Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1912-03-02
JOLLY MONKS
Some Surprises, For Gem
eraI Public of Pres
eut Day.

Everyone is familiar with the fat,
tolly monks whom brewers and dis
tillers picture in their advertise
ments, and they have served this
purpose so long that the general pub
lie will doubtless be surprised to
learn that the monks of old played
an important part in the prohibition
movements of their day. The first
order of monks was founded at
Alexandria by st. Mark the Evan
gelist. The contemporary Jewish
historian, Philo, calls them thera-
peutae (nurses or healers), and says
that they were total abstainers. The
first known rule for monks was COM
posed by st. Pachomius in the third
century; 1t prescribes total abstin-
enee. BY the middle of the fourth
century Egypt alone had $4,000
monks following st. Pachomius' rule,
which spread to Palestine, Greece,
Dalmatia, Ireland, France, England,
Scotland and Germany. The
Basilian rule, composed by St. Basil,
says: "The drinking of water, which
Is the natural drink, and which salts
fies nature, is promulgated for al
(monks) OF the monks of the
Jordan we are told that "the word
of God was their inexhaustible supply
Of food, and to the body they allowed
only what was ecessary-bread and
water" The rule made for the
monks of Gaul by st. Martin, first
Bishop of Tours, prescribed total
abstinence. The monks of Lerins in
the south of France followed the rule
of st Pachomius. The monks OF
Bohemia were so abstemious that
they did not drink water freely. at
is well known to everybody that the
monks use no other drink but water.
Even water is given plentifully to
the sick only; to others it is meas
ured out" st. Augustine wrote:
Anyone who reads the lives of the
saints. especially the monks of the
desert, can not fail to see that they
observed a perpetual abstinence from
meat and wine."
st. Benedict, an Italian, was the
first founder of a monastic order al
lowing wine. His rule, composed in
the sixth century. allows-sa heniHa
of wine" per day to each monk work
ing hard in the fields. In spite of the
great popularity enjoyed by the
Benedictines, the Irish and English
monks persevered in their total alb
stinence rules for several centuries
after St. Benedict. st. Columbian and
his twelve companions carried their
total abstinence rule from Ireland
into many French monasteries. They
also founded the monastery of st.
Gall In Switzerland and that of
Bobio between Milan and Germany.
st. Boniface, another Irishman,
founded total abstinence monasteries
in Germany. He wrote of his Ger
mans to Pope Zachary: "They are
men of strict abstinence, without
meat and wine, without beer and
servants, satisfied with the labor of
their own hands" In the Irish mon
asteries of Bengor and st. Comgall
"the meal consisted of nothing but
bread and water and vegetables;
milk and other victuals were un-
known to both sight and taste until.
upon the advice of st. Finbar, milk
was allowed to the aged and the
infirm." The monks of Nndisfarne,
England, were total abstainers until
they received into their monastery
King Ceolwulf, who died in 76O.
When the King became a monk he
had the rule changed so as to allow
the monks Of Lindisfarne TO drink
wine and beer. Up to that time they
we're in the habit of drinking only
milk and water, according to the
ancient tradition of st. Aidan. the
first superior OF that church and
monastery"