The Alaska daily empire., 1920-02-21
LEnTEn SEASON
 HERE, EXPLAINED l ]!
 BY CHURCH DEAN
History and Meaning of the Period Now Being
 Observed

Trinity Cathedral has written foi publication an explanation of Lem and what the Lenten period means to churchmen. It is as follows
 The season of Lent in the Churct Calendar began last Wednesday, ant is now being observed all over the world, by multitudes of Christians
 The name of the season itself 'Lent"-merely comes from the old English word for "spring'-lencten- and bears witness to the fact that man even in his natural state and regardless of religious reasons had learned the wisdom of fasting in the springtime for health's sake. The title, "spring fasting. therefore, co mourning for the Lords crucfixion etc, was taken over by the Church as in the case of other heather names Nike "Easter''-the festival of the heather goddess, Eostre) ant sanctified with Christian meaning capturing the kingdoms of the world for the kingdoms of their Lord.
 At first, the Good-Friday suffer ings "passion,'' called from the Latin word Hto suffer-" not from the other Latin word from which we get our ordinary word passion) were com memorated for a perion of forty hours only. instead of forty days as at present. began the celebration oi thefs resurrection c"Easter'). Ther the thought of the Lords 40-day fast ing and temptations in the wilder ness, also, was added, as the Church. year was gradually expanding to cover the commemoration of all the main events in the life Of Christ.
 The season is now kept by the Eastern Church. The Roman Catholic Church. the Anglican tor English and American Episcopal. and by an in creasing number of denominations.
 Meaning and Use of Lent
 Besides the idea already mentioned the commemoration of the Lords sufferings as we'll as rejoicing in His victory the season has been regard ed Hs an especially appropriate time for special spiritual training and dis cspline-true to the instinct that no thing could so powerfully influence the human heart as the thought oi the love of God in His sacrifice and deepen penitence and consecra tiofs The keynote of-sthe season is penttence expressed in the Col lect, from Ash-Wednesday which tho Church puts into the mouths of Hel children every day during Lent.
 Various rules or habits obtain ir thes various religious bodies for the observance of Lent, but, by common consent, it is supposed that it is ar especial time for more frequent pray CT. spiritual exercises, meditation and instruction, fasting. giving, etc., these not with the idea that such are not incumbent at other times as we'll but that period for the special or more intense cultivation of the spir itual life is reasonable. It is much the same idea as that of the busin- ing camp. or the athlete laying aside certain occupations for his training reriod, as we'll as the idea that a person recently bereaved of bus band. wife. child. or parent natur ally does not care for the usual fes
 Tbe Principle
 The idea is not that certain things amusements. etc. usually given III during the lenten season are "sins' or harnfal.. bat that, for this period at least, many things can be suspend whole attention for while on pure ly spiritual matters. and that also one may find out just to what ex tent the demands of the physical life have gotten hold on One-train ing ones self to be able to say "NO' even inS small matters, "lawful' but not always "expedient.'
 For such habits. the example Of the Lord Himself in His 40-day fast ing, and His directions as to "when ye fast,y as we'll as the remarkable statement of the great Apostle Paul tudI tcfcu uc hSpl uuucI ho .Oouy, Hest he be cast away,s are cited as pretty good authority for lesser Christians. ,as g.
 Another illustration that has been used is that, just as one goes into a telephone booth and closed out the sound of the outside world not be- cause they are necessarily sinful but in order that one may hear and speak better-so it isI considered help full to shut of as much of the world as possible for the purpose of the Lenten cainpaign.
 In fact. the principle is very much the same as the universal acceptance and use of one day weekly )"Sun. day') as day of spiritual refresh ment, cessation from. ordinary occu- pations. and the giving of ones self to special spiritual exercisees and instructfonsAthough. of course, the weekly Lords Day isoa festivel always-not that one should be Christian only on Sunday. but that one day a week, at least. is consid-
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