Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-20
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSIST
MODEL FOR THE CHARITY
THAT RENOUNCES SELF
Man Who Had But One Father, Him That Heaven
Who Chose Holy Poverty as His Bride, One Whom the
World Might Initiate Today.

Illustrating rho heavenliness o.
poverty the essential lowliness and
AFFECTION OF the Divine Love. mvsfi-
cism combined with the most prac-
teal devotion 10 the needs OF hu-
msnity, with signal political acunen
and judgment reconci1ing the differ
.ences of ruling potentates. a life lived
in the attire Of a poor mendicant. a
rough wooden garment covering him,
grit with a hempen cord, such was
the existence and sucn the charact err
istics Of St. Francis Of Assist, that
great figure of The thirteenth Ger
tury, a vital force for charity and
an exemplar in that far-distant but
brilliant age Of what a human being
can be who squares his conduct by
the beatitudes Of Christ.
It IS doubtful If the social service
agent today knows much about the
life and deeds Of this historic founder
Of the Franciscan order. But some
Of the women of this epoch do. like
Miss Jane Adams, show that the
spirit Of ST. Francis of Assist and Of
his beautiful companion, St. Clare,
founder of the order Of poor CIares.
Is not dead.
NJ. Pclsdon's Play.
u. Peladou, with original and pene-
trating genius, has represented the
story of st. Francis in q play which
may be said 10 be separated into two
divisions In the first act, while a
gay masque goes on, quite in the
manner of the life which St Francis
had led before his conversion and be
fore he saw the vision in the Chapel
Of Santa Maria desi Angel, known
in Assist as the "Portiuncula" which
directed him TO his vocation.
The masque is progressing on o
castle terrace, near Assist, when sud
denly. Glare, to her establishment
and dismay, sees Francis fall. as if
struck down by illness. She leaves
the beggar girl whom she had been
comforting and relieving-for even in
youth, and while living the luxurious
life of the rich and high-born maiden,
she was ever filed with divine com
passion-she flies to the side of her
friend and lover.
Recovering, Francis tells Clare that
in a vision he had been called by God
TO go forth and devote himself to the
redress of wrong, to succor the poor
and to lay aside while he lived the
! commonest, most essential comforts
of life.
scene in the Chapel.
The scene of the second act is laid
in, or before, the chapel of St. Dan
| rian, where Francis, about to receive
| the accolade and be made a knight
! hears his name as from the lips OF
/ one holding the crucifix, and as il
| seems, receives the command I,
mind this ruined chapel" and strips
off his splendid garments, at once
wrapping himself in a beggars cloak
The gay crowd jeers, his father
swears that he will disinherit him
and his friends beseech him to for
get the mad, visionary plan which he
had formed. But Francis is unyield-
ing. And he is sustained and con
firmed in his purpose by the unfal
tering sympathy of Glare. who is sor
rowful, but certain that the vision
which Francis saw was a divine com
mand from heaven.
The imagination and poetic GLOW
of the writer, he who wrote tha'
matcl1less short story. THE Straw
has full play in this scene. and