The sun., 1916-12-17
1t Has Played Large Part in the Intel
lectual as Well as the
Christian World
By the Rev.
THOMAS m. SChWERTNER, O.P.,

v By the Rev.
THOMAS NJ. SCHWERTNER, or.
Editor Of "Thc Rosary Md0dsine," pro-
fessor Of church htstorv IN the Donttntcdn
Stvdtx,n, Catholic University, Washing
ton.
RIDAY next-to the supersti-
tious q most inauspicious day
for an anniversary!--wil re-
can TO many minds another Friday.
just seven hundred years ago, when a
Spanish nobieman and priest dressed
In the white habit Of q canon regular
re3oiced to receive at the hands OF his
spiritual lord and chief. Pope Honorius
III. oficial appreciation Of a work abso-
lutely unique in the annals OF Chris
tendon. The founding Of the Friars
Preachers - as the Pope himself
termed the new institute-was the
nrst attempt to employ the utilities
and sanctitics Of democracy for monas-
- purposes.
That the institute has weathered the
storms of seven centuries In countries
where democratic principles were by
no means In popular ,avor; that II still
energies In every part OF the world
according TO the original ideas OF It's
founder: that It has played a large
part in the History O; the intellectual
n we'll as the Christian world during
ail these ages. seems to have given
Pope Benedict XIV. eason and justi-
fcation for addressing to the entire
Catholic universe a letter In which he
ANGLES out for special commemoratiOn
an event Of such rare occurrence and
deep significance. In his capacity as
head Of the Catholic Church, no. less
than as q member OF the Dominican
Third Order, his Holiness in his own
tsrse. nervous way indicates the chief
reasons why the world should feel
grateful on this anniversary OF the
coming Of the Dominicsns into Its
milst.
In tho Catholic Church these bodies
Of men and women who turn aside
from the world to live out systemati-
cally under q well defined rule Of life
the Gospel counsels Of poverty. chas-
tity and obedience to q lawful superior
are called orders or monastic insti-
tutos. Their origin dates back to the
times OF persecution when men. by
flying to the Thebaid or the sand
dunes Of Lydia. sought to serve God
and their fellows unhampered BY the
opposition Of the pagan, who had no
understanding Of such consecrated
service.
During the days Of the barbarian In
vasions. later on. Benedict OF Nursia
built monasteries. where men might
make their hearts tender through
prayer and their hands hard through
labor-both of which practices were
held in low esteem by the hordes Of
fierce warriors then issuing from the
sWamps and forests Of northern Eu-
Sops. As order developed out Of the
chaos that marked the breaking up Of
the Roman Empire. and as the Church
proved daily her eminent fitness to act
a. the matriarch Of these young. head
strong peoples. 30 sorely In need OF
tutoring In self-control and respect for
iAw and order. nonastic institutes,
each devoted to a special need OF the
times, sprang up with admirable fe-
cundity from the bosom. Of the very
religion which they purposed to serve
and foster.
In the thirteenth century a religious
system Of belief, called tndiscrim-
inately Catharism or Albigensian ism
eook root in Languedoc and Lombardy,
md because Of the ignorance OF the
people, the protection of the feudal
lords and the s%upineness OF the clergy
who at that time were busily en-
gagcd In the administration OF vast
estates for the poor-spread rapidly
throughout the land. The adherents
Of the new belief. ensouled with the
teaching Of Names. who had props-
gated his half Greek. half Oriental
system in the third century. taught
that all material things we're evil be
originating from a bad prin-
ciple.
Marriage. property. kinRs-all were
to be utterly discarded. Life itself was
not worth while. and suicide. or the
"endura" as they called 1t. was a
braiseworthy practice. BY n willy
esoteric teaching they enlisted the
good will Of the powerful. while they
e~nveigled the masses by a pretence OF
kreat personal holiness.
Now, Dominic Guzman-born al
Calaruega. In CASTLE. In 1170-iabored
for ten years as missionary in those
barts OF France which were honey
bombed with the new teaching. Being
= university man. he was able to un-
aerstand the subvcrsive principles
upon which 1t was founded. AS a pop