who came to lis
ten to those words. All sorts or peo-
pie, monks and knights and workmen
and mobiles camped In the bitter cold
about the tow
When the great day had dawned,
tho pope sat on throne in the square
and Peter told again in burning words
Of Jerusalem and OF the things that he
had seen there and when at length
he had finished. the pope rose silently
and told the multitude that all who
should fight in holy wars and thereby
lose their lives would be martyrs and
sure of heaven. When the people,
already wrought up by Peters speech.
heard this they cried out;
ST IL Gods will 1t is Gods will
TT Is Gods win" cried the pope
Take the words for your battlecry,
because YOU seek to save the Holy
City. Take the cross for your sign.
After this a great many others went
10 preach the crusades, and all along
the way by which they Travelled There
gathered crowds of men and women
and children. all with the sign OF
the cross on their shoulders.
The mobiles who had taken the cross
had many things to do ere they were
free to fare forth to war They sold
their silver and jewels. that they might
buy food for their followers on the
long journey. They had to find care
takers for their children and their
castles But the peasants, who had
no idea what II meant to trudge on
foot to the Holy Land and to com
bat with fierce Turks these having
nothing to leave crowded about Peter,
begging him to lead them at once TO
the Holy Land. Now, Peter knew al
hV"t INVITING at al ol Wai, t1id al
though he realized some OF the dan
gers that surrounded the journey, he
never thought how much harder 1t
would be to find food for a thousand
rn2uths than for two. He thought,
too. that all these men were as sin
cere as he himself and would be
equally willing to suffer and die for
the cause-and besides. he was rest
less as usual He longed to see the
cross dying over jerusalem. and 20 he