The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-05

one OF the most humorous passages
in Mark Twain's irreverent tale of
IA Connecticut Yankee in King Ar
thurs Court deals with the method
in which the shrewd Yankee utilized
the motions of one of the pillar
saints who fourished in the middle
ages. 1t is doubtful if England ev-
er be found in the warm climates Of
the East. These saints were the fol-
lowers of ST. Simeon Stylites, whose
festival is celebrated to-day. The
original pillar saint and the foun-
der of the order of monks who dwelt
on the tops Of pillars was originally
shepherd, but at the age of thirteen
he entered Syrian monastery. La
ter he fixed his residence on the top
of pillar sixty feet in height, hay
Ing diameter at the top of only 3
feet, but surrounded by a railing to
prevent him from falling off. He
wore an iron collar round his neck,
and his scanty clothing was made of
skins. st. Simeon spent most of his
time in bending his emaciated body
so that his head nearly touched his
feet, and a spectator once observed
him make 1,240 such bendings with
out resting. He lived on his pillar
thirty years. but this record was ex-
ceeded by one of his emulators. Sim
con the Younger. who is said to have
spent sixty years on a pillar.
Mark Twain's Yankee thus de-
scribes the pillar saint" Of the VAL
ley of Holiness:
HE was a mighty celebrity; his
fame had penetrated all Christendom
the noble and the renowned journey
ed from the remotest lands on the
globe to pay him reverence. His stand
was in the center Of the widest part
Of the valley; and it took all that
space hold his crowds. His
stand was a pillar sixty feet high,
with a broad platform on top of it:
He was now doing what he had been
doing every day for twenty years up
there - bowling his body ceaselessly
and rapidly almost to his feet. 1t was
his way of praying. 1 timed him
with a stop watch. and he made, L.
244 revolutions in "a minutes and As
seconds. 1t seemed q pity to have
all this power going to waste. It was
one of the most useful motions in me-
chanics, the pedal movement: so I
made a note in my memorandum
book, purposing some day to apply
system of elastic cords TO him and
run sewing machine with it. ar
terward carried out that scheme, and
got five years service out of him; in
which time he turned out upward of
eighteen thousand first-rate two-linen
shirts, which was ten a day. work.
ed him Sundays and all; he was go
ing, Sundays, the same as week days,
rand it was no use to waste the pow
err. These shirts cost me nothing but
just the mere trifle for the materials
Il furnished those myself, it would
not have been right to make him do
that-and they sold like smoke to pill
grims at a dollar and a half apiece
which was the price of fifty cows or a
blooded, race horse. in Arthurdom.
They were regarded as a perfect pro-
| lection against sin, and advertised as
| such by my knights everywhere, with
the paint-pot and stencil-plate."
| a After time the Yankee noticed
that the motive power had taken to
standing on one leg, and I found
that there was something the matter
| with the other one; SO I stocked the
business and unloaded,' taking Sir
Bors de CAMS into camp financially
along with certain Of hts friends; for
the works stopped within year. and
the good saint got him to his rest
But he had earned it. I can say that
| for him."