AMÉRICA LATINA Ocupan una de las mayores favelas de Río.Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1382958-ocupan-una-de-las-mayores-favelas-de-rio http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/06/19/brazil.rio.raid/index.htmlhttp://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/06/20/internacional/internacional/noticias/C1EF9604-7DCD-46FF-8517-987BAE6F1741.htm?id={C1EF9604-7DCD-46FF-8517-987BAE6F1741}Presidenta argentina Cristina Fernández lanzó candidatura a reelección.Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/presidenta-argentina-cristina-fernandez-buscara-la-reeleccion_9689464-4 http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1383352-cristina-kirchner-lanza-el-programa-lcd-para-todoshttp://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/774113.htmlCentroamérica: Zetas, maras y violencia.Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Centroamerica/Zetas/maras/violencia/elpepuint/20110620elpepuint_13/TesPresidencia del Fondo Monetario Internacional y el candidato latinoamericano.Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/candidato/latinoamericano/elpepiint/20110620elpepiint_10/Tes http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/15/2268484/latin-americas-candidate-to-imf.htmlFidel y Raúl Castro visitan a Chávez en el hospital donde convalece en La Habana.Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Fidel/Raul/Castro/visitan/Chavez/hospital/convalece/Habana/elpepuint/20110618elpepuint_11/TesLa tormenta tropical Beatriz se acerca a costas mexicanas.Para más información:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43462141/ns/weather/Un tribunal chileno suspende temporalmente la construcción de cinco presas en la Patagonia.Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/sociedad/tribunal/chileno/suspende/temporalmente/construccion/presas/Patagonia/elpepusoc/20110620elpepusoc_19/TesUn periodista, su esposa, y su hijo son asesinados en México.Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Asesinado/Mexico/periodista/esposa/hijo/elpepuint/20110620elpepuint_20/Tes http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43466780/ns/world_news-americas/ http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexico-journalist-killing-20110621,0,511653.storySe captura a responsable de asesinato de 72 migrantes en México.Para más información:http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-fg-mexico-arrest-20110618,0,6670881.storyDetienen a importante capo mexicano del cartel de drogas 'La Familia'.Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/detenido-capo-del-cartel-la-familia_9689668-4Más de 23 mil jóvenes han sido reclutados por los carteles del narcotráfico en México.Para más información:http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/06/20/internacional/internacional/noticias/A3939B68-E019-4BF5-B12C-622F587D8B9A.htm?id={A3939B68-E019-4BF5-B12C-622F587D8B9A}El Gobierno toma el control sobre revuelta en una cárcel de Venezuela.Para más información:http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/06/20/internacional/internacional/noticias/1389CBE2-D471-4D0D-B231-3ADDC09E91CB.htm?id={1389CBE2-D471-4D0D-B231-3ADDC09E91CB}http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43457741/ns/world_news-americas/http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Gobierno/toma/control/carcel/Venezuela/elpepuint/20110618elpepuint_2/TesBrasil tendrá cárceles privadas.Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1383050-brasil-tendra-carceles-privadas50 años más tarde, en Cuba se publica diario del Ché Guevara.Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/06/14/cuba.che.guevara/index.htmlMinorías que se transformaron en mayorías en Brasil.Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/06/16/brazil.race/index.htmlHumala logra 70% de apoyo en primeras semanas como presidente electo.Para más información:http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/06/20/internacional/internacional/noticias/65EE5763-9142-4CF3-9CF2-690AA7E106D4.htm?id={65EE5763-9142-4CF3-9CF2-690AA7E106D4}Escándalo por el millonario fraude en Las Madres de Mayo.Para más información:http://www.economist.com/node/18836612 http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Madres/Mayo/intocables/elpepiint/20110619elpepiint_1/TesFrancia abrirá proceso de extradición a Panamá de Manuel Noriega.Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/francia-abrir-proceso-de-extradicin-a-panam-de-manuel-noriega_9674645-4 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43451632/ns/world_news-americas/ http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/06/20/internacional/internacional/noticias/A55F2FBD-59FA-4A4A-B887-732D3D019035.htm?id={A55F2FBD-59FA-4A4A-B887-732D3D019035} http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/06/20/france.noriega.extradition/index.htmlChicas mexicanas son entrenadas para ser asesinas de los carteles de droga.Para más información:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43445168/ns/world_news-americas/Cenizas del volcán chileno siguen causando inconvenientes en varias partes del globo.Para más información:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43448061/ns/world_news-americas/ http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/14/2266881/volcanic-ash-from-chile-continues.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13852885ESTADOS UNIDOS / CANADÁEstados Unidos reconoce contactos preliminares con los talibanes.Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/world/asia/20afghanistan.html?ref=world http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Estados/Unidos/reconoce/contactos/preliminares/talibanes/elpepuint/20110619elpepuint_4/Tes http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/06/18/afghanistan.us.taliban/index.html http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/06/20/internacional/internacional/noticias/7F7354C1-77AB-456E-9022-B92F4EB7DC00.htm?id={7F7354C1-77AB-456E-9022-B92F4EB7DC00}Estados Unidos registra una de las peores temporadas de incendios.Para más información:http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/774127.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13868191Hackers: la nueva amenaza mundial .Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1382771-cibertempestadlas-potencias-se-alistan-para-un-pearl-harbour-electronicoAmenaza de bomba retrasa vuelos en Washington.Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/amenaza-de-bomba-retrasa-vuelos-en-washington_9670645-4Hillary Clinton: mujeres saudíes tienen razón al exigir derecho a conducir.Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/clinton-mujeres-saudes-tienen-razn-al-exigir-derecho-a-conducir_9685927-4Estados Unidos busca acelerar la salida de Afganistán: 'probablemente' retirará 10.000 soldados .Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/EE/UU/busca/acelerar/salida/Afganistan/elpepiint/20110620elpepiint_1/Tes http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/773857.html http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/retiro-de-tropas-estadounidenses-de-afganistn_9687465-4La peligrosa ofensiva contra los indocumentados en Estados Unidos.Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1383112-la-peligrosa-ofensiva-contra-los-indocumentados-en-eeuuRepublicanos y demócratas muy cerca de un acuerdo para salvar el TLC con Colombia.Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/republicanos-y-demcratas-muy-cerca-de-un-acuerdo-para-salvar-el-tlc_9676064-4Estados Unidos añade ocho áreas de alto tráfico de drogas.Para más información:http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/773788.htmlWeiner presenta renuncia formal a Congreso de los Estados Unidos.Para más información:http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/773851.html EUROPAIndignados inician marcha de 33 días por España.Para más información:http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/773690.html http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-06/19/content_12733706.htm http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1383108-siguen-las-protestas-de-los-indignados http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1382947-marcha-de-indignados-en-toda-espana http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/06/19/spain.protests/index.html http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/06/20/internacional/_portada/noticias/79CA934D-B104-4739-805E-86CD14E6FECE.htm?id={79CA934D-B104-4739-805E-86CD14E6FECE} http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/protestas-de-los-indignados-en-madrid_9668004-4Murió Elena Bonner, viuda del Nobel de la Paz Andrei Sajarov e importante disidente de la URSS.Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/world/europe/20bonner.html?ref=world http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-yelena-bonner-20110620,0,5167114.story http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/06/20/internacional/internacional/noticias/4B60FD93-92BA-4AFD-8784-CAEF0FAC220A.htm?id={4B60FD93-92BA-4AFD-8784-CAEF0FAC220A}Antiguo líder de ETA: "la lucha armada ya no procede".Para más información:http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/06/20/internacional/internacional/noticias/EEFC2FDE-715D-45CA-A3CF-BB22FD44A014.htm?id={EEFC2FDE-715D-45CA-A3CF-BB22FD44A014}El ex presidente francés Chirac será definitivamente juzgado en setiembre.Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Chirac/sera/definitivamente/juzgado/septiembre/elpepuint/20110620elpepuint_14/Tes http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/773717.htmlPedro Passos Coelho asume el cargo de primer ministro de Portugal.Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/passos-coelho-asume-el-cargo-de-primer-ministro-luso-centrado-en-la-crisis_9684424-4http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/nuevo/gobierno/centro-derecha/portugues/empieza/mal/pie/elpepuint/20110620elpepuint_18/Tes http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Liga/Norte/apremia/Berlusconi/acentuar/politicas/derechas/elpepiint/20110620elpepiint_8/TesLa ONU asegura que solo el 2% de los refugiados libios han huido hacia Europa.Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/ONU/asegura/solo/refugiados/libios/han/huido/Europa/elpepuint/20110620elpepuint_4/TesDetenido el ex secretario de Estado de Sarkozy acusado de violación y agresión sexual.Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Detenido/ex/secretario/Estado/Sarkozy/acusado/violacion/agresion/sexual/elpepuint/20110620elpepuint_17/TesImportante crisis económica en Grecia.Para más información:http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-06/20/content_12733714.htmCrece la alarma mundial por Grecia: el FMI advirtió sobre el riesgo de un contagio global.Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1383187-crece-la-alarma-mundial-por-grecia http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1383144-para-los-griegos-el-problema-es-de-europa http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/06/20/greece.debt/index.htmlAdvierten sobre el contagio de la crisis griega a cinco países europeos.Para más información:http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-06/20/content_12733714.htm http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1382736-advierten-sobre-el-contagio-a-cinco-paises http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/world/europe/20merkel.html?ref=world http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036034/ns/world_news-europe/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43462624/ns/business-world_business/El efecto de la crisis en Grecia podría ser peor de lo pensado.Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1383229-el-efecto-de-la-crisis-en-grecia-podria-ser-peor-que-el-causado-por-el-colapso-financiero-enGobierno griego sobrevive a voto de confianza.Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13869428http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fgw-greece-vote-confidence-20110621,0,1671733.story http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2079240,00.htmlLa Unión Europea acordó la creación de fondo de ayuda permanente para la Eurozona.Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/fondo-de-ayuda-permanente-para-la-eurozona_9674124-4Europa demora en el pago de 17 billones a Grecia.Para más información:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-eu-greece-finances-20110621,0,792178.storyÉxodo rural en Grecia causado por la situación económica.Para más información:http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2079205,00.htmlMedvedev desea un segundo mandato.Para más información:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43460212/ns/world_news-europe/Según ONG Save the Children el mejor país para nacer es Suecia, y el peor es Somalia.Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/los-mejores-lugares-del-mundo-para-nacer_9684425-4Choque de avión deja 40 muertos en Rusia.Para más información:http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/773874.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13851697 http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/accidente-de-avin-en-rusia_9680425-4 http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1383137-accidente-aereo-deja-al-menos-44-muertos-en-rusia http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2078895,00.htmlMedvedev se opone en la ONU a resolución para condenar la violencia en Siria.Para más información:http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-06/20/content_12733715.htmASIA- PACÍFICO/ MEDIO ORIENTECondena internacional el régimen sirio por violencia.Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/world/middleeast/20diplo.html?ref=world http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43460832/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/ http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/world/asia/20afghanistan-taliban.html?_r=1&ref=world"El País" de Madrid analiza: ¿Por qué el mundo no detiene la matanza en Siria?.Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/mundo/detiene/matanza/Siria/elpepuint/20110620elpepuint_12/Tes175 muertos y 1.6 millones de evacuados por inundaciones en China.Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/06/20/china.floods/index.html http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43469501/ns/weather/Militares sirios frenan éxodo hacia Turquía.Para más información:http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/06/20/internacional/internacional/noticias/4E49B2CC-7133-44A7-B82C-98A250EDA60A.htm?id={4E49B2CC-7133-44A7-B82C-98A250EDA60A}Importante ataque de coches bomba en Irak.Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13853886 http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2079062,00.html http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/14/iraq.attack/index.html http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/explosin-de-dos-carros-bomba-causa-25-muertos-y-34-heridos-en-irak_9684804-4Reunión secreta entre las Coreas en China.Para más información:http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-06/15/content_12710490.htmError del ejército surcoreano no tuvo víctimas fatales.Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/06/20/south.korea.civilian.plane/index.html http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-06/19/content_12733804.htmNuevo reporte sobre los estragos de la crisis nuclear en Japón .Para más información:http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-06/19/content_12733806.htmPara presidente israelí:"La paz con los palestinos es cuestión de urgencia".Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/19/israel.mideast.peace/index.htmlPresidente de Siria promete reformas: miles de manifestantes lo tildaron de 'mentiroso'.Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Asad/afirma/habra/reformas/medio/sabotaje/caos/elpepuint/20110620elpepuint_6/Tes http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/20/syria.unrest/index.html http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/773751.html http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/world/middleeast/21syria.html?ref=worldIndignación y protestas en Siria tras otro discurso de Al-Assad.Para más información:http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2078683,00.html http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1383110-indignacion-y-protestas-en-siria-tras-otro-discurso-de-al-assadMisterio por enfermedad que mató a 28 niños en India.Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13852963Nuevo jefe de Al Qaeda: el número dos de Bin Laden.Para más información:http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-qaeda-zawahiri-20110617,0,7986312.story http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/16/2269190/al-qaida-says-al-zawahri-has-succeeded.html#ixzz1PyKlPqTD http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/16/2269190/al-qaida-says-al-zawahri-has-succeeded.htmlDetenida una niña en Pakistán con un chaleco explosivo.Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Detenida/nina/Pakistan/chaleco/explosivo/elpepuint/20110620elpepuint_21/Tes ÁFRICATensión política en Somalía.Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/world/africa/20somalia.html?ref=world Mueren 21 individuos tras enfrentamiento entre soldados y militares en Yemen.Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/world/middleeast/20yemen.html?ref=world http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/06/20/yemen.unrest/index.htmlContinúa la violencia en Libia.Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/world/africa/20rape.html?ref=world http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/19/2273908/libya-says-nato-airstrike-hits.html http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/06/20/libya.war/index.htmlhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43469194/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/ http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/19/2273908/libya-says-nato-airstrike-hits.htmlOTAN admite haber bombardeado por error un edificio de civiles en Trípoli.Para más información:http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/06/20/internacional/internacional/noticias/831A7FFC-622C-4783-93DC-28A4ACBFC2C3.htm?id={831A7FFC-622C-4783-93DC-28A4ACBFC2C3} http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-06/20/content_12733713.htmCiviles construyen armas caseras para enfrentar a Gadhafi.Para más información:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43460246/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/Elecciones en Egipto suponen divisiones en la Hermandad Musulmana.Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/world/middleeast/20egypt.html?ref=worldTúnez condena a Ben Ali a 35 años de cárcel.Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2011/06/20/world/africa/news-us-tunisia-benali.html?ref=worldhttp://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Tunez/condena/rebeldia/Ben/Ali/35/anos/carcel/elpepuint/20110620elpepuint_10/TesMichelle Obama en Sudáfrica.Para más información:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43449828/ns/politics/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-south-africa-obama-20110621,0,6723760.story http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/06/20/michelle.obama.africa/index.html5 muertos tras ataque a estación de policía en Nigeria.Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/06/16/nigeria.blast/index.htmlComisión investigará crímenes post electorales en Costa de Marfil.Para más información:http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/06/16/ivory.coast.abuses/index.html http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43271397/ns/today-good_news/Rey de Marruecos anuncia reforma para una monarquía constitucional.Para más informaciónhttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/africa/cambios-constitucionales-en-marrueco_9656824-4La campaña por el referéndum constitucional divide a Marruecos.Para más información:http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/campana/referendum/constitucional/divide/Marruecos/elpepuint/20110620elpepuint_3/Tes OTRAS NOTICIAS La ONU aprobó "histórica resolución" sobre derechos de homosexuales.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/resolucin-de-la-onu-sobre-los-derechos-de-los-homosexuales_9656710-4 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/06/17/un.lgbt.rights/index.htmlPaíses en desarrollo acogen a 43.7 millones de refugiados.Para más información:http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/773739.html http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/world/20refugee.html?ref=worldBan Ki-moon fue reelegido Secretario General de la ONU.Para más información:http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/774074.html http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/ban-ki-moon-reelegido-como-secretario-general-de-la-onu_9687766-4 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13868655"El Universal" presenta su portal dedicado al cambio climático.Para más información: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/coberturas/cobertura3.html"The Economist" presenta su informe semanal: "Business this week".Para más información: http://www.economist.com/node/18683179
AMÉRICA LATINAVenezuela congela precios: la administración de Chávez aplica una nueva legislación.Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15850784 http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/23/internacional/internacional/noticias/E1CA8620-EA13-4AA7-B643-8796751DED7B.htm?id={E1CA8620-EA13-4AA7-B643-8796751DED7B} http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/venezuela-pone-en-vigor-ley-de-costos-y-congela-precios-de-varios-productos_10812706-4 http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1425656-chavez-anuncia-un-polemico-congelamiento-de-precios#comentar http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/internacional/75339.htmlChina le da un crédito multimillonario a Venezuela para producir petróleo.Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/ultimas_noticias/2011/11/111122_ultnot_china_venezuela_credito_petroleo_fp.shtmlPrecandidato opositor denuncia a Chávez por crímenes de lesa humanidad.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/21/actualidad/1321908448_227631.html http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/precandidato-opositor-denuncia-a-chvez-por-crmenes-de-lesa-humanidad_10807265-4Enrique Peña Nieto queda solo en carrera interna del PRI por la presidencia mexicana.Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/americas/mexico-institutional-revolutionary-party-candidate-drops-out.html?ref=world&gwh=9FAB962EFBDA60208817D64D998BB21C http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/22/actualidad/1321994112_646778.html http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/23/internacional/_portada/noticias/C9E2C91C-E706-4164-898B-A95B15F51E20.htm?id={C9E2C91C-E706-4164-898B-A95B15F51E20}La izquierda mexicana elige como su candidato a López Obrador.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/15/actualidad/1321382388_500126.html El nuevo jefe de las FARC intenta movilizar a sus bases.Para más información: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/15/world/americas/colombia-farc-leader/index.html?hpt=wo_bn8 http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/21/actualidad/1321909000_157359.htmlEncuentran 16 cuerpos calcinados en dos camionetas en norte de México.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/encuentran-16-cuerpos-calcinados-en-dos-camionetas-en-norte-de-mexico_10817028-4Terremoto de 6.2 grados sacude a Bolivia.Para más información: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/22/world/americas/bolivia-earthquake/index.html Líder guaraní es asesinado en Brasil.Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15799712La indignación chilena llega a los barrios acomodados de Santiago.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/22/actualidad/1321946885_214330.htmlOposición de Nicaragua asegura fraude en las pasadas elecciones presidenciales.Para más información: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/16/world/americas/nicaragua-elections/index.htmlLa Justicia francesa acepta la extradición de Noriega a Panamá.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/la-justicia-francesa-acepta-la-extradicin-de-noriega-a-panam_10815244-4Rousseff sanciona dos leyes para promover la transparencia en Brasil.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/19/actualidad/1321715470_824807.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15799705México, el proveedor de armas de Latinoamérica.Para más información: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/internacional/75323.htmlLa presidenta Cristina de Kirchner abre la era del ajuste en Argentina.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/argentina-cristina-abre-era-del-ajuste_10800507-4 Se encontraron cuerpos de víctimas de guerra civil en Guatemala.Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/americas/guatemala-bodies-of-civil-war-victims-found.html?ref=world&gwh=7FAEA2F7D44BBF99A2D46FAAB510BB43Aprobación de Humala cae en medio de escándalo y conflictos en Perú.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/aprobacin-de-humala-cae-en-medio-de-escndalo-y-conflictos_10801065-4Encuentran 15.3 millones de dólares en auto perteneciente al narco mexicano.Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15846066 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45408974/ns/world_news-americas/#.TszDCHKwA9062 jueces de Brasil sospechosos de lucrarse con la venta de sentencias.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/21/actualidad/1321910471_413127.html "MSNBC" analiza el rol de las familias cubanas en el exilio estadounidense.Para más información: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45398215/ns/us_news-the_new_york_times/#.TszDPnKwA90 Chávez despliega tropas para combatir el crimen.Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15786541 ESTADOS UNIDOS / CANADÁ Estados Unidos refuerza sus sanciones a Irán.Para más información: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iran-sanctions-20111122,0,5739709.story http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/21/actualidad/1321904927_392915.html http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1425319-obama-aumenta-la-presion-sobre-iran-con-mas-sanciones#comentar http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/middleeast/thomas-e-donilon-obama-aide-says-iran-feels-strain-of-sanctions.html?ref=world&gwh=60F10D2A742A6A8B76432527E7771B0E Renuncia embajador de Pakistán en Estados Unidos.Para más información: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pakistan-envoy-resigns-20111123,0,7594172.story http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/22/world/asia/pakistan-ambassador-resigns/index.html?hpt=wo_c2 http://www.lemonde.fr/asie-pacifique/article/2011/11/23/l-ambassadeur-du-pakistan-aux-etats-unis-pousse-a-la-demission_1607838_3216.html http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/22/8956530-pakistans-memogate-triggers-us-ambassadors-resignation http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-11/23/content_14149301.htmObama presiona por un acuerdo para reducir el déficit de Estados Unidos.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/en-carreras-para-definir-recorte-en-gasto-en-estados-unidos_10805044-4 http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1425436-obama-presiona-por-un-acuerdo-para-reducir-el-deficit-de-eeuu#comentar El gobernador de Oregón suspende la pena de muerte por considerarla "moralmente equivocada".Para más información: http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2011/11/23/l-orgegon-renonce-a-la-peine-de-mort_1607822_3222.html http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/23/actualidad/1322024205_805318.html ]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15851828La batalla del déficit marca el declive del liderazgo de Estados Unidos.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/22/actualidad/1321987733_364881.htmlA la justicia militar soldado que filtró información a WikiLeaks.Para más información: http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/23/internacional/internacional/noticias/BB9707C3-1602-4641-9D64-A035E3258DCF.htm?id={BB9707C3-1602-4641-9D64-A035E3258DCF}Según Obama su gira por Asia fue un éxito.Para más información: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/19/world/asia/thailand-obama/index.html?hpt=wo_bn7 Candidatos republicanos se enfrentan en debate televisado.Para más información: http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2011/11/22/newt-gingrich-nouvelle-coqueluche-des-electeurs-republicains_1607420_3222.html http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/internacional/75336.html http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gop-debate-print-20111123,0,311678.story http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15849057El FED pondrá a prueba fortaleza de los bancos estadounidenses.Para más información: http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2011/11/22/la-fed-va-tester-la-resistance-des-grandes-banques-americaines_1607809_3234.htmlLas represalias contra Ocupa Wall Street paralizan una universidad de California.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/22/actualidad/1321994181_191477.html EUROPAVictoria de Mariano Rajoy en elecciones españolas.Para más información: http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/11/spains-election http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1425600-rajoy-bajo-presion-externa-para-que-anuncie-sus-planes#comentar http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/rajoy-presidente-del-gobierno-espaol-no-quiso-dar-pistas- no_10806484-4 http://resultados.elpais.com/elecciones/generales.html http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/Pressure/builds/on/Rajoy/to/reveal/plans/elpepueng/20111122elpeng_11/Tenhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/world/europe/falling-markets-welcome-new-spanish-leader.html?ref=world&gwh=3DDA3F0DD1C1757428F3BCFA67C404E4 http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/23/internacional/_portada/noticias/BE207423-B09C-4187-8F76-CE3748DC9203.htm?id={BE207423-B09C-4187-8F76-CE3748DC9203}http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/11/22/actualidad/1321995888_407623.html http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/20/world/europe/spain-election/index.html?hpt=wo_bn9La crisis de la economía europea incrementó la xenofobia en España.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/xenofobia-en-espaa_10813227-4España paga por su deuda el costo más alto en casi 20 años.Para más información: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1425410-espana-paga-por-su-deuda-mas-que-grecia-y-portugal#comentarLos políticos italianos y griegos tratan de sobrevivir a la tecnocracia.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/19/actualidad/1321725831_851802.html http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-11/23/content_14145311.htmEuropa sigue azotada por la crisis económica.Para más información: http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2011/11/euro-crisis-16 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15840939 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/business/global/banks-seek-emergency-funds-from-ecb.html?ref=world&gwh=12082F92F7B01A5D929A17AE65133412Fondo Monetario Internacional expande herramientas crediticias.Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15847359La crisis sentencia la política exterior europea.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/21/actualidad/1321907864_965289.html"La Nación" publicó: "La crisis en Europa sigue arrasando. gobiernos".Para más información: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1425165-la-crisis-en-europa-continua-arrasando-gobiernos#comentar Muere ex primera dama francesa Danielle Mitterrand.Para más información: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/810535.html http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45398085/ns/world_news-europe/#.TszDinKwA90 http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/23/internacional/_portada/noticias/FBE8C684-A60F-422E-BD06-EFD6AE470379.htm?id={FBE8C684-A60F-422E-BD06-EFD6AE470379}Rusia contempla una respuesta al escudo antimisiles de Estados Unidos.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/rusia-contempla-una-respuesta-al-escudo-antimisiles-de-ee-uu_10815487-4Financieros e intelectuales franceses no descartan el final de la moneda única.Para más información: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-france-denial-20111117,0,19630.story http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/19/actualidad/1321729116_096626.htmlStrauss Kahn demanda a consejero de Sarkozy.Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/europe/dominique-strauss-kahn-files-lawsuit.html?ref=world&gwh=352C181344B8D3C3D70F6DC111426C5C http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/23/internacional/internacional/noticias/B5E863C0-A3B2-49EB-84F4-C37B29A3C899.htm?id={B5E863C0-A3B2-49EB-84F4-C37B29A3C899}Agoniza el mayor lago de los Balcanes devastado por contaminación.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/agoniza-el-lago-shkodra-de-los-balcanes_10798868-4El primer ministro de Bélgica presenta su dimisión al rey.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/21/actualidad/1321905076_971841.htmlGran Bretaña impulsa sanciones contra Irán mientras que Rusia las rechaza.Para más información: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/22/world/meast/iran-sanctions/index.html?hpt=wo_c2 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/21/world/europe/uk-iran-sanctions/index.html?hpt=wo_bn9Encuentros entre gobierno británico y oposición siria.Para más información: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/21/world/europe/uk-syria-opposition/index.html?hpt=ieu_c2Berlusconi acude al Tribunal de Milán por el proceso Mediaset.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/22/actualidad/1321965890_550310.htmlPrimer ministro turco recomienda a su homologo sirio el fin de la violencia.Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/middleeast/turkish-leader-says-syrian-president-should-quit.html?ref=world&gwh=520C39538BA1703CF9EA85DCF888C8A7 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/22/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html?hpt=wo_c2ASIA- PACÍFICO/ MEDIO ORIENTEComienza el juicio contra la cúpula del Khmer Rojo, responsable del genocidio en Camboya.Para más información: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/21/world/asia/cambodia-khmer-rouge-trial/index.html?hpt=wo_bn7 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/asia/defendant-says-khmer-rouge-saved-cambodia-from-vietnam.html?ref=world&gwh=A0D22879C1730952271E66ACC55E18D6 http://www.lemonde.fr/asie-pacifique/article/2011/11/23/pour-khieu-samphan-le-regime-khmer-rouge-etait-soutenu-par-la-population_1607825_3216.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15850062 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-cambodia-khmer-tribunal-20111122,0,7925250.storySiria: una protesta al borde de la guerra.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/siria-una-protesta-al-borde-de-la-guerra_10795604-4 http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/muertos-por-represin-en-siria_10813924-4 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/20/world/meast/syria-violence/index.html?hpt=wo_bn11 http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/22/actualidad/1321950162_347268.html http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/11/22/world/middleeast/AP-ML-Tunisia-New-Assembly.html?ref=world&gwh=3622C13B9909B78911A14D8D6F0859B3 http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1425094-nuevo-ataque-en-siria#comentarNaciones Unidas condena a Siria por la represión contra civiles.Para más información: http://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2011/11/22/l-assemblee-generale-de-l-onu-condamne-la-repression-en-syrie_1607762_3218.html http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/naciones-unidas-condena-la-represin-siria-contra-los-civiles_10812866-4Presidente de Yemen firmó plan que prevé su salida del poder.Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15850913 http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/traspaso-de-poder-en-yemen_10813904-4 http://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2011/11/23/le-president-saleh-se-rend-a-ryad-pour-signer-l-accord-de-transfert-du-pouvoir-au-yemen_1607820_3218.htmlIrán condena nuevas sanciones occidentales y las considera sin efecto.Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/middleeast/in-iran-newspaper-protest-new-friction-seen.html?ref=world&gwh=65CEEEB72F52CCB1180077F7912AB5F0 http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/22/actualidad/1321965125_727429.html http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/irn-condena-nuevas-sanciones-occidentales-y-las-considera-sin-efecto_10807924-4Al menos un muerto y cuatro heridos en ataque en noroeste de Pakistán.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/ataque-en-noroeste-de-pakistn_10813884-4Corea del Sur firma Tratado de Libre Comercio con Estados Unidos. Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/business/global/seoul-votes-a-chaotic-yes-to-free-trade-with-us.html?ref=world&gwh=BB739A3062162F41118E54C510844BA2Rey de Jordania visita Ramallah.Para más información: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/21/world/meast/jordan-palestinians/index.html?hpt=wo_bn11 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/middleeast/hamas-gains-momentum-in-palestinian-rivalry.html?gwh=20968B04656665E3C22947475DC9AB9ALa ganadora del Nobel Suu Kyi se presenta al Parlamento de Myanmar.Para más información: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45389461/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/#.TszDhXKwA90Crece la tensión entre Tayikistán y Rusia.Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/asia/tajikistan-moscow-tensions-ease.html?ref=world&gwh=56F107720E6492668796DDA4B1E14C81Filipinas: se encuentran explosivos en zona de masacre del 2009.Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/asia/philippines-bombs-are-found-near-site-of-2009-massacre.html?ref=world&gwh=B2634F670E7E9A2DCC9F313DBA0B1FDFÁFRICALas protestas y la violencia aceleran la transición en Egipto.Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15848602 http://printempsarabe.blog.lemonde.fr/2011/11/23/ahmad-harara-heros-tragique-de-la-revolution-egyptienne/ http://printempsarabe.blog.lemonde.fr/2011/11/22/ce-que-la-place-tahrir-veut/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45398123/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/#.TszDBHKwA90 http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-egypt-street-cop-20111123,0,5218854.storyhttp://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-11/23/content_14149626.htm http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/middleeast/egypts-cabinet-offers-to-quit-as-activists-urge-wider-protests.html?_r=1&ref=world&gwh=FAFB4F2ED0D8667242D11DA56225420E http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/22/world/africa/egypt-protests/index.html?hpt=wo_c1 http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/22/actualidad/1321991775_513676.html http://blogs.elpais.com/aguas-internacionales/2011/11/tahrir-2-ya-no-compra-promesas.html http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/22/actualidad/1321956370_052101.html http://www.lemonde.fr/tunisie/article/2011/11/22/ben-jaafar-elu-president-de-l-assemblee-constituante-tunisienne_1607747_1466522.htmlMarruecos : miles de manifestantes piden en las calles el boicot a las elecciones.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/20/actualidad/1321809192_348786.htmlLibia no entregará a Saif al Islam a La Haya.Para más información: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-libya-new-govermmnet-20111123,0,2688168.story http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15847309 http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/810537.html http://www.lemonde.fr/libye/article/2011/11/22/la-libye-devoile-son-nouveau-gouvernement_1607773_1496980.html http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-11/23/content_14147504.htm http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/world/africa/libyas-interim-premier-appoints-militia-leader-to-cabinet.html?ref=world&gwh=3F3DE5BBED98C4DD29506A54DB186626 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/22/world/africa/libya-icc/index.html?hpt=wo_c2Azania, verdadero objetivo de Kenia en Somalia.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/22/actualidad/1321958191_945005.htmlOTRAS NOTICIASVolatilidad en los mercados ante la creciente incertidumbre.Para más información: http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1425675-volatilidad-en-los-mercados-ante-la-creciente-incertidumbre#comentar "El Universal" presenta su portal dedicado al cambio climático.Para más información: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/coberturas/cobertura3.html"The Economist" presenta su informe semanal: "Business this week".Para más información: http://www.economist.com/node/21538805
AMÉRICA LATINA El uso de la justicia es la nueva amenaza a la libertad de prensa en Latinoamérica.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/30/actualidad/1320002660_066961.html"The Economist" analiza la política argentina de control de divisas.Para más información: http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2011/11/argentina%E2%80%99s-currency-controlsEl caudillo Ortega busca la reelección en Nicaragua.Para más información: http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/02/internacional/internacional/noticias/0A9E2D06-B148-40AD-A527-4B64C584E326.htm?id={0A9E2D06-B148-40AD-A527-4B64C584E326} http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/01/actualidad/1320170494_369158.htmlTropas de Honduras unen fuerzas para luchar contra el crimen organizado.Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15549083Bolivia y Brasil harán operaciones conjuntas contra el narcotráfico.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/bolivia-y-brasil-anuncian-operaciones-militares-conjuntas-contra-narcotrfico_10678605-4 El ex presidente Lula será tratado de un cáncer de laringe.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/ex-presidente-lula-confiado-en-el-tratamiento-contra-el-cncer_10669364-4 http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/29/actualidad/1319901376_467742.html http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-brazil-dilma-20111016,0,7107872.storyCuba pide a Estados Unidos 'cambiar ya su política migratoria'.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/cuba-ee-uu-debe-cambiar-ya-su-poltica-migratoria_10686425-4México conmemora a los fallecidos en la lucha anticrimen.Para más información: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45125484/ns/world_news-americas/#.TrEYmnKwA90 http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/01/actualidad/1320136406_866427.htmlIntenso terremoto sacude zona sureste de Perú.Para más información: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/29/world/americas/peru-earthquake/index.htmlChávez ordena "adquisición forzosa" de tierras de filial británica.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/chvez-ordena-adquisicin-forzosa-de-tierras-de-filial-britnica_10669064-4Correa protagoniza la cumbre con un desplante al Banco Mundial.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/29/actualidad/1319911024_598723.html http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/rafael-correa-protagoniz-un-agrio-incidente-en-cumbre-iberoamericana_10664064-4Las elecciones regionales en Colombia refuerzan al presidente Santos.Para más información: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/31/world/americas/colombia-rebel-turned-mayor/index.html?hpt=wo_c2 http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/31/actualidad/1320096578_493057.html http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/02/internacional/_portada/noticias/E9220CF5-62F9-40A1-809E-27C4030D5291.htm?id={E9220CF5-62F9-40A1-809E-27C4030D5291}El grupo de hackers Anonymous parece ser un nuevo enemigo del narcotráfico mexicano.Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/world/americas/mexicans-turn-to-witchcraft-to-ward-off-drug-cartels.html?ref=world http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45105396/ns/technology_and_science-security/#.TrEYoXKwA90 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/31/world/americas/mexico-anonymous-threat/index.html?hpt=wo_c2Sismo de 6 grados Richter sacudió varios estados de México.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/sismo-de-6-grados-richter-sacude-algunos-estados-mexicanos_10679904-4La prensa iberoamericana vigila EcuadorPara más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/30/actualidad/1319932160_220227.htmlHuracán Rina se debilita antes de llegar a Cancún.Para más información: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45073311/ns/weather/#.TrEYqXKwA90Fiscal argentina pide cárcel para modelo colombiana por narcotráfico.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/fiscal-argentina-pide-crcel-para-modelo-colombiana-por-narcotrfico_10682969-4Polémica por fuerte aumento del gasto militar y baja inversión en seguridad interna venezolana.Para más información: http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/02/internacional/_portada/noticias/7BBC5361-DBF7-4DE3-9927-BCF65E4A4907.htm?id={7BBC5361-DBF7-4DE3-9927-BCF65E4A4907}Detienen al disidente Guillermo Fariñas en Cuba.Para más información: http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/02/internacional/internacional/noticias/DA774136-3673-46C1-8F69-9543AFA005DE.htm?id={DA774136-3673-46C1-8F69-9543AFA005DE}Choque de tren contra un bus escolar deja 7 muertos en Argentina.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/choque-de-tren-contra-un-bus-escolar-deja-7muertos-en-buenos-aires_10689884-4 ESTADOS UNIDOS / CANADÁ Wall Street sacudida por anuncio de posible referéndum en Grecia.Para más información: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-11/02/content_14024826.htmEl FED determina el curso de la política monetaria estadounidense.Para más información: http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2011/11/02/la-fed-fixe-le-cap-de-la-politique-monetaire-americaine_1597147_3222.html Protestas en Estados Unidos dejan miles de arrestos.Para más información: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/internacional/74983.htmlUn escándalo sexual pone en apuros al líder de las primarias.Para más información: http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/10/herman-cain-0 http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/internacional/74992.html http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/31/actualidad/1320092176_576774.html http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/ventilan-episodios-de-acoso-sexual-aspirante-a-la-investidura-republicana_10678505-4Tormenta de nieve deja doce muertos en el noreste de Estados Unidos.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/tormenta-de-nieve-deja-seis-muertos-en-el-noreste-de-ee-uu_10670685-4 http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/30/actualidad/1319929940_539145.htmlAumentan los controles para evitar inmigración ilegal en Estados Unidos.Para más información: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45084559/ns/us_news-security/#.TrEYqnKwA90 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/us/americas-waning-influence-has-a-silver-lining.html?ref=world Estados Unidos desarticula una importante red de narcotráfico en la frontera con México.Para más información: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45100583/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/#.TrEYpXKwA90 http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/01/actualidad/1320178748_682737.htmlBarack Obama obtiene el apoyo ciudadano a su política exterior.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/01/actualidad/1320167402_707844.htmlSegun Kissinger la contraparte de Estados Unidos no pueden ser los Talibanes. Para más información: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-11/02/content_14020988.htm El nivel de aprobación de Obama aumentó a 47%. Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/el-nivel-de-aprobacin-de-obama-aument-a-47_10687444-4EUROPAEl referéndum griego sobre el acuerdo de la Unión Europea reaviva la crisis de la deuda.Para más información: http://www.economist.com/blogs/buttonwood/2011/11/greek-referendum http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-greece-debt-fallout-20111102,0,1461340.story http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15555449 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/01/world/europe/greece-debt-referendum/index.html?hpt=wo_c1 http://www.elpais.com/articulo/economia/referendum/griego/acuerdo/UE/reaviva/crisis/deuda/elpepueco/20111101elpepueco_1/Teshttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/grecia-perturba-el-futuro-de-la-ue-con-anuncio-de-referendo_10679444-4 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/world/europe/austerity-faces-political-test-in-greek-turmoil.html?ref=world http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45114513/ns/world_news-europe/#.TrEYaXKwA90La crisis griega se apodera del G20.Para más información: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/805736.htmlGabinete de Grecia respaldó propuesta de Papandreou.Para más información: http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/11/euro-zone-crisis http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/gabinete-de-grecia-respald-propuesta-de-papandreou_10686484-4Tribunal de Londres autoriza la extradición de Julian Assange a Suecia.Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15549985 http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/extradicion-de-julian-assange-_10687424-4 http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/805742.htmlhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45129622/ns/world_news-europe/#.TrEYdHKwA90A 20 años de la caída de la URSS Putin reflota el sueño ruso de una superpotencia.Para más información: http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/02/internacional/_portada/noticias/580BB725-FBFF-4088-9E76-6C1B2EA32015.htm?id={580BB725-FBFF-4088-9E76-6C1B2EA32015}Cuestiones económicas dominan la agenda de reunión de líderes del G20.Para más información: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-11/02/content_14019609.htm http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15550422 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/business/global/euro-crisis-holds-both-hopes-and-fears-for-britain.html?ref=world http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-11/02/content_14021676.htmCensurado un reportaje televisivo sobre la tortura en Chechenia.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/01/actualidad/1320150607_986884.htmlSilvio Berlusconi sometería reformas económicas al voto de confianza.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/berlusconi-dispuesto-a-someter-sus-reformas-econmicas-al-voto-de-confianza_10671303-4Semanario francés fue incendiado la noche del pasado martes.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/semanario-francs-incendiado_10687484-4 http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/01/8583325-a-protest-only-the-french-could-cook-upBulgaria apuesta por la continuidad y elige al candidato oficial a la presidencia.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/28/actualidad/1319803405_310247.htmlASIA- PACÍFICO/ MEDIO ORIENTEAtambáyev arrasa en los comicios de Kirguizistán ante denuncias de fraude.Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/world/asia/kyrgyzstan-says-united-states-manas-air-base-will-close.html?ref=world http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/31/actualidad/1320052345_875824.htmlPosible acuerdo entre Siria y Liga Árabe para detener violencia.Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/world/middleeast/syria-accused-of-kidnapping-4-in-lebanon.html?ref=world http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/02/internacional/internacional/noticias/16B7D92D-45D5-4FA8-A577-4838AE22630B.htm?id={16B7D92D-45D5-4FA8-A577-4838AE22630B} http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/siria-acepta-sin-reservas-plan-de-paz-de-la-liga-rabe-_10689205-4 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/01/world/meast/syria-unrest/index.html?hpt=wo_c2 http://www.lemonde.fr/proche-orient/article/2011/11/01/consultations-a-damas-sur-un-plan-de-sortie-de-crise-de-la-ligue-arabe_1596738_3218.html Cuatro muertos y al menos 100 heridos en explosión en China.Para más información: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45128660/ns/local_news-seattle_wa/#.TrEYhnKwA90 http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/asia/cuatro-muertos-y-al-menos-100-heridos-en-explosin-en-china_10679384-4El presidente sirio, Bashar Al Assad, dice que 'la región puede arder'.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/asia/crisis-en-siria-y-en-oriente-medio_10668644-4Ataque con carro bomba deja 17 personas muertas en Afganistán.Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/15551751 http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/asia/ataque-suicida-contra-soldados-de-la-otan_10662924-4 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/31/world/asia/afghanistan-violence/index.html?hpt=wo_c2China ordena pagar 1,7 millones de euros al artista disidente Ai Weiwei por evasión de impuestos.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/01/actualidad/1320134125_023619.html http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/02/internacional/internacional/noticias/4CBA0653-801D-4A93-962A-A049E1556070.htm?id={4CBA0653-801D-4A93-962A-A049E1556070} http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/02/internacional/internacional/noticias/754BEDB0-A771-470C-B523-4D5CE1B7F04E.htm?id={754BEDB0-A771-470C-B523-4D5CE1B7F04E} http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/world/asia/dissident-artist-says-china-is-seeking-2-4-million-in-back-taxes.html?ref=world http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/01/world/asia/china-artist-taxes/index.html?hpt=wo_bn7Hallan nexo de Siria y Pakistán en tema nuclear.Para más información: http://diario.elmercurio.com/2011/11/02/internacional/internacional/noticias/C93DC5A8-CD55-4D1B-A442-BB8B4561332A.htm?id={C93DC5A8-CD55-4D1B-A442-BB8B4561332A} http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/world/asia/report-details-problems-for-karzais-afghan-security-force-plan.html?ref=worldEl Asad lanza un aviso: una intervención en Siria "quemaría la región".Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/30/actualidad/1319967959_959688.htmlTailandia continua sufriendo las consecuencias de las nefastas inundaciones .Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/world/asia/bangkok-officials-have-to-choose-who-stays-dry-in-floods.html?ref=world http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15553636 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/31/world/asia/thailand-flood/index.html?hpt=wo_bn7 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45115550/ns/world_news/#.TrEYv3KwA90 http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-11/02/content_14025094.htm http://www.lemonde.fr/asie-pacifique/article/2011/11/02/les-inondations-en-thailande-ont-fait-plus-de-400-morts_1597154_3216.htmlLa carrera por los tesoros de Afganistán.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/31/actualidad/1320084432_089252.html http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghanistan-attacks-20111030,0,4617457.storyA soldado estadounidense lo condenan a 10 años de prisión por violación en Corea del Sur.Para más información: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/01/world/asia/south-korea-soldier-rape/index.html?hpt=wo_c2Siria coloca minas en su frontera con Líbano.Para más información: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45114788/ns/world_newsmideast_n_africa/#.TrEYfnKwA90Palestina avanza en el ingreso en la ONU.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/31/actualidad/1320089513_204037.htmlEjercito israelí autorizado a detener cohetes provenientes de Gaza.Para más información: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45120459/ns/world_newsdeast_n_africa/#.TrEY2HKwA90"China Daily" analiza la importancia que tiene para China el comercio con América Latina.Para más información: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-11/02/content_14019004.htmEl emir de Catar anuncia elecciones para su cámara consultiva.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/01/actualidad/1320137304_545664.htmlAFRICAAbdelrahim Elkib, designado jefe del Gobierno libio de transición.Para más información: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45123039/ns/world_newsmideast_n_africa/#.TrEYgnKwA90 http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/africa/abdelrahim-elkib-designado-jefe-del-gobierno-libio-de-transicin_10675506-4 http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/31/world/meast/libyagovernment/index.html?hpt=wo_bn10Ataque suicida sacude a Somalia. Para más información: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45100121/ns/world_news-africa/#.TrEYi3KwA90Miles de rebeldes mueren en Sudán del Sur.Para más información: http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-11/01/content_14014820.htm http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/31/world/africa/sudanighting/index.html?hpt=wo_bn10Drama de los somalíes que huyen por no morir de hambre y en silencio.Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/giving/some-aid-trickles-into-somalia-surrounded-by-death-and-disease.html?ref=world http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/africa/crisis-en-somalia_10678564-4La OTAN cerró su operación militar de siete meses en Libia.Para más información: http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/africa/la-otan-cerr-su-operacin-militar-de-siete-meses-en-libia_10678385-4 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/world/africa/in-libya-the-fighting-may-outlast-the-revolution.html?ref=world El islamismo avanza en la nueva Libia.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/01/actualidad/1320170181_471604.htmlLa ONU insta a Libia a mantener sus arsenales fuera del alcance de Al Qaeda.Para más información: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/world/africa/in-libya-the-fighting-may-outlast-the-revolution.html?ref=world http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/11/01/actualidad/1320146343_540072.htmlKenia incursiona militarmente en territorio de Somalia. Para más información: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-kenya-somalia-20111030,0,4326630.story http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/world/africa/planes-are-flying-arms-into-somalia-for-militants-kenya-says.html?ref=worldLa fiebre de cultivos perturba África.Para más información: http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2011/10/30/actualidad/1319999483_738868.htmlNo es posible culminar por el momento el juicio a Mubarak. Para más información: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/30/world/meast/egypt-mubarak-trial/index.html?hpt=wo_bn11 http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2011/11/01/le-zimbabwe-peut-reprendre-le-commerce-de-diamants-de-marange_1597120_3212.html http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/world/middleeast/egypts-tourism-suffers-as-its-revolution-stalls.html?ref=worldOTRAS NOTICIASEl mundo tiene 7.000 millones de habitantes.Para más información: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15459643 http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/numero-de-personas-de-la-poblacion-mundial_10639484-4 http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2011/10/26/7-milliards-d-humains-en-2011-et-15-milliards-en-2100_1594137_3244.html http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-seven-billionth-baby-20111031,0,455314.story "El Universal" presenta su portal dedicado al cambio climático.Para más información: http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/coberturas/cobertura3.html"The Economist" presenta su informe semanal: "Business this week".Para más información: http://www.economist.com/node/21534852
AMÉRICA LATINA Brasil admite haber espiado dependencias de la embajada de Estados Unidos. Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/world/americas/brazil-acknowledges-spying-on-diplomats-from-us.html?ref=worldhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-24828668http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/americas/brazil-spying/index.html?hpt=wo_c2http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/04/actualidad/1383574787_015627.htmlhttp://www.eluniversal.com.mx/el-mundo/2013/impreso/brasil-tambien-ha-espiado-revela-diario-84751.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/ultimas_noticias/2013/11/131105_ultnot_brasil_espionaje_ministro_wbm.shtml Según sondeos Bachelet ganaría en primera vuelta. Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1633786-bachelet-ganaria-en-primera-vuelta Incendio presuntamente intencional daña sede de Bachelet en Chile. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/incendio-presuntamente-intencional-dana-sede-de-michelle-bachelet-en-chile_13160872-4 Los Zelaya buscan volver al poder en Honduras. Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1635144-los-zelaya-buscan-volver-al-poder-en-honduras Elecciones en Argentina: Kirchner derrotada en las legislativas. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/elecciones-en-argentina_13145902-4http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/perfil-del-poltico-argentino-sergio-massa_13153376-4 Gobierno argentino encuentra documentos secretos de la dictadura militar. Para más información:http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/americas/argentina-dictatorship-files/index.htmlhttp://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/05/actualidad/1383624001_706481.htmlhttp://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/governo-argentino-encontra-documentos-secretos-da-ditadura-militar-10686218#ixzz2joShCyyF Sismo de 6,5 grados sacude centro de Chile. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/sismo-de-65-grados-en-chile_13153716-4 Diversos medios analizan las nuevas rutas de la cocaína de America Latina. Para más información:http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2013/11/05/en-amerique-latine-les-nouvelles-routes-de-la-cocaine_3508494_3222.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-24800089 Accidente de avión en Bolivia deja ocho muertos y 10 heridos. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/accidente-de-avin-en-bolivia-deja-ocho-muertos-y-10-heridos_13159103-4 Ocho países realizan el mayor ejercicio militar aéreo conjunto en Latinoamérica. Para más información:http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/05/actualidad/1383609280_789526.html Ley de medios, un golpe a grupo argentino Clarín. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/ley-de-medios-un-golpe-a-grupo-clarn_13149960-4 Ex presidente de Perú reta a Ollanta a debate. Para más información:http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/el-mundo/2013/reta-ex-presidente-de-peru-a-ollanta-a-debate-963273.html Cuba prohíbe cines privados y venta de artículos importados. Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-24790569http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/cuba-prohbe-cines-3d-privados-y-venta-de-artculos-importados_13157084-4 Guatemala pierde interés en integrarse a Petrocaribe. Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/ultimas_noticias/2013/11/131105_ultnot_guatemala_retira_petrocaribe_jgc.shtml México: miles de personas celebraron el Día de los Muertos. Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1635005-dia-de-los-muertos Maduro decreta el "Día de la Lealtad y el Amor al Comandante Supremo". Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/venezuela-celebrara-el-dia-de-la-lealtad-y-el-amor-al-comandante-hugo-chavez_13160847-4 Venezuela introducirá nuevo tipo de cambio para turistas. Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1634235-venezuela-introducira-nuevo-tipo-de-cambio-para-turistas Nicolás Maduro y la militarización de la sociedad venezolana. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/nicols-maduro-y-la-militarizacin-de-la-sociedad-venezolana_13156470-4 Diversos miedos crecen respecto a capacidad de Brasil de hospedar el próximo Mundial de Fútbol. Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24828804 16 personas han muerto por dengue en Nicaragua en este año. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/16-muertos-por-dengue-en-nicaragua_13157378-4 13 muertos deja enfrentamiento en Matamoros- México. Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-24803143 Guerrilla colombiana libera rehén estadounidense Para más información:http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/27/world/americas/colombia-farc-american-hostage-released/index.html Andrés Oppenheimer analiza crecimeinto latinoamericano. Para más información:http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/11/02/3725607/andres-oppenheimer-world-ranking.html ESTADOS UNIDOS /CANADÁ Las elecciones parciales en EE UU señalan el camino a la Casa Blanca. Para más información:http://www.lemonde.fr/ameriques/article/2013/11/05/a-new-york-une-revanche-sur-les-riches-avec-bill-de-blasio_3508302_3222.htmlhttp://www.lanacion.com.ar/1635688-nueva-york-elige-nuevo-alcalde-tras-la-era-giuliani-bloomberghttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/los-neoyorquinos-acuden-a-las-urnas-para-elegir-un-nuevo-alcalde_13160877-4http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24813179http://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/eleicoes-de-nova-york-poem-fim-era-bloomberg-10687146#ixzz2joSYWLJm http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/05/actualidad/1383677774_704970.htmlhttp://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21588913-young-recall-clinton-boom-not-scandals-clinton-effect El espionaje de Estados Unidos y la agencia NSA sigue generando tensión internacional. Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1634977-la-espia-del-siglo-la-nsa-la-agencia-que-todo-lo-puede-y-todo-lo-vehttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/espionaje-en-estados-unidos-john-kerry-dice-que-el-pas-se-sobrepas_13154238-4 Obama continúa luchando para implementar una reforma en el sistema de salud. Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24824653 Obama impulsa reforma migratoria ante empresarios. Para más información:http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/el-mundo/2013/obama-impulsa-reforma-migratoria-ante-empresarios-963220.html Caos y muerte en el aeropuerto de Los Ángeles por atacante solitario. Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1634906-detalles-siniestros-del-tiroteo-en-el-aeropuerto-de-los-angeleshttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/evacuan-el-aeropuerto-de-los-ngeles-tras-un-tiroteo_13154760-4 Hallan muerto al autor de disparos en centro comercial de Nueva Jersey. Para más información:http://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/atirador-achado-morto-apos-disparar-em-shopping-de-nova-jersey-10687415#ixzz2joSdm0KI http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1635543-encontraron-muerto-al-tirador-de-nueva-jersey-detras-del-shopping-donde-actuohttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/estados-unidos/atacante-se-suicida-tras-abrir-fuego-en-centro-comercial-de-nueva-jersey-eeuu_13160298-4 Guantánamo le cuesta a Estados Unidos 200 millones de dólares al año. Para más información:http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/05/actualidad/1383672584_280295.html EUROPA El nacionalismo, la xenofobia y cuestiones migratorias siguen siendo el centro de discusiones en Europa. Para más información:http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/04/21303956-thousands-of-russian-nationalist-marchers-raise-specter-of-anti-immigrant-violence?litehttp://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/03/actualidad/1383507169_514239.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/world/europe/russia-nationalists-press-anti-immigrant-agenda.html?ref=world&gwh=A1E63C4610173C0114D1DC8933FD4D60http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/25/world/europe/europe-migration-lampedusa/index.htmlhttp://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/jovens-voltam-as-ruas-da-franca-para-protestar-contra-deportacoes-10691363#ixzz2joUI5dwO Berlín convoca al embajador británico por espionaje. Para más información:http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2013/11/05/les-grandes-oreilles-britanniques-en-plein-c-ur-de-berli_3508112_651865.htmlhttp://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/embaixada-britanica-em-berlim-teria-sido-usada-para-espionagem-diz-independent-10689217#ixzz2joUDLPDN http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/05/actualidad/1383665180_886243.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/europe/germany-uk-spy-report/index.html?hpt=ieu_c1 Un fuerte temporal azotó el norte de Europa y dejó por lo menos diez muertos Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1633430-un-fuerte-temporal-azoto-el-norte-de-europa-y-dejo-por-lo-menos-diez-muertoshttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/temporal-al-norte-de-europa_13146984-4}http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/29/world/europe/europe-severe-weather/index.html Asesinadas a cuchilladas tres personas en el secuestro de un autobús en Noruega. Para más información:http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/04/21308934-three-killed-in-norway-bus-attack?litehttp://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/tres-pessoas-morrem-em-sequestro-de-onibus-na-noruega-10682646#ixzz2joUKrwMp http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24824069http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/05/actualidad/1383606597_727668.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/world/europe/norway.html?ref=world&gwh=C4E420C2A5F8E1A70185F1DDB4DDD8AB La violencia en la zona serbia aplasta el proceso de pacificación de Kosovo. Para más información:http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/04/actualidad/1383558828_534421.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/world/europe/violence-mars-election-in-kosovo.html?ref=world&gwh=4F5028F6061EA83EFAA63CC3341D932F La Unión Europea retoma el diálogo de adhesión con Turquía tras años de bloqueo. Para más información:http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/05/actualidad/1383672260_160362.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24825002 Diversos medios analizan perspectivas económicas de la Unión Europea. Para más información:http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013-11/05/content_17083716.htmhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/business/eu-predicts-anemic-growth-and-high-unemployment-in-2014.html?ref=world&gwh=EEBF2AAAE54EA8AEEB44B2816F9BC94Chttp://www.lanacion.com.ar/1634353-el-desempleo-en-la-eurozona-bate-un-nuevo-recordhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24817818 En Ginebra diplomáticos trabajan, sin resultados alentadores, para lograr un acuerdo de paz en Siria. Para más información:http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013-11/06/content_17083814.htmhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/world/middleeast/syria.html?ref=world Miles de cuerpos son encontrados en fosa común en Bosnia. Para más información:http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/01/world/europe/bosnia-mass-grave/index.html Policía alemana recupera 1.500 obras de arte robadas por los nazis. Para más información:http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/05/21318847-nazi-art-trove-in-german-apartment-includes-previously-unknown-matisse?litehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24818541http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1635322-hallan-arte-saqueado-por-los-nazis-valuado-en-us-1350-milloneshttp://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-germany-nazi-art-20131105,0,4039020.story#axzz2joJTEsVh Integrante de Pussy Riot es transferida a cárcel en Siberia. Para más información:http://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/integrante-do-pussy-riot-transferida-para-siberia-10693915#ixzz2joU9cuSt Francia recibe cuerpos de los periodistas franceses asesinados en Mali. Para más información:http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/africa/france-mali-journalists-killed/index.html?hpt=wo_c2http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24815614 "CNN" analiza nueva regulación del accionar de la prensa en Reino Unido. Para más información:http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/31/world/europe/uk-press-regulation-reaction/index.html Masiva protesta en Madrid por el fallo que liberó a dos etarras Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1633062-masiva-protesta-en-madrid-por-el-fallo-que-libero-a-dos-etarras Snowden trabajará en una de las principales páginas web de Rusia. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/snowden-trabajar-en-una-web-de-rusia_13152559-4 ASIA- PACÍFICO/ MEDIO ORIENTE "El Tiempo" de Colombia publica desgarrador articulo que cuenta el drama de las niñas novias de Pakistán. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/nias-de-cinco-aos-en-pakistn-que-estan-casadas_13144836-4 Según la ONU el 40% de la población siria necesita ayuda humanitaria. Para más información:http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-syria-humanitarian-crisis-20131105,0,3474610.story#axzz2joJTEsVhhttp://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/05/actualidad/1383645001_000170.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2013/10/31/world/meast/syria-chemical-weapons-opcw/index.htmlhttp://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/onu-40-da-populacao-siria-precisam-de-ajuda-humanitaria-10683911#ixzz2joVz9Zqc http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-iran-us-20131105,0,2110637.story#axzz2joJTEsVhhttp://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/05/21315471-nine-million-syrians-need-humanitarian-aid-due-to-war-un?lite Al menos 40 muertos, incluidos siete niños, deja coche bomba en Siria- Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/atentado-en-mezquita-de-damasco-en-sirira_13144675-4 El hambre como arma: la nueva táctica del régimen sirio para ganar la guerra. Para más información:http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1634045-el-hambre-como-arma-la-nueva-tactica-del-regimen-sirio-para-ganar-la-guerra Diplomáticos no logran poner fecha para realizar una nueva conferencia de paz para Siria. Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24827718http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/el-mundo/2013/siria-sin-acuerdo-de-paz-este-anio-onu-963251.htmlhttp://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/conferencia-de-paz-sobre-siria-adiada-10692998#ixzz2joVspJ98 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/world/middleeast/while-few-seem-eager-to-talk-peace-in-syria-un-mediator-wont-stop.html?ref=world Siria destruye instalaciones de producción de armas químicas. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/armas-qumicas-en-siria_13152535-4http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1634347-siria-destruyo-sus-instalaciones-de-produccion-de-armas-quimicas Muerte del jefe de talibanes dicen que no afectará el proceso de paz en Pakistán. Para más información:http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/01/world/asia/pakistan-violence/index.htmlhttp://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/muerte-de-talibn-afecto-proceso-de-paz-en-pakistn_13156855-4http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1634761-en-una-ofensiva-con-un-drone-muere-el-lider-taliban-en-paquistanhttp://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/world/asia/afghanistan-karzai-pakistan-taliban/index.html?hpt=ias_c2 Condenados a muerte 152 acusados por los motines en Bangladesh en 2009. Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/world/asia/152-soldiers-given-death-penalty-over-revolt-in-bangladesh.html?ref=worldhttp://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/05/actualidad/1383650531_119779.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/asia/bangladesh-soldiers-death-sentence/index.html?hpt=ias_c1http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24817887 India lanza su primera nave exploratoria a Marte. Para más información:http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013-11/06/content_17083798.htmhttp://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2013/11/05/world/asia/ap-as-india-mars-mission.html?ref=worldhttp://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/world/asia/india-mars-orbiter/index.html?hpt=wo_c2http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24729073http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-india-launch-mars-mission-20131104,0,3566545.story#axzz2joJTEsVh No hay signos de un proceso de pacificación en Irak. Para más información:http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/world/meast/iraq-violence/index.htmlhttp://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/28/21139521-war-weary-iraqis-scared-to-leave-homes-as-violence-reaches-levels-not-seen-since-2008?lite Riad arresta a miles de inmigrantes irregulares tras el fin de la amnistía. Para más información:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24810033http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/05/actualidad/1383663779_618475.html Kerry visita Arabia Saudita. Para más información:http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-us-saudi-rift-kerry-visit-20131104,0,6904287.story#axzz2joJTEsVh Gobierno chino detiene a cinco individuos por ataque en la plaza Tiananmen. Para más información:http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/30/world/asia/china---tiananmen---arrests/index.htmlhttp://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/30/21246103-five-arrested-over-tiananmen-square-terrorist-attack-chinese-authorities-say?litehttp://www.lanacion.com.ar/1633422-un-raro-incidente-en-la-plaza-tiananmen-dejo-5-muertos Kerry intenta promover diálogo de paz entre palestinos e israelíes. Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/world/middleeast/kerry-in-mideast-tries-to-prod-israeli-palestinian-talks.html?ref=world Terremoto de magnitud 5.0 sacude a Tokio. Para más información:http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/03/world/asia/japan-earthquake/index.html Inundaciones dejan decenas de muertos al este de India. Para más información:http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/26/world/asia/india-floods/index.html Irán ahorca a 16 presuntos rebeldes tras la muerte de 17 policías. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/medio-oriente/irn-ahorca-a-presuntos-rebeldes-tras-la-muerte-de-policas_13144300-4 Irán y un posible acuerdo sobre su plan nuclear. Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/world/middleeast/iran-says-nuclear-deal-is-possible-this-week.html?ref=world ÁFRICA Morsi desafía a los militares en Egipto. Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/05/world/middleeast/egypt.html?ref=worldhttp://www.economist.com/blogs/pomegranate/2013/11/muhammad-morsi-trialhttp://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/04/actualidad/1383532972_935193.htmlhttp://www.eluniversal.com.mx/el-mundo/2013/impreso/mursi-desafia-al-gobierno-egipcio-8220soy-el-presidente-legitimo-8221-dice-84753.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24801882http://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/presidente-deposto-do-egito-passa-noite-em-hospital-de-prisao-10691700#ixzz2joWgr6Zu http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-egypt-morsi-trial-20131105,0,4510471.story#axzz2joJTEsVhhttp://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/02/21288349-two-french-journalists-kidnapped-and-killed-in-northern-mali?chromedomain=worldblog Los rebeldes del M23 anuncian el fin de su lucha armada en el Congo. Para más información:http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/06/world/africa/m23-rebels-democratic-republic-congo.html?ref=world&_r=0http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/05/actualidad/1383642968_110904.htmlhttp://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2013/11/05/en-rdc-le-gouvernement-annonce-une-victoire-totale-sur-le-m23_3508091_3212.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/africa/congo-rebels-disarm/index.html?hpt=iaf_c1http://oglobo.globo.com/mundo/derrotado-grupo-rebelde-encerra-insurgencia-no-leste-do-congo-1-10691553#ixzz2joWjLxAmhttp://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/05/21318777-congos-defeated-m23-rebels-announce-disarmament-seek-diplomacy?lite Asesinados a tiros dos periodistas franceses secuestrados en el norte de Mali. Para más información:http://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2013/11/05/mali-trois-des-ravisseurs-des-journalistes-de-rfi-identifies_3508659_3212.htmlhttp://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2013/11/02/actualidad/1383414551_209423.htmlhttp://www.lanacion.com.ar/1634953-secuestran-y-asesinan-a-dos-periodistas-franceses-en-mali "China Daily" analiza el rol de Ruanda conectando a África Para más información:http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2013-11/04/content_17077864.htm Túnez extiende su estado de emergencia. Para más información:http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/03/world/africa/tunisia-unrest/index.html?hpt=iaf_c2 28 muertos luego de estampida en Nigeria. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/africa/muertos-en-estampida-en-nigeria_13157615-4 OTRAS NOTICIAS Cada año más de 800.000 personas son víctimas del tráfico humano. Para más información:http://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/europa/cada-ao-ms-de-800000-personas-son-vctimas-del-trfico-humano-en-el-mundo_13132278-4 "The Economist" presenta su informe semanal: "Business this week". Para más información:http://www.economist.com/news/world-week/21588134-business-week
Creo sería interesante antes de iniciar una exposición sobre la Medicina en el Perú y Guatemala antes de la conquista, conocer aunque solo sea de manera breve lo que era la medicina en la Europa de la misma época. Es evidente que por la Europa de finales del siglo XV y comienzo del XVI existen una mezcla de medicina y cirugía medieval y un esbozo del saber Renacentista, aunque no está en apogeo el Renacimiento ni Vesalio había publicado su obra fundamental lo que hizo en el 1534. Se llevó a cabo durante la Edad Media un arte quirúrgico y solo se progresó algo en la terapéutica, del tratamiento de las heridas y fracturas, luxaciones, extirpaciones de tumores accesibles y abertura de abscesos etc. Se echa en falta la anestesia, la anatomía galénica y medidas para detener las infecciones. Se aplicaba corrientemente el cauterio y se estimulaba la aparición del pus; además del empleo de remedios cáusticos para luchar contra las heridas envenenadas, sin embargo los cirujanos eran diestros en extraer cuerpos extraños, operar la hernia o hacer la talla para extraer cálculos vesicales. La cirugía de esta época era una mezcla de lo recopilado por los árabes, los maestros de salernos y de alguno de los investigadores internacionales. En esta época las enfermedades mentales eran consideras como consecuencia de la actuación de causas sobre naturales y los enfermos eran poseídos de los dominios. Se preconizaba curas milagrosas por determinados médicos el uso de amuletos protectores o la peregrinación a una Ermita salvadora donde existía la imagen del santo de la dolencia. Se sostenía que algunas enfermedades eran curadas por Dios y por tanto no podían ser tratados sino con procedimientos mágicos y no por cura racional. La cultura árabe penetra poco a poco en Salerno, lo cual la diferencia de lo anterior por la observación y la experiencia. Salerno y Bolognia serán luego árabes. Mientras en la primera el régimen que se regía con las heridas era procurar la supuración, en Bologna debe emplearse el apósito seco. La esponja somnífera que ya empieza a inhalarse disminuye el dolor. España poco a poco se convierte en árbitro del poder Mediterráneo gracias a las culturas judías; musulmanas y árabes, reemplazando a Salerno. De las primeras universidades salían médicos togados y muy pocos cirujanos, la cirugía era un complemento o una especialización de los estudios médicos. En el siglo XV se inició un renacimiento de la cirugía, el descubrimiento de la imprenta y el uso de las armas de fuego en las guerras impone una nueva forma de tratar las heridas. Estas se cauterizaban con aceite hirviendo por creerlos envenenadas. Una edición en Venecia por el año 1490 de la "fraude Chirugia" de Guy de Chauliac, en que dedica sendos capítulos a la Anatomía y reforma la técnica de la operación de la hernia sin sacrificar el testículo, es una obra de consulta obligada para los cirujanos de la época en ella se hallan comentarios a Albuceris y Aricenas… etc y otros. La regla dominante en la Edad Media es la diferencia entre la medicina y la cirugía lo que estaba en contra del avance de las dos ciencias. Se sostenía que la Cirugía era un arte inferior y los que a ella se dedicaban eran sujetos de baja condición social. Los cirujanos para aprender su oficio debían practicar al lado del Maestro del Colegio, uno de los cuales y muy afanado fue el Colegio de San Cosme de París, destinados a proteger a los gremios. Al final de sus modestos estudios en donde los alumnos aprendían algunas recetas latinas y recibían su título de Bachiller. Después de un cierto tiempo y mediante el pago de una cuota obtenían el grado de licenciado y luego el de Maestro. En Londres existía una hermandad de Cirujanos que eran donde se formaban muchos maestros que vigilaban por el buen orden la Profesión. El Barbero sostenía que podía ejercitar ampliamente la Cirugía, de ahí las disputas entre ambos gremios. El Barbero por su parte defendiéndose de los otros gremios, había constituido un importante cuerpo cinco, y el Rey Eduardo IV les concedió carta de incorporación la que decía "por los hombres libres del oficio de Barbero e nuestra ciudad de Londres que ejercen el oficio o arte de la Cirugía.". Cirujanos y Barberos se disputaban la clientela quirúrgica de Londres, París o Madrid, posteriormente de las ciudades americanas de reciente creación. Los cirujanos practicaban operaciones menores, iban de ciudad en ciudad como en las ferias a reclamar la atención del público para su arte de curar la hernia, la catarata o la operación de talla. Barberos y maestros cirujanos tenían abiertos boticas para ejercer tratando el barbero de igualar al cirujano y este al médico. Con una visión amplia y no muy profunda ¿Cuál era el estado de la Cirugía en España? Los árabes habían realizado un relativo progreso. Albucaris dedica en su obra un capítulo a hemostasia y otro a las rupturas. Describe como deber de hacerse la amputación y era un gran aficionado al cauterio. Ya en el prerrenacimiento la enseñanza misersiteria tampoco hizo progresar la cirugía y la causa radicaba en la diferencia entre la medicina y la cirugía. La última profesión estaba postergada. En el Monasterio de Guadalupe se practicaba la anatomía y allí se formaban algunos cirujanos y médicos o físicos. Los Reyes Católicos ordenaron que existiera en dicho centro un promédico para examinar a los graduados. En las universidades de Palencia, Valencia, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Mallorca, Alcalá de Henares, Salamanca y otros, se fundan los primeros Manicomios Europeos y algunas Leproserías. Ya en la Edad de Oro de la Medicina Española (1500-1665) que ya fue la época posterior, contribuyendo sus médicos a un avance, sobre todo en Anatomía, Clínica y Terapéutica. El Protomedicato Español tiene su origen en un decreto de Juan II en el año 1542 en que se creó el Tribunal de Alcaldes Examinadores. Fue copia de este el que se impuso en América y en especial en Perú en 1570. Ruiz Moreno en su obra, la Medicina en la Legislación Medieval Española (Buenos Aires L.946) se refiere a los Físicos o Médicos " Los que por la fragilidad humana consideran la seriedad de las cosas queriendo saber si engaños de donde proceden las enfermedades, y cuál es la causa de la corrupción de los cuerpos, luego entenderán cual es al poco tiempo la utilidad de los médicos, y qué necesidad hay de ellos, por cuyo arte o industria muchas veces la salud ya alcanzada se censura y la pérdida se restituye". Se denominaban genéricamente a estos profesionales "Físicos o Maestros de las Llagas". Para América estaban vigentes, las prerrogativas que dieron los Reyes Católicos y el Tribunal del Protomedicato para los años de 1491 y 1498. Mandamos que los Promédicos y Alcaldes Examinadores Mayores, que no tuvieran poder, lo sean en todos nuestros reinos y señoríos, que ahora son y fueran de aquí en adelante por examinar a los Físicos y Cirujanos y Ensalmadores y Boticarios y Especieros y Herbolarios y otras personas que todo o en parte usaren de estos oficios. Si contravinieran algunos de los Reglamentos del Tribunal se les impondrá castigo y multas proporcionales. Los profesionales reseñados deberían mantenerse dentro de los límites de su arte sin invadir el ajeno, para no caer en sanción del Protomédico.- "Para que conozcan los crímenes y delitos de los tales Físicos y Cirujanos y Examinadores y Boticarios y Especieros para hacer justicia en sus personas y bienes. Además se instituía que no usaran de ensalmos o conjuros, ni encantamientos si la pena o penas que les pusieran por cuanto somos certificados que lo tal es en daño de nuestra conciencia. De ahí se puede comprender que la medicina mágica estaba en su más álgido esplendor, como arte derivado de las prácticas de la Edad Media, con la Escolástica, las Ciencias ocultas, la Magia… etc. Los jefes del Protomedicato fijaban la responsabilidad del cirujano. "Como los Físicos y Cirujanos que se metan por sabidores y no lo son, mereciese haber si muriere pena, por culpa de ellos". El Barbero tenía como función competente rajar, poner sanguijuelas ventosas, sacar dientes. Había Barberos examinadores mayores, que velaban porque nadie pudiese poner tienda para practicar su oficio, excepto los citados barberos. Una de las tradiciones recogidas por Ricardo de Palma "Feliza Barbero", que se corresponde con el Perú del siglo XVII esta dedicada a relatar como el Barbero Iginio, que residía en la ciudad de Huanaco, por haberse tardado en atender a un noble fue, lanzado por este de un balcón descalabrándose, una vieja que pasaba junto al infeliz exclamó: "Bien hecha muerte. Feliz Barbero que mueres a manos de un caballero." El ejercicio de la medicina ostentaba dos directrices. "Por cuanto es notorio que la medicina tiene dos partes y en la una hemos ya proveído, ordenado que ya en nuestra corte Físicos, proveyendo ahora en la segunda para lo que podría acaecer a nos y a nuestros ciudadanos ordenamos que haya en la Corte prácticos en el arte de la Cirugía y que tengan consigo todo lo necesario de su arte… Yendo nos en el ejército, en el cual tiempo queremos que duerman junto a los Emperadores Romanos y Cirujanos militares, institución antigua en España y que representa a no dudarlo la simiente de nuestra moderna Cirugía de guerra en la Conquista. Grandes cirujanos de esa época, ya entrados en el siglo XVI fueron en España: Juan Fragoso, Francisco Arceo, Juan Ochoa, Bartolomé Hidalgo, Dionisio Daza y otros. Por Euorpa existían las eminencias de Juan de Ardenas y Juan de Mierdfield, que ideó una técnica para la Fístula de Ano. Guerra, estudió las ideas de P. Alonso de la Vera Cruz, residente en México en la primera mitad del siglo XVI. Trabajo en donde observa cual es el saber médico en América en el periodo a estudiar. Vera Cruz estudió en Salamanca, y llego a México en 1546, considera Vera Cruz "La medicina es un arte, parte de la Filosofía Natural, cuyo objeto es el cuerpo, que ha de sanar, contenido en el ente, y es además de carácter práctico, luego el arte de la medicina ha de promover la salud, que resulta práctico y filosófico". Hay necesidad de guiarse por la observación, la experiencia y analogía. Algo se opone a la Astrología de la Edad Media. "Estas influencias pueden impedirse por otras causas naturales; por educación y sobre todo por el libre albedrio. Se atiende a la clasificación de los temperamentos en.- Colérico, Flemático, Melancólico y Sanguíneo. Luego al referirse a la Bioquímica expresa, todos los cambios que acontecen en la Naturaleza pueden ser explicados admitiendo la unidad de la materia. No niego el poder curativo de la Sugestión y la fuerza Hipnótica de algunos curanderos, llamados "Saludadores". Todo ello así como los titulados en Lima "Ensalmadores" tienen su fundamento en la antigua medicina Mágico-Religiosa. ¿Cuál fue entonces la Medicina y la Cirugía que llevamos a América en el siglo XVI? El saber popular refiriéndose a los gremios y a sus edades decía: Médico viejo, Cirujano Mozo, Barbero que le apunta el Bozo. Es el saber Greco-Latino de Hipócrates y Galeno, el de los Árabes y Salerno, tamizado a través de las Universidades Españolas. Lo que llegó a América, siguiendo a Lain Entralgo, es un medievalismo caduco y una incipiente modernidad, la astrología, esencia cientista del horóscopo es todavía la imperante ¿Porqué este retardo de la medicina para adquirir los módulos de cultura renacentista? "La tardía situación de la novedad médica a cada una de las etapas de la historia universal: La medicina no se modifica después que el arte, la religión o el pensamiento filosófico porque su particular novedad requiere como supuesto la previa consecución de otras tocantes a la ciencia natural, la antropología y la Técnica". El humanismo médico esta aún lejos. El saber del Cirujano ha mejorado algo gracias a la práctica aunque en modesta escala, de las autopsias, ya que la Cátedra de Cirugía estaba asociada a la de Anatomía, y buenos cirujanos como anatomistas fueron Berengario de Carpi y Alessando Benedetti. Francisco Arceo expuso que existían dos clases de cirujanos. "Unos en quienes la instrucción, la experiencia, el honor y la buena fe residen en el más alto grado; otros hay tan ignorantes como vanos que sobre no conocer la ciencia no quieren sujetarse al dictamen y consejo de los primeros y otros en fin groseros y vagabundos empíricos y rateros usurpadores de la cirugía andan de pueblo en pueblo. El Cirujano universitario añade Lain a la vez sabedor y hábil, el cirujano meno hábil y el experto pero no instruido y el empírico trashumante incurso ya en la curandería acaso hasta en el picarismo se hallan eficazmente retratados en este párrafo de Arceo. De ellos los más numerosos en la conquista Americana fueron los del tercer grupo. De todo esto se pude comprender porque muchos de los conquistadores pedían casi de todo a los Reyes pero no médico cirujanos, entre ellos el mismo Hernan Cortés pues la cirugía que en América encontraron era al menos equiparable con la Española de la época. Lain al estudiar el Renacimiento expresa que dominó en los primeros años la fidelidad a la tradición medieval y que los geniales hallazgos de Vesalio, Paracelio o Frascastoro, fueron fenómenos aislados, que solo mucho tiempo después lograron infiltrarse en el estudio universitario. El saber de los médicos y cirujanos llegados a América en este periodo tienen el tinte de la Edad Media sobre todo de sus últimos siglos cuando ya estaban en marcha las universidades y se iniciaba el Renacimiento. Es indudable que cuando el hombre llegó al Continente Americano, compartiendo así la idea de las infecciones, traía consigo un bagaje curativo algo que se puede intuir pero no demostrar, pues se carecen de pruebas documentales. Lo que si es indudable que aquel bagaje cultural hubo de perfeccionarse, aumentando y adaptándose al medio que iba abriéndose ante el horizonte de las nuevas regiones. Con el correr del tiempo llegamos al establecimiento de clanes técnicos con sus propios sistemas de curación y en su localización primitiva ya se puede encontrar testimonio de su técnica, el encontrar restos instrumentales bajo tierra y pruebas indudable de su utilización en momias y restos óseos, así como su forma de empleo o caracteres en impresiones artísticas dejadas en cerámicas, piedras y metales. Así el mosaico de la historia ha podido ir reconstruyéndose aún cuando muchos huevos faltan por llenar mostrándose el curioso del saber, los amplios caminos abiertos el investigador que no esperan más que alguien quiere transitarlo. De la prehistoria a la historia del Perú se llega a través de dos culturas, la del antiguo Perú –La cultura Tiahuanaco – considerada en la mitología sudamericana como el centro de la creación con un Dios Vira-Kocha creador único y omnipotente y su paralela Chovin donde existió el más viejo imperio de los Andes según Huaman Poma de Ayala, que fueron las primeras formadas por una misteriosa raza de guerreros y pastores indomables y silenciosas cojo la pugna que habitaron en los alrededores del lago Titicaca a más de 4000 metros de altura "la cuna de América". Y la segunda de 4.000 años de edad formado por una raza, extraordinaria de sacerdotes y Guerrero habitando a más de 3.000 metros de altura en el Perú Septentrional. Podemos a modo de resumen y por no ser excesivamente repetitivos, que la Cultura Incaica, al igual que la Maya, alcanzó un esplendor, difícil de imaginar, pero en todo punto comparable a la del viejo Egipto. Dominadores de la Astrología, de la construcciones sanitarias tales como conducciones de agua, calzadas,… etc. que aunque en ambos casos no respondían, a los mismos intereses, pues entre los Incas eran más de tipo comercial y belicoso, mientras que entre los Mayas eran medios de comunicación como mejora social. Eran comunidades socializantes, que no socialista, donde se trabajaba entre todos para todos y se repartían voluntariamente las cargas. El concepto de enfermedad pera de castigo-enfermedad, siendo siempre necesario para conseguir la curación el ponerse a bien con el Dios o Totem, enviados del castigo. Usando de pases mágicos, incluso sobre, las hierbas que por su experiencia sabían eran eficaces en el proceso. Grandes conocedores de las técnicas de Psicoterapia, catarsis, y empleando grandes dosis de magia en sus actos cotidianos mediatizados por un gran número de fiestas para estar a bien por los dioses y que estos les envíen la salud y el bienestar. Sus rasgos físicos eran similares, presumiblemente del mismo tronco genealógico. En la medicina alcanzaron un relativo esplendor, en especial en la farmacología, y en la técnicas quirúrgicas tal y como se describen en la obra. Del resto de las ciencias médicas y si excluimos las ciencias básicas de la medicina, conocían lo que le era más frecuente y eran capaces de curarles. Y con respecto a su comparación con la medicina Europea, aún en el comienzo del Renacimiento, era al menos igualmente avanzada, sino más. Duda que crece al no ser los cronistas contemporáneos lo absolutamente objetivos que hubiera sido necesario para nosotros ahora, y una última reflexión, es que aún no se ha estudiado a fondo todas estas técnicas médicas. Nos estamos dejando llevar por una medicina absolutamente de síntesis, no volviendo los ojos a la naturaleza, nuestro principio como personas y como médicos, cuando vivimos una época de ciencias paramédicas con técnicas como acupuntura, homeopatía…. Etc. Y estamos dejando de lado un campo solo entreabierto por Monardes y otros posteriores, pero aún no terminado de estudiar. CONCLUSIONES: 1. Ambas culturas, la Maya—Quiche y la Incaica, son de las más antiguas de América, sino las que más. Los Cronistas son buena fuente de datos, aunque poco fiable en las localizaciones de los hechos. 2. La Cirugía en ambas culturas estaban tan avanzada al menos como la Europea de la época, los métodos de contención de las fracturas no envidian los de la actualidad. La clasificación de las heridas, fue tan buena como la de los mejores médicos militares. 3. La Farmacología en general brilló a gran altura. Los anestésicos hubieron de ser eficaces, ya que sino no se explica el poder practicar las Trepanaciones. La discusión se plantea sobre si conocieron el uso de la quina, que nosotros creemos que si. 4. La Ginecología dominaron y conocieron lo que les era más frecuente. 5. La Obstetricia, estaban dentro de sus conocimientos, superando con mucho la de los Europeos de la época con mejores y más racionales cuidados de madre, e hijo, tras el parto. 6. Las Ciencias Basucas de la Medicina, les fue en general desconocida, tal el caso de la Fisiología…etc. 7. La higiene personal fue variopinta, buena entre los Mayas y escasa entre los Incas. 8. Ambas culturas estaban interrelacionadas culturalmente, al menos en lo que a medicina se refiere. Así como también creemos en el factor cultural, pues los conceptos de salud y enfermedad son similares, así como los modos de reaccionar entre ellas. 9. En principio podríamos sentar un mismo tronco genealógico.
IntroducciónLa democracia y la alternancia son dos conceptos que se complementan en el tiempo. Es decir, no poseen ni pueden poseer un significado analítico estático. En ese marco, definimos democracia como la sucesión de los momentos analíticos A+B+C, donde el momento del ejercicio electoral es B. A es anterior al proceso electoral y C es el momento posterior. A se comprende como el momento donde se construye la igualdad entre todas las partes o personas. C es el momento donde se confirma y consolida el significado de igualdad ya que el proceso electoral acontecido en B supuso la elección de una mayoría que gobierna y una minoría que controla como consecuencia del principio de igualdad establecido en A. Este es el punto analítico central de la construcción de la democracia liberal por oposición a la democracia plebiscitaria: las mayorías y minorías se conforman en B a partir de la sumatoria de partes iguales establecida en A y es ese proceso igualitario (con mayorías y minorías) el cual se consolida en C.Parte I: Democracia ¿Es el ejercicio del voto un momento estático o dinámico en la idea de Democracia? El momento del voto es dinámico porque no se puede entender fuera del proceso anterior y posterior al día de la elección, momentos donde impera el principio de igualdad. Es decir, hay una elección donde quien obtiene, por ejemplo, 60 votos gobierna y quien obtiene 40 votos controla, porque se asume anterior y posteriormente el principio de igualdad. Como mencionamos, A es el momento analítico anterior a la votación, B es el momento de la votación y C es el momento analítico posterior. En nuestra definición la democracia se concibe como A+B+C. La democracia es un proceso donde el ejercicio del voto no tiene sentido político ni analítico por fuera del principio de igualdad en A y C.Así, quien obtiene 60 votos en el momento B gobierna porque en A cada uno de los 60 votantes eran iguales a cada uno de los otros 40. A su vez, la relación analítica entre A y B hace políticamente imposible intentar maniatar en el momento C los derechos de quienes obtuvieron 40. Quienes han construido una mayoría de 60 son iguales a quienes han construido una minoría de 40. No es posible sostener en el momento C que 60 tiene "derecho" a limitar a 40 porque su legitimidad deviene de B. Dado que B no es (cuando sucede) solo B sino A+B, los derechos de 60 y 40 son los mismos en el momento C. (1)Podemos recurrir a un ejemplo contemporáneo en América Latina. En distintos países, se han desarrollado procesos electorales donde los ganadores han aprovechado su victoria electoral en B para intentar modificar en C las reglas de juego. Mas precisamente, han intentando modificar la Constitución, argumentando para ello la legitimidad que les daba obtener la mayoría en el momento B. En países como Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador o Nicaragua, se han sucedido procesos de reforma constitucional que aspiraron y lograron en C introducir modificaciones que buscaban limitar los derechos de las minorías. En parte, esos procesos políticos han sido y son exitosos porque las mayorías han logrado establecer la creencia que el proceso electoral es en la democracia ajeno al principio de igualdad en A y C. Es decir, esas mayorías han logrado tergiversar el principio de igualdad y han establecido que B es capaz de modificar derechos en C porque B es autónomo de A. Es por eso que sistemáticamente se confunde la legitimidad democrática de líderes (como por ejemplo el Presidente de Venezuela Hugo Chávez) valiéndose de sus sucesivos triunfos electorales (en el caso de Chávez, 19 procesos electorales desde 1998 con 18 triunfos y una derrota). Para la versión plebiscitaria de la democracia, son los triunfos electorales los que legitiman a Chávez a implementar cualquier tipo de reformas y serán las hipotéticas derrotas electorales las que le impedirán proseguir su programa. Para esta visión, todo depende de los sucesivos B's. El principio de igualdad en A y C ha quedado perimido o maniatado. La democracia es una construcción estática en un momento electoral B. Los momentos anteriores y posteriores son meros episodios donde se implementan las decisiones tomadas en B. Dado que analítica y políticamente A no posee relevancia, el momento C posterior a la elección no es percibido como un momento donde las minorías tienen los mismos derechos que las mayorías sino, en cambio, es asumido como un momento donde se confirma que mayorías y minorías son distintas (dado que B ha construido para ellos, autónomamente, derechos distintos). Aquello que en B es la sumatoria de partes iguales deviene, en los procesos plebiscitarios-populistas, en un posterior momento C donde la sumatoria de partes iguales se transforma en la existencia de partes con derechos distintos. Esta evidente distorsión de la democracia se ha consolidado.Parte II: Alternancia El papel de la alternancia en la calidad de la democracia se encuentra en parte subestimado. Asumamos una polis con dos expresiones partidarias: A y B. Se ha pensado a la alternancia como un estado de cosas donde A le traspasa el poder a B. Sin embargo, el concepto de alternancia supone mayor complejidad: primero, como mencionamos, la alternancia no es estática sino dinámica. Es decir, no es el mero acto por el cual un presidente de un partido o coalición A le entrega la banda presidencial a un representante de B. En cambio, la alternancia supone un proceso que comienza en un momento donde A y B se enfrentan en elecciones competitivas, continua en la transición (de A a B), prosigue en el ejercicio que A y B hagan tanto del poder como de la oposición y termina cuando B le entregue el poder a otra expresión política (en nuestro ejemplo A, pero solo es relevante que sea no-B. Es decir, puede ser A, C o D). Paso seguido, podemos ver que una versión mas compleja de alternancia supone dos procesos electorales y dos traspasos de mando en un marco de estabilidad. La cuestión de la estabilidad es relevante porque, por ejemplo en América latina, enfrentamos situaciones donde la posibilidad de alcanzar el poder no necesariamente supone la posibilidad de ejercerlo eficientemente.Luego, una adecuada definición de alternancia tiene como condición necesaria el traspaso del poder de A a B, el eficiente ejercicio del poder por parte de B (2) y su posterior traspaso a A. El papel de la eficiencia en el ejercicio del poder es relevante como condición necesaria de una democracia de alta calidad ya que ello supone la existencia de elecciones competitivas y la posibilidad de la oposición de acceder al poder y administrarlo con los atributos suficientes.Es necesario remarcar el papel analítico que supone para la calidad de la democracia el ejercicio de la oposición que hagan alternadamente A y B. Es decir, el papel de la alternancia deviene relevante cuando aceptamos que una democracia de mayor calidad radica tanto en el ejercicio eficiente que se haga del poder como en el ejercicio eficiente que se haga de la oposición por parte de A y B. Este punto ha sido subestimado: cuando hablamos de ejercicio del poder lo hacemos pensando en el uso que de él se hace desde el gobierno y no en el uso que de él se hace desde la oposición. Luego, para que A y B demuestren responsabilidad en el ejercicio del poder deben también demostrar capacidad en el ejercicio de la oposición y, para ello, la alternancia deviene necesaria.Podemos recurrir a 3 ejemplos para pensar en perspectiva comparada. Argentina, Chile y Uruguay han recorrido un período de tiempo prudencial desde la recuperación de la democracia que hace posible la comparación. Argentina recuperó la democracia en 1983, Uruguay en 1985 y Chile en 1990.A partir de la recuperación democrática en 1983 asume la presidencia argentina el radical Raúl Alfonsin, quien no completa su mandato y entrega anticipadamente el poder en julio de 1989 al peronista Carlos Menem. Menem reforma la Constitución en 1994 para hacerse reelegir en 1995 y entregarle el poder en 1999 al radical Fernando de la Rua. Este no termina su mandato y renuncia en la profunda crisis política, económica y social de diciembre de 2001. La Asamblea Legislativa nombra al senador de la Provincia de Buenos Aires Eduardo Duhalde, quien entrega el poder al peronista Néstor Kirchner en 2003. Este le traspasa el poder a su esposa Cristina Fernández de Kirchner en 2007.La principal pregunta que deja la democracia argentina contemporánea no es sobre el fracaso de los distintos procesos sino sobre la imposibilidad de aprender de ellos. 28 años de democracia han sido suficientes para alcanzar consideraciones parciales: los actores políticos no han podido articular mínimos consensos tácitos.Más aún, si se analiza a partir de la descripción analítica anterior, la historia política argentina revela la ausencia de alternancia no sólo desde la recuperación democrática de 1983 sino desde sus inicios constitucionales. Argentina sancionó su Constitución en 1853-60. (3) Los conservadores ganaron sucesivamente las elecciones mediante el fraude desde la presidencia de Bartolomé Mitre (1862-1868) hasta la implementación en 1916 del voto universal, secreto y obligatorio, cuando alcanzara el poder el radical Hipólito Irigoyen. Como mencionamos, una condición necesaria no suficiente para la alternancia es la existencia de elecciones transparentes y competitivas. Eso sucedió en 1916, 1922 y 1928, pero el triunfo perteneció al mismo partido político, la Unión Cívica Radical. Entre 1930 y 1946 gobernaron fraudulentamente distintas alianzas entre militares y civiles. En 1946 llega por primera vez al poder el Coronel Juan Domingo Perón. En 1949 reforma la Constitución para poder ser reelecto en 1952. En 1955 Perón es derrocado y la democracia regresa en 1958 cuando es elegido el radical Arturo Frondizi (el peronismo fue proscrito entre 1955 y 1972).Frondizi fue derrocado en 1962. Se celebraron elecciones en 1963, alcanzando la presidencia el radical Arturo Illia, quien fuera derrocado en 1966. La democracia se recupera en 1973. Asume por pocas semanas el mandatado por Perón, Héctor Campora. En el mismo año asume la fórmula Perón-Perón. El General muere en 1974 y su viuda, Maria Estela Martínez, es derrocada en 1976. Como mencionamos, la democracia se recupera definitivamente en 1983 (4). Como es posible ver, la historia política argentina no posee alternancia. En ningún momento de la historia moderna un partido A, habiendo ganado elecciones libres y competitivas, le traspasa el poder a un partido B, quien, después de gobernar eficientemente, le traspasa el poder a otro partido. Por su parte, ¿Cual ha sido el desempeño de Uruguay en el periodo 1985-2010? Uruguay ha enfrentado dos procesos de alternancia basado en su antiguo bipartidismo y un tercer proceso inconcluso a partir de la nueva configuración partidaria que ha supuesto la aparición de un tercer actor como es la coalición de izquierdas Frente Amplio. Por un lado, tanto la primera transición del gobierno colorado en 1990 como la transición del gobierno blanco en 1995 han sido eficientes. Por otro lado, la aparición de un nuevo actor políticamente relevante como el Frente Amplio ha generado un nuevo marco donde todavía falta concretar dos pasos para la consolidación de la alternancia: traspasarle el poder a un presidente de la oposición y que este termine su mandato eficientemente.Sin embargo, es necesario marcar que la ausencia de alternancia plena en el Uruguay contemporáneo responde a la consolidación de la coalición de izquierdas como el principal factor de poder. Es decir, el interrogante que le queda responder a la sólida democracia uruguaya es cómo el Frente Amplio desempeña el rol opositor después de dejar el poder. Si bien se conoce como se ha desempeñado en la oposición en el periodo 1985-2005, el hipotético rol opositor que le tocará en el futuro se dará en un marco donde habrá ya gobernado por lo menos dos períodos de gobierno obteniendo en ambas ocasiones alrededor del 50% de los votos. (5)A su vez, la experiencia chilena se encuentra en camino de terminar un proceso de alternancia de alta calidad. Desde la recuperación democrática en 1990 se sucedieron 4 gobiernos de la Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia, una coalición de centro izquierda formada por el Partido Demócrata Cristiano (PDC), el Partido Socialista (PS), el Partido Radical (PR) y el Partido por la Democracia (PPD). Los dos primeros gobiernos fueron presididos por los democristianos Patricio Aylwin Azocar (1990-1994) y Eduardo Frei Ruiz Tagle (1994-2000) y los dos segundos por los líderes socialistas Ricardo Lagos Escobar (2000-2006) y Michelle Bachelet Jeria (2006-2010). Así, podemos ver que primero la alternancia sucedió dentro de los dos partidos principales de la coalición que habían estado históricamente enfrentados (mas dramáticamente, en la caída del gobierno constitucional del socialista Salvador Allende (1970-73) (6).Sin embargo, no es posible pensar la dinámica partidaria acontecida dentro de la Concertación en sus 20 años de gobierno como un proceso de alternancia. En el periodo 1989-2006 se sucedieron 4 elecciones libres y competitivas pero no se ha dado la alternancia. Las elecciones presidenciales de 2009 posibilitaron la llegada por primera vez al poder de la coalición de centro derecha Alianza por Chile (ahora llamada Coalición por el Cambio). Por ende, nuestra definición de alternancia alcanzaría a la notable experiencia chilena cuando la actual coalición le traspasare el poder a un opositor (ello solo sucedería en 2014 si la oposición triunfara en los comicios presidenciales. En el caso de un triunfo de la coalición de centro derecha gobernante, la confirmación de la existencia de alternancia se prolongaría en el tiempo. Nótese que esa hipotética ausencia de alternancia en la experiencia chilena no menoscaba la alta calidad de su democracia, por lo que sería posible encontrar ejemplos donde democracias sin procesos consolidados de alternancia poseen mayor calidad institucional que otras que han completado dicho proceso).Consideraciones finalesA partir de la experiencia contemporánea chilena, podemos ver que la existencia de consensos mínimos incentiva a los electores a pensar racionalmente en votar alternativas dado que el cambio supone menos riesgos. A su vez, esto conlleva que si una alternativa alcanza el poder, es mayor la posibilidad que concluya su mandato exitosamente. Esto genera nuevos incentivos a la posibilidad de la alternancia. Paso seguido, sería posible ligar el círculo virtuoso de la alternancia a la paridad de los resultados electorales. Es decir, en un marco donde se han acordado consensos mínimos, una hipotética paridad electoral no sólo no genera dudas sobre la gobernabilidad sino que incentiva la búsqueda de más acuerdos.Por el contrario, ámbitos políticos como el argentino, donde el recorrido democrático no ha logrado alcanzar consensos mínimos, potencia escenarios electorales donde las partes y los ciudadanos perciben la paridad como un potencial problema para la gobernabilidad. En ese marco, una elección presidencial que suponga un partido A con 45% de los votos y un partido B con 42% genera incertidumbres. En cambio, si A y B hubieran alcanzado en 27 años de democracia, tácita o explícitamente, acuerdos mínimos sobre el funcionamiento de un polis virtuosa, sería posible interpretar que 45% mas 42% del electorado coincide en un conjunto relevante de políticas. En un marco donde los disensos son mas estructurales que los consensos, la democracia enfrenta en el mediano plazo mecanismos que complican un escenario de paridad. Por ejemplo, el federalismo argentino ha contribuido a profundizar los disensos. ¿En que medida ha sido esto causa o consecuencia? Un federalismo de baja calidad (asimétrico y donde las provincias mas pequeñas se encuentran sobre-representadas) ha consolidado un escenario político donde los actores no han sabido cómo construir acuerdos mínimos. Desde esta perspectiva, el federalismo ha contribuido como consecuencia al deterioro institucional argentino. Paso seguido, ¿En que ha contribuido como causa? En el fortalecimiento de la lógica neo-autoritaria que recorre distintas provincias. Esta lógica descansa en la asimetría electoral como virtud: sistemáticamente es posible ver como el partido A supera al partido B por cifras que denotan la existencia de una polis electoralmente no competitiva. A su vez, estas democracias locales asimétricas son sistemáticamente presentadas como expresión de una administración exitosa. Más aún, los actores en pugna no han siquiera buscado articular un argumento contra la consolidación de esta distorsión de la democracia: cuando A obtiene 70% y B 30% no estamos en presencia de un gobierno provincial exitoso sino de una democracia de baja calidad. Como demuestran los procesos electorales en Chile y Uruguay, los gobiernos exitosos no obtienen 70% y ganan por 40 puntos. Dado que parte del éxito de un gobierno es consolidar la diversidad que supone toda sociedad compleja, muchos gobiernos exitosos apenas superan el 40% de los votos, generalmente no alcanzan el 50% y, en distintas experiencias, ganan con una moderada distancia en balotaje. Como mencionamos, parte del éxito de un gobierno es obtener un resultado electoral que refleje tanto su aceptación social como la existencia de una polis compleja y, por lo tanto, plural.Democracia y alternancia son conceptos que adquieren un significado analítico relevante en el tiempo. La democracia construye la igualdad en sucesivos episodios. La alternancia alcanza su significado dentro de la democracia y deviene una condición necesaria no suficiente para la consolidación de una polis de alta calidad. Las experiencias contemporáneas comparadas de Argentina, Chile y Uruguay ayudan a comprender que el tiempo ha generado círculos virtuosos y viciosos del consenso y del disenso donde las democracias aprenden y des-aprenden.(1) La relación analítica entre democracia e igualdad es parte central de la filosofía política clásica. La filosofía política contemporánea ha introducido una variante sofisticada: la relación analítica principal ha pasado a ser entre justicia e igualdad. Las teorías de la democracia han dejado su lugar a las teorías de justicia. La filosofía política contemporánea se podría resumir como un largo dialogo con John Rawls y su Teoría de Justicia. Ver Rawls, John (1971): "A Theory of Justice". Cambridge, Harvard University Press.(2) El eficiente ejercicio del poder no significa necesariamente la existencia de un período de gobierno exitoso pero sí de un período de gobierno no traumático.(3) Se denomina la Constitución de 1853-60 porque fue formalmente sancionada en la ciudad de Santa Fe en 1853 pero la provincia de Buenos Aires (la más poderosa de la Confederación Argentina) se avino a formar parte de la nación en 1860.(4) Ver Botana, Natalio y Ezequiel Gallo (1997): "De la república posible a la república verdadera". Editorial Ariel. Buenos Aires-Argentina. Oszlak, Oscar (1997): "La formación del Estado Argentino. Origen, Progreso y Desarrollo Nacional". Editorial Planeta. Buenos Aires-Argentina. Capítulo 1. Desde otra perspectiva ideología a la de Oszlak, ver Floria, Carlos y Cesar García Belsunce (2009): "Historia de los Argentinos". Editorial El Ateneo. Buenos Aires, Argentina. Un análisis de la Argentina contemporánea puede verse en Novaro, Marcos (2010): "Historia de la Argentina, 1955-2010". Siglo XIX Editores. Buenos Aires-Argentina.(5) Una rigurosa introducción al proceso de renovación en la coalición de izquierdas puede verse en Muir, Rick (2005): "The Long March of the uruguayan left. Ideological and programmatic change in comparative perspective," en Bicentenario. Revista de Historia de Chile y America. Vol 4, Nro 2.(6) La exitosa experiencia chilena ha sido ampliamente estudiada. Por ejemplo, puede verse Walker, Ignacio (1992): "Socialismo y Democracia. Chile y Europa en Perspectiva Comparada". CIEPLAN-Hachette. Santiago-Chile. José Rodríguez Elizondo ha escrito un muy buen ensayo (1995): "Crisis y Renovación de las Izquierdas: De la revolución cubana a Chiapas, pasando por 'el caso chileno'". Editorial Andrés Bello. Santigo-Chile.*Profesor Invitado, Depto. Estudios Internacionales, FACS - Universidad ORT Uruguay.Profesor adjunto de Ciencia Política en la Universidad Abierta Interamericana de Buenos Aires.Master en Filosofía Política, London School of Economics and Political Science.
De Oudegyptische cultus op Philae, een eiland gelegen in het uiterste zuiden van het Oude Egypte en het Romeinse rijk, heeft altijd een uitzonderingspositie ingenomen in het onderzoek naar de religieuze overgang van de Oudegyptische godsdienst naar het christendom in de late Oudheid (4de-7de eeuw n.Chr.). Dit heeft alles te maken met de ligging van Philae aan de grens met het zuidelijker gelegen Nubië. Terwijl algemeen wordt aangenomen dat Egypte in de 6de eeuw christelijk was geworden, zouden de laatste priesters van Philae de rituelen nog in stand hebben gehouden. Dit beeld is gebaseerd op een passage uit het werk van de 6de-eeuwse, Byzantijnse historicus Procopius, waarin deze vertelt hoe twee volkeren die leefden in het Nijldal in Nubië ten zuiden van Philae, de Blemmyers en de Noebaden, de tempels nog bezochten tot in de regeerperiode van keizer Justinianus (527-565). Volgens Procopius maakte deze keizer een einde aan de 'heidense' cultus door opdracht te geven aan zijn generaal Narses de tempels te vernietigen. Aldus geschiedde: Narses zette de priesters gevangen en stuurde de godenbeelden naar Byzantium (Constantinopel). Met deze gebeurtenis, die is te dateren tussen 535 en 537, zou een einde zijn gekomen aan de Oudegyptische cultus op Philae en daarmee aan de eeuwenoude Egyptische godsdienst. Er zijn echter problemen verbonden aan deze letterlijke interpretatie van Procopius. Alleen al de mededeling dat de tempels vernietigd werden roept argwaan op, want de tempels van Philae behoren tot op de dag van vandaag tot de best bewaarde antieke monumenten in heel Egypte. Ook de suggestie dat de Oudegyptische cultus door toedoen van de Blemmyers en de Noebaden in de zesde eeuw springlevend was, roept vragen op. Al vanaf de vierde eeuw was er een bisschopszetel gevestigd op Philae en moet er ook een christelijke gemeente hebben geleefd op hetzelfde kleine eiland. Bovendien ligt het voor de hand dat een wereld die geleidelijk aan christelijk werd, haar effect moet hebben gehad op de Oudegyptische cultus op Philae. Het lijkt er dan ook op dat het verhaal ingewikkelder is dan Procopius het voorstelt. Wat gebeurde er met de Oudegyptische cultus op Philae in de late Oudheid? En welke rol speelde het christendom in deze veranderende situatie? Om deze vragen te kunnen beantwoorden, probeert deze studie het beeld dat Procopius oproept op twee belangrijke punten te nuanceren. Ten eerste zijn de opmerkingen van Procopius getoetst aan andersoortige bronnen zoals documenten en archeologische gegevens. Ten tweede is de Oudegyptische cultus op Philae geplaatst tegen de achtergrond van een serie regionale ontwikkelingen, waarin het christendom langzamerhand de overhand kreeg. Een regionale studie kan een complexer en dynamischer beeld geven van het proces van religieuze overgang. Daarom gaat deze studie niet alleen in op het proces te Philae, maar ook in twee andere nederzettingen in de regio, Syene (het moderne Aswan) en Elefantine. Met regio wordt hier het gebied rond de eerste stroomversnelling van de Nijl bedoeld, oftewel het eerste Cataractgebied. De Oudegyptische cultus op Philae in de vierde en vijfde eeuw Voordat de situatie op Philae bestudeerd kan worden, is het echter noodzakelijk eerst iets naar het zuiden te gaan om de relatie van het tempeleiland met de zuidelijke volkeren te kunnen begrijpen. Ook in dit geval geeft Procopius een vereenvoudigde weergave van een veel complexere werkelijkheid. In de genoemde passage vertelt Procopius over de terugtrekking van de zuidgrens van het Romeinse rijk naar Elefantine in 298. Keizer Diocletianus zou op Philae vrede hebben gesloten met de Blemmyers en de Noebaden door hun, naast toegang tot Philae, jaarlijks een geldbedrag te beloven in ruil voor het niet uitvoeren van invallen in Egypte. Dit beeld van twee volkeren die duidelijk gescheiden van elkaar aan de zuidgrens van het Romeinse rijk leefden, heeft de interpretatie van de vierde- en vijfde-eeuwse bronnen aangaande de streek ten zuiden van Philae, de Dodekaschoinos ("Twaalfmijlenland"), bepaald. Uit een nieuwe interpretatie blijkt dat de situatie aan de zuidgrens veel complexer was dan Procopius het voorstelt. De bevolking van de Dodekaschoinos bestond uit een lappendeken van stammen. Blemmysche stammen, die oorspronkelijk de Oostelijke Woestijn bewoonden, vestigden zich in de loop van de vierde eeuw in de Dodekaschoinos te midden van de inheemse, Nubische bevolking. In de loop van de vijfde eeuw nam die Nubische bevolking, nu pas Noebaden genaamd, het heft in handen. Procopius heeft deze vijfde-eeuwse situatie vermoedelijk geprojecteerd op 298, hiertoe geïnspireerd door de historicus Priscus. Deze beschrijft namelijk een ander vredesverdrag van de Romeinen met de twee volkeren in 452 of 453, waarbij hun onder meer toestemming werd gegeven de tempels van Philae te bezoeken. De bezoekers zullen echter eerder in kleine groepen dan in hele volksstammen naar Philae zijn gekomen. De Romeinen tolereerden de toegang van de zuidelijke stammen tot het eiland uit vrees voor invallen in Egypte, en dit moet de verklaring zijn waarom de Oudegyptische cultus op Philae na 298 nog zo lang voortleefde. Maar voor de vraag hoe lang, moet het antwoord gezocht worden in de inscripties op het eiland zelf. Op de muren van de tempels van Philae is een rijk archief van inscripties overgeleverd. Het epigrafische materiaal varieert van keurig uitgehakte, officiële inscripties van de Ptolemaeën tot bezoekersinscripties waarin een naam, soms vergezeld van een gebed, wens of andere formulering, haastig in steen is ingekrast. In de Grieks-Romeinse periode was het gebruikelijk voor Egyptische pelgrims hun bezoek aan een tempel te vereeuwigen op de tempelmuren, zodat zij op deze manier voor altijd bij de goden zouden zijn. Zodoende zijn er vele honderden inscripties bewaard gebleven in verschillende schriftsoorten, met name in het Griekse en het Demotische schrift (het meeste cursieve van de Oudegyptische schriften), maar ook in het hiëroglifische, Meroïtische (het van het Demotisch afgeleide schrift van het rijk Meroë, een Nubisch koninkrijk gelegen ten zuiden van Egypte in de Grieks-Romeinse tijd), Latijnse en Koptische schrift. Van deze inscripties dateren er twaalf Griekse en vierentwintig Demotische uit de vierde en vijfde eeuw. Aan één van de Demotische inscripties gaat een hiëroglifische inscriptie vooraf die dateert van 24 augustus 394. De inscriptie is daarmee de laatst gedateerde tekst in dit Egyptische schrift. Van de Demotische inscripties dateert de laatste tekst van 2 december 452. Deze laatantieke Demotische teksten zijn de enige die uit deze late periode bekend zijn en dit roept dan ook de vraag op hoe de positie van het Demotisch in deze tijd moet worden voorgesteld. Een vergelijking met andere antieke schriftsystemen toont aan dat marginaliserende schriften onder een kleine groep schrijvers nog lang in stand kunnen worden gehouden. Het schrift houdt op te bestaan bij de laatste beoefenaar ervan en verdwijnt daarna abrupt. Een dergelijke situatie lijkt ook van toepassing op de positie van het Demotisch op Philae in de vierde en vijfde eeuw. Deze veronderstelling wordt ondersteund door een analyse van het aantal, de plaats en de inhoud van de zesendertig laatantieke inscripties. Om te beginnen bij de aantallen: het is verhelderend om het aantal Griekse en Demotische inscripties van de eerste drie eeuwen van onze jaartelling te vergelijken met dat van de vierde en vijfde eeuw. Uit deze vergelijking blijkt dat het aantal inscripties sterk afneemt in de late Oudheid, vooral wat de Demotische inscripties betreft. Daarnaast duidt ook de plaats waar deze inscripties zijn teruggevonden op een inkrimping van de Oudegyptische cultus in deze periode. Waar de eerdere inscripties gevonden werden op tempels verspreid over het hele eiland, zijn de laatantieke inscripties geconcentreerd in of vlakbij de belangrijkste tempel, die van Isis. De laatantieke cultus kan daarom niet onaangetast verder zijn gegaan, zoals ook duidelijk wordt uit een analyse van de inhoud van deze inscripties. Het gaat hier merendeels om pelgrimsinscripties, die ook uit eerdere periodes bekend zijn. De laatantieke inscripties zeggen echter weinig over de bezoekers van Philae, omdat de schrijvers bijna allemaal priesters van Philae zijn. Dit duidt erop dat de cultus in deze tijd in toenemende mate geïsoleerd raakte. Isolatie blijkt ook uit wat bekend is over de in de inscripties genoemde priesters. De laatste hiëroglifische tekst is tegelijk de enige uit deze tijd en de manier waarop de Demotische inscripties zijn geschreven, laat zien dat de priesters de Egyptische schriften nauwelijks meer meester waren. Verder trad er een vermenging op tussen de schriftsoorten, waardoor bijvoorbeeld een formulering die normaal gesproken alleen in het Demotisch werd geschreven, in het Griekse schrift werd weergegeven. Daarnaast zijn Demotische inscripties gedateerd naar de jaren van de christenvervolger Diocletianus, hetgeen voorheen niet voorkwam. Hoewel de dagelijkse rituelen, festivals en activiteiten van cultusverenigingen gewoon doorgingen, hielden de priesters de hoogste functies binnen een kleine kring. Zo is relatief veel bekend over de familie van de Smets, die in de meeste vijfdeeeuwse inscripties worden genoemd en drie generaties lang kunnen worden gevolgd. Rond 450 hadden drie broers uit deze familie de hoogste functies op het tempeleiland in handen. Al deze kenmerken tezamen duiden erop dat de Oudegyptische cultus in de vierde en vijfde eeuw sterk was ingekrompen. Wanneer in een Griekse inscriptie van 456/457 voor het laatst sprake is van een nog bestaande cultus, dan kan deze niet lang meer hebben voortbestaan. De Oudegyptische schriften waren essentieel voor het uitoefenen van de cultus en met het schrift lijkt dan ook de cultus te zijn opgehouden. Deze constatering spreekt Procopius' bewering van een nog levende cultus in 535-537 tegen en het belang dat aan deze datum wordt gehecht moet dan ook worden heroverwogen. Het epigrafische materiaal laat zien dat de gebeurtenis niet veel meer kan zijn geweest dan een symbolische sluiting van de tempels. De uitbreiding van het christendom in de regio in de vierde en vijfde eeuw In deze zelfde periode had het christendom zich over het hele Cataractgebied uitgebreid. Deze uitbreiding is wat de regio betreft te volgen in drie ontwikkelingen. Ten eerste: waar misschien voorheen al enige organisatie aanwezig was, daar organiseerde de Kerk zich rond 330 definitief door twee bisschopszetels te creëren. Van oudsher was Egypte verdeeld in districten, gouwen genaamd, en de meeste bisschopszetels waren rond het Concilie van Nicaea (325) in de hoofdsteden van deze gouwen gevestigd. Het Cataractgebied lag in de eerste Opper-Egyptische gouw en had als hoofdstad Omboi (Kom Ombo), veertig kilometer ten noorden van de regio. Het getuigt van de bijzondere positie van het gebied aan de zuidgrens van Egypte dat rond 330, of in ieder geval niet lang daarna, twee bisschopszetels in de regio werden ingesteld: die van Syene, ook verantwoordelijk voor Elefantine en Contra-Syene, en die van Philae. Op basis van kerkelijke documenten, overgeleverd in de werken van de aartsbisschop Athanasius van Alexandrië, de Koptische heiligenkalender (het Synaxarion) en documenten uit het gebied zelf is het mogelijk twaalf vierde- en vijfde-eeuwse bisschoppen van Syene en Philae te achterhalen. Voor Philae is daarbij zelfs nog een legendarische geschiedenis van de eerste vier bisschoppen van Philae overgeleverd die onderdeel uitmaakt van een Koptisch heiligenleven, het Leven van Aäron. De kerkelijke documenten laten zien dat de bisschoppen van Syene en Philae een bescheiden doch aanwezige rol vervulden in de Egyptische Kerk. Zo werden bisschop Neilammon van Syene en Marcus van Philae in 356 door de Arische aartsbisschop Georgius van Cappadocië verbannen naar de Siwa oase. De documenten die uit de streek zijn overgeleverd, hoewel schaars, geven inzicht in de toenemende rol van de bisschop in de vijfde-eeuwse samenleving. Tussen 425 en 450 richtte bisschop Appion van Syene een petitie tot de keizers Theodosius II en Valentinianus, die bekend is geworden vanwege een opmerking die Theodosius zelf aan het document heeft toegevoegd. In de petitie vraagt Appion om bescherming van de troepen die in zijn bisdom zijn gelegerd tegen invallen van de Blemmyers en de Noebaden, zoals dat ook het geval was in het bisdom Philae. Een ander voorbeeld zijn twee inscripties uit 449-450 of 464-465, waaruit blijkt dat bisschop Daniël(ios) van Philae betrokken was bij bouwwerkzaamheden aan de kademuren van het eiland. De bisschop nam het initiatief tot het project en financierde in ieder geval een gedeelte ervan; dit alles met toestemming van de gouverneur van de provincie. Ten tweede is de uitbreiding van het christendom in de regio te merken aan het toenemende gebruik van christelijke namen. Door papyri te bekijken die handtekeningen bevatten, is er – ondanks het kleine aantal ervan – een duidelijke toename van christelijke namen tussen de vierde en vijfde eeuw waarneembaar. Uit deze papyri wordt ook duidelijk dat aan het einde van de vijfde eeuw het gebruik van christelijke formules en symbolen algemeen gangbaar was geworden. Verder duiken kerkelijke ambtsdragers regelmatig in de papyri op. Een derde ontwikkeling is dat kloostergemeenschappen zich in het gebied vestigden, hoewel ook hiervoor het bewijs schaars is. De belangrijkste bron voor lokale monniken is het eerdergenoemde Leven van Aäron. Omdat deze hagiografische bron nog niet systematisch bestudeerd is, besteedt deze studie uitgebreid aandacht aan elementaire gegevens als de datum en de plaats van compositie van het werk, de auteur en zijn publiek. Gezien de regionale Sitz im Leben van het werk is het Leven van Aäron, niet de bijbelse figuur maar een plaatselijke monnik, vermoedelijk geschreven voor een regionaal publiek. Het werk beschrijft de levens van heilige mannen uit de streek, levens die in de vierde en begin vijfde eeuw gesitueerd worden. Het is onder te verdelen in drie samenhangende delen: een beschrijving van de levens van heilige mannen in de omgeving van Syene, een geschiedenis van de eerste bisschoppen van Philae en het eigenlijke leven van de monnik Aäron. Het gedeelte over de eerste bisschoppen is daarbij opmerkelijk, want hiervoor bestaan verder geen parallellen in andere hagiografische werken. De vraag is dus hoe historisch dit gedeelte is. Zoals hierboven al opgemerkt is, zijn de genoemde bisschoppen hoogstwaarschijnlijk historische figuren. Maar dit wil niet zeggen dat het Leven van Aäron zomaar als historisch geïnterpreteerd mag worden. Het werk kan beter benaderd worden als 'spirituele communicatie' tussen een hagiograaf en zijn publiek, waarin de auteur door middel van het werk de heiligheid van de heilige tracht over te brengen op zijn publiek. Hij doet dit, in het geval van het Leven van Aäron, door aan te sluiten bij de belevingswereld van zijn regionale publiek, bijvoorbeeld door specifieke informatie te geven over de streek. Op deze manier kan ook de invoeging van de bisschopsgeschiedenis worden gezien: als legitimatie voor het ontstaan van het bisdom Philae en als verklaring voor het ontstaan van een volledig christelijke gemeenschap op het eiland. Dientengevolge kan geconcludeerd worden dat het Leven van Aäron, dat speelt in de vierde en het begin van de vijfde eeuw, geschreven moet zijn door een lokale monnik in een latere tijd waarin deze gemeenschap zich als geheel christelijk beschouwde. Er zijn aanwijzingen dat voor deze tijd aan de zesde eeuw moet worden gedacht. De christelijke samenleving van de zesde eeuw In de zesde eeuw speelde de bisschop van Philae een belangrijke rol in de eerste keizerlijke missie die naar Nubië werd gestuurd. Het verhaal van deze eerste missie is overgeleverd in de Syrische Kerkgeschiedenis van Johannes van Efeze. Daarin beschrijft Johannes hoe de priester Julianus het initiatief nam tot een missie naar Nubië met de bedoeling de monofysitische leer in te voeren (de leer dat Jezus van één, goddelijke natuur is). Daarop stuurden keizer Justinianus en zijn vrouw Theodora beiden een delegatie naar het zuiden: de eerste om de orthodoxe doctrine (de tweenaturenleer) en de tweede om de monofysitische doctrine te verkondigen. Door de intriges van Theodora arriveerde de monofysitische delegatie onder leiding van Julianus als eerste en zo bekeerde de koning van Noebadia zich tot het christendom. Hoewel deze beschrijving duidelijk is beïnvloed door de monofysitische agenda van de auteur en de 'wedstrijd' tussen keizer en keizerin waarschijnlijk verzonnen is, is er geen gerede twijfel over de historiciteit van de missie. Uit de tekst valt op te maken dat de eerste missie naar Nubië ergens tussen 536 en 548 moet hebben plaatsgevonden. Julianus verbleef twee jaar in Nubië en liet het pas bekeerde koninkrijk over aan de bisschop van Philae, Theodorus. Die zou pas in 551 weer zijn teruggekeerd naar zijn bisdom. De sluiting van de tempels van Philae, zoals beschreven door Procopius, vond plaats in dezelfde tijd als de eerste missie naar Nubië. Tot nu toe is er een direct, causaal verband verondersteld tussen beide gebeurtenissen: eerst moest er een einde worden gemaakt aan de 'heidense' cultus van Philae alvorens Nubië gekerstend kon worden. De gebeurtenissen zijn dan ook geïnterpreteerd als deel uitmakend van een door Justinianus geïnitieerde, anti-'heidense' campagne. Deze interpretatie roept echter de vraag op waarom de sluiting van de tempels van Philae, als die van zo wezenlijk belang was voor de missie, dan niet genoemd is in Johannes' verslag. De sluiting moet, zoals al was vermoed op basis van het epigrafische materiaal, eerder gezien worden als een propagandistische maatregel van Justinianus, die verder weinig te maken had met de missie naar Nubië. Met deze missie zette de keizer het vroegere beleid voort van verdragen sluiten met de volkeren aan de Egyptische zuidgrens. Als er al een verband was tussen de genoemde gebeurtenissen, dan moet deze worden gezocht in het algemene politieke beleid van de keizer. Wat was dan Philae's rol in de eerste missie naar Nubië? Het aandeel van Philae in de missie kan verklaard worden doordat hier het dichtstbijzijnde Egyptische bisdom bij Nubië was. Een inscriptie uit Dendur, zo'n zeventig kilometer ten zuiden van Philae, uit 544 of 559, toont aan dat bisschop Theodorus zich bezighield met de stichting van Nubische kerken. Vermoedelijk deed hij dit vanuit zijn bisdom en verbleef hij niet een aantal jaren in Nubië, zoals Johannes beweert. Ook laat de inscriptie zien dat de Noebadische Kerk al enigszins georganiseerd was vóór de tweede missie naar Nubië plaats vond in 569. De opmerking van Johannes dat de leider van die missie, bisschop Longinus, deze organisatie volledig voor zijn rekening nam, is daarom onjuist. Behalve in de Kerkgeschiedenis van Johannes wordt Theodorus ook genoemd in enkele kerkelijke documenten. Kennelijk had hij een prominente positie verworven binnen de Egyptische Monofysitische Kerk. Deze positie was niet alleen bepaald door zijn aandeel in de eerste missie naar Nubië, maar ook omdat Theodorus één van de langstzittende monofysitische bisschoppen in Egypte was die nog door een gelijkgezinde aartsbisschop was benoemd. Behalve op de Egyptische kerkpolitiek van de zesde eeuw, heeft Theodorus (ca. 525-na 577) ook een groot stempel gedrukt op het bisdom Philae. Zijn meest opzienbarende daad was de bouw van een kerk gewijd aan de heilige Stefanus in de voorhal van de tempel van Isis, waarvan enkele inscripties getuigen. Hoewel de inscripties ongedateerd zijn, zijn zij wel in verband gebracht met de sluiting van de tempels van Philae in 535-537. Dientengevolge is ook deze gebeurtenis geplaatst in het kader van de anti-'heidense' campagne van Justinianus: Theodorus zou na de sluiting in opdracht van de keizer spoedig een kerk hebben gebouwd in de tempel. Er is echter geen enkele reden om aan te nemen dat de kerkbouw direct volgde op de sluiting en ook Procopius noemt deze gebeurtenis niet. Waarschijnlijker is het dat de tempel enkele jaren leeg stond tot de bisschop, en niet de keizer, besloot tot de bouw van de kerk. Aanleiding tot de bouw kan een incident zijn geweest dat rond 567 plaatsvond. In een petitie van de raadslieden van Omboi aan de gouverneur van de provincie wordt namelijk verteld over een hoge Egyptische functionaris die samenzweert met een groepje Blemmyers en in ruil voor hun steun bij het plunderen van het land, hun "heiligdommen" renoveert. In deze studie is beargumenteerd dat met "de heiligdommen" de tempels van Philae worden bedoeld. Als dit correct is, dan hielden de Blemmyers nog zo'n dertig jaar na de sluiting van de tempels hun band met het heilige eiland in stand, al moet hierbij niet worden gedacht aan een volledig erstel van de Oudegyptische cultus. De inwijding van de kerk moet dan ook in een lokale context worden geplaatst. Theodorus nam tijdens zijn episcopaat enkele maatregelen die de christelijke identiteit benadrukten, zoals blijkt uit zijn betrokkenheid bij wereldlijke en kerkelijke bouwprojecten en uit zijn samenwerking met monniken uit de omgeving. Deze maatregelen waren niet nieuw, maar het is wel opvallend dat zij alle tezamen in zijn episcopaat voorkomen. Daarom is het Leven van Aäron, dat immers het ontstaan van die christelijke identiteit benadrukt, in deze periode gedateerd. De christelijke identiteit van Philae was zich al jaren aan het vormen, maar onder Theodorus werd dit proces van identiteitsvorming definitief afgesloten. De inwijding van de kerk van de heilige Stefanus in de tempel van Isis moet daarom niet worden gezien als een 'triomf' van het christendom na een strijd met het 'heidendom', maar als een bevestiging dat de identiteit van de bevolking van Philae volledig christelijk was geworden. Net als op Philae was de samenleving in het hele Cataractgebied in de zesde eeuw christelijk geworden. Een analyse van het hergebruik van enkele tempels uit de streek laat zien dat deze gebouwen niet massaal tot kerken werden omgebouwd in de vierde en vijfde eeuw, zoals wel wordt gedacht, maar dat de meeste gebouwen werden hergebruikt voor andere, meer wereldse doeleinden of eenvoudigweg leegstonden. Slechts in enkele gevallen werden tempels hergebruikt als kerken. Dit gebeurde in de zesde eeuw of later. Door de jaren heen was de focus van het religieuze landschap daarbij verplaatst naar de kerken. Een laatste factor waaruit blijkt dat de zesde-eeuwse samenleving een christelijke was geworden is de aanwezigheid van geestelijken in het openbare leven. Zo waren kerkelijke ambtsdragers betrokken bij het schrijven en ondertekenen van documenten, traden zij op als notarissen of rechters maar stelden zij als privé-personen ook documenten op. Conclusie Afsluitend kan geconcludeerd worden dat het proces van religieuze overgang in het eerste Cataractgebied veel geleidelijker is verlopen dan tot nu toe gedacht. Met name het beeld dat de Oudegyptische religie eindigde op Philae in 535-537 moet worden bijgesteld. Philae behoudt weliswaar de reputatie dat met zijn cultus de Oudegyptische religie als instituut, bestaande uit een priesterschap, Oudegyptische schriften, rituelen en festivals, ten einde kwam, maar de cultus was al vanaf de vierde eeuw in verval en hield waarschijnlijk niet lang na 456/457 op te bestaan. Dit hoeft echter niet te betekenen dat daarna alles voorbij was: bepaalde tradities, zoals bezoeken van de Blemmyers aan het eiland kunnen nog lang hebben voortbestaan, ook na 535-537. Hoe uniek de positie van de Oudegyptische cultus in de late Oudheid ook mag zijn geweest, zij moet tegelijkertijd worden gezien tegen de achtergrond van een ontwikkeling in de hele regio waarin de samenleving geleidelijk christelijk werd. In deze context was het misschien niet zo verwonderlijk, wellicht zelfs onvermijdelijk, dat de cultus de zesde eeuw niet haalde. Het waren de laatste priesters van Philae zelf, niet een Byzantijnse generaal, die zijn einde aanschouwden.
Invariablemente, y aunque no haya sido su propósito, en muchas ocasiones, en distintos estudios que hay sobre narrativa criminal, policíaca, el espionaje y el thriller se observa un hecho innegable: una confusión teórica sobre lo que son estas cuatro literaturas. Esto ha derivado en una prolongada discusión que no ha ayudado a disipar dicha confusión, sino todo lo contrario, la ha acentuado. Como bien apunta Rodríguez Joulia Saint Cyr (1970: 9) gran parte de los críticos y teóricos reúnen bajo la denominación de una serie de géneros y subgéneros que no corresponden a él. De ahí que dentro de la literatura hispanoamericana se considere novelas policíaca a Ensayo de un crimen (1943-1944) de Rodolfo Usigli, El túnel (1948) de Ernesto Sábato, Yo maté a Kennedy (1972) de Manuel Vázquez Montalbán, La cabeza de la hidra (1978) de Carlos Fuentes o Linda 67: historia de un crimen (1995) de Fernando del Paso, cuando ninguna de ellas lo es. Pero ¿por qué se da esta situación de confusión? Este conjunto de textos, junto a otros más, poseen un gran intercambio de tipologías discursivo-textuales criminales, policíacas, de espionaje y del thriller traspasando las fronteras de estas cuatro literaturas y provocando la ruptura del límite entre lo criminal, policíaco, espionaje y thriller, lo que, finalmente, lleva a toda una serie de confusiones y dudas: si un texto tiene como investigador a un criminal ¿es policíaco? Es indudable que la confusión entre estas cuatro narrativas tiene causas que van más allá de una lectura inadecuada por parte de los lectores: el problema se encuentra a un nivel profundo, en la enorme dificultad por delimitar las fronteras genéricas de ellos y de analizar debidamente las fluctuaciones de los elementos genéricos de cada una. Por tanto, se abre la posibilidad de estudiar el problema del límite entre lo criminal, lo policíaco, el espionaje y el thriller. Sin embargo, ¿es necesario un estudio de este problema? El problema de la ruptura de las fronteras de las literaturas criminal, policíaca, de espionaje y thriller ha sido estudiado de manera secundaria y casi desapercibida, ya que el denominado «género policíaco» ha «monopolizado» buena parte de los estudios como podemos ver a continuación "The Art of the Detective Story" (1924) de Austin Freeman, Le detectitte novel, et l'influence de la pensée sciéntifique (1929) de Regis Messac, Le roman policier (1941) Roger Caillois, The Art of the Mystery Story (1946) de Howard Haycraft, Petite histoire du roman policier (1956) de Fereydoun Hoveyda, Breve storia del romanzo poliziesco (1962) de Alberto del Monte, Le roman policier (1964) de Thomas Narcejac y Pierre Boileau, "Typology du roman policier" (1966) de Tzvetan Todorov, The Pursuit of Crime (1981) de Dennis Porter o Histoire du roman policier (1996) de Jean Bourdier, entre muchos otros. Mientras tanto, en lengua española se observan trabajos como "Leyes de la narración policial" (1933) y "Los laberintos policiales y Chesterton" (1935) de Jorge Luis Borges, Ensayo sobre la novela policial (1947), el prólogo a Los mejores cuentos policiales mexicanos (1955) y "Qué es lo policíaco en la narrativa" (1987) de María Elvira Bermúdez, Biografía de la novela policíaca (1956) de Juan José Mira, La novela policíaca: síntesis a través de sus autores, sus personajes y sus obras (1973) de César E. Díaz, De la novela policíaca a la novela negra (1986) y La novela policíaca en España (1993) de Salvador Vázquez de Parga, La novela policíaca actual (1990) de Carmen García Pardo, La novela criminal española (1991) de José Valles Calatrava, así como su prólogo "La novela criminal" que realizó Sánchez Trigueros, La novela policíaca española. Teoría e historia crítica (1994) de José T. Colmeiro, El cadáver en la cocina: la novela criminal en la cultura del desencanto (1997) de Joan Ramón Resina, Los héroes de la novela policíaca (2006) de Sergi Echaburu Soler o Poética del relato policíaco: de Edgar Allan Poe a Raymond Chandler (2006) de Iván Martín Cerezo, entre otros. Sin embargo, es posible apreciar investigaciones sobre lo criminal, el espionaje y el thriller: La novela de intriga (1970) de Carlos Rodríguez Joulia St.- Cyr, Bloody Murder. From the Detective Story to the Crimen Novel (1972) de Julian Symons, Thrillers, la novela de misterio (1978) de Jerry Palmer, Le Roman d'espionnage (1983) de Gabriel Veraldi, Panorama du roman d'espionnage contemporain (1986) de Jean-Paul Schweighaeuser, Diccionario de la novela negra norteamericana (1986) y La novela negra (1986) de Javier Coma, The literature of crime and detection: an illustrated history from antiquity to the present (1988) de Waltraud Woeller y Bruce Cassiday o La novela de espías y los espías de novela (1991) de Juan Antonio de Blas. Ahora bien, ya sea en lo criminal, policíaco, espionaje o thriller una gran parte de estas investigaciones se orientan a revisiones historiográficas –sobre todo de lo policíaco– e intentos por definir estas literaturas. Si bien, es cierto que en algunos de ellas existen análisis socio-críticos, semánticos y pragmáticos, sin olvidar algunos hermenéuticos, intertextuales o paratextuales. Realmente son pocos los estudios, y algunos muy desconocidos, respecto a las continuas fluctuaciones de elementos entre lo criminal, lo policíaco, el espionaje y el thriller. Su evolución ha propiciado que los límites establecidos en ellos se hayan ido desdibujando, en gran medida por el «realismo noir norteamericano», el polar y «neopolar francés» y por disrupciones entre las cuatro narrativas que ha llevado a la aparición de vertientes como la literatura policíaca metafísica, la narrativa psicológica crimino-policíaca, el nuevo realismo socio-crítico criminal o policíaco, el thriller político o la nueva narrativa de espionaje, pero también por narrativas nacionales como la alemana, la escandinava, la italiana, la española, la japonesa, la mexicana, la argentina, entre muchas otras, las cuales han aportado o variado los elementos de lo criminal, lo policíaco, el espionaje y el thriller a tal punto que difícilmente se percibe una marca divisoria clara y precisa entre ellos cuatro. El hecho concreto es que con estas nuevas vertientes en lo criminal, lo policíaco, el espionaje y el thriller, los distintos elementos discursivo-textuales que los componen van a transitar libremente entre uno y otro género, violando continuamente la «frontera genérica» entre ellos. El enigma ya no se referirá exclusivamente a quién era el asesino o si el espía/agente secreto podría trastocar los planes del enemigo. Las motivaciones psicológicas, la crítica social, lo fantástico o la metafísica influirán notablemente en ellos. Ahora bien, el propósito de esta investigación se centra en varios objetivos. Primero, un estudio que incluya lo criminal, policíaco, espionaje y thriller dentro de un concepto que hemos denominado «narrativa sensacional de suspense», aunque este esfuerzo no es el primero que se realiza. Ya en el 1970, Carlos Rodríguez Joulia St.- Cyr lo había intentado con La novela de intriga, un estudio de lo policíaco, lo criminal, el espionaje y el misterio, en el cual el propio investigador deja ver un hecho indiscutible: la confusión en torno a qué es lo criminal, lo policíaco, el espionaje y el misterio, y la cercanía que hay entre estas cuatro narrativas. Sin embargo, Rodríguez Joulia St.- Cyr se concentra de manera exclusiva en buscar los orígenes literarios, así como su desarrollo a nivel histórico. Dos años más tarde, el británico Julian Symons en Bloody Murder realiza interesantes apuntes y acotaciones en torno a lo que llama «sensational literature» y que engloba a textos con "violent ends in a sensational way" Symons (1992: 4) y en el que encontramos textos criminales, policíacos, de espionaje y thrillers, así como nuevos híbridos literarios. Desgraciadamente, Symons no lo estudió con mayor detalle. Hay que precisar que son los estudios de este investigador y autor británico los que sirven como punto de arranque de este estudio. El diseño y empleo de un término como «narrativa sensacional de suspense» no es al azar, responde a una necesidad que aparece debido a una serie de confusiones que se dan alrededor de las definiciones que hay en torno a lo criminal, lo policíaco, el espionaje y el thriller. En más de una ocasión se hace mención al denominado «género negro» sin especificar debidamente qué es o confundiéndolo: ¿Se trata de la literatura sensacional norteamericana de la primera mitad del siglo XX que incluye la obra de autores como Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain o Mickey Spillane? ¿O, tal vez, es un híbrido literario, producto de las fluctuaciones y combinaciones tipológicas criminales, policíacas, del espionaje y del thriller? El hecho es que ese clima de confusión ha llegado a tal punto que, incluso, se ha llegado a considerar la obra de autores clásicos, como Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, como olvidando el verdadero significado que Todorov (1966) acuña y que se relaciona directamente con la literatura norteamericana sensacional de la primera mitad del siglo XX. Es decir, se cae en un grave error al denominar la obra de Poe, Gaboriau, Christie o Wallace como novela negra, ya que no poseen ninguna característica de esta. A esta confusión se le suma el desconcierto que plantea la narrativa de espionaje y el thriller: ¿dónde incluirlos, en lo policíaco o en la llamada «novela negra» como varios estudios hacen, o es posible plantear que se trata de narrativas con características históricas, semánticas, pragmáticas y genéricas propias? El segundo objetivo es dejar de lado las confusiones en torno al empleo del término «novela negra» al cual sustituiremos por «realismo noir norteamericano». El primero hace referencia a esa literatura norteamericana sensacional que comienza a gestarse a principios de los veinte, y se ajusta al concepto de «realismo» que Raymond Chandler señala en su artículo The Simple Art of Murder (1950) y hace referencia directa a la denominación noir acuñado en la Série Noire, dirigida por Duhamel, a finales de la década de los cuarenta del siglo pasado. El tercer objetivo se centra en una serie de necesidades de la teoría literaria que solo en ocasiones, y de manera secundaria y casi desapercibida, han sido analizadas: la distinción conceptual entre lo criminal, lo policíaco, el espionaje y el thriller que lleva, inexorablemente a otro objetivo: al problema del límite y las fluctuaciones fronterizas en la «narrativa sensacional de suspense», es decir entre lo criminal, lo policíaco, el espionaje y el thriller, sin olvidar los nuevos híbridos literarios tales como el thriller de espionaje o policíaco o la narrativa psicológica crimino-policíaca. A través de un grupo de obras estudiadas observaremos cómo lo que denominamos «límites fronterizos genéricos» son traspasados en dichos textos por las continuas fluctuaciones comunicacionales de los elementos genéricos canónicos que componen lo criminal, policíaco, espionaje y al thriller. No obstante, es necesario establecer ciertos límites al conjunto de textos por analizar, ya que de lo contrario se correría el riesgo de exceder la propia investigación. Son siete las novelas elegidas: El complot mongol (1969) de Rafael Bernal, Noviembre sin violetas (1995) de Lorenzo Silva, Plenilunio (1997) de Antonio Muñoz Molina, Deudas pendientes (2005) de Antonio Jiménez Barca, Ojos de agua (2007) de Domingo Villar, El baile ha terminado (2009) de Julián Ibáñez y La soledad de Patricia (2010) de Carles Quílez, las cuales comparten un elemento temático en común: la investigación. La obra del mexicano Rafael Bernal se extiende a lo largo de más de veintiocho años de trabajo y en él queda constancia de sus grandes inquietudes: el mar, al cual plasma en el libro de relatos Gente de mar (1950) y en El gran océano –inédito hasta 1992–; la selva, la cual cobra vida en el libro de relatos Trópico (1946), en las novelas Su nombre era muerte (1947), Caribal, el infierno verde (1955) y en Tierra de gracia (1963); y lo policíaco, aunque, paradójicamente, este fuera una simple distracción para este autor, ya que solo le dedicaba ciertos momentos para descansar de proyectos más serios, desde su punto de vista. No obstante, Bernal puede ser considerado, con toda justicia, como una de las piedras fundamentales en la aparición y desarrollo de la narrativa policíaca mexicana, sin olvidar el crimen, el thriller y el espionaje, comenzando su periplo en la revista mexicana Selecciones Policías y de Misterio, fundada en 1946 por Antonio Helú, donde se publicarían relatos suyos como La muerte poética o La muerte madrugadora, sin olvidar otros cuentos como Un muerto en la tumba (1946) y La media hora de Sebastián Constantino (1946). Asimismo, Bernal nos presenta a uno de los primeros personajes investigadores amateurs mexicanos: Teódulo Batanes. En Un muerto en la tumba (1946) se descubre en la zona arqueológica Montealban el cadáver de un senador con un puñal de pedernal clavado en el pecho. Uno de los antropólogos, Batanes, es el encargado de resolver el misterio. Resulta curioso observar a este detective miope, desgarbado y que tiene el vicio de usar sinónimos de cuanta cosa dice. Un personaje basado, indudablemente, en la figura del padre Brown de G.K. Chesterton y que aparecería, nuevamente, en la novela corta De muerte natural (1948), en donde Batanes esclarece el homicidio, en un hospital, de una adinerada viuda. Otros textos policíacos de Bernal son El extraño caso de Aloysius Hand y El heroico Serafín, ambas incluidas, junto a De muerte natural, en el libro Tres novelas policíacas, las cuales observan ese estilo clásico de la «novela enigma». Es en 1969 cuando Bernal cambia radicalmente su estilo, alejándose de los esquemas clásicos gracias a la influencia del «realismo noir norteamericano», ofreciendo la obra maestra del thriller de espionaje mexicano: El complot mongol. Respecto a Lorenzo Silva su nombre es ya reconocido dentro de la literatura policíaca gracias a la pareja de guardias civiles conformada por el brigada Rubén «Vila» Bevilacqua, y la sargento Virginia Chamorro, una singular pareja de frustrados: el primero, un psicólogo que jamás logró ejercer como tal; la segunda, hija de un militar, que no logró acceder a ninguna de las academias de los ejércitos –tierra, mar y aire– y que encontró en la Guardia Civil el único resquicio para salvar la tradición militar familiar. El lejano país de los estanques (1998) es el nacimiento de la sociedad conformada por el entonces sargento «Vila» y la novata guardia Chamorro que deberán esclarecer el asesinato de una adinerada joven austriaca en los ambientes nocturnos de un pequeño centro turístico de Mallorca. La pareja aparece de nuevo en El alquimista impaciente (2000) en donde exploran el tema de la corrupción urbanística. En La niebla y la doncella (2002) Vila y Chamorro parten hacia la isla canaria de La Gomera para resolver el asesinato de un joven y que destapará un escándalo para la Guardia Civil. En la antología de cuentos Nadie vale más que otro (2004) Vila y Chamorro se enfrentan a cuatro distintos asesinatos que lo único que les demuestra es que el crimen se da por las situaciones más simple y absurdas. En La reina sin espejo (2005) la pareja de guardias civiles se enfrentan a un caso multipublicitado: el asesinato de una célebre periodista de Barcelona casada con un consagrado escritor catalán. Un caso que abandona los terrenos del crimen pasional y que lleva a Vila y Chamorro por los entresijos de la pornografía, la prostitución y la trata de blancas en Barcelona. La estrategia del agua (2010) nos enseña a un Rubén Bevilacqua ya ascendido a brigada, pero también profundamente decepcionado del sistema judicial español, que tiene que investigar, junto a la también ascendida sargento Virgina Chamorro, el asesinato de un criminal de poca monta y que entraña profundos lados oscuros que deberán averiguar los dos guardias civiles, acompañados de un nuevo compañero: el guardia Arnau. Sin embargo, el contacto de Lorenzo Silva con lo policíaco, y en general con la , no se da exclusivamente con la serie protagonizada por Vila y Chamorro. En La sustancia interior (1996) observamos un thriller histórico, mientras que en Muerte en el "reality show" (2007) dos nuevos investigadores aparecen: la juez Tortosa y el comisario Fonseca, los cuales deberán esclarecer un asesinato cometido «en directo». Asimismo otro texto del escritor madrileño sobresale enormemente: su primera novela Noviembre sin violetas (1995) la cual mantiene un pulso intertextual con La llave de cristal (1931) de Dashiell Hammett. Beatus Ille (1986), la primera novela de Muñoz Molina, recorre ampliamente los terrenos policíacos gracias a su discurso de investigación. No obstante, el texto no pertenece al género policíaco. La interdiscursividad que se presenta en este caso, por sí sola, no es elemento de peso para considerar Beatus Ille una novela policíaca. Hacen falta personajes, temática, ambientación, atmósfera y otros elementos para considerar el texto dentro de lo policíaco. Todo lo contrario sucede en El invierno en Lisboa (1987). Esta novela presenta características mucho más cercanas a lo criminal y a lo policíaco: hechos, acciones, personajes y temática, entre otros elementos, van construyendo una historia que, sin embargo, presenta serias dificultades: ¿es criminal o policíaca? Indudablemente la novela recuerda mucho los antiguos textos del «realismo noir norteamericano», como Cosecha roja o El halcón maltés de Dashiell Hammett, que, en muchas ocasiones, son tan difíciles de definir y clasificar. Una situación que se repetirá en Beltenebros (1989) solo que con mayores dificultades: el texto discurrirá entre lo policíaco, lo criminal, el thriller político y la narrativa de espionaje. En el caso de Los misterios de Madrid (1992) Muñoz Molina ofrecerá una parodia de lo policíaco a partir de un investigador –Lorencito Quesada– que poco o nada tiene que ver con los legendarios private eyes del «realismo noir» o del polar francés. El dueño del secreto(1994) regresa a la problemática presentada en El invierno en Lisboa y Beltenebros: ¿es un texto criminal o policíaco? Cualquier afirmación tajante puede estar errada, ya que, aunque posee algunos elementos propios de ambos géneros, como el discurso, la ambientación y la atmósfera, la novela está en estrecho contacto con la narrativa de espionaje y el thriller político, haciendo muy difícil una clasificación. Dentro de la obra de Muñoz Molina relacionada con lo criminal y lo policíaco, así como con otros géneros afines, encontramos los cuentos Te golpeare sin cólera (1983), El hombre sombra (1983), La colina de los sacrificios (1993), La poseída (1993), Borrador de una historia (1993), La gentileza de los desconocidos (1993) y la novela corta Nada del otro mundo (1993). Pues bien, con Plenilunio (1997) el escritor giennense explora el relato criminal y policíaco de un modo complejo: se adentra en el conflicto psicológico del investigador y del criminal, como lo lleva a cabo el norteamericano Thomas Harris en El dragón rojo (1980-1981) y El silencio de los corderos (1988), pero enlazando también elementos del thriller, el espionaje y el terrorismo. Por lo que se refiere al periodista Antonio Jiménez Barca su obra literaria se traduce en una sola novela: Deudas pendientes (2006), un texto que encierra ciertas complejidades propias del thriller y de lo policíaco. Domingo Villar es un autor gallego que saltó a la palestra en el año 2006 con la publicación de Ojos de agua, protagonizada por el inspector de policía Leo Caldas. Un texto que, como la siguiente aventura de Caldas, La playa de los ahogados (2009), mantiene un esquema clásico: un crimen se ha cometido y es necesario investigarlo y solucionarlo. No es de llamar la atención que este esquema siga siendo popular en la narrativa policíaca en general, ya que dicho esquema es actualizado por los escritores y adaptado a las necesidades de cada texto. Finalmente, la narrativa policíaca en este siglo XXI sigue manteniendo la máxima clásica de . Así pues, tanto en el caso del asesinato del músico Luís Reigosa como el del marinero Justo Costelo, el inspector Caldas continúa con los esquemas clásicos, pero lo interesante es que Domingo Villar le ofrece al lector una visión del complejo entramado psicológico gallego. Es interesante señalar dentro de la obra de Villar el cuento Las hojas secas, incluido en la antología de cuentos La lista negra (2009), compilada por Àlex Martín Escribà y Javier Sánchez Zapatero. En pocas ocasiones se tiene la oportunidad de escribir sobre el personaje-arquetipo del testigo. Pues bien, Domingo Villar es de los pocos que logra hacerlo a través de un ex-presidiario, testigo involuntario de un crimen que lo acosará hasta el día de su muerte. El santanderino Julián Ibáñez comienza en 1980 su andadura por el «sensacional de suspense» con la novela La triple dama, protagonizada por Ramón Ferreol, una antigua estrella de fútbol, un texto que se mueve entre el thriller y lo policíaco. Al año siguiente Ibáñez entregaría La recompensa polaca, pero es en 1983, con No des la espalda a la paloma, cuando Ramón Ferreol vuelve a aparecer en medio del suicidio de un agente de aduanas. En 1986, con Tirar al vuelo, Ibáñez sorprende con un investigador que se aleja totalmente de las convenciones policíacas respecto al personaje del investigador, ya que Novoa no se acerca en lo mínimo a ello. Él es un simple ciudadano común y corriente, un contable, que ve cómo el peligro se aproxima y tiene que tomar cartas en el asunto. Un personaje que protagonizaría Llámala Siboney (1988), Mi nombre es Novoa (1994) y ¿Y a ti, dónde te entierro, hermano? En la década de los noventa, Julián Ibáñez abordaría el espionaje gracias a Bar Babilonia (1991) y continuaría con otras dos novelas policíacas: Doña Lola (1991) y No hay semáforos para los pumas (1995). Ya en el año 2001, Ibáñez ofrece dos nuevos textos. En Manuela Scarface el escritor santanderino aborda la temática criminal de los asaltos bancarios a través de Paco Peña, un joven que trabaja en una sucursal de la Caixa, que una mañana de finales de agosto se ve sorprendido, junto al resto de empleados y clientes, por unos atracadores, por una banda de asaltantes. Pero la verdadera sorpresa de Paco será la de reconocer, a pesar de los disfraces de los delincuentes, a su novia Manuela. Una situación que puede hundirlo, ya que la policía y sus compañeros lo considerarían un cómplice. Mientras tanto, en Entre trago y trago observamos el bajo mundo del crimen, con sus ambientes turbios y corruptos, a través de Maza, un delincuente de poca monta que regenta El Oasis, un club de mala muerte perdido en una carretera de la Mancha. Un texto que nos recuerda los ambientes sórdidos del «realismo noir norteamericano» y el polar francés de los cincuenta. Resulta interesante ver esos ambientes deprimentes en la siguiente novela de Ibáñez: La miel y el cuchillo (2003), de la mano de otro delincuente menor, Florín, un cuarentón con humor crudo perteneciente a ese Madrid tenebroso, por el que este personaje deambulará golpeando y robando. En Los gorilas no bromean con la corbata (2006) observamos a Viriato Ansorena Ruiz, un chico común y corriente que por las noches se transforma en un fotoperiodista de sucesos que busca la noticia que lo encumbre a él y a su padre, sin pensar siquiera que ese descubrimiento puede costarle la vida. Por su parte, Que siga el baile (2006) es un regreso a esa temática policíaca híbrida, en la que el policía Barquín, testigo directo del extraño robo al bar Boom Boom, se verá implicado en una peligrosa investigación, en la búsqueda de las dos extrañas atracadoras. Con Crimen supertranquilo (2007), Ibáñez parece adoptar las convenciones del best-seller: quinientos años después de la expulsión de los judíos de Sefarad –la España hebrea– Rebeca viaja con su padre a Toledo en busca de la casa de sus antepasados. Pero, sorpresivamente, el hombre muere en el Servicio de Urgencias del Hospital. La historia se complica ya que existe la posibilidad de que el padre de Rebeca haya sido asesinado por causa de una antigua llave de oro que se encontraba entre sus pertenencias, robadas, supuestamente, por Pedro, el celador del hospital donde murió el viejo judío. El baile ha terminado (2009) muestra a Ruano Peredo, un policía del Grupo de Localización de Fugitivos, con sede en Gijón, que se verá envuelto en una compleja trama de espionaje en el que estarán involucradas la Guardia Civil, la Ertzaintza y ETA. En El beso del samurái (2009) la temática policíaca continúa dentro de la obra de Ibáñez. Pedro, el ayudante del detective de un hotel, se hace amigo de Helga, una joven alemana. Una amistad que le llevará a involucrarse en una misteriosa trama criminal. La búsqueda de Julián Ibáñez por romper los esquema y paradigmas policíacos la encontramos en Perro vagabundo busca a quién morder (2009) un extraño relato policíaco que, aparentemente, no encierra ningún crimen dentro de la forzada investigación que realiza el misterioso . En 2010, Ibáñez entrega tres nuevos textos en donde la investigación y el crimen se entrelazan de la mano de policías corruptos y delincuentes pragmáticos: Giley, un relato que explota al personaje del sospechoso, encarnado en el policía Cobos; Calle intranquilidad, un viaje hacia ese Bilbao testigo del tráfico de inmigrantes y el negocio de la prostitución y El invierno oscuro, la visión de un joven inmerso en el peligroso mundo de la kale borroka etarra. Por lo que respecta al barcelonés Carles Quílez, su acercamiento a lo «sensacional de suspense» comienza con Atracadores (2002) una antología en la que se observan once distintos cuentos basados, en clave periodística, en los crímenes de las principales bandas de atracadores de Barcelona en los últimos veinticinco años. Una interesante antología que nos enseña una ciudad oculta y sombría, que nada tiene que ver con el destino turístico que de ella se presenta. En Asalto a la virreina (2004), Quílez saca a relucir su identidad periodística al reconstruir un evento criminal sucedido en Barcelona en 1991: el intento de robo de la colección de monedas del Gabinet Numismàtic de Catalunya, instalado en el palacio de la Virreina. Ese rasgo del escritor barcelonés por reconstruir historias a partir de una visión periodística se repite en dos de sus siguientes novelas: Psicópata: un relato basado en personajes y situaciones (2005), en donde un periodista recibe el encargo de componer la historia de un psicópata encarcelado, un trabajo que se transforma en un sombrío reto que nos acerca a la problemática psiquiátrica de los asesinos seriales y su complejo mundo interno y La soledad de Patricia (2010), un texto que se mueve entre el espionaje y el thriller. Piel de policía (2006) se ajusta más a lo policíaco. Lacruz, ex policía que regenta un bar de mala muerte en Barcelona, ve cómo su vida cambia radicalmente a partir del asesinato de Castán, su ex compañero en la policía. Así pues, la elección de El complot mongol (1969), de Rafael Bernal, Noviembre sin violetas (1995), de Lorenzo Silva, Plenilunio (1997), de Antonio Muñoz Molina, Deudas pendientes (2005), de Antonio Jiménez Barca, Ojos de agua (2007), de Domingo Villar, El baile ha terminado (2009), de Julián Ibáñez y La soledad de Patricia (2010), de Carlos Quílez, no es al azar, sino meditada. En estas novelas se puede observar el traspaso de las diferentes fronteras que «separan» lo criminal, lo policíaco, el thriller y el espionaje, es decir la «narrativa sensacional de suspense», lo cual plantea la posibilidad de que no exista alguna frontera. Y, aunque en Ojos de agua se aprecia el esquema policíaco clásico, esto se debe a una razón: es necesario un texto policíaco para que pueda compararse este con uno criminal, un thriller o uno de espionaje y se ponga en evidencia las diferencias entras estas narrativas. Ahora bien, ante la situación de traspaso de fronteras genéricas por parte del grupo de novelas seleccionadas, surge una duda en especial ¿cómo llevar a cabo esta investigación? Una gran cantidad de hipótesis aparecen de inmediato, pero lo cierto es que lo más importante es poseer un método. Generalmente, muchos estudios de lo criminal y lo policíaco, sin olvidar los del espionaje y el thriller, son históricos, compendios a través de los cuales observamos la historia literaria de ambos géneros, así como su desarrollo y evolución. Investigaciones interesantes y valiosas, dado que rastrean obras y autores que habían sido olvidados o estaban ocultos bajo algún seudónimo. Sin embargo, una visión histórica no es suficiente para abordar un problema como el del límite entre lo criminal, lo policíaco, el espionaje y el thriller que se plantea a partir de El complot mongol, Noviembre sin violetas, Plenilunio, Deudas pendientes, Ojos de agua, El baile ha terminado y La soledad de Patricia. Para ello son necesarias más herramientas de investigación y por eso emplearemos directrices y pautas de análisis histórico, pragmático-hermenéutico, discursivo-textual, semántico y de la teoría del género. En el primer capítulo reflexionaremos sobre los aspectos históricos y para eso se llevará a cabo una revisión histórica literaria de lo criminal, lo policíaco, el espionaje y el thriller, solo que de una manera algo distinta: separando estas cuatro narrativas Como ya hemos señalado, existe una confusión entre ellas que puede llevar a pensar, como de hecho ocurre, que criminal es sinónimo de policíaco o viceversa, o que el espionaje está supeditado a lo policíaco, todo esto falso. A partir de esta visión histórica apreciaremos cómo se gesta cada narrativa de manera independiente haciendo ver que se trata de manifestaciones literarias distintas. Esto nos permitirá, por un lado, ver dónde se sitúan las novelas estudiadas, es decir, de dónde vienen, cuáles han sido los antecedentes históricos, sus antepasados literarios. Por otro lado, vamos a observar cómo una idea que venimos gestando desde hace varios años ve la luz. La inmensa mayoría de los críticos e investigadores consideran a Edgar Allan Poe como el padre de la novela policíaca, pero se olvidan o no le dan la importancia a un nombre clave sin el que el género, muy probablemente, no habría comenzado a popularizarse y establecerse: Charles Dickens. La labor de Dickens es enorme y, aunque desgraciadamente no podemos analizar su obra criminal y policíaca, es un objetivo claro revalidar su enorme labor haciendo mención de su trabajo. En el segundo capítulo emplearemos la pragmática-hermenéutica como uno de los pilares de análisis del problema del límite de la «narrativa sensacional de suspense» y la fluctuación tipológica en las novelas estudiadas, lo cual hará ver cuáles de estos textos se acercan más a formas híbridas. De igual modo, la pragmática-hermenéutica nos ayudará en otros dos objetivos: analizar las relaciones intratextuales de las novelas de Rafael Bernal, Lorenzo Silva, Antonio Muñoz Molina, Antonio Jiménez Barca, Domingo Villar, Julián Ibáñez y Carles Quílez, pero también las extratextuales, aquellas en las cuales se puede generar la confusión, en las relaciones que mantendrá el texto no solo con el lector, sino con mediadores que pueden resultar nocivos en el proceso comunicacional al generar dicha confusión. Asimismo, y aunque no realizaremos un profundo análisis comparativo, estableceremos relaciones comparativas entre los siete textos elegidos con el fin de evidenciar las diferencias entre lo criminal, lo policíaco, el espionaje y el thriller. Por lo que se refiere al capítulo dedicado al discurso y al texto es necesario aclarar que se transita por terrenos en los que no hay acuerdos respecto a la definición de ambos conceptos. No es nuestro propósito buscar una definición de ellos, sino reflexionar sobre ambos en base a las definiciones de un grupo de especialistas, y de este modo abordar el problema del límite en base a una confusión ya algo antigua: ¿existe un discurso policíaco, uno criminal o uno de espionaje? ¿Si es así ¿por qué un texto con un discurso policíaco como El maestro de San Petersburgo (1994) de Coetzee, no puede ser catalogado como policíaco? Nuestro interés se centrará en analizar el discurso criminal, policíaco, de espionaje y del thriller y ponerlo en referencia a El complot mongol, Noviembre sin violetas, Plenilunio, Deudas pendientes, Ojos de agua, El baile ha terminado y La soledad de Patricia junto a otros textos para observar cómo aparece el problema del límite, de la mano de una serie de elementos textuales que se mueven de una narrativa –lo policíaco– a otra –el thriller–. Otro pilar fundamental para esta investigación es la semántica. Empleando la semántica de «mundos posibles» y dos teorías de ella, la de Tomás Albaladejo y Lubomír Doležel, se observará cómo se va construyendo un texto ficcional, en este caso las novelas estudiadas, a partir de parámetros comunicacionales. Gracias a este análisis se confirmarán las impresiones pragmáticas: las novelas de Bernal, Silva, Muñoz Molina, Jiménez Barca, Villar, Ibáñez y Quílez se construyen a partir de eventos diametralmente opuestos: el crimen e investigación, terrorismo y espionaje contraterrorista, amenaza y seguridad, pero no bajo regímenes estrictos, sino como un texto en el que dos submundos, de acuerdo a la terminología de Albaladejo, el de los protagonistas y antagonistas de las obras estudiadas se enfrentan. Es imposible cerrar esta investigación sin tocar un tema espinoso en el que no hay grandes acuerdos: el del género. En el último capítulo tenemos el propósito de señalar los elementos genéricos de lo criminal, lo policíaco, el espionaje y el thriller y ver cómo se combinan, ofreciendo las señales del desplazamiento de la frontera entre estas narrativas y el problema de la confusión. También, y gracias a dos modelos genérico-comunicacionales, el de Kurt Spang y el de Jean Marie Schaeffer, tendremos la ocasión de vislumbrar cómo, de manera genérica, tratamos de ubicar las obras estudiadas y de confirmar su carácter híbrido. No obstante, es inevitable que en este capítulo hagamos mención al problema de la definición del género. Es claro que no se pretende dar una respuesta a dicho problema, ya que esto es imposible, pero lo que sí se llevará a cabo será, gracias a las propuestas de Spang, Schaeffer, García Berrio y Huerta Calvo, construir una definición que sea práctica para esta investigación. Igual de importante será observar en este último capítulo un concepto diseñado para esta investigación: el «sensacional de suspense». En ningún momento buscaremos defenestrar a la «novela negra», pero sí analizaremos el problema que aparece al utilizar dicho término, y las bondades que hay en torno al concepto «sensacional de suspense». Hay que aclarar que este estudio no está divido en dos secciones, una de metodología y otra de aplicación. Por el contrario, lo llevaremos a cabo in sito, es decir realizando la metodología y la aplicación conjuntamente. El motivo de esta elección es de carácter práctico, pues en anteriores trabajos de investigación nos ha funcionado correctamente.
En mi formación de posgrado a finales de los años ochenta, teníamos cerca de treinta camas hospitalarias en un pabellón llamado "sépticas" (1). En Colombia, donde el aborto estaba totalmente penalizado, allí estaban mayoritariamente mujeres con abortos inseguros complicados. El enfoque que recibíamos era técnico: manejo de cuidados intensivos; realizar histerectomías, colostomías, resecciones intestinales, etc. En esa época algunas enfermeras eran monjas, y se limitaban a interrogar a las pacientes para que "confesaran" qué se habían hecho para abortar. Siempre me inquietó que las mujeres que salían vivas se iban sin ninguna asesoría, ni con un método anticonceptivo. Al preguntar alguna vez a uno de mis docentes me contestó con desdén: "este es un hospital de tercer nivel, esas cosas las hacen las enfermeras en primer nivel". Al ver tanto dolor y muerte, decidí hablar con las pacientes del servicio y empecé a entender sus decisiones. Recuerdo aún con tristeza tantas muertes, pero un caso en particular aún me duele: era una mujer cercana a los cincuenta años que llegó con una perforación uterina en estado de sepsis avanzada. A pesar de la cirugía y los cuidados intensivos, falleció. Alcancé a hablar con ella y me contó que era viuda, tenía dos hijos mayores y había abortado por "vergüenza con ellos", pues se iban a dar cuenta de que tenía vida sexual activa. A los pocos días de su fallecimiento, me llamó el profesor de patología, extrañado, para decirme que el útero que habíamos enviado para examen patológico no tenía embarazo. Era una mujer en estado perimenopáusico con una prueba de embarazo falsamente positiva, debido a los altos niveles de FSH/LH típicos de su edad. ¡¡¡NO ESTABA EMBARAZADA!!! No tenía menstruación porque estaba en premenopausia y una prueba falsamente positiva la llevó a un aborto inseguro. Claro, las lesiones causadas en las maniobras abortivas la llevaron al desenlace fatal, pero la real causa subyacente fue el tabú social respecto a la sexualidad. Tuve que ver muchas adolescentes y mujeres jóvenes salir del hospital vivas, pero sin útero, a veces sin ovarios y con colostomías, para ser despreciadas por una sociedad que les recriminaba el haber decidido no ser madres. Tuve que ver situaciones de mujeres que llegaban con sus intestinos protruyendo a través de sus vaginas por abortos inseguros. Vi mujeres que en su desespero se autoinfligieron lesiones tratando de abortar con elementos como palos, ramas, gajos de cebolla, barras de alumbre, ganchos, entre otros. Eran tantas las muertes que era difícil no tener por lo menos una mujer diariamente en la morgue a consecuencia de un aborto inseguro. En esa época no se abordaba la salud desde lo biopsicosocial sino solamente desde lo técnico (2); sin embargo, en las evaluaciones académicas que nos hacían, ante la pregunta de definición de salud, había que recitar el texto de la Organización Mundial de la Salud que involucraba estos tres aspectos, ¡qué contrasentido! Para dar respuesta a las necesidades de salud de las mujeres y garantizar sus derechos, cuando ya era docente, inicié el servicio de anticoncepción posevento obstétrico en ese hospital de tercer nivel. Hubo resistencia de las directivas, pero afortunadamente logré donaciones internacionales para la institución y esto facilitó su aceptación. Decidí concursar para carrera docente con el ánimo de poder sensibilizar a profesionales de la salud hacia un enfoque integral de la salud y la enfermedad. Cuando en 1994 se realizó la Conferencia Internacional de Población y Desarrollo (CIPD) en El Cairo ya llevaba varios años en la docencia, y cuando leí su Programa de Acción, encontré nombre para lo que estaba trabajando: derechos sexuales y derechos reproductivos. Empecé a incorporar en mi vida profesional y docente las herramientas que este documento me daba. Pude sensibilizar personas del Ministerio de Salud de mi país y trabajamos en conjunto recorriéndolo con un abordaje de derechos humanos en materia de salud sexual y reproductiva (SSR). Esta nueva mirada buscaba además de ser integral, dar respuesta a viejos problemas como la mortalidad materna, el embarazo en la adolescencia, la baja prevalencia anticonceptiva, el embarazo no planeado o no deseado o la violencia contra la mujer. Con otras personas sensibilizadas empezamos a permear con estos temas de SSR la Sociedad Colombiana de Obstetricia y Ginecología, algunas universidades y hospitales universitarios. Todavía seguimos dando la lucha en un país que a pesar de tantas dificultades ha mejorado muchos indicadores de SSR. Con la experiencia de haber trajinado en todas las esferas con estos temas, logramos con un puñado de colegas y amigas de la Universidad El Bosque crear la Maestría en Salud Sexual y Reproductiva, abierta a todas las profesiones, en la que rompimos varios paradigmas. Se inició un programa en el que la investigación cualitativa y cuantitativa tenían el mismo peso y algunos de los egresados del programa están ahora en posiciones de liderazgo en los entes gubernamentales e internacionales replicando modelos integrales. En la Federación Latinoamericana de Obstetricia y Ginecología (FLASOG) y en la Federación Internacional de Obstetricia y Ginecología (FIGO), pude por varios años aportar mi experiencia en los comités de SSR de esas asociaciones para beneficio de las mujeres y las niñas en los ámbitos regional y global. Cuando pienso en quienes me han inspirado en esta lucha, debo resaltar las grandes feministas que me han enseñado y acompañado en tantas batallas. No puedo mencionarlas a todas, pero he admirado la historia de vida de Margaret Sanger con su persistencia y mirada visionaria. Ella luchó durante toda su vida para ayudar a las mujeres del siglo XX para que obtuvieran el derecho a decidir si querían o no tener hijos o hijas y cuándo (3). De las feministas actuales he tenido el privilegio de compartir experiencias con Carmen Barroso, Giselle Carino, Debora Diniz y Alejandra Meglioli, lideresas de la Federación Internacional de Planificación de la Familia, Región del Hemisferio Occidental (IPPF-RHO, por su nombre en inglés). De mi país quiero resaltar a mi compatriota Florence Thomas, psicóloga, columnista, escritora y activista feminista colombo-francesa. Es una de las voces más influyentes e importantes del movimiento por los derechos de la mujer en Colombia y en la región. Arribó procedente de Francia en la década de 1960, en los años de la contracultura, los Beatles, los hippies, Simone de Beauvoir y Jean-Paul Sartre, época en la que se empezó a criticar el capitalismo y la cultura del consumo (4). Fue entonces cuando se comenzó a hablar del cuerpo femenino, la sexualidad femenina y cuando llegó la píldora anticonceptiva como una revolución total para las mujeres. A su llegada en 1967, ella experimentó un choque porque acababa de asistir a toda una revolución y solo encontró un país de madres, no de mujeres (5). Ese era el único destino de una mujer, ser callada y sumisa. Entonces se dio cuenta de que no se podía seguir así, hablando de "vanguardias revolucionarias" en un ambiente tan patriarcal. En 1986 con las olas del feminismo norteamericano y europeo, y con su equipo académico crearon el grupo Mujer y Sociedad de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, semillero de grandes iniciativas y logros para el país (6). Ella ha liderado grandes cambios con su valentía, la fuerza de sus argumentos, y un discurso apasionado y agradable a la vez. Dentro de sus múltiples libros resalto Conversaciones con Violeta (7), motivado por el desdén hacia el feminismo de algunas mujeres jóvenes. Lo escribe a manera de diálogo con una hija imaginaria en el que, de una manera íntima, reconstruye la historia de las mujeres a través de los siglos y da nuevas luces sobre el papel fundamental del feminismo en la vida de la mujer moderna. Otro libro muestra de su valentía es Había que decirlo (8), en el que narra la experiencia de su propio aborto a sus 22 años en la Francia de los años sesenta. Mi experiencia de trabajo en la IPPF-RHO me ha permitido conocer líderes y lideresas de todas las edades en diversos países de la región, quienes con gran mística y dedicación, de manera voluntaria, trabajan por lograr una sociedad más equitativa y justa. Particularmente me ha impresionado la apropiación del concepto de derechos sexuales y reproductivos por parte de las personas más jóvenes, y esto me ha dado gran esperanza en el futuro del planeta. Seguimos con una agenda incompleta del Plan de acción de la CIPD de El Cairo, pero ver cómo la juventud enfrenta con valentía los retos, me motiva a seguir adelante y aportar mis años de experiencia en un trabajo intergeneracional. La IPPF-RHO evidencia un gran compromiso por los derechos y la SSR de adolescentes en sus políticas y programas, que son consistentes con lo que la Organización promueve; por ejemplo, el 20% de los puestos de toma de decisión están en manos de jóvenes. Las organizaciones miembros, que basan su labor en el voluntariado, son verdaderas incubadoras de jóvenes que harán ese recambio generacional inexpugnable y necesario. A diferencia de lo que nos tocó a muchos de nosotros, trabajar en esta complicada agenda de salud sexual y reproductiva sin bases teóricas, hoy vemos personas comprometidas y con una sólida formación para reemplazarnos. En la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia y en la Facultad de Enfermería de la Universidad El Bosque, las nuevas generaciones están más motivadas y empoderadas, con grandes deseos de cambiar las rígidas estructuras subyacentes. Nuestra gran preocupación son los embates de ultraderecha que soportan grupos antiderechos, muchas veces mejor organizados que nosotros, que sí apoyamos los derechos y somos verdaderos provida (9). Ante este escenario, debemos organizarnos mejor y seguir dando batallas para garantizar los derechos de las mujeres en el ámbito local, regional y global, aunando esfuerzos de todas las organizaciones proderechos. Estamos ahora comprometidos con los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (10), entendidos como aquellos que satisfacen las necesidades de la generación presente sin comprometer la capacidad de las generaciones futuras para satisfacer sus propias necesidades. Esta nueva agenda se basa en: - El trabajo no finalizado de los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio - Los compromisos pendientes (convenciones ambientales internacionales) - Los temas emergentes en las tres dimensiones del desarrollo sostenible: social, económica y ambiental. Tenemos ahora 17 Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible y 169 metas (11). Entre estos objetivos se menciona en varias ocasiones el "acceso universal a la salud reproductiva". En el Objetivo 3 de esa lista se incluye garantizar, de aquí al año 2030, "el acceso universal a los servicios de salud sexual y reproductiva, incluidos los de planificación familiar, información y educación". De igual manera, el Objetivo 5, "Lograr la igualdad de género y empoderar a todas las mujeres y las niñas", establece que se deberá "asegurar el acceso universal a la salud sexual y reproductiva y los derechos reproductivos según lo acordado de conformidad con el Programa de Acción de la Conferencia Internacional sobre la Población y el Desarrollo, la Plataforma de Acción de Beijing". No se puede olvidar que el término acceso universal a la salud sexual y reproductiva incluye el acceso universal al aborto y la anticoncepción. Actualmente 830 mujeres mueren cada día por causas maternas prevenibles; de estos decesos, el 99% ocurre en países en desarrollo, más de la mitad en entornos frágiles y en contextos humanitarios (12). 216 millones de mujeres no pueden acceder a métodos de anticoncepción moderna y la mayoría vive en los nueve países más pobres del mundo y en un ambiente cultural propio de la década de los sesenta (13). Este número solo incluye las mujeres de 15 a 49 años en cualquier tipo de unión, es decir el número total es mucho mayor. Cumplir con los objetivos marcados supondría prevenir 67 millones de embarazos no deseados y reducir a un tercio las muertes maternas. Actualmente tenemos una alta demanda insatisfecha de anticoncepción moderna, con un bajísimo uso de los métodos de larga duración reversible (dispositivos intrauterinos e implantes subdérmicos) que son los más efectivos y de mayor adherencia (14). No hay uno solo de los 17 Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible donde la anticoncepción no tenga un papel preponderante: desde el primero que se refiere al fin de la pobreza, pasando por el quinto de igualdad de género, el décimo de reducción de la desigualdad, entre los países y en el mismo país, hasta el decimosexto relacionado con paz y justicia. Si queremos cambiar el mundo, debemos procurar acceso universal a la anticoncepción sin mitos ni barreras. Tenemos la obligación moral de lograr la erradicación de la pobreza extrema y avanzar en la construcción de sociedades más igualitarias, justas y felices. En anticoncepción de urgencia (AU), estamos muy lejos de alcanzar lo que esperamos. Si en métodos de larga duración reversible tenemos una baja prevalencia, en la AU la situación empeora. No en todas las facultades de medicina de la región se aborda este tema, y donde sí se hace, no hay homogeneidad de contenidos, ni siquiera dentro del mismo país. Hay aún mitos sobre su verdadero mecanismo de acción. Hay países como Honduras donde está prohibida y no hay un medicamento dedicado, como tampoco lo hay en Haití. Donde está disponible el acceso es ínfimo, particularmente entre las niñas, adolescentes, jóvenes, migrantes, afrodescendientes e indígenas. Hay que derrumbar las múltiples barreras para el uso eficaz de la anticoncepción de emergencia, y para eso necesitamos trabajar en romper mitos y percepciones erróneas, tabúes y normas culturales; lograr cambios en las leyes y normas restrictivas de los países; lograr acceso sin barreras a la AU; trabajar intersectorialmente; capacitar al personal de salud y la comunidad. Es necesario transformar la actitud del personal de salud en una de servicio por encima de sus propias opiniones. Reflexionando acerca de lo que ha pasado después de la CIPD realizada en El Cairo, su Programa de Acción cambió cómo miramos las dinámicas de población de un énfasis en la demografía a un enfoque en los derechos humanos y las personas. Los gobiernos acordaron que, en este nuevo enfoque, el éxito era el empoderamiento de las mujeres y la posibilidad de elegir a través de expandir el acceso a la educación, la salud, los servicios y el empleo, entre otros. Sin embargo, ha habido avances desiguales y persiste la inequidad en nuestra región, no se cumplieron todas las metas, los derechos sexuales y reproductivos continúan fuera del alcance de muchas mujeres (15). Aún queda un largo camino para recorrer, hasta que mujeres y niñas del mundo puedan reclamar sus derechos y la libertad de decidir. Globalmente la mortalidad materna se ha reducido, hay mayor asistencia calificada del parto, mayor prevalencia anticonceptiva, la educación integral en sexualidad y el acceso a servicios de SSR para adolescentes ya son derechos reconocidos y con grandes avances, además ha habido ganancias concretas en materia de marcos legales más favorables en particular en nuestra región; sin embargo, si bien las condiciones de acceso han mejorado, las legislaciones restrictivas de la región exponen a las mujeres más vulnerables a abortos inseguros. Hay aún grandes desafíos para que los gobiernos reconozcan la SSR y los DSR como parte integral de los sistemas de salud, existe una amplia agenda contra las mujeres. En ese sentido, el acceso a SSR está bajo amenaza y opresión, se requiere movilización intersectorial y litigios estratégicos, investigación y apoyo a los derechos de las mujeres como agenda intersectorial. Hacia adelante hay que esforzarnos más en el trabajo con jóvenes, para avanzar no solo en el Programa de Acción de la CIPD, sino en todos los movimientos sociales. Son uno de los grupos más vulnerables, y de los mayores catalizadores para el cambio. La población joven aún enfrentan muchos desafíos, especialmente las mujeres y niñas; las jóvenes están especialmente en alto riesgo debido a la falta de servicios y salud sexual y reproductiva amigables y confidenciales, la presencia de violencia basada en género y la falta de acceso a los servicios. Además hay que mejorar el acceso al aborto; es responsabilidad de los estados garantizar la calidad y seguridad en el acceso. Aún en nuestra región existen países con marcos totalmente restrictivos. Las nuevas tecnologías facilitan el autocuidado (16), lo que permitirá ampliar el acceso universal, pero los gobiernos no pueden desvincularse de su responsabilidad. El autocuidado se está expandiendo en el mundo y puede ser estratégico para llegar a las poblaciones más vulnerables. Hay nuevos desafíos para los mismos problemas, que requieren una reinterpretación de las medidas necesarias para garantizar los DSR de todas las personas, en particular mujeres, niñas y en general las poblaciones marginadas y vulnerables. Es necesario tener en cuenta aspectos como las migraciones, el cambio climático, el impacto de medios digitales, el resurgimiento de discursos de odio, la opresión, la violencia, la xenofobia, la homo/transfobia y otros problemas emergentes, pues la SSR debe verse en un marco de justicia, y no aislado. Debemos exigir rendición de cuentas a los 179 gobiernos que participaron en la CIPD hace 25 años y a los 193 países que firmaron los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible. Deben reafirmarse en sus compromisos y expandir la agenda a los temas no considerados en ese momento. Nuestra región ha dado ejemplo al mundo con el Consenso de Montevideo, que se convierte en una hoja de ruta para el cumplimiento del plan de acción de la CIPD y no debe permitirnos retroceder. Este Consenso pone en el centro a las personas, en especial a las mujeres, e incluye el tema de aborto invitando a los estados a que consideren la posibilidad de legalizarlo, lo que abre la puerta para que los gobiernos de todo el mundo reconozcan que las mujeres tienen el derecho a decidir sobre la maternidad. Este Consenso es mucho más inclusivo: Considerando que las brechas en salud continúan sobresalientes en la región y las estadísticas promedio suelen ocultar los altos niveles de mortalidad materna, de infecciones de transmisión sexual, de infección por VIH/SIDA y de demanda insatisfecha de anticoncepción entre la población que vive en la pobreza y en áreas rurales, entre los pueblos indígenas y las personas afrodescendientes y grupos en condición de vulnerabilidad como mujeres, adolescentes y jóvenes y personas con discapacidad, acuerdan: 33-Promover, proteger y garantizar la salud y los derechos sexuales y los derechos reproductivos para contribuir a la plena realización de las personas y a la justicia social en una sociedad libre de toda forma de discriminación y violencia. 37-Garantizar el acceso universal a servicios de salud sexual y salud reproductiva de calidad, tomando en consideración las necesidades específicas de hombres y mujeres, adolescentes y jóvenes, personas LGBT, personas mayores y personas con discapacidad, prestando particular atención a personas en condición de vulnerabilidad y personas que viven en zonas rurales y remotas y promoviendo la participación ciudadana en el seguimiento de los compromisos. 42-Asegurar, en los casos en que el aborto es legal o está despenalizado en la legislación nacional, la existencia de servicios de aborto seguros y de calidad para las mujeres que cursan embarazos no deseados y no aceptados e instar a los demás Estados a considerar la posibilidad de modificar las leyes, normativas, estrategias y políticas públicas sobre la interrupción voluntaria del embarazo para salvaguardar la vida y la salud de mujeres adolescentes, mejorando su calidad de vida y disminuyendo el número de abortos (17). ; In my postgraduate formation during the last years of the 80's, we had close to thirty hospital beds in a pavilion called "sépticas" (1). In Colombia, where abortion was completely penalized, the pavilion was mostly filled with women with insecure, complicated abortions. The focus we received was technical: management of intensive care; performance of hysterectomies, colostomies, bowel resection, etc. In those times, some nurses were nuns and limited themselves to interrogating the patients to get them to "confess" what they had done to themselves in order to abort. It always disturbed me that the women who left alive, left without any advice or contraceptive method. Having asked a professor of mine, he responded with disdain: "This is a third level hospital, those things are done by nurses of the first level". Seeing so much pain and death, I decided to talk to patients, and I began to understand their decision. I still remember so many deaths with sadness, but one case in particular pains me: it was a woman close to being fifty who arrived with a uterine perforation in a state of advanced sepsis. Despite the surgery and the intensive care, she passed away. I had talked to her, and she told me she was a widow, had two adult kids and had aborted because of "embarrassment towards them" because they were going to find out that she had an active sexual life. A few days after her passing, the pathology professor called me, surprised, to tell me that the uterus we had sent for pathological examination showed no pregnancy. She was a woman in a perimenopausal state with a pregnancy exam that gave a false positive due to the high levels of FSH/LH typical of her age. SHE WAS NOT PREGNANT!!! She didn't have menstruation because she was premenopausal and a false positive led her to an unsafe abortion. Of course, the injuries caused in the attempted abortion caused the fatal conclusion, but the real underlying cause was the social taboo in respect to sexuality. I had to watch many adolescents and young women leave the hospital alive, but without a uterus, sometime without ovaries and with colostomies, to be looked down on by a society that blamed them for deciding to not be mothers. I had to see situation of women that arrived with their intestines protruding from their vaginas because of unsafe abortions. I saw women, who in their despair, self-inflicted injuries attempting to abort with elements such as stick, branches, onion wedges, alum bars and clothing hooks among others. Among so many deaths, it was hard not having at least one woman per day in the morgue due to an unsafe abortion. During those time, healthcare was not handled from the biopsychosocial, but only from the technical (2); nonetheless, in the academic evaluations that were performed, when asked about the definition of health, we had to recite the text from the International Organization of Health that included these three aspects. How contradictory! To give response to the health need of women and guarantee their right when I was already a professor, I began an obstetric contraceptive service in that third level hospital. There was resistance from the directors, but fortunately I was able to acquire international donations for the institution, which facilitated its acceptance. I decided to undertake a teaching career with the hope of being able to sensitize health professionals towards an integral focus of health and illness. When the International Conference of Population and Development (ICPD) was held in Cairo in 1994, I had already spent various years in teaching, and when I read their Action Program, I found a name for what I was working on: Sexual and Reproductive Rights. I began to incorporate the tools given by this document into my professional and teaching life. I was able to sensitize people at my countries Health Ministry, and we worked together moving it to an approach of human rights in areas of sexual and reproductive health (SRH). This new viewpoint, in addition to being integral, sought to give answers to old problems like maternal mortality, adolescent pregnancy, low contraceptive prevalence, unplanned or unwanted pregnancy or violence against women. With other sensitized people, we began with these SRH issues to permeate the Colombian Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, some universities, and university hospitals. We are still fighting in a country that despite many difficulties has improved its indicators of SRH. With the experience of having labored in all sphere of these topics, we manage to create, with a handful of colleagues and friend at the Universidad El Bosque, a Master's Program in Sexual and Reproductive Health, open to all professions, in which we broke several paradigms. A program was initiated in which the qualitative and quantitative investigation had the same weight, and some alumni of the program are now in positions of leadership in governmental and international institutions, replicating integral models. In the Latin American Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FLASOG, English acronym) and in the International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FIGO), I was able to apply my experience for many years in the SRH committees of these association to benefit women and girls in the regional and global environments. When I think of who has inspired me in these fights, I should highlight the great feminist who have taught me and been with me in so many fights. I cannot mention them all, but I have admired the story of the life of Margaret Sanger with her persistence and visionary outlook. She fought throughout her whole life to help the women of the 20th century to be able to obtain the right to decide when and whether or not they wanted to have children (3). Of current feminist, I have had the privilege of sharing experiences with Carmen Barroso, Giselle Carino, Debora Diniz and Alejandra Meglioli, leaders of the International Planned Parenthood Federation – Western Hemisphere Region (IPPF-RHO). From my country, I want to mention my countrywoman Florence Thomas, psychologist, columnist, writer and Colombo-French feminist. She is one of the most influential and important voices in the movement for women rights in Colombia and the region. She arrived from France in the 1960's, in the years of counterculture, the Beatles, hippies, Simone de Beauvoir, and Jean-Paul Sartre, a time in which capitalism and consumer culture began to be criticized (4). It was then when they began to talk about the female body, female sexuality and when the contraceptive pill arrived like a total revolution for women. Upon its arrival in 1967, she experimented a shock because she had just assisted in a revolution and only found a country of mothers, not women (5). That was the only destiny for a woman, to be quiet and submissive. Then she realized that this could not continue, speaking of "revolutionary vanguards" in such a patriarchal environment. In 1986 with the North American and European feminism waves and with her academic team, they created the group "Mujer y Sociedad de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia", incubator of great initiatives and achievements for the country (6). She has led great changes with her courage, the strength of her arguments, and a simultaneously passionate and agreeable discourse. Among her multiple books, I highlight "Conversaciones con Violeta" (7), motivated by the disdain towards feminism of some young women. She writes it as a dialogue with an imaginary daughter in which, in an intimate manner, she reconstructs the history of women throughout the centuries and gives new light of the fundamental role of feminism in the life of modern women. Another book that shows her bravery is "Había que decirlo" (8), in which she narrates the experience of her own abortion at age twenty-two in sixty's France. My work experience in the IPPF-RHO has allowed me to meet leaders of all ages in diverse countries of the region, who with great mysticism and dedication, voluntarily, work to achieve a more equal and just society. I have been particularly impressed by the appropriation of the concept of sexual and reproductive rights by young people, and this has given me great hope for the future of the planet. We continue to have an incomplete agenda of the action plan of the ICPD of Cairo but seeing how the youth bravely confront the challenges motivates me to continue ahead and give my years of experience in an intergenerational work. In their policies and programs, the IPPF-RHO evidences great commitment for the rights and the SRH of adolescent, that are consistent with what the organization promotes, for example, 20% of the places for decision making are in hands of the young. Member organizations, that base their labor on volunteers, are true incubators of youth that will make that unassailable and necessary change of generations. In contrast to what many of us experienced, working in this complicated agenda of sexual and reproductive health without theoretical bases, today we see committed people with a solid formation to replace us. In the college of medicine at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and the College of Nursing at the Universidad El Bosque, the new generations are more motivated and empowered, with great desire to change the strict underlying structures. Our great worry is the onslaught of the ultra-right, a lot of times better organized than us who do support rights, that supports anti-rights group and are truly pro-life (9). Faced with this scenario, we should organize ourselves better, giving battle to guarantee the rights of women in the local, regional, and global level, aggregating the efforts of all pro-right organizations. We are now committed to the Objectives of Sustainable Development (10), understood as those that satisfy the necessities of the current generation without jeopardizing the capacity of future generations to satisfy their own necessities. This new agenda is based on: - The unfinished work of the Millennium Development Goals - Pending commitments (international environmental conventions) - The emergent topics of the three dimensions of sustainable development: social, economic, and environmental. We now have 17 objectives of sustainable development and 169 goals (11). These goals mention "universal access to reproductive health" many times. In objective 3 of this list is included guaranteeing, before the year 2030, "universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, including those of family planning, information, and education." Likewise, objective 5, "obtain gender equality and empower all women and girls", establishes the goal of "assuring the universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights in conformity with the action program of the International Conference on Population and Development, the Action Platform of Beijing". It cannot be forgotten that the term universal access to sexual and reproductive health includes universal access to abortion and contraception. Currently, 830 women die every day through preventable maternal causes; of these deaths, 99% occur in developing countries, more than half in fragile environments and in humanitarian contexts (12). 216 million women cannot access modern contraception methods and the majority live in the nine poorest countries in the world and in a cultural environment proper to the decades of the seventies (13). This number only includes women from 15 to 49 years in any marital state, that is to say, the number that takes all women into account is much greater. Achieving the proposed objectives would entail preventing 67 million unwanted pregnancies and reducing maternal deaths by two thirds. We currently have a high, unsatisfied demand for modern contraceptives, with extremely low use of reversible, long term methods (intrauterine devices and subdermal implants) which are the most effect ones with best adherence (14). There is not a single objective among the 17 Objectives of Sustainable Development where contraception does not have a prominent role: from the first one that refers to ending poverty, going through the fifth one about gender equality, the tenth of inequality reduction among countries and within the same country, until the sixteenth related with peace and justice. If we want to change the world, we should procure universal access to contraception without myths or barriers. We have the moral obligation of achieving the irradiation of extreme poverty and advancing the construction of more equal, just, and happy societies. In emergency contraception (EC), we are very far from reaching expectations. If in reversible, long-term methods we have low prevalence, in EC the situation gets worse. Not all faculties in the region look at this topic, and where it is looked at, there is no homogeneity in content, not even within the same country. There are still myths about their real action mechanisms. There are countries, like Honduras, where it is prohibited and there is no specific medicine, the same case as in Haiti. Where it is available, access is dismal, particularly among girls, adolescents, youth, migrants, afro-descendent, and indigenous. The multiple barriers for the effective use of emergency contraceptives must be knocked down, and to work toward that we have to destroy myths and erroneous perceptions, taboos and cultural norms; achieve changes in laws and restrictive rules within countries, achieve access without barriers to the EC; work in union with other sectors; train health personnel and the community. It is necessary to transform the attitude of health personal to a service above personal opinion. Reflecting on what has occurred after the ICPD in Cairo, their Action Program changed how we look at the dynamics of population from an emphasis on demographics to a focus on the people and human rights. The governments agreed that, in this new focus, success was the empowerment of women and the possibility of choice through expanded access to education, health, services, and employment among others. Nonetheless, there have been unequal advances and inequality persists in our region, all the goals were not met, the sexual and reproductive goals continue beyond the reach of many women (15). There is a long road ahead until women and girls of the world can claim their rights and liberty of deciding. Globally, maternal deaths have been reduced, there is more qualified assistance of births, more contraception prevalence, integral sexuality education, and access to SRH services for adolescents are now recognized rights with great advances, and additionally there have been concrete gains in terms of more favorable legal frameworks, particularly in our region; nonetheless, although it's true that the access condition have improved, the restrictive laws of the region expose the most vulnerable women to insecure abortions. There are great challenges for governments to recognize SRH and the DSR as integral parts of health systems, there is an ample agenda against women. In that sense, access to SRH is threatened and oppressed, it requires multi-sector mobilization and litigation strategies, investigation and support for the support of women's rights as a multi-sector agenda. Looking forward, we must make an effort to work more with youth to advance not only the Action Program of the ICPD, but also all social movements. They are one of the most vulnerable groups, and the biggest catalyzers for change. The young population still faces many challenges, especially women and girls; young girls are in particularly high risk due to lack of friendly and confidential services related with sexual and reproductive health, gender violence, and lack of access to services. In addition, access to abortion must be improved; it is the responsibility of states to guarantee the quality and security of this access. In our region there still exist countries with completely restrictive frameworks. New technologies facilitate self-care (16), which will allow expansion of universal access, but governments cannot detach themselves from their responsibility. Self-care is expanding in the world and can be strategic for reaching the most vulnerable populations. There are new challenges for the same problems, that require a re-interpretation of the measures necessary to guaranty the DSR of all people, in particular women, girls, and in general, marginalized and vulnerable populations. It is necessary to take into account migrations, climate change, the impact of digital media, the resurgence of hate discourse, oppression, violence, xenophobia, homo/transphobia, and other emergent problems, as SRH should be seen within a framework of justice, not isolated. We should demand accountability of the 179 governments that participate in the ICPD 25 years ago and the 193 countries that signed the Sustainable Development Objectives. They should reaffirm their commitments and expand their agenda to topics not considered at that time. Our region has given the world an example with the Agreement of Montevideo, that becomes a blueprint for achieving the action plan of the CIPD and we should not allow retreat. This agreement puts people at the center, especially women, and includes the topic of abortion, inviting the state to consider the possibility of legalizing it, which opens the doors for all governments of the world to recognize that women have the right to choose on maternity. This agreement is much more inclusive: Considering that the gaps in health continue to abound in the region and the average statistics hide the high levels of maternal mortality, of sexually transmitted diseases, of infection by HIV/AIDS, and the unsatisfied demand for contraception in the population that lives in poverty and rural areas, among indigenous communities, and afro-descendants and groups in conditions of vulnerability like women, adolescents and incapacitated people, it is agreed: 33- To promote, protect, and guarantee the health and the sexual and reproductive rights that contribute to the complete fulfillment of people and social justice in a society free of any form of discrimination and violence. 37- Guarantee universal access to quality sexual and reproductive health services, taking into consideration the specific needs of men and women, adolescents and young, LGBT people, older people and people with incapacity, paying particular attention to people in a condition of vulnerability and people who live in rural and remote zone, promoting citizen participation in the completing of these commitments. 42- To guarantee, in cases in which abortion is legal or decriminalized in the national legislation, the existence of safe and quality abortion for non-desired or non-accepted pregnancies and instigate the other States to consider the possibility of modifying public laws, norms, strategies, and public policy on the voluntary interruption of pregnancy to save the life and health of pregnant adolescent women, improving their quality of life and decreasing the number of abortions (17).
Issue 22.2 of the Review for Religious, 1963. ; EVODE BEAUCAMP, O.F.M. Sin and the Bible Throughout1 the New Testament the work of Christ is presented as a victory over sin. To speak of sin in this connection is to evoke an agelong experience which is highly complex and which can not be neglected if one wishes to comprehend the matter in all its extent and fullness. The word sin is a familiar one to us; yet it is no older than the Greek of the Septuagint. Before the Sep-tuagint there can not be found in the sacred text a single word exactly corresponding to it. The Alexandrian trans-lator has included under this single word the varying nuances of a number of terms; through this word he has thereby evoked all the forms which were taken through the course of centuries by the resistance of Israel to the salvific activity of God. There can be no question of giving here a study of sin in the Bible; for that is a problem entirely too large. We shall simply mark out the essential lines in order that we might have a better understanding of the problem of sin and that as a consequence we may be able to provide a catechetical presentation of sin that will be more richly nourished by the vitality of the Bible. The God of the Bible ancl the Problem o] Good anti Evil Like all the surroundin~ peoples, Israel united into one word evil and unhappiness on the one hand, goodness and happiness on the other. The first of these words is simultaneously disorder, deceit, emptiness, and death; the second is virtue, fullness of life, and peace. Every deed carries within itsel~ its own consequences: evil in-volves unhappiness while goodness implies happiness: Do no evil, and evil will not overtake you; avoid wickedness, and it will turn aside from you. Sow not in the furrows of in-justice, lest you harvest it sevenfold (Sir 7:1-3). Moreover, one finds in the Bible different ways of ex-pressing the same proverb: This article is translated with permission from the magazine Catdchistes, n. 49 (January 1, 1962), pp. 5-19. The magazine is pub-lished by Procure des Frhres; 78, rue de Shvres; Paris 7, France. 4. 4. Evode Beaucamp O.F.M., a Scripture scholar, lives at Via di Decima Kin. I; Rome, Italy. VOLUME 22, 1965 129 4. 4. ÷ Erode Beaucnmp, O.I~.M. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 130 Those who conceive malice bring forth emptiness; they give birth to failure (Jb 15:35). They sowed the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind (Hos 8:7). What is original in the Bible is the teaching that good-ness, physical as well as moral, has only one source: God. "O Lord," cries the Psalmist, "thou art my welfare; there is none beside thee." And for Amos the two expressions "to seek God" and "to seek the good" are perfectly identi-cal; both the one and the other offer the secret of life (Amos 5:4-14). The successful issue of human existence is found on the way which Yahweh points out and only there: For this reason will all go well with us, because we obeyed the voice of our God (Jer 42:6). You must keep his commands., that you may prosper, and your children after you, and that you may live long . (Dt 4:40). You must do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord that you may prosper (Dr 6:18; see also 12:25 and 28). The Law given by Yahweh to His people is the way of happiness: "You must keep my laws and ordinances, by the observance of which man shall find life (Lv 18:5).'° This is a point which is important to remember when the idea of the Law is presented; the love of the Jews for the Torah is incomprehensible if it is not realized that Yah-weh is legislator precisely insofar as He is father, bene-factor, shepherd, and defender of His people. Moreover, this throws light on the well-known problem of reward. The Bible does not say that happiness is received as a recompense for goodness but that happiness is the fruit of goodness and that it is to be found at the end of the way. Evil is not treated in the same way as is goodness; the God of the Bible never attributes to Himself a paternir.y with regard to evil. For the Psalmists, evil is the absence of God; and it is towards Him that one must turn to be freed from it. Nevertheless, it is in relationship to God that evil is defined: evil is the reverse of what He wills, of the course of :action that He teaches. As the author of Chapters Three and Four of Genesis has carefully sho~qn, the evils which weigh on humanity are not imputable to the Creator; the responsibility falls on man who has at-tempted to find his happiness outside of God, to flee his dependence on Yahweh by himself possessing the key of good and evil. Man has set himself on the desperate route that leads far from Paradise: Woe to them that have wandered away from reel (Hos O Lord, thou hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who prove faithless to you in the land shall be brought to confusion, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water (Jer 17:13). Let us remark in passing that the God of the Bible never reproaches man for his thirst for greatness and happiness; what is reproached is the attempt to satisfy this outside of God. Unlikei the gods of Surher and Baby-lon, Yahweh has the intention of giving His creature the fullness of life and happiness, but He teaches that this must be done by Him: If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would only walk in my ways, I would quickly humble their foes . he would be fed with the finest of the wheat; and with honey from the rock would I satisfy you (Ps 81:13-14, 16). Although man punishes himself by separating himself from God (see Jb 22:3 ft.), the Bible, nevertheless, does not hesitate to show us Yahweh personally intervening to punish with all the power of His anger. It is He who hardens the pharaoh, as it is He who brings evil upon His unfaithful people: I am watching over them for evil and not for good (Jet 44:27). I will set my eye upon them for evil, and not for good (Amos It is curious to observe how the inspired writers can com-plain both that Yahweh hides His face and remains dis-tant from His chosen ones (Ps 88:14) and that He turns His face against them (Jer 44:11): "The face of the Lord has scattered them; he no longer regards them" (Lain 4:16). And some of the sacred writers are heard to cry out: Will you never take your eye off me, nor let me alone till I swallow my saliva? (Jb 7:19). Turn your gaze away from me, that I may be glad (Ps 39:13). Yahweh never ceases to assert His exclusive right to bestow good on His chosen ones even when they turn away from Him to their own loss. In the evils which then beset them, there can always, be detected the avenging pursuit of a cheated love: So I will be unto them like a lion; or like a leopard by the road I will lurk. I will rend them like a bear robbed of its cubs; and I will tear off the covering of their heart (Hos 13:7-8). Pursued by the love he has denied, the sinner sees him-self abandoned by all: "Thou has put friend and com-panion far from me" (Ps 88:18). He is abandoned even by the earth which bears and nourishes him: I am bringing upon them a disaster which they shall not be able to escape (Jet 11:11). I will rend and be gone; I will carry off, with none to rescue (Hos 5:14). Sin VOLUME 22, 1963 13! + + + Evode Beaucamp, O.F.M. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS Behold, I am going to make a groaning under you (Amos 2:13). Unlike the Egyptian god Aten, Yahweh is not indif. ferent when He distributes life and happiness. His gifts are always made from a personal and jealous love. Hence He can not but react vigorously when man prefers deceit, nothingness, and ruin to His love. The blows which He deals as well as His tragic silence can lead the wanderer back to the road of return: I withdraw to my own place, until they realize their guilt and seek my face, searching for me in their distress (Hos 5:15). And yet it is necessary that this appeal be heard and followed: It was I that gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities . it was I that withheld from you the rain, three months before the harvest . I laid waste your gardens and your vineyards . I sent a pestilence like that of Egypt among you . But you did not return to me (Amos 4:6-10). When sin is presented as disobedience to the Law of God, it is necessary to realize that this Law is the path marked out by God and leading to life and happiness; to disobey it is to wish to conduct one's life by oneself and to run towards one's own ruin. The God whose love has been scorned will not be content to let us leave; He will inexorably bar the way that leads to peace just as formerly He posted the cherubim with their swords of fire to pre-vent Adam and his descendants from access to the Para-dise that had been lost: They are a people who err in their hearts, and do not know my ways. So that I swore in my anger that they should not enter into my rest (Ps 95:10-11). The Special Demands o[ the Covenant The Bible is not satisfied with presenting man in con-frontation with God; for the Bible the heart of the matter is the elect one in confrontation with the God who has chosen him. The peace dreamt of by the Jews of old, peace between the members of. one community, peace with the external world and the earth where men liv~.~- this peace is the fruit of the covenant of Sinai (see Lv 26:3-13; Dt 11:13-15). From the viewpoint of the history of religions, one of the most original characteristics of this alliance is the tact that the initiative belongs exclusively to God and not at all to the people; it is Yahweh who has chosen Israel and not Israel who has chosen Yahweh. From the beginning to the end of the Bible, Yahweh repeatedly emphasizes the absolute liberty of His choice, a liberty that gives Him the right to demand obedience without reserve or mur-mur. The elect one should adjust his conduct to the direc- tives given by his God; he must seek that "which is right in the eyes of Yahweh"; he must "march perfectly before Him" without "swerving" from the way "either to the right or the left." Hence.the existence of Israel was constitute~ by the acceptance of these demands;~and these;demands were unceasingly renewed nor were they ever fully completed at any given moment of history. The more Israel, through a better understanding of the obligations of the covenant, wished to submit to them, the larger the number of them grew. In its always unsatisfied thirst to stay perfectly close to the divine will, the chosen people never ceased to develop the principles at the base of the Mosaic legis-lation of the Decalogue (Ex 20:3-17; Dt 5:6-21) and of the code of the covenant (Ex 20:22-26) into the different priestly codes and the enormous growths of the rabbinical tradition. Since there existed this demand for a perfection never perfectly attained ("You must be holy; for I, the Lord your God, am holy" fLy 19:2]; "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" [Mt 5:48]), an exhaustive list of sins is nowhere to be found in the Bible; prophets, Psalmists, and wise men give us but certain ones among many. In every epoch and in all circumstances, the obli-gations of the covenant remain unlimited; the human party of the covenant never succeeds in rising to the level of the demands of the divine party. Basically, the sin of later Judaism will be to pretend to arrest this movement of divine improvement by attempting to imprison the divine will within the walls of a definitive and rigid tra-dition. There is no need to emphasize that the same dan-ger lies in wait for every spiritual life, that there will always be a tendency to substitute for the unlimited de-mands of Christian perfection a code of limited rules which each person can hope some day to fulfill com-pletely. The covenant not only implies the demands of a bond faithfully maintained between God and His people, but it also includes the demands of a union between the in-dividual members of this people. Yahweh expects that His people should practice among themselves the justice and mercy which He has bestowed on them. The pious Israelite must never forget to share his joy with the stranger, the orphan, the widow; for, as Deuteronomy puts it: "You must remember that you were once a slave yourself in Egypt" (Dt 16:12). For the same reason it is forbidden to retain one's brother in the state of slavery (Lv 25:55; Dt 15:15); nor ought one to treat a stranger with scorn (Lv 19:34; Dt 24:17). In this principle can be seen the first outline of the thought of the Master: "Love each other as I have loved you." ÷ ÷ ÷ Sin VOLUME 22, 1963 4. + Evode Beaucamp, O.F.M. REVIL~V FOR RELIGIOUS Hence it is that along with the infidelities of the people towards God, the absence of social justice appears as the chief accusation directed by Yahweh against Israel. From the beginning of prophetism (for example, with Elijah), the struggle is waged on two fronts: opposition to the introduction of foreign cults and the respect for the rights of the weak (Naboth's vineyard, 1 K 21). As the Lord Himself emphasized, the entire legislation of Israel re. volves around this double commandment: to love God with one's whole heart and one's neighbor as oneself. The same is to be found in the warnings of the prophets, the Psalmists, and the wise men: You have been told, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you'. Only. to do l'ustice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly wtth your God (Mi 6:8; see also Jer 7:5-11). It will not be useless to insist somewhat on this capital point; since we have too great a tendency to distinguish sins against God and sins against neighbor, it is necessary to show how every sin against God leads to injustice with regard to neighbor and how every sin against one's neigh-bor is a blow struck against the rights of God. The first chapters of Genesis in the Yahwist and priestly redac-tions already present evil under this double dimension. The murder of an innocent person follows the act by which Adam made himself independent of his Creator, while the union of the sons of gods with the daughters of men (probably an allusion to sacred prostitution) in-volves the unleashing of violence upon the earth. In a more general way, the Bible unites under the single He. brew word resha' the idea of both impiety and evil-doing, The person who so acts is frequently referred to through-out the Psaher; he is a person who intends to do without God and to live his life entirely by himself and who, in consequence, makes use of force, deceit, and lies: The fool says in his heart: There is no God. Such men are corrupt; they do abominable deeds; there is not one who does good (Ps 14:1; see also Ps 9; 10; 12; 52; 62; and so forth). His adversary and his victim is the just man, the man who expects salvation and justification from God alone and who therefore does not seek to take the law in his own hands nor do himself justice at the expense of others. The life of David furnishes an excellent illustration of these two cases of the evil man and the just man. Sens-ing that Yahweh would give to him the crown of Saul, David steadfastly refused to touch the sacred person of the king; for he intended to owe his royalty: to Yahweh alone and he did not wish to do things wrongly. Accord-ingly, through terrible execution or a no less terrible curse, he decisively disassociated himself from all those who wished to hasten the event by doing violence to Saul or his son or the general of his army (2 S 1:15; ~:28 ft.; 4:10 ft.). In contrast to the dynasties of, usurpers, the dynasty of David was not in its origin tainted by blood (2 K 2:5). But in the affair of Uriah, the king of Jerusalem took a completely opposite c#ur.se; here he acted,asian impious and evil person. Nathan" recalled to the guilty monarch everything that Yahweh had done for him and pointed out to him how He was still ready to do more. But David had lacked confidence; he had chosen to take care of him-sell and this he did at the expense of one of his own subjects. There is, then, no rejection of God which does not eventually turn into injustice, just as there is no in-justice which is not a disregard of the power of the God of :the covenant. For a Christian, to sin is not only to disobey the eternal laws of the Creator; it is also a refusal of the covenant and a scorning of the love of the Father of all. Human Resistance and God's Final Victory The covenant supposes a history; it is at the center of a plan that develops by stages. At each of these stages man tries to block the plan, but his actions do not prevent God from having the final word. It is interesting to follow step by step the resistances of those who were the bene-ficiaries of the covenant, for in them are to be found all the possible forms which man's refusal of God's offer can take. 1. The choice of the elect from the midst of a humanity immersed in sin. Because the human race had turned from Him and had obstinately buried itself in evil, Yah-weh drew forth from it Israel in the desire to make of it a people who would follow His directives. Hence the election of Abraham is presented in the Yahwist tradition of Genesis as the last effort made by Yahweh to prevent His creation from going to perdition apart from Him. This evil had begun when Adam, in his desire for in-dependence, had lost Paradise. Nevertheless, Yahweh did not abandon this fugitive from Him; He gave him the hope of a future victory over the evil in which he had immersed himself; He had even covered the nakedness that the guilty couple had become aware of. To the first couple, punished by their pride, there succeeded a gen-eration of murderers: Cain and his descendants. Once more Yahweh intervened to prevent fallen humanity from disappearing, from the earth under the inexorable blows of the curse of blood. The union of the sons of the gods with the daughters of men provoked such a release of violence that Yahweh decided on the complete de-struction of His work. Nevertheless, He saved from the catastrophe a just man with whom He concluded a cove- 4- 4- 4- VOLUME 22, 1963 4, 4, 4, Erode Beaucamp, O.F.M. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 136 nant. This was not yet the last act of the drama; the last scene of the beginnings of the human race is the episode of the tower of Babel, the dispersion of the sons of Adam after their aborted attempt to construct a tower that would reach to heaven. Nevertheless, the efforts of Yahweh to arrest man in his vertiginous descent into the abyss were not in vain; for, after the episode of the tower of Babel, a new history begins: the vocation of Abraham, the epic of the patri-archs, the covenant of Sinai. To the first scene of a uni-versal invasion of evil, there succeeds that of the increas-ingly solicitous enterprise of God with regard to a people whom He would choose for His own. Under different forms the same idea is found almost everywhere in the Old Testament. To explain the fact that Israel had taken the place of the Canaanites, the legal texts, for example, tell us that the latter were chased from their land because they had done "what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh"; He had determined to give their land to a people who would agree to live according to His will. But misfortune would come to this people if they ever dared to imitate the conduct of their predeces-sors; He would not hesitate to deprive them of the land. The falling back into the world of sin from which Yah-weh had drawn them led Judah to its ruin, as Jeremiah and Ezekiel emphatically pointed out. The sin of the elect is in fact a return to the sin of the nations after having been freed from it. Each election is pictured as a rupture: Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's house (Gn 12:1), Forget your people and your father's house (Ps 45:11). The call of God implies an ascent towards Him by the practice of what is "right in His eyes" and by a renuncia-tion of "what is evil in his eyes." This initial break must continue throughout the course of time; this requires a constant effort at disencumbrance, for the surrounding world never ceases to exert pressure on the elect to make them fall back under its law. This is the drama of every vocation, not only to religious life but to Christianity self. 2. Resistance to the hand that guides. After He had led the people from Egypt, Yahweh made them cross the desert before bringing them to the Promised Land. The desert is the sign of temptation, a testing of faith. In other words, Yahweh would not give the land of Canaart to the Hebrews unless they abandoned themselves to Him without reserve by remaining faithful to the memory of the marvelous act of liberation by which they left Egypt. But hunger, thirst, and fatigue quickly overcame the faith of the former slaves of the pharaohs. They soon forgot the extraordinary epic of the Exodus; they mur-mured and rebelled against Moses and Aaron; they be-came enraged at seeing themselves in a venture which seemed to be pointless; and they dreamed nostalgically of the onions of Egypt. They refused to march forward on the grounds that the:.P~-omised Land W~s~'fi0t good enough and because the enterprise was to their minds a doomed one (Nm 14). This lack of confidence induced the people of Moses to attempt to assure themselves of the protection of their God by placing Him at their service and by forcing His hand as they wished. This is what the Bible calls "tempt-ing God." Instead of Yahweh "tempting" and trying the people in order to make them proceed according to His will, it was Israel who tempted its God, attempting to bring Him into the service of human caprice. Hence when Moses delayed coming down from the mountain and Yahweh made them wait for His answer, the He-brews made the golden calf, a material representation of their God which would allow them to control Him and to"make Him advance according to their desires at the head of their army. This recalcitrant attitude of the elect blocked the entire matter of the election and prevented their entering the rest of God (Ps 95:11). The intercession of Moses effected a compromise: the rebellious generation died in the desert and only their children possessed the right to the heritage of the God of the covenant. 3. Profanation of God's gift. The covenant gift of the land of Canaan should have created the indissoluble bonds of a steadfast love between Israel and God. Unfortunately, Israel, once it was secure and satisfied, was quick to forget: I led them to pasture; with food came satiety, and with satiety pride; and with pride came forgetfulness of me (Hos 13:6; see also Dt 32:15). The riches of the land of Canaan, instead of constantly recalling to the people the solicitude of Yahweh, drove Him from their mind and nurtured in them the illusion of being able to escape the jealous influence of their God. With the products of their land, they attempted to buy protection abroad; this was a seeking after "lovers"--the famous theme of prostitution. Often this theme is con- [used with the closely related one of adultery. The idea of prostitution certainly includes the notion of unfaith-fulness, but it is wider than that; it is not only the betrayal of love, it is also the profanation of the gifts of love: But you trusted in your beauty, and played the harlot on your reputation; you lavished your harlotries on everyone who passed by. You took off your garments, and made yourself gaily decked shrines, on which you played the harlot. You took also your splendid ornaments of gold and silver, which I had given 4- 4- VOLUME 22, 196;1 4. 4" Erode Beaucamp, O.F.M. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 138 you, and made yourself images of men, with which you played the harlot. And you took your embroidered robes, and wrapped them in these. My oil and my incense you set before them; my bread which I had given you-~the choice flour, oil, and honey with which I had fed you--you set before them as a soothing odor (Ez 16:15-19). The Chosen People made use of what Yahweh had given them in order to curry the favor of the baals or to buy alliances with the peoples that surrounded them. Resistance to the hand that Ied them or profanation of the gift received represent two aspects of the rebellion of the children of God. However, none of the stages of the history of salvation exists in an absolutely pure state. Hence it is that throughout the length of our Christian life sin can put on the form of a refusal to proceed in the desert and of a prostitution when one, for his own pur-poses and independently of God, makes use of the gift which he has received from His love. The Old Testament leaves us with a vision of a check-mate: God is not able to regain the human race which from the beginning had plunged itself into sin and sepa-rated itself from Him. Unless God would make a new heart for men, they would never be able to rise up to the level of the divine demands. Even the Law which Yahweh had given His elect in an attempt to free them from the surrounding evil came in the end only to increase sin (Rom 7:7-25). The cross of Christ and the gift of the Spirit are necessary in order that we might escape the in. fernal cycle. It is then that there appears that new man according to the heart of God whom the prophets Jere-miah and Ezekiel had predicted: I will give you a new heart, and will put within you a new spirit; I will remove the heart of stone out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh; and I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances (Ez 36:26-27). There is no need to emphasize that one must not present the Law of Christ which alone can make us pleasing to God without adding that this Law is impractical if Christ Himself does not communicate to us His power so that we might fulfill the demands of the Law. Fundamental Aspects o[ the Discord Between God and Man Throughout the Old Testament the resistance of man to the work of God is presented under three clearly dis-tinguished aspects; it is essential to guard against con-fusing these three when the idea of sin in the Bible is analyzed. 1. Opposition to the work of divine justice. The prin-cipal adversary of divine justice is an individual whom the Hebrew language terms rasha', a term which is usu-ally translated by the word impious or wicked. This rasha' enters into association with the "makers of iniq-uity," "the proud," "the mockers," and the "men of blood." His weapons are cunning, lies, violence; he is constantly thinking of i~i~l~'ity"in his he;irt~ li'~ Sets traps for the innocent; his hands are soiled with blood and he is given to drink. His opposition to justice is shown in two ways: it is, first of all, undisguised hostility towards God who is thought to be too distant to'react against it; and, secondly, it is a merciless war against the just whose violated rights the God of the covenant is pledged to de-fend. For practical purposes, the rasha' and his satellites coincide with the adversaries of the covenant; for the justice they oppose is at the center of the preoccupation of the parties of the covenant. They appear from the very beginning of the human race, but more ~usually they ap-pear as the enemies of the Chosen People; in every case they constantly menace the stability of the work of God in the cosmos and in history. Gradually the distinction between the just and the impious is found within the nation itself; it is at this time that the realization of a qualitative Israel necessitates a distinction between the faithful and those who are traitors and apostates. None of the faithful aligns himself with the: rasha': Drag me not away with the wicked, with those who do wron.g, who speak of peace to their neighbors though evil is in their hearts (Ps 28:3). On the occasion of the demands of the wicked, the just man frequently prays for justice from God; this im-plies that he is the victim not the accomplice of the wicked. If the good man wishes to be heard by Yahweh, he must disassociate himself as completely as possible from the perverse machinations of the artisans of evil: "I hate the assembly of evil~toers, and with the wicked I will not sit down" (Ps 26:5). It is only on this condition that he can cry out: "Judge me"; "Do me justice" (Ps 26:1; 43:1). In the matter of justice, then, the Old Testament knows only negative confessions (Ps 5; 26; 139; Jb 31) like those that the dead recite for their justification be-fore the tribunal of Osiris. There is no avowal of an atti-tude of present opposition to justice, an attitude that the God of the covenant would have to punish; only past sins are confessed the consequences of which are already or about to be felt. This is evidently insufficient for Chris-tians. We not only have to present to the Father our past errors but also a heart which even now is evil and which we ask Him to transform. There can be no doubt that ÷ ÷ ÷ Sin VOLUME 22, 1963 139 ÷ .I. ÷ Erode Beaucamp, O~F.M. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS such a prayer supposes a pure intention, and this is the profound significance of our negative confessions. Man can not pray to God while desiring evil; nevertheless, pure intentions do not effect that we see exactly what God wants nor even that we feel the power to accomplish it. Our pure intentions require from us only that we aban-don ourselves,to Him in order that we might see and will the perfection which He expects from us: For I do not the good that I wish, but the evil I do not wish, that I perform . Unhappy man that I aml Who will deliver me from the body of this death? (Rom 7:19 and 24). 2. A state of rupture with God. The three Hebrew roots which are ordinarily translated by such words as sin, transgression, iniquity, fault, and so forth express, though each with different nuances, the idea of a state of rupture with the God of the covenant: The Lord's hand is not .too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear; but your iniquities have been a barrier between you and your God. And your sins have hidden his face, so that he could not hear you (Is 59:1-2). This state is a present situation the cause of which is a definite past act; hence one goes from the awareness of the rupture to an appreciation of its origin: "I have sinned." This is equivalent to saying that if God aban-dons me to my lot, I can blame only myself; it is my own fault: O Lord, the great and revered God, who keeps loving faith with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned . To us, O Lord, pertains confusion of face . but to the Lord our God pertain compassion and forgiveness (Dn 9: 4-5, 8-9). The awareness of sin, then, is the awareness of being abandoned by God through one's own fault; the sinner is like a child experiencing the feeling of no longer being loved by his mother; he feels himself cut off from the one who is his source of life: My anger shall blaze against them, and I will forsake them~ and withhold my favor from them; they shall become a thing to be consumed, and many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say at that time: Is it not because God is not in our midst that these evils have befallen us? (Dt 31:17). By the fact of sin--and this holds true for the relations between man and man as well as for the relations be-tween God and man--the Protector finds Himself re-leaged of His obligation 'towards His proteges; in particu-lar He is no longer bound to see justice done them and He can consider them as His enemies: We look for redress, but it comes not; for salvation, but it remains f~r from us. For many are our sins before you, and our faults bear witness against us (Is 59:11-12). Abandoned by his God and even pursued by His ill will, the sinner is sooner or later doomed to death. In the case of an individual he will use up his strength in a dis-ease that is without hope; in the case of a country it will perish under the blows of epidemics, famines, and wars. For sin breaks not only~th@,~bbnds betwe~en,~n~fi and his God; it also isolates man frbm society and even from the earth, since peace with God is the condition of peace with one's fellow men and with the entire world. In his dereliction and total loneliness, the sinner possesses only one resource: to throw himself into the arms of the One he has offended. On the whole, the Old Testament attaches more im-portance: to this state of rupture than to the nature of the acts which provoke it. Contrary to the confessions of Babylon which attempted to exorcise evil by interminable lists of all possible sins, the Bible generally reduces its inventory to the simple assertion: '~I have sinned." For the Bible, it is God, not sin, that is of interest; it is God that is considered. A sense of sin that is not a sense of God and does not suppose the experience of a valued intimacy is a false sense of sin which can lead to the greatest catastrophes as the history of Luther and Jansen-ism have shown. 3. Impurity, the state of incompatibility with the divine presence. The notions of purity an~l impurity are among the most common and primitive ones in the his-tory of religions. In them is found everywhere the same confusion between taboos of a ritual nature and ethical prescriptions in the proper sense. Sexual pollutions, for example, whether licit or illicit, make one impure, just as the shedding of blood, whether justly or unjustly, profanes the earth. And the contagious nature which is attributed to such impurity makes the notion even more difficult for the modern mind. There has been a mis-understanding of the place which the Bible gives to such a primitive category of thought in later books like Leviti-cus; many see in this a reaction to the effort made by the prophets to form the moral conscience of Israel. But presented in this way, the problem is wrongly placed. Impurity is on a completely different level than that of sin, the rupture with God. It is not concerned with the difficulties and blocks that can lessen the rela-tions of man with God but with that which appears in-compatible with the maintenance of the divine presence in the midst of the country: Because the Lord your God moves within your camp to rescue you and to put your enemies at your mercy, your camp must be clean, so that he may not see anything indecent with you, and turn away from you (Dr 23:14). If the Bible attaches a great importance to this notion sin VOLUM£ 22, 1963 141 ÷ ÷ ÷ E~ode Benuc~mp, O.F.M. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 142 of impurity, it is because for it the question is not re-ducible to the simple fact of not offending God; it is the much more profound matter of living with Him in His presence. The sense of purity is the awareness of the holiness which election requires, a holiness that must ex-tend to everything which conditions the existence of the elect: I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy; for I am holy; so you must not defile yourselves with any kind of insect that crawls on the earth. For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God, and so you must be holy; for I am holy (Lv 11:44-45). You must be holy to me; for I, the Lord, am holy, and have separated you from other peoples to be mine (Lv 90:26). As long as Israel remained a political and sociological reality, the community of life between Yahweh and His people had necessarily to preserve a character that was both interior and exterior, implying demands both of a physical and a moral order. This combination should not, then, be surprising. It is necessary to wait for the Gospel in order that the problem of purity be elevated to a properly spiritual level, for then the kingdom of God becomes an interior reality which is not involved in the social and material conditions of the life of the elect: "It is what pr6ceeds from a man that makes him impure" (Mk 7:20). All cases of impurity, however diverse, have this in common that they create a cultic incompatibility and make the approach to the divine dangerous. But it is dif-ficult to find how this incompatibility flows from a single principle; this is a world of different and heterogeneous elements which it would be a waste of time to attempt to unify. So, for example, one type of impurity consisted of any attempt to violate a reality that was initially sacred: harvesting, the gathering of fruits, marriage, and so ford~. But impurity was likewise involved when a being was possessed by foreign divinities; the sinner fell into this category when, being rejected by his god, he became the prey of demons. Finally, every act is impure which lessens the essential integrity of a being, especially a consecrated one: the loss of blood or of seminal fluid, the cutting of the hair of a Nazirite, the cutting of a stone intended for an altar, the putting to work of an animal destined to carry a sacred object, and so forth. All this is common to the ancient world; and the Bible in this matter originates nothing, though it should be noted that matters such as sicknesses, curses, various ca-lamities, blood crying for vengeance, cadavers awaiting burial figure here as simply malefic rather than being at-tributed to foreign divinities or demons. Furthermore, it seems to us that a global impression emerges from all this chaos: a being cannot support the presence of God if its existence is diminished or threatened either by an acci-dental loss of substance or by subjection to some other power. Not being fully himself, man in such a case cannot offer himself to his God. If this interpretation is correct, then the need for purity calls out for the idea of the In-carnation, for the Priest without stain who can enter the sanctuary of the God of the covenant; this is the perfect man who has attained the fullness of his stature: "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." Before the majesty of the King-God who was revealed to his eyes, Isaiah becomes frightenedly aware not of his sin but of his impurity: Woe to me, for I am lost; I am a man of unclean lips. and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts (Is 6:5). It is not sin but impurity which impedes the vision of God: "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God." Whatever may have been for primitive man the deep roots of the notes of impurity, the idea should not be suppressed but moralized and spiritualized. From this an-cient notion, two elements should be kept for the profit of our own Christian life: first, our Christian life is truly a life with God, and it supposes a full realization of our stature as the "new man" according to Christ and a full posses-sion of ourselves that withholds nothing from the in-fluence of God; secondly, every lessening of our personal vitality is a lessening of the vitality of the community; every lessening of our charity detracts from the global charity of the Church, and it tarnishes her purity, since impurity by its nature is contagious, always passing from individuals to the collectivity. Solutions to the Discord Between God and Man 1. The judgment of the wicked. A victorious judgment of the God of the covenant will put an end to the opposi-tion of the wicked man. This judgment, however, is never purely negative. The wicked man is a dangerous individ-ual, and his downfall affects the salvation of the just: The righteous shall rejoice that he has seen vengeance; he shall wash his footsteps in the blood of the wicked. And men shall say: There certainly is a reward for the just; there cer-tainly is a God who judges on earth (Ps 58:10-11). As we have seen, the wicked man is generally con-sidered as unable to be converted; this is why his disap-pearance appears as the only solution to the evil of which the just man is a victim; the world will regain its peace only when God has caused this evil to fall on its authors. Gradually, however, other conceptions of the matter came into existence. Jeremiah and especially Ezekiel envisage ÷ ÷ ÷ VOLUME 22° 1963 ÷ Evode Beaucamp, O.F.M. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS the case of a wicked man who abandons his wickedness to practice "judgment and justice": As I live, says the oracle of Yahweh, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather in this that the wicked man turn from his way and live. Turn, O turn, from your evil waysl Why should you die, O house of Israeli (Ez 33:11). This view of the conversion of the wicked is a direct preparation for the Gospel. Christ will proclaim that He has come not for the just but for the wicked---the publi-cans and adulterers who without conversion would fall beneath the blows of the avenging anger of God. The great revolution of the Gospel is the distinction between evil and evil men; in the Our Father it is from evil that we ask to be freed and not from our enemies, as was done in the Psalms. As long as a man has not drawn his last breath, he is never to be identified with evil and we must always hope for his eventual conversion. The venge-ance of the just is no longer the extermination of the wicked but their penance and reparation. 2. The pardon of the sin. The one who has culpably lost communion with God can only hope for the gratui-tous act of clemency and pity Which the One offended can grant or not grant when pardon is asked of Him. In the rupture man took the initiative, but the initiative in the matter of reconciliation belongs exclusively to God. More than in any other case there apears here the impos-sibility of forcing His hand. Sin, the rupture of relations between God and man, is an intolerable weight from which the sinner cannot free himself by his own effort; it is a weight that only the One offended is in a position to lift: For, day and night, your hand lay heavy upon me . I said: I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the guilt of my sin (Ps 32:4-5). The Babylonians, in order to have greater certainty of their restoration to favor, frequently attempted to have another friendly divinity intervene with the angered god. In the Bible, as is evident, man is without the possibility of such a mediation. He must directly approach the God he has offended and throw himself at His feet while de-claring "I have sinned"; he must rely entirely on God's mercy. It is clear that such an act implies conversion; it is the return of the prodigal son to his Father's house. While the Bible does not permit the sinner to avoid encountering the God he has angered, still it does not leave him without arguments by which he can plead his case. He can, for example, invoke the glory of the God of the covenant whose name he still continues to bear: What will the nations think of Yahweh if He continues to leave his people defenseless? (Ps 79; 80; Ez 32:11-14). He can also invoke His justice: In abandoning His own, does not Yahweh yield to His enemies? (Ps 41). Finally, he can appeal to the shortness of life--life which a pro-lUonngfoedrt uabnsaetnelcye, owf eG coadn m naokte ds eelmayp thye aren du ,s epngsne~le sths e(Pses 9a0rg).u-ments which still retaiii,:th~ir~, validity for, oi~i~ prayer as Christians. We have already pointed out that the penitent does not dwell upon an analysis of his culpable act but keeps his eyes on the God the lack of whom he suffers and in whom he sees his only hope; the simple fact of the rupture is al-ready virtually the presence of death and it constitutes for the sinner the deepest kind of punishment than which nothing greater is to be feared. The penitent calls on the judgment and justice of Yahweh as a grace the right to which he has lost by sin. He awaits the moment of pardon which will reestablish him in the friendship of His God so that once again he will be protected in the midst of a hostile world: The anger of the Lord must I bear--for I have sinned against him--until he shall take up my case and do me justice (Mi 7:9). Once pardon h.as been granted, the remembrance of the sin disappears in the remembrance of the victorious love of Yahweh, a love which is capable of overpowering all offenses and which in its profundity and total gratuitous-ness leaves the soul of man in confusion (Ps 103); here already there is almost found the felix culpa of St. Au-gustine. Moreover, the world which the divine mercy re-constructs is always more beautiful than the one de-stroyed by sin. To illustrate this law, it is sufficient to reflect on the messianic prophecies which for the most part are prophecies of pardon (Ps 85; Is 40-55; 60; Ez 34; and so forth). 3. Purification of Defilement. Having been excluded from worship, the defiled man must purify himself be-fore coming into the presence of God.'It is a co.mmon idea among all the ancient religions that the gods have given men ritual materials and formulas that are capable of purifying them, their temples, and their country. In particular, there are appropriate rites that permit the expulsion from the impure being of the evil spirits and demons who have taken possession of him; thus, for ex-ample, spells and curses which had victimized a person were made to pass on to the body of animals wh~ch.~:were then driven far away or burned. In the Bible this liturgi-cal transfer has left only a few traces, the most notable ex-ample of which is that of the scapegoat of the D~y of Atonement (Lv 16). This animal, loaded with the sins of Israel, was not offered to Yahweh but driven far aw~iy to Azazel. 4, 4, VOLUME 22, 1963 ÷ ÷ ÷ Erode Beau~arap, O.F.M. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 146 In place of this image of a transfer, the Bible has pre-ferred that of cleansing through ablutions and sprinkling with blood and water. This symbol is simultaneously negative and positive: at the same time as it removes the uncleanliness, the water restores all the freshness of life. This is also, as it seems to me, the function of the blood in the atonement rite and in the sin sacrifices. But we shall not delay here on this difficuh and debated point; we will content ourselves with giving our own personal opinion. Blood seems to have as its effect the protection of the things and persons which it covers; it protects them from the various evils which are the sequel of sin just as the blood of the paschal lamb did at the Exodus (Ex 12:1-15). But to this negative effect there is added a posi-tive action; for blood is life, and it is by reason of the life that is in it that Yahweh has given it as an effector of atonement (Lv 17:10-12). Thanks to it, persons, cult ob-jects, and the country that is the abode of Yahweh find their fullness of life, their first integrity which impurity had caused to be lost. The application of this Biblical rite to our Christian life is not difficult. The sin of a Christian can be con-sidered as a stain that not only changes our personal re-lations with God but also diminishes the vital potentiali-ties of the Church and impairs her charity. Reparation, therefore, is a social duty just as it was in ancient Israel. God has given us the Blood of Christ as an inexhaustible source of love so that we can preserve for the Church the immaculate appearance which her divine Spouse initially bestowed on her: He wished to summon into his presence the Church in all her beauty, with no stain, wrinkle, or any disfigurement; she. was to be holy and spotless (Eph 5:27). Conclusion By way of conclusion, let us synthesize the results of our inquiry. In order that the notion of sin preserve all the force that the Bible gives it, it must include three ele-ments: deterioration of the order of creation; rupture with God, the source of life; and impurity which hinders all commerce with the divine. All this is what is repre-sented by the word sin at the time of the New Testament~ it is all this that Christ has come to restore, heal, and purify. Under these three aspects, sin is a flight from God, the only source of life and happiness; it represents the contrary of all the effort God has made throughout his-tory to draw us to Him; it is a return back to a past from which He has drawn us; it is our refusal to allow ourselves to be led by Him blindly; it is our squandering of the gifts we have received. To depart from God is to depart from other men and finally to find oneself alone in a hostile world: And it has brought you. w " as reconciled . ,_ o ~;. ¯ - uom~ wron~ ;-,- - "-' holiness a~a t__ )vu mrough dying, ;,,~.:_ . 6 ~-o.ugn now (Col 1:2'1_~)."ee ~rom reproa~c h. .or ~Ta~'e,'~'~vt~uas op~rensve nbcoedy) ia Sin VOLUME 22, 1963 PAUL W. O'BRIEN, S.J. The Weekly Confession of Fervent Religious ÷ ÷ Paul W. O'Brien, S.J., is the rector of the Pontifical Semi-nary in Dalat, Viet-nam. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 148 The word "fervent" in the title is not meant to frighten away those good religious for whom the article is actually written, but who usually hesitate to think of themselves as fervent. It is used rather to indicate the limited perspective of the article, a perspective however which we trust is representative of religious and hehce applicable to many. It is not unusual to find religious who have a problem with their weekly confession--a problem that seems to arise not from their being tepid but rather from their being fervent. They are serious about their religious life. They would rather do anything than deliberately offend God in the smallest thing. And yet they find a certain uneasiness, tedium, even difficulty with their weekly con-fession. Time and again they have consulted the classical authors to find ways of refreshing this exercise, but usu. ally with only transitory success. The considerations pro-posed in these manuals, while excellent and fundamental and helpful to a certain point, do not really fit. For the religious we have in mind does not come to his weekly confession as an enemy of God; he does not come with mortal sins; he has no need of being "reconciled" to the Church, much less of having divine life "restored" to his soul. His confession is not one of obligation, and con:;e-quently there is nothing that he is obliged to confess (supposing always that to ensure the validity of his con-fession, he mentions his past forgiven sins, at least in a general way). In fact he rarely (more likely never) brings unforgiven sins to the confessional. For to say nothing of the many ways that venial sins can be forgiven out-side the sacrament, his daily communion is constantly purifying his soul, and his habit of immediately turning to God in loving sorrow for any fault committed, plus the. contrition that he excites before confession, brings him to the confession with really no unforgiven matter. Clearly the basic considerations of the purgative way, which may once have applied to him, and whose grateful memory will always remain with him, are not sufficient. There is need of a ditter~ent perspective~a .,shifting of emphasis, if his confession ~is" to produce the,, fruit ex-pected by the Church. ' ¯ ~. ~ For the Church is greatly concerned about these fre-quent confessions. When som~ younger members of the clergy were diminishing esteem for the frequent confes-sion of venial sins, claiming that it was useless, consumed too much time of busy pastors, and was actually un-known in the early Church, Pope Plus XII spoke out clearly and strongly against them (Mystici Corporis 87): Equally disastrou~s in its effects is the false contention that tile frequent confession of venial sins is not a practice to be greatly esteemed. Therefore those among the young clergy who are diminishing esteem for frequent confession are to know that the enterprise upon which they have embarked is alien to the Spirit of Christ and most detrimental to the Mys-tical Body of our Savior. For a constant and speedy ad-vancement in the path of virtue, we highly recommend the practice of frequent confession, introduced by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; for by this means we grow in a true knowledge of ourselves and in Christian hu-mility, bad habits are uprooted, spiritual negligence and apathy are prevented, the conscience is purified and the will strengthened, salutary spiritual direction is obtained, and grace is increased by the efficacy of the sacrament itself. In the following lines it is not my purpose to touch on all the above advantages nor to give a form to confession nor to enter into the aspect of spiritual direction in the confessional. I wish merely to redistribute the emphasis of certain aspects and thus perhaps help towards a solu-tion of our problem. Sacrament of Loving Sorrow One of the areas that calls for reappraisal and a pos-sible reshifting of emphasis concerns our habitual way of looking on the sacrament. There is danger that a way of speaking will induce a way of thinking. Because of our ordinary practice of speaking of the sacrament of pen-ance as "confession," we may develop a wrong emphasis. Now I am not advocating a change in our traditional terminology, but we must be careful lest our way of speaking throw everything out of focus. For the actual "confession" of sins, in the type of confession we are dealing with, is one of the least important elements of the sacrament. And yet it is frequently the main source of trouble for the fervent religious: "What to say?" Such a preoccupation is understandable when there is ques-tion of the integrity of an obligatory confession of mortal sins, but how completely out of place it is in our con- 4- 4- 4- Weekly onlession VOLUME 22, 1963 ]49 P. W. O'B~i~, $.]. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS fessions. I wonder if our exact catechetical training, given chiefly in view of a form of obligatory confession, is not unduly transferred to confessions of devotion. At any rate, it is not rare to find the problem of confession be-coming more acute as the religious becomes more fer-vent, the problem of "what to say" becoming so empha-sized as to bring on uneasiness. But even when we think more exactly in terms of the "sacrament of penance," we must still be on our guard. The very word "penance" can become a source of mis-understanding. The Latin word paenitentia of which our English "penance" is a translation, has been well-chosen and in its real meaning of "sorrow with purpose of amendment" is quite appropriate. But in English we do not think that way. For us "penance" is associated with fasting and disciplines; and even though we have been taught that true interior penance consists in sorrow for our sins, this is not our habitual association with the word "penance." Would that the translating fathers had given us something like "sacrament of sorrow." It would have helped us put the emphasis where it belongs. The emphasis then in this "sacrament of sorrow" should be on sorrow; but a sorrow that is a free and meritorius act. This should immediately put us on our guard against certain counterfeits. It is a free act; hence always in my power. I can make it on Monday; I can make it on Friday. I can make it when I am depressed; I can make it when I am as dry as a stick. Evidently its value does not and cannot depend on emotional inten-sity (which is not in my power). It is a movement of the will detesting sin because of my conviction (intellectua! appreciation) that God's will is above all. Its efficacy measured not by the accompanying emotion or affection. (if there is any) but by the strength derived from my conviction. Now for the fervent religious this conviction has become habitual. It is constantly operative in his daily life as is evidenced by his care in avoiding all that is against God's will. But it can well be that this con-viction has.become so settled in his life that it sets up no emotional resonance. He must not be surprised then when he finds that his sorrow in the confessional reta~ins the same strong voluntary but unemotional tendency that characterizes his daily life. He detests sin and all his failings because he truly loves God and has made will the supreme norm of his life. Here the question of motive enters. It is this that sets the tone to our sorrow and our confession. The faithful religious does not come to God in fear but in love,~,as to his Father. The Little Flower puts it simply: I have long believed that the Lord is more tender than a mother. I know that a mother is always ready to forgive trivial, involuntary misbehavior on the part of her child . Children are always in trouble, falling down, getting themselves dirty, breaking thing~but all this does not shake their parent's love for them. We come to God as His dearest children, sharing His very life, coming with th.e loving sorrow .of asofi; to be reassured that all, all has b&fi forgiven;' to i:eceive the embrace of the Father. Sacrament ol Purification One of the perspectives of the sacrament that opens up a rich vein of thought and deserves to be emphasized by the faithful religious is the aspect of purification-- purification not in the sense of liberation from the guilt of actual sins and faults--but rather a deeper purifica-tion that penetrates to the roots of those faults, to the habitual tendencies which cause them, and to the reli-quiae peccati which are their results. The sacrament be-comes (if you will pardon the expression) a sort of radio-therapy of our deep wickedness. We expose our wounds, visible or not, with a certain reasoned eagerness and joy to the curative influence of the sacrament. We are not so much preoccupied about our past actual faults. We have sorrowed over them and know that they have been wiped out through God's mercy. It is rather the deep of our soul, the roots of the faults, which give promise of bring-ing forth again their fruit of death--it is these roots which disturb us. And here precisely is where the "grace of the sacrament" comes into play--a grace which the Council of Florence describes as a grace of purification, a grace of healing: "Through penance we are spiritually healed" (DB 695). This grace reaches beyond the actual sins, forgiven by the absolution, to reach deep into our nature into the causes of those sins. This purifying influence acts not only on the soul but also on the body. I believe we may find an analogy in the effects of the sacrament of extreme unction which is usually considered as the complement of penance. Its influence in strengthening soul and body during serious sickness should give us some clue to the purifying action of penance. For we may well believe that the effects of this sacrament are but the "finishing touches" to a proc-ess begun and carried on through other sacraments throughout one's life. All the sacraments, even Holy Eucharist, have a purifying influence on the whole per-son, body and soul. Now one of the effects of the sacra-ment of extreme unction is to weaken the effects of con-cupiscence, to restore some part of our original integrity which was lost through Adam's sin. St. Thomas explains our inability to avoid all indeliberate venial sins by concupiscence together with the slowness of our percep- + + + Weekly Con]ession 151 ÷ ÷ ÷ P. W. O'Bden, $.L REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS tion of good, the changeableness of our will, and the frequency of temptation (S. T. 1, q 109, a 8). Now in re-ducing concupiscence, extreme unction restores order to man's strivings, subordinating the sensitive to the spirit-ual and the spiritual to God; it helps put a man in true possession of himself, so that he is able to dominate not only those positive urges of soul and body that escape control but also the oppressive weight of dead inertia by which the sensitive life impedes the striving of the will toward God. From this precious purifying and strengthening action of extreme unction, we may gather some idea of what takes place in the sacrament of pen-ance, not precisely in view of a serious sickness but look-ing rather to the progressive purification of our soul as it weakens concupiscence, counteracts sluggishness, or-ders our passions, and restores us to spiritual liberty. Awareness of Sinfulness Now it is precisely this grace of purification that draws religious to the sacrament of penance. (Perhaps I should say "drives," for there is no question of an emotional attraction, but rather the compelling force of a reasoned conviction based on faith.) It is this that explains the daily confessions of so many saints--St. Catherine of Siena, St. Ignatius, St. Francis Xavier, St. Peter Claver, St. Charles Borromeo, St. A1phonsus Liguori. Surely they were not deliberately sinning nor were they scrupulous. But they understood better the holiness of God. St. Francis Borgia was accustomed to confess twice a day, once in the morning before saying Mass and again in the evening before retiring. By this I do not mean that daily confession, where possible, is a goal to be aimed at. It may be helpful regularly for some persons, or for others at particular times of special grace or difficulty. This is a problem to be determined with one's confessor. I merely mention these examples to illustrate one of the great motives of frequent confession--the desire for pu-rity. This desire of the saints for purity is shared by ,~11 faithful souls according to their grace. For as the reli-gious strives to lead his life more generously, avoiding as far as he can all deliberate failings, he participates more abundantly in God's light. The effect is twofold: he be-gins to understand more clearly who God is, and in the same measure he becomes more aware of his wretched-ness. He finds himself in an attitude of soul similar to that of Eliphaz, one of Job's friends, who tells .us that his hair stood on end when in vision a spirit passed be-fore him. "I heard the voice as it were of a gentle wind: Shall man be justified in comparison with God, or shall a man be more pure than his Maker? Behold. in his angels he found wickedness." (Jb 4:15 ft.). Isaiah re-cords a similar state of soul, the result of his great vision of the holiness of God. "Woe is me because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people that hath unclean lips and I have seen with my eyes the King, the Lord of hosts" (Is 6:l-5)~The religious~in~tlle light of God s hohness becomes painfully consc,ous, I will not say of "sin," but of sinfulness. He longs to bring his sins to the confessional, but what sins? Here precisely is the trouble. The sins that are clear have long since been sub-mitted to the sacrament in sorrow. He knows that they are forgiven and blotted from the sight of God. But the daily failings? Truly they are not deliberate sins. He would rather do anything than displease God. He cannot pin down his failings. And yet he is painfully conscious of a mass of selfishness, insincerity, sensuality, but deep in the soul where he cannot reach. He realizes that this wickedness penetrates all that he does, but it is not in acts where it can be grasped. And he also realizes that this is not an illusion; the wickedness is really there. This creates a problem for him--a problem that per-haps increases with the fidelity of the soul--and which often accounts for much of the difficulty experienced in approaching the sacrament. It seems such hypocrisy to have nothing to say. And yet no matter how long the ex-amination of conscience is prolonged, nothing more spe-cific is discovered. He has only wasted precious time that could have been more profitably spent on deepening his loving sorrow. Nor is this due simply to negligence of the soul. Perhaps most natures do not have the per-spicacity to analyze and draw out into the clear these deep tendencies of the soul. The light that is given them is not so sharp. Nor need it be; for its purpose of hu-miliation and purification is equally accomplished by the confused and painful acceptance of what the soul perceives confusedly. According to One's Light Fortunately, in this type of confession, the accusation is one of the least important parts. Hence very little time should be spent on the actual examination of conscience. The daily examination of conscience faithfully made will guarantee the religious against negligence, and a quick glance will usually reveal where he has displeased God. Hence if within a few minutes nothing specific is dis-covered, he should stop his inquiry and be satisfied with a general accusation: "I accuse myself of all the sins of my past life, especially for my sins of pride, sensuality, or against some commandment." Father Saint-Jure, S.J., gives this directive: Those (venial sins) which we should seek out and confess Weekly ¢onlesslon VOLUME Z2o '1'963 153 4. 4. 4. P. W. O'Brien, $.1. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS ]54 with more c~ire are those which weigh most heavily on us, and those which cause us more embarrassment and shame, pro-vided that we are able to confess them with honesty a~d de-cency; likewise those which ~hinder us most from attaining the perfection to which God calls us, or which are contrary to the virtue to. which we are particularly devoting our efforts for that week or month. And since among venial sins there are some which arise from mere weakness, which escape us as by surprise, and others from malice, which we commtt with full knowledge, coldly, understanding what we are doing and with full consent, of these latter none should be omitted in con-fession. As for the others, one should leave them to the mercy of God, and confess them in general, all-inclusive terms: If the soul is sufficiently. . .pure so that it commits only these sins of weakness, let zt ~ndzcate some of them" (On the Knowledge and Love of our Lord Jesus Christ, Bk 3, c 10, ~9). Hence we may give as a practical rule: I may accuse myself of whatever God gives me the light to see as dis-pleasing to Him (no matter how trivial it may seem in itselD. If I see specific failings clearly, it is well to accuse myself at least of some of them; if I see them only.in a confused way, as tendencies, I should be content to ac-knowledge them in this general way (paying particular attention to one or another of them for a few weeks at a time)--adding, however, a general accusation of past forgiven sins to insure the validity of the confession. This awareness of sinfulness and inability to reach it through our own efforts is often given by spiritual writers as a reason for God's intervention through the passive purification of the soul. We read of "dark nights of the soul" in which God's purifying action goes deep where the active effort of the soul cannot penetrate, purifying the roots of our evil inclinations, attacking the basic self-ishness of the soul. This, type of purification is usually associated with trials in prayer that fall to the lot of con-templatives. We know, however, that God's purifying action can take many forms, that his apostles are often purified through the trials inherent in their apostolate. Surely a most powerful means of purification and one which is often overlooked is the very sacrament of purifi-cation instituted by Christ, which accomplishes in the soul much the same work as the "dark nights" and apos-tolic trials: namely, the progressive submission of our lower nature to the higher and the higher to God, the liberation of our soul from the weight of its wicked in-clinations and its consequent gradual transformation in God. Building up the Body oI Christ As the religious grows in his vocation, he should grow also in a sense of his solidarity with the Churcli, the Mystical Body. He begins to see his sin and sinfulness in their social aspect. While clearly realizing that his sin is his own, for which he alone is responsible, he is more aware of the consequences of his sin on the organism of which he is a member--and this apart from the harmful effects that may come through bad example, coopera-tion, and so forth. He understands that the life that is in him is a shared lif~e; ~w, eakened with 'his'.~weakness, strengthened with his strength. It.is true that our liturgy today does not give such prominence to the social aspect of penance as in the old days when the penitent, after a period of public penance, was restored on Holy Thurs-day to the family life of the Church so that he might share the Paschal Bread of life with the other members of his family, the Church. Nor is there question of our religious being "restored" to the Church. But he begins to feel deeply his corporate responsibility, He is ashamed of the sinfulness that he brings to the immaculate Spouse of Christ. Aware of the lessening of love, as sin drains this Body anemic, he strives to replenish the blood ;stream with his love. He understands the general disappearance in the world of a sense of sin and rushes with his loving sorrow to make amends. If he be a priest whose mission it is to destroy sin in the world, he finds an added joy both in receiving and administering the sacrament. He offers God a soul in which He may work more purity, and thus "build up the Body of Christ" (Eph 4.9). And with this consciousness of his unity in the Mystical Body, a new dimension is added to his examination Of con-science, or rather a more acute awareness of his already existing obligation: his duty of charity; his responsibility for the spread of God's kingdom; his sins of omission through cowardice, selfishness, love of ease; the primacy of love. Meeting with the Three One beautiful but rarely stressed aspect of this sacra-ment is our meeting with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While it is true that the glorified humanity of Jesus is the instrument of all our grace, it is still the Word of God who takes away sin. "Who can forgive sin but God alone?" (Lk 5:21), Every sacramental absolution is then the action of Jesus, the great high priest, acting through His representative, a man chosen from amongst sinners. And in receiving that absolution, I come in vital contact with Jesus. Here He bestows on me the grace of redemption. Jt is for this that He came into the world, as He prolongs into my soul the efficacy of His redemp-tive sacrifice. -The life that He gives, He won in His blood. It is this that causes such joy in heaven, more than over the ninety-nine just, this prolongation of the rich mysteries of His death and glorification, for me a new 4- 4- 4- Weekly Conlession VOLUMF 22, 1963 155 + ÷ ÷ P. W. O'Brien, SJ. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 156 baptism, as plunged into His death, I rise to a new or richer life. But often we are inclined to forget the part of the Father and the Holy Spirit. If there is pardon in the sacrament and grace of purification, it is because the Father loves us beyond all telling. "God [the Father] so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son." (Jn 3:16). In the pardon of the Son, I meet the love of the Father. And if there is life in the sacrament, it is because the Father, in giving His Son, gives us also the Holy Spirit who pours forth the charity of God into our hearts (Rom 5:5), this Spirit who cleanses, who burns away the impurities of our soul in the fire that He is. All this is brought out strikingly in the very institution of this sacrament of peace. It is as though the glorified Christ can hardly wait to begin pouring out the effects of His loving sacrifice. The very eve of Easter Sunday, He must come to His frightened Apostles in the upper room to give them power to forgive sin, First He shows them His wounds, the price of the sacrament, and the proof that it is really the glorified Christ in His human-ity. And then: " 'Peace be to you. As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.' When He had said this, He breathed upon them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained' " (Jn 20:21- 23). The Father is there, prolonging in Jesus and through Jesus in the apostles, the love that fathered the redemp-tion. The Son is there, in His glorified humanity, com-municating the fruits of His redemptive offering. But first the Spirit must be given, for it is in the Spirit that the soul is led through the Son to the Father. What happiness for the faithful soul is this meeting in the sacrament with the ThreeI ]oy to the Heart of ]esus But if there is joy to the soul on meeting the Three, there is joy in the Three as They enrich the soul. For the eagerness of the soul to meet its God can never begin to match the love of God that goes out to meet the soul. "I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly" (Jn I0:10). The entire life of Jesus, with all its sufferings, has been aimed precisely at moments such as these, when meeting with the soul, He can com-municate the graces won on Calvary. If love that is frus-trated and refused can be such a torment, Love that gives and is received can be immeasurable joy. It is this joy that is ours to give to Jesus as we open our hearts in sorrow to His purifying love. JACQUES LECLERCQ The Priest Today In a preceding article? on active lay people, I men-tioned the confusion of priests when they ask themselves what their purpose is since now in meetings of fill kinds lay persons make meditations and in general ~ssume a spiritual role. And yet. The Presence o] the Priest And yet the laity cling to the presence of the priest. It seems that something essential is missing if a priest is not present--this priest who does nothingl Things now are entirely different from what they used to be. For one thing, previously there were no meet-ings that resemble the ones of today. Formerly when the priest .took his part by preaching a sermon, the faithful listened and then left. Or at the time when study clubs began to be organized, the priest presided and directed, trying with more or less success to make the various mem-bers speak; and frequently he was the only one to do any speaking. Today, however, he is neither presiding officer nor director. He is rather a chaplain; he assists--in Italy he is called the assistente ecclesiastico [the ecclesiastical assistant]. At times one may have the impression that everything happens without him, but in reality there is nothing that happens without him. Everything happens with him; but this "with him" is something other than "under his direction." All of this is disconcerting for those who are accustomed to the authoritarian conceptions of former times. The priest does nothing, and yet he is indispensable. When lay persons form a spiritual group of some kind, one of their first concerns is always to have a chaplain; for without a chaplain it would seem that the group is unable to suc-ceed. Is there any way in which we can point out pre-cisely what it is that the priest provides? x In La revue nouvelle, a Belgian periodical, during 1962,. Canon Leclercq published a number of articles on the laity in the Church today. The present article is translated with permission from La revue nouvelle, September 15, 1962, pp. 171-84. 4. 4. 4. Canon Jacques Le- ¢lercq fives at 102, rue de Li/~ge; Beau-lays, Belgium. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS lacqu~s Le¢l~rcq REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 158 The matter is a real puzzle, and it is being investigated from almost every angle. It is not a question of the sacra-merits. As is evident, it is the priest who distributes these. But the Christian life, as it is conceived today, is some-thing other than the sacraments. It is based on the sacra-ments; it is nourished by them; yet Catholic Action meet-ings, or meetings of workers or of managers, of students, of scotits and their leaders, have a purpose entirely other than that of receiving the sacraments; they are not even spoken of. Nor is it expected that the priest give an in-struction or a sermon. It is only expected that he be there, participating in the meeting with the rest. It would seem that from the Christian viewpoint some-thing is lacking to lay persons when they are left to them-selves., And yet it is a question of their own life, for it is they who must put into practice what they discuss. But at the same time it is a question of their own life insofar as it is Christian. From this point of view, it is necessary to have a priest in the midst of them. And I think that this expression "in the midst of them" is the exact one. A French priest, who works among the working class, has made the following remark on this point: I think that the people need a founder, someone who ~'will unite them in the charity of Christ. Lay persons can do some things, but they cannot be centers. Hence they need Someone who will be a religious center, a kind of church, for them. They do not only need Christians who are the presence of the Church, but they need above all a church in the sense of the Church realized in this community; they need someone who unites them and who is the head in the sense of being a father, not someone who commands but one who assembles and who is first ("T~moignage de M. Lelubre" in Etudes sur ,le sacre-merit de l'ordre [Paris: Cerf, 1957], p. 432). When this is reflected on, one sees very clearly the ap-pearance of the reality that is the Church. Christ continues His presence and His action by the Church. The Church is the people of God; and the people of God is constituted first of all by lay persons. In order to avoid giving the impression of tending towards laicism --which consists of excluding the clergy--let me say at once that the Church is both lay persons and priests, all of them together. But priests--all of them, even the bishops and the pope---exist for the laity, for the service of the laity. When it is said that they exist for the laity-- the pope himself is entitled the servant of 'the servants of God---this means that the people of God is essentially the laity, that it is to them that the divine life flows and that it is through them above all that it manifests itself. If the Church, according to the words of Scripture, is like a lamp that one lights and puts on a lampstand, this is the laity--Christian life in the family and in daily occupa-tions, The clergy, priests, religious are at the service of this. The result of their work is not that an elite may en-close itself within monasteries in order to live in God, nor even that Christian people in more or less great numbers may gather in churches to. ce,lebrate divine~worship; rather the result of their "dork is that through Christians Christ lives and acts in families and in the world. Priests and religious must sanctify themselves per-sona! ly in order to create a climate of holiness in the Church; but the result of the Church's holiness must be found in homes and in the world. When we use the word "world" [citd] here, we are envisaging professional, politi-cal, and social activities--all that can be called public life. It is to this that the life of Christ in the Church tends. Hence the Church is above all the laity; and it is through the laity that she first manifests her dynamism. But it is priests who form the laity in a Christian way. Priests :are men of the Church and men of God. '.Their function is to represent the Church; they exist only for this. ~ The lay person must be entirely Christian and at the same time something else besides; this shows forth the character of the Incarnation, that reality which is found only in Christianity. The Incarnation consists in this that the work and supernatural action of God is accomplished in and through nature. It has been frequently remarked that the supernatural is above the natural, but not contrary to the natural; it does not. suppress nature but elevates it; it transforms the natural, but it takes the natural into account. It constructs from, above; this can never be repeated too often if one wishes to comprehend what Christianity is. The kingdom of God, then, must be built up among men by taking due account of their nature. The Spirit of God transforms this nature to its depths; this is mani-fested exteriorly by the intention that animates action and by the choice which is made among various actions; .never-theless, these actions retain their .human character, and this must be remembered by those who are concerned with them. The Priest is Leaven Christ compared the kingdom of God to leaven that makes the dough rise; good bread can not be made with-out yeast. But yeast alone is not sufficient to make bread. Flour is needed, and the baker must be careful to secure good flour. It is necessary to knead the bread carefully. It must be baked in a good oven at the right temperature and for the right length of time and so forth. If the 4. 4. 4. The Priest Today VOLUME 22, 139 Jacques l.eclercq REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 160 kingdom of God is like the leaven in bread, one can say that the priest is the depositary of this leaven; but it the laity who are like the bakers who must be occupied with all the conditions for the preparation of the bread. Moreover, it is they who must make use of the yeast. If the priest remains alone with his leaven, there will never be any bread; and if the bakers do not have the yeast, once again there will be no bread. Both are neces-sary. Now let us transpose all this into the entirety of life. The laity found homes and give life to the world. This obliges them to think of many things that in themselves are independent of the kingdom of God. It is to be noted that I have said "in themselves," for nothing is a stranger to the kingdom of God when one places it in the entirety of life. For example, parents must be concerned with the health of their children, their nourishment, their cloth-ing, their studies. The kingdom of God takes part in all this as a kind of preoccupation that orientates this activ-ity ir,.~ a certain measure, but only in a certain measure. And the same is the case with employers, workers, farmers, students, and so forth. But the priest is the man of God. He recalls the king-dom of God by his mere presence; one can say, by his existence, for he has no other purpose for existing. Theo-retically it should be sufficient that a priest be present for one to think of the kingdom of God. The word "theo-retically" is used because men are not perfect, and both priests and the laity are men. Nevertheless, this is the way reality is, and it is this that the laity perceive even when they cannot express it; it is this that leads them, when they are concerned with the kingdom or the way in which God should penetrate their life, to unite themselves around a priest. In brief, all the matters which.form the tissue of the llfe of the laity.are of importance for the kingdom of God; but they are not the kingdom of God. If, when they wish to discuss the repercussion of the kingdom of God on these matters, people gather together without a priest, the discussion easily slips over into the purely human condi-tions of activity; the presence of a priest, however, centers it upon the kingdom. Hence the laity need to have a priest present in their life. This also explains the desire of families to have times a visit from a priest. This is especially true in towns; but it differs from one locality to another, for we are discussing here the case of fervent Christians who desire that their faith influence their lives. In places where such Christians do not exist, the matter is quite different and needs to be discussed further. But to return to our subject, the visit of a priest to families is not a matter of giving a sermon or even of speaking principally about religion. It is a presence. Christian families enjoy having a priest in their homes. They want the priest to know them, their children, and their way of life. And this contributes to the general at-mosphere which reigns iri.~th~. home; th~"~ '6hversation spontaneously takes a vein different from the conversa-tion that is had with colleagues or with friends. And the fact that the priest is involved in their life permits all kinds of questions to be directed to him. The problem of the visit of a priest to families arouses a great many questions which can not be treated here, for they deserve an article to themselves. For the present, let us limit ourselves to pointing out these aspirations of good Christians. We are concerned with good Christians. As we pointed out previously, the Church cannot reach bad Christians or non-Christians except through the laity. The laity must be active or the Church will not take hold of the world; in the terms of the Gospel, she will be a light under a basket or leaven apart from the dough. But these active laity need the priest. Left to themselves, they are liable to be routed even in their interior life. In order that they may be united under the standard of Christ and that they may attack in an orderly way the problems of their interior life and of their Christian action in the world, the priest must be in the midst of them. In conclusion, let us note that in the Church at the beginning of this century the priest was occupied with a good many other things which were often profane; by reason of a tradition which dies away only slowly, many priests today are still taken up to a large extent by ad-ministrative and other activities which the laity would be better occupied with. The result is that priests are ab-sorbed by activities which are not suited to them; at the same time they are unavailable for groups of active Christians or they find it impossible to visi~ families. In any case, this new role of the priest is so important that there can be no Church without him. And the activ-ities that correspond to this role are so numerous and pressing that good priests are crowded with such activ-ities. And there is even the complaint that there are not enough priests. And yet what we have discussed so far is but one of the activities of a priest. Spiritual Action The action of leaven can not be seen; this results in difficulty for some because man has a body and is highly dependent on it. Man needs to see, and yet the soul and action on souls cannot be seen. ÷ ÷ ÷ The Priest Today VOLUME 22, ~.963 161 lacques Leclercq REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS There are, first of all, the older priests of whom we have already spoken; for these the pastoral ministry is ex-pressed by material activities and they can not conceive any other type. Moreover, they do not conceive of any other priestly intervention than the authoritarian form of formal congregational meetings composed of a sermon and a greeting. Today, all this has become secondary, if indeed it has not been completely abandoned. Formerly when the priest spoke authoritatively, he gave directions in many matters (politics, for instance) which touched religion only very indirectly. At the present time, there is a growing agreement that priests are not to in-terest themselves in the temporal. However, many priests formerly were interested in nothing else. To the extent that this remains true, one can understand that they have the impression of no longer knowing what to do. This outmoded spirit dies out only slowly; in semi-naries as well as in houses of study of religious orders clerical formation likewise becomes transformed only slowly. One even finds young priests who think that, when they are with the laity, their role should be one of teaching and that they alone should do the talking. They find themselves ill at ease when persons are not disposed to listen to them first of all. Others still think that they must do everything themselves~determine the place, day, and hour of the meetings and issue the announcements. Again they feel discomforted when a group of active Christians organize everything without them and then come to invite them. We are living in an age of transformation. The older attitude with its way of doing things is gradually giving way. But some priests still retain the older attitudes and do not conceive the possibility of allowing the laity to act. On the other hand, many of the laity retain a purely passive conception of their role; not only do they leave everything to the priest, but they will do nothing if they are asked to take over a work. "Adult" lay persons (of whom I have been speaking) and priests adapted to such are still but few in number. Nevertheless, when one compares today with the be-ginning of the century, the transformation is unmistak-able. The essential thing is that this evolution continue and that the priest should more and more return to. the spiritual; that is, to the domain that belongs to him. But is "return" the correct word? He should rather aspire to it. But man is material, and the older conception gives satisfaction to a kind of unconscious materialism. Collaboration Formerly, one spoke only of authority and obedience. The faithful should obey, and nothing else was asked of them. Today, however, as we have seen, they are asked to think and to act for themselves. The meetings of active Christians have as their purpose a united program to enable the realization of the Christian ideal in the actual circumstances of life. Accordingly, the pri~est.is, no longer '~oncerned only with teaching; he listens and he invites the faithful to make their own personal contribution. This can be seen even in the matter of worship; the Mass has ceased to be a sacrifice offered by the priest alone at an altar distant from the people and in front of a congregation uncon-cerned with what he is doing, Now the Mass has become the community sacrifice offered by the priest an'd the faithful together, the priest being the spokesman of the community, the representative of the Church and of Christ, the celebrant of a sacrifice which belongs to the entire community. This is a profoundly changed state of affairs. Priests and laity act together. The Church is a single body and all of its members are active. This is a true resurrection. And by this very fact the priest has been strikingly ennobled, for he is no longer limited to being the shep-herd of a passive flock but has become instead the ani-mator of an active community. This change is to be found on all levels of the Church. The last and highest is that at the very center of the ChurCh, the See of Rome. Vati-can Council II gives witness to this transformation; and it is clear how John XXIII envisages the matter. His man-ner is not one like this: "Let the bishops say what they want, I shall do only what I want"; rather, his attitude is this: "I am deeply concerned to know the opinions of the bishops in order that I may take their advice into account." No one can derive from this the impression that pontifical power has thereby been lessened; but every-one does get the impression that the. Church forms one living body, animated by a movement of the whole. The role of the clergy is essential for the Church. When Catholicism is compared with Protestantism and with Orthodoxy, this role of the clergy is one of the most striking characteristics of the Church. Perhaps this ex-plains the retreat of the laity after the Reformation which placed the clergy in the background and in many cases even suppressed the priesthood and the ecclesiastical hierarchy. Now, however, the Church has recovered from this crisis; Christian life is now developing in its com-plete totality. Henceforth the Church will no longer be divided into the active Church composed of the clergy and the passive Church composed of the laity. The Church is a body ÷ ÷ ÷ The Priest Today VOLUME 22, 1963 ]63 ÷ ÷ ÷ Jacqo, es REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS I6,t of priests and laity together, living together, thinking together, acting together. As Cardinal Suhard put it: "The true achiever of evangelization is not the simple faithful nor the priest by himself; it is the Christian com-munity." The laity are fulfilling their role; the priest turn is free to be himself. Spiritual Counselor The direction of conscience has enjoyed a large place in the modern Church; it has been one of the principal instruments in the formation of a Christian elite. Never-theless, it has been especially concerned with women. When one reads the letters of the great spiritual directors, it is seen that they have been addressed almost exclusively to women. These women belonged to the higher levels of society. Today, however, as a result of the general spread of education and of the rise of active Christians, those who are concerned with the spiritual life are becoming more numerous and are to be found at all levels; they are found among workers and in the country as well as among the intellectuals. If it is necessary to practice direction of souls as it was formerly conceived, the clergy will be un-able to cope with it. But here once more, does not the spirit of collabora-tion profoundly transform conditions? Christians gather together with a priest to reflect on their Christian life; together they confront most of the questions that were formerly treated by individual conferences between the director and his spiritual child. In these conferences those seeking direction used to speak to their director not only of their interior life but of everything that con-cerned themselves. They asked their director's advice with regard to their relations with their husbands, with their children, and with their friends. They discussed the amount of freedom to be given their children, the amount of money to be given them, their clothes, companions, activities. Now all this is discussed in groups and in a way that is far more effective. Formerly, the person seeking direction would describe a situation to the director and he would decide the matter. The one consulting would act as though the director were omniscient, and he in turn would decide everything as though in fact he were. It was even taught as a received doctrine that the word of the director, was the word of God, that the director had the required graces of state, and that one should obey him blindly. Now it is realized that this was a false mystique, foreign to the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation; neverthe-less, it formed a coherent system. Christians concerned with the exigencies o[ morality would consult their con[essor on the matter o[ all their reading. No priest, however, can be acquainted with everything that is being published. The con[essor, i[ he believed himsel[ obliged to answer--and [ormerly the majority believed themsel~ces so obliged h~d~0 answer by guessing or had to make use o[ a systematic severity in order to avoid all risk o[ danger . And thereby/ other dangers were [allen into. From another viewpoint, there were husbands who op-posed the idea o[ their wives having a director o[ con-science on the grounds that they did not want between themselves and their wives a secret authority which the latter obeyed absolutely. Moreover, the women who con-suhed a director were usually women who were not mar-ried or who were unhappily married. This meant that spiritual direction had mixed in with it a purely human desire [or masculine support, and this in a proportion that is difficult to determine. All this has passed, and we have arrived at a much sounder state o[ affairs. All the matters that we have men-tioned are taken up today in groups. In [amily groups there are discussed today the problems o[ conjugal intimacy, o[ prayer in common, and the prayer o[ each o[ the spouses. In all kinds o[ groups, there is discussion o[ diversions, o[ entertainments, o[ reading, o[ the time to be given to recreation and to apostolic work, and o[ the problems o[ pro[essional li[e. Since the dil~erent kinds o[ groups are highly diversified, the questions that are confronted also differ greatly; nevertheless, the great part of matters that were [ormerly treated by individual direction is now considered by groups, each member con-tributing the results o[ his own experience; the priest has only to contribute his own element. The result is that while the number o[ Christians de-sirous o[ a Christian life that will dominate their entire existence is growing, the number of those who want direction o[ conscience in the individualistic sense of former times is diminishing. Even the phrase "spiritual director" is vanishing; the expression tod~y is that of "spiritual counselor." Everything is simplified; every-thing is developed in an atmosphere of collaboration that befits adult li[e. Hence, [or example, when a [amily group discusses the liberty to be given to children o[ different ages or the amount of money to be given them, solutions are reached that are more balanced and more realistic than those [ormerly obtained when the one consulting was limited to accepting the word of a director who was a stranger to the li[e o[ the [amily. Some Christians, however, still have recourse to a spiritual director after the older method, but they are The Pr~st ToOa~y VOLUME 22, 1963 165 ]~que, Leclegcq REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS in general those who are slow to be caught up by the strong current that is sweeping through the Church and reanimating Christian life. Unfortunately they are still numerous, for a great many Christians as well as a great many priests remain immobilized in older conceptions. The movement that stresses the laity touches only a cer-tain sector and certain levels of the population. There are even entire regions where it is unknown. We are seeking here to emphasize the signs of this renewal, for we are sure that it is in this renewal that the future of the Church lies. That which is merely a prolongation of the past will fall as the world progresses. Undoubtedly, there will always remain certain ele-ments of the old direction of conscience, certain needs (more or less occasional) that will require personal, in-dividual contacts. In most of these cases confession will be sufficient. It is impossible to predict what will eventu-ally happen, but it is clear that everything is being sim-plified as the Christian animation of life grows. The Word Today much consideration is given to the ministry of the word; this again is a reaction against the past. Formerly, it was taken for granted that society was Christian. Children were instructed in religion, but no attention was paid to adults. Certain traditions, peri-odically restated by councils, obliged to a preaching directed to the instruction of the people; but actual practice had stifled the rule. One has only to recall what the state was of the ministry of the word. Now the word lives again; the most significant sign of this rebirth is undoubtedly retreats. The development of the spiritual life of active Christians has been accom-panied by the multiplication of retreats and periods of recollection. These have become so numerous that or~e can speak accurately in this connection in terms of a spiritual explosion. Retreats and days of recollection are organized in every walk of life: workers, business men, engineers, physicians, young persons of every category. Every time a group with a spiritual character is founded, retreats are organized. At the very time I am writing these lines, I have before me the bulletin of the Association of House-keepers for Priests, an organization that exists in France and Belgium; they, too, organize retreats and days of recollection. Moreover, undifferentiated retreats are also multiplying; these are directed towards all Christians and include without distinction both men and women, priests and laity. Once more we can note that formerly there were some retreat houses maintained by the Jesuits who pioneered them and by convents of women imbued by the Jesuit spirit; there was also a small number of persons who went to these houses for retreats. Today it is an immense move-ment. There are parishes which have retreat leagues com-posed of persons who make a retreat each- y.ear. In certain regions these leagues are systematically organized; in cer-tain dioceses of The Netherlands they are a regular insti-tution of every parish. And I am not speaking now of women, for women retreatants are even more numerous. Hence it is not a matter for astonishment that retreat houses are constantly being opened everywhere and that there are always too few of them. Rooms must generally be reserved in advance; and it can happen that a retreat must be canceled for lack of an available retreat house. But there is also need for priests. Preaching is par excellence a priestly duty. At the present moment the number of priests conducting retreats is legion. Formerly retreats were largely reserved to certain religious orders; but now many diocesan priests (pastors, chaplains, teach-ers) give them. Nevertheless, the number of retreat masters is still not sut~ciently large. As a general rule, it is very easy to find retreatants; retreat houses are more difficult to find; but hardest of all to find are priests. At the beginning of these articles, I recalled those who asked what was left for a priest to do now that there are active lay persons; the answer is that priests are needed for things that are genuinely priestlyl The Christian people have a hunger and thirst for the word of God, and those who can dispense it to them are not numerous enough. This is a matter of the priestly ministry par excellence. The tendency of today's priest is to occupy himself by preference in such ministries, for he feels himself the apostle of Christ in the strongest sense of that term; and he prefers to leave to lay persons the care of administra-tion. I have known a pastor who had to build a church; he appointed a committee of lay persons to raise the money while he himself conducted retreats. Perhaps the building of the church progressed a little more slowly than it would have had he devoted all his time to raising money, but he was at work shaping souls. All this also supposes a transformation in the clergy; for the majority of older priests, administrators of parishes, teachers of profane subjects, have been completely held back from conducting retreats. If they left this matter to religious, this was not without good reason. Today the importance of religious has not diminished, but retreat masters now come from every ecclesiastical sector. The Priest Today VOLUME 22, 167 $acques Leclercq REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS 168 Collaboration Once More Together with divine worship, preaching is un-doubtedly the chief priestly activity; and yet even here there is to be found an interchange of priests and laity. Retreats differ greatly. In some the retreatants are plunged into an absolute silence; the director gives them talks throughout the entire day. In this case the renewal of Christian life is marked by the radical character of the retreat--more contemplative, more silent than could have been borne before. But there are also retreats where with-out any lessened preoccupation with the spiritual an hour a day is reserved for an exchange of views; in this period each one can present his problems as he discerns them in the particular situation in which he finds himself. Persons of an older form of mind find it indiscreet to expose one's state of soul to the whole world. Formerly in a retreat one listened to the director who was the only one to speak; then purely profane recreation pe-riods were had, and the retreatants who desired it could consult the retreat master personally and individually. Often retreatants would bring up the same questions; the retreat master would always give the same answer. In general, the matters discussed were such that there was no compelling reason to keep them secret; hence it often happened that the retreatants told each other what the re-treat master had told them. Today all this is treated in a community session; every-one profits by it, and it produces a community spirit in the group. The retreatants feels themselves engaged in a common work. The divine life in us, our work for the service of God, are problems that interest all Of us to-gether. We no longer go to heaven alone; we go there with our brethren; indeed it is impossible to go there alone, for we depend on those who surround us. The king-dom of God is a community enterprise to which we belong and which we ought to undertake together. Even a re-treat is a community enterprise. In addition to this, it is now customary to have lay persons speak during a retreat. Retreats are par excellence a priestly work; nevertheless, it does happen that a layman is invited to speak of an aspect ofthe Christian life which he knows. One of my friends was invited by a teacher to speak to his students during the retreat at the end of their studies; the subject was the role of the Christian in the world; after the talk the teacher told him: "It does them much more good to hear all this from a layman." Likewise lay persons are invited to speak in seminaries. In a Canadian magazine I found a letter from Rome con-cerned with the matter expressed by Cardinal Sali~ge as "making use of the layman." The correspondent described how some theological students in Rome had invited a father of a family to speak to them of his Christian life. ¯. Montreal, Rome, Toulouse, and now this article which is to appear in Brussels and Buenos Aires--the problems are everywhere the same. Lay persons are eve~:ywher~e.;,~so also are,priests. They are together, shoulder to'~hourder. We cannot do without the one more than the other. What About the Others? The reader will have noticed that the lay persons dis-cussed here are the active la!ty who have grown into Christian maturity. What has been said is concerned only with the activity of a priest in relationship to such laymen. But what about the others--who compose the vast major-ity of men? Clearly, the groups of which we have spoken, the aware-ness of the exigencies of Christian life, and the giving of retreats are giving to Christians a shape and a form very different from that which they previously had. As we have already remarked, we are seeing a new Christian people appearing. But if these Christians remain among them-selves and if the clergy is concerned only with them, what changes will there be in the world as a whole? Whatever else may be said about this problem, it is true that they will always be there in the world. They are not isolated from the world: they are shopkeepers with a neighborhood store; they are factory workers and en-gineers; they are white-collared workers; they are physi-cians and druggists. They are everywhere. They come to-gether to arouse their Christian awareness; but afterwards they disperse and return to the mass. This is a slow work which one can judge only over long intervals. One can see, for example, that the position of Catholic literature in the world is today far different from what it was a hundred years ago. The same can be said for the position of Catholics in philosophy, in art, in politics. This is true, someone may say; but this is only a matter of a few leaders. To this I would answer that the remark is true; but every leader supposes a body of followers. If Catholic writers and artists today show both a talent and a conformity to the aspirations of the times which were not shown a hundred years ago, then this has happened be-cause the environment must have changed. And it is the same if Catholic philosophers are able to speak to the men of today. Such persons are perhaps the flower of Christianity; but the flower supposes the stem, and the stem in turn supposes the root. If I am the root, I need not be humiliated by the 4. 4. 4. The Priest Today VOLUME 2Z, ~.963 169 ÷ ÷ ÷ Jacques Leclercq REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS fact that I am not seen; it is owing to me that the flower can charm the eye. The position of the Church in the world is, then, pro-roundly changed. And in the examples given above, it will be noted that this transformation has been achieved by lay persons. Writers like Claudel, Chesterton, Bernanos, Ger-trud yon le Fort have undoubtedly done more to attract men to Catholicism than any theologian and perhaps more even than any priest. But they have been in relation with a priest. In short, the role of the priest is exercised on the interior of the Church, on those who are united in the Church; it is these latter who thereupon go out to speak to the world. At times the complaint is heard ~that Christians barri-cade themselves within a ghetto, living by themselves without contact with the outside. The complaint is well founded; if they dose themselves up with each other, the salt will not be able to give its flavor. And it is true that there is a dangerous exclusivism, a fear of leaving a Christian background. This fear is a debilitating thing, for of all the emotions fear is the one that is most debasing. The spreading of ideas, and especially the Christian spreading of ideas, is done by the osmosis of personal con-tact; it is to be noted, however, that this notion of per-sonal contact is a wide one extending to the books that are read and the films that are seen. The action of Chris-tianity proceeds from the fact that the Christian environ-ment reflects Christ. A great many who were born and raised Christian turn from Christianity because they do not find Christ in the Christianity which has been pre-sented to them. What they need is for active Christians to give them an exact image of Christianity. Others, also educated as Christians, turn from Christianity when they perceive the demands it makes on them. The Church loses nothing when such quit her, for they discredit her in the measure that they are believed to represent her. This is the case with cei'tain governments which declare them-selves Catholic. This, then, is a question of the large numbers of Chris-tians who are lukewarm and indifferent. But there is an-other group, larger still, those who are not Christian:; at all. Among these the seed must be sown. Here, too, the role of the priest is essential. Father Vinatur in the text cited above remarked that the priest is a founder. It is true; Christianity is founded only by a priest. This is seen from the very beginning; in the Acts of the Apostles there is related the ministry of St. Paul; he is seen taking up his residence in a city, making some converts, and then leaving when Christianity has been set up and a member of the community--the priest--has been established as head. This is a permanent condition of things. Active lay persons can prepare the soil; they can arouse sympa-thetic interest; but a Christian community is.formed only when a priest comes. This.i~ true on all, levels of the Church. When Catholid Action was constituted with its appeal to assume a genuinely religious activity, it was priests who took the initiative in the matter. So also when the family movement was founded to concern itself with the Christian life of married persons, it was begun by priests. Lay persons came afterwards; in a certain sense, they ended by doing everything. But the priest remains, and he will never be able to be dispensed with. This, then, is the design of the new Church, animated by a Christian life which has not been known since early times, a Church of Christians all sharing in the life and action of Christ. This Church is but sketched in the reality before us at the present time; but this sketch is the image of what is being formed. The confidence which we can have for the future comes from the fact that Christ is living in this Church in a way that He has not since her early centuries. ÷ ÷ The Priest Today VOLUME 22, 196,~ 171 LADISLAS M. ORSY, S.J. From Meditation to Contemplation ÷ ÷ ÷ Ladislas M. Orsy, S.J., is professor of canon law at the Gregorian Univer-sity; Piazza della Pilotta, 4; Rome, Italy. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS The aim of this article is both practical and doctrinal: it is to give practical help for the difficult period of tran-sition from meditation to contemplation and to show the theological background of the change that takes place in the soul. Meditation in these pages means prayer with the help of concepts, images, and more or less enforced acts of will. Contemplation means silence before God, prayer in which the soul is transformed under God's powerful ac-tion. In meditation the accent is on activity, in contem-plation on passivity. In meditation the soul tries to reach God by thoughts, feelings, and desires; in contemplation God has reached the soul and works on it without thoughts, feelings, or desires. In meditation the soul fights its way towards God; in contemplation it should stand before God in poverty. Passivity and poverty are then the foundations for a new type of activity and for new riches that have their source in God's powerful ac-tion. Such a deep change in prayer affects the whole man: it is a change in personality. It is not without difficulties; Saint Teresa remarks that there is no time in the spirit-ual life when it is so easy to give up prayer altogether as the time when contemplation begins. God's Work in the Soul God is eternally present in the soul: it is His presence that gives it life and being, it is His presence that sancti-fies it. He is not only present, He is working in the soul, infusing light and love into our mind and love into our will power. His final aim is to take possession of our person so that we should be united to Him and be His adopted children for an eternity. God is eternally present in the soul. He was there since the moment of our creation; but at the moment of our baptism He came again, not in majesty but as a good friend, and made our soul His own dwelling house where He likes to remain. He brought sanctity and holiness with Him and transformed the soul. As when fire is made in a cold and dark r0on~ ~th~ place be~ome~ ~¢arm and full of light, so when God comes into the soul it is filled with warmth and light. It is clothed with immortality, it belongs to God's family, in a way it becomes divine. The new life the soul receives is called sanctifying grace, the new light in the mind faith, and the infused love in the will power hope and charity. They are all fruits of the presence of God; should He leave the soul, there would be dark and cold again. God works in the soul. There is not one moment of rest for Him. He is supremely good and happy, and He wants to share His rich goodness and happiness with others. Consequently, His sanctifying presence is in fact a work of continuous sanctification. Light and love are given to mind and will in abundance: light that we may see and better understand things divine,-.love that we may go towards God at a better pace. This action of God is peaceful and quiet: He does not like noise and agitation. It is this action that ought to be the source of all our thoughts and deeds; unless they proceed from God they will be empty and they will not bear any fruit for eternal life. God's aim is to take possession of our person. He is not satisfied with partial sanctification of His family. He wants to bring them into the very centre of His own life where the Father and the Son and the Spirit are one and where They know and love each other without end. To say that one does not want to be more than an ordinary good Christian (meaning by it that one does not want to be perfect) is to betray a lack of generosity and to show a great ignorance of God's intention who wants all His children to grow continuously and reach their full maturity in Christ. The extent of the necessary trans-formation is indicated by the distance (which each one easily realizes for himself) between God's purity and our impurity, between His charity and our own obscurity. Nevertheless, it is this complete transformation that is God's aim and nothing less. He has the means to achieve it: by the gentle action of His love in this world and by Purgatory in the other. No person who wants to see God can escape this cleansing process; and those who are generous will want to get through it soon, if possible, in this life. Such desire is not a presumption: it is no more than conforming our will to God's will. 4. 4. 4. Meditation to Contemplation VOLUME 22, 196~ 173 4. 4. 4. L. M.'Or~y, S.]. REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS ]74 Meditation When God comes into the soul of man and wants to sanctify him, He encounters a great obstacle which is man's fallen nature with all that it entails: sin, attach-ment to worldly things, false judgments, and selbwill as hard as steel. Purification is necessary. It is mainly done by God, but man has his part in it as well. Meditation is one of the first steps in this cleansing process. Man has heard the voice of God and wants to obey Him and be near Him. But man's mind is not clear and clean enough to perceive the light that comes from God living in his soul, his will is not sensitive enough follow the inspirations of grace. It is literally embedded in mortal and perishing things, it is ruled not by God but by the senses. Training is necessary for both mind and will in order to lift them from the visible into the in-visible, from the tangible into the intangible, from the sensitive into the spiritual. Part of this training is what we call meditation. The mind has to be trained. It should be a training in divine truth so that our thoughts, ideas, judgments correspond to those of God and thus that the two minds be united as far as possible into one. This training is done by the soul in an active and discursive way when it meditates on the words of our Lord, on the mysteries of His life, on the Church. What the person does is to fill his mind with God's thoughts instead of his own. He is really trying to m~ike his mind a better instrument for the perception of God's inspirations, an instrument more adapted to receive God's light. It is a tuning-up or warm-ing- up process. The mind is bathed in the divine truth so that it may become divine. This is done in an active way, by reasoning, by considering the call of Christ our Lord or God's beauty in nature, or by imagining the Holy Family. Man is working his way towards God. The will has to be trained as well. The attraction of things eternal is fine and delicate, and our selfish will does not easily notice it. In order to become more sensi-tive to the action of grace, the selfishness of our nature and of our will in particular ought to be broken by con-tinuous exercise in mortification. The aim is that our will should become soft and flexible, attached to nothing, so that it may follow the will of God in everything. To attain that aim, one has to work hard and in an active way. One has to do penance, one has to give up many things, many of his likings, one has to be humble; and there is no dispensation from this work. Since the mind and will are active, activity predomi-nates at this stage of the spiritual life. But sometimes it may happen that a longing awakens in the soul after God Himself, a desire to meet the living God without any human speech, image, or idea. Words and pictures are created things; they do not satisfy the soul that has been created to see God face to face. The desire to meet God without passing through created images all the time may be a sign of better things to come. Transition Thoughts, perception, and feelings are all created things. If we are called to union with God, there must be a moment when they have to disappear since no hu-man person can be satisfied with looking at the picture of somebody he loves when personal contact is possible. Besides~ those acts may fulfill their purpose in the puri-fication of mind and will. Their nature being limited, their efficacy is limited too. I can penetrate the mind of God to a certain extent by meditating on the Gospel; I can follow the will of God to a great extent by trying to do what I think the best. But neither my meditations nor my good deeds have the power to cleanse my soul so well that I may truly say that God has taken possession of me and that I am no more than an instrument in His hand. The true cleansing is reserved to God. It is He who transforms the soul by infusing light and love into it in a more than ordinary measure; it is that light and love that sanctify and purify the whole man. 1. External Signs. The first sign to indicate that a per-son might have a "vocation" to contemplative prayer is that he does not find any more "taste" in meditation: he does not enjoy it any more in the best and spiritual sense of the word. Before, he was able to collect a great va-riety of fruit in his meditation: words and images paci-fied his soul and helped him to formulate good resolu-tions. Now he finds that his meditation is more like a dried-up fountain which does not contain fresh water. But not to have any "taste" in meditation is a purely negative sign: it might well be the indication of careless-ness or of drifting towards the world. Hence, a more posivite sign is needed to confirm that it is God who brought about the change. The positive sign will be a deep longing in the soul for God and a sincere desire to follow Christ our Lord in everything and to be con-formed to His image. A sincere desire that is manifest in deeds. The loss of "taste" in meditation and the longing for God are always coupled with a turning away from this created world. This loss of interest in created things, even if they are very good in themselves, is the third sign; and it is a natural consequence of what has taken place: 4. 4. Meditation to Contemplation VOLUME 22, 1963 ]75 ÷ 4. 4- when the soul is not satisfied any more with created con-cepts in its prayer, it cannot be satisfied with created things either. The change may be astonishing for the person concerned: he used to enjoy music and art, litera-ture and human company, and now he notices that they all leave him dry and empty. When all these signs are found together, loss of "taste" in meditation after it has been practiced for a fairly long time (which may vary from person to person), longing for God in solitude (the longing being confirmed by solid virtues in practice), and the consequent loss of good and legitimate pleasure in created things, then the person concerned may have the vocation to a simpler form of prayer. If these signs are not there, any attempt to leave be-hind meditation and practice another form of prayer, namely the prayer of simplicity, may be poisonous for the soul; it may weaken its spiritual life and it may even ruin the soul altogether. 2. An Explanation. The signs just described are ex-ternal, but what is happening internally in the soul? What is it that brought the change about? The answer is that gradually and in a hidden way God is taking possession of the soul and its facilities. As mind and will have been purified to a reasonable degree, though by no means perfectly, God's work on them~be-comes more intense. Light and love are being given in a larger measure than ever before, and the hand of God begins to shape the new man, the new creature of St. Paul, out of the old. It is as if the hand of God had touched the soul from behind and in the dark. The soul recognised the touch instinctively but could not see the person. It turned away from all creatures, whether con-cepts, images in prayer, or works of art, and conceived a longing for its Maker and Creator. Hence the loss of "taste" in meditation, longing for God, and the feeling of emptiness in the presence of created objects. God comes near enough to awaken a deep desire in the soul but not near enough to let the soul perceive something of God's beauty. It follows that for a while (and it may be a very long while) one may remain in the dark: all consolation from this world is lost, but no sen-sible consolation from the other world is coming. Per-haps it would be truer to say that though the heart is pure enough to feel the obscure touch of God, as yet it: is not able to receive the light in its fullness because of the many impurities that it still has. The result is darkness; and if one does not know what is happening it is easy to lose confidence and even to give up prayer altogether. In truth, it is a time of grace for the soul. 3. Some Practical Advice. If the signs for contempla-tion are there, it would not be wise to force oneself to make meditations in a strict and methodical form. One cannot turn the clock back, not even in the spiritual life. The time of predominantly active prayer, is over; now one has to learn how to~follow~the lead The first step towards more passivity should be the simplification of prayer. Intellectual considerations dur-ing prayer time should be left out as much as possible. Their place should be taken by simple acts of faith, hope, and love, which are the beginning of any prayer and the fruit of the best of prayers. The soul should .learn how to come back to the same idea again and again and find peace, joy, and "taste" in it. Also there should be a tend-ency towards greater receptivity, but with prudence and wisdom. God likes to take His time; He likes to build slowly and gradually. Our duty is to follow the move-ments of His grace: we should not try to go any faster than He wants us to go nor should we lag behind. The adaptation to this new way of life in which it is God who holds the initiative is bound to be a long process. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a change in our personality. It is bound to affect everything in our life, our way of thinking, working, and our relations with other persons. A likeness to Christ our Lord is being formed in us. After the initial difficulties a long period of peaceful development may ensue. Prayer will be a mixture of ac-tivity and passivity; but if the soul is faithful, it may reach the stage in which the main rule is passivity. A passivity that leads to a readiness to do the will of God and to a very practical love of God and our neighbour. One final remark is necess
Issue 4.4 of the Review for Religious, 1945. ; " GRACE AND ~BEAUTY~--G'. AuguStine Ellard, S.J" . 217 ENEMIES OF FAITHmF. X. McMenamy, S.J . " . 229 NEWMAN AND THE RELIGIOUS LIFE Walter J.On.g, S.J. y : . ~'230 ¯ WHY DOES FATHER ASK QUESTIONS? Gerald Kelly, S.J. Bo~JKs RECEIVED . , . .~252~ PERFECTION IS UNION WI*FH,GOD .~Aug, ustine .Klaas,. S.J. ., 253, PAMPHLET NOTICES ,:~ . .-. . OUR LADY;S PARENTS Francis L. Filas, S.J .~ . .OUR' CONTRIBUTORg / . ' ~ . ~ ~- 270 QUEST~IO,N~ AND ANSWERS~. , 35. Blessed Ashes and Things Put in Sacrar~um- " (.' 271° ~ 36. Jurisdiction o~Mother Generiil and ,Local~Superior . ~7. Bo~y of Deceased Sister in Community Chapel . 38. Permission to Close Religious House . . . . . : . 272 ~ 39.~ Rosaries of String for fi.rmed Forces Only. .° . . ,: . . .o .~273 ~40.~Vows and Status of Reliigious.with Mental Disorder .-. '2_.73) ,41. Anticipating Date of Perpetual Vows .- . : .' .-'. , 275 42. ,Su.pterior's Obligation t6 Pro¢ide Monthly Conference COMMUNICATIONS ' ' ~ " ~77 ' ~BOOK 'REVIEWS~ :7 ' ~A'Dynamic World Order; That You May Live: Too S~nall a Wo-rld: The Hope of the.Har4es~; The Nu'rse:. Handmaid of the DivineoPhysi-." _ ¢ian;.Enjoying the NeW Testament . ~: . . . ' 28.2 REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, July, 1945. Vol.IV, No. "4. Publishdd-bi- 'monthly: January, March.May, July,S¢ptemb,er, ahd N0ve~ber at the College Press. 606 Harrison Street, Topeka, Kansas, by St.'Mary's College, St., Marys, Kansas, with ecclesiastical appr.obation.' Entered as second clas~ matter January 15 1942'; at the Post Office, Topeka,,~Kansas, "under the act bf March 3, 1879: ' "~ Editorial Board: Adam C. Ellis. S.J., G~ ~ugustine Ellard, oS.J., Gerald Keily~ S.J. Editorial Secretary;: Alfred F, Schneider, S~J.2 Copyright, 1945, by'Adam C. Ellis. .Permission is hereby granted'for quotations of, reasonable length, provided due credit be given this r~view an'd the autt~'b~. Subscription pride: 2 dollars a ~'ear. ~ ~ Pilnted in U: S. A. Before writing to'us, please consult notice on Inside fiack cover. G. Augustine Ellard, S.,J. AN EFFECT of sanctifying grace that does not seem to get as much mention and consideration as it deserves is the beauty that it possesses .and adds to the soul. And yet beauty, with truth and goodness, is the object of the principal aspirations of every spirit. Moreover, beauty is an important element,in the value of grace. A clearer .knowledge of the beauty of grace should lead to a highe~ appreciation of it and a more eager desire for it. I. One could hardly hope in the present stage of the evolution of esthetic.philosophy to propose a for.mal defini-tion of beauty that would be generally acceptable. For-tunately, it is one of those things of which nearly every-body feels that he has a fairly satisfactory empirical notion, even though he could not set it forth in words. Among the definitions of beauty current among those who have studied the matter in the light of Aristotellan br Thomistic philosophy .we find : "the spl~ndor of truth" (attributed to Plato); "the splendor of order" (St. Augustine); "the effulgence of form in material elements definiti~ly limited and proportioned, ok in different forces or actions" (S~. Thomas); "the goodness of a thing inasmuch as when known .by the mind it gives delight" (Kleiltgen, [3ung-mann); and "the perfettion of a thing that makes it pleasing to behold" (Gietmann). Some would place beauty in truth, others in the goodness of a thing, arid still others in both truth and goodness together . Even when it ¯ is embodied in material objects, the perception of it i~ essentia!ly spiritual: animals give no evidence of,having a sense of the beautiful. 217 G. AUGUSTINE ELLARD Reoietu for~ Religidus Beauty may be either physical or moral. !V~oral beauty is found only:iiri th~ character or moral activity of persons; when one's characte,.r or action,i~ such that the very sight or thought of it ~tit~S delight and admiration, then it is morally.beautiful. Many insta.n.ces of heroism are examples :of it." All 6thOr beauty is physical. This may be material o~ sigiritual. About the material 'ther~ will be rio difficulty, and about the spiritual there need be none. It is simply that beauty which belongs to spirits, as material beauty belongs to visible things. To see and appreciate it properly is poss!ble, of course, only to ~pi~its themselves; but wecan have an analogous knowledge and enjoyment of it. It is very evident that angels must perceive one another and that that perception, of itself, must bring pleasure, in fact, great ¯ pleasure, betause prest~mably the beauty of angels is pro-poi: tionate to. their general ~perfection. Therefore one (good) angel viewing another and finding him pleasant to behold would be ~xperiencing What is meant by physical ~spiritual beauty. 'The angels now in heaven possess, as a matter of fact over and above the beauty that follows their angelic nature, the supernatural beauty of grace. Being g.ood, they exhibit also, of course, moral beauty. Simi-larly, human souls or spirits now i'n heaven and adorned with grace give pleasure to all who see them, both by reason of the natural perfection .and beauty of the. human spirit and because of the love!iness of their grace. It is well to¯note that to please ordelight, the. beautiful need not actfially be seen. It is sufficient that it can be seen, or hgs" been°seen, or can be ~epresented in quasi.-vision before the mind, A young man 'enjoys his belov.ed's beaut~, even when she isabsent: A living human soul in graOe is an object of actuAland full complacence to ~whoever sees it;. therefore c~rtainly to God, most probably to one's guardian angel, and perhaps to all the blessed. In heaven its beauty 218 duly, 1945 GRACE AND BEAUTY will add to the joys of all the angels and saints. Meanwhile there can be great satisfaction in really bein~l beautiful, though that beauty be all hidden.within, and in expecting the future manifestation of it. II. Other works:of God are beautiful; therefore, grace. is beautiful. In view of the extension.of beautyih God's works and the intensity of it in His greater creatures; this argu, ment from induction or analogy, seems to be legitimate. "The firmament on high is his beauty, the beauty of heaven with its glorious shew . The glory of the stars is the beauty-of heaven; the Lord enlighteneth the world on high . Look upon the rainbow and bless him that made it: it is very beautiful in its brightness." (Ecclesiasticus 13 : 1, 10, 12.) If the Supreme Artist has produced beauty so widely, and so profusely throughout His creationm -in natural scenery, inthe forms of crytallization, in flowers, in birds, in the human form and face, and in the angelic nature--it is not likely that He l'ias d~nied a high degree of it to wha.t is in a very true sense one of the greatest of all His productio.ns, namely, sanctifying grace. III. A consideration of the nature of grace confirms the conclusion indicated by induction or analogy. Sanctifying grace is essentially a participation in the divine nature, .that is, in what is in God the fundamental principle of the activity that i~s most characteristic of Him, namely, the direct intuition of infinite truth. Now God Himself must be supremely beautiful. He is the first author of all that is beautiful in His universe, in inanimate scenery, in the stars of the heavens, in the vegetative k.ingdom,. in animals, in men and women, and in the angels. "Let them [men] observing the works of the Creator know how' much the Lord of .them is more beautiful than they: for the first author, of beauty made all tho~e things . For by the greatness of the beauty, and of the creatures, the Creator of 219 G. AUGUSTINE ELLARD Review fo~'" Religious them may be seen, so as to be known thereby." (Wisdom 13: 3, "5.) Moreoverall the beauties of human art are ultimately.His creations. As a matter of fact God is not only the origin of all beauty; He is Beauty Itself, absolute, infinite, ineffable beauty, without the slightest admixture of anything that could detract from it. That beauty must be infinite, because the~being, truth, and goodness upon which it is founded are immeasurable. Though all perfec-tions are there, they are unified in the highest degree in abso-lute simplicity, and thus they. exist in the most admirable harmony. God is Hisown uialimited light, brightness, and brilliance. Long ago St. Augustine wrote of the beauty of God: "Consider the whole universe; the,heavens, the earth, the sea, all that is in heaveh or on earth or in the sea: how beau-tiful, how marvelous, how well and wisely arranged it al! is! Do these things move.you? Of course.they move you. Why? Because they are.beautiful. What then of Him. who made them? You would be stunned, I tt'iink, if you saw the beauty of the angels. What therefore of the Creator of tt~e Angels?" ($erm. 19, n.5: ML. 38, 136.) And St. Basil the Great: "Is there anything, I ask, more wonderful than the divine beauty? . .What thought is.there more delightful and pleasant than the magnifice ,rice of God? ¯. Altogether ineffable and indescribable is the brilliance of the divine beauty. Speech cannot make it known, nor ear receive it. Even though you should, think of the splendors of the morning star, the brightness of .the moon, or the light of the sun, everything beside the glory of that beauty. is insignificant and dark, and compared with the true light .is more distant from it than the depth of a gloomy and moonless night from the clearest noonday sun." (Reg. Fus. Tract.; Inteccog. 2, n. 1; MG. 31, 910.) Comprehensively to knox~T the magnitude and fascina£ 220 tibn of Beauty Itself and the enrapturing~effect ofbeholding it is pos~ibl'e only to one of the Bli~ssed Trinity. To.have some proper conception of itand how it feels subjectivdly to. see it is: possible only to those who have experienced the beatific vision, and even they c~uld not express itin human lariguage. Surely it is most significant that, giventhe pres-ent superna~u'ral order oi~ things, nothing on earth or in heaven except the .sight of God can quite satisfy, and quiet the' aspirations of the human spirit. But the sight of infinite truth, goodhess, and beauty is sufficient to beatify even the. divine spirit. Even though the beauty of God must remain concealed from us while we are burdened with the veils of mortality, it is so great that for some contemplatives it can ¯ become a source of the most exquisite delight and ecstasy and a most potent stimulus to di~'ine love. ~, Now sanctifying grace, being a participation oi: the divine nature~ and hence of the divine beauty,' must itself be correspondingly beautiful. Or, in other terms, grace is an assimilation to the divine nature and a resemblarice to it, and must slSar'e in its beauty as a'copy partakes of the excel-lence of a masterpiece. With the sonship to God which grace confer~ it must also brihg something of the paternal lineaments and features. -_,~ St. Cyril of ~Alexandria, speaking of the effect 6f grace, wrote: ".Is it not the Spirit thi~t carves the divine image upon us and like a seal imprints upon us a beauty su.perior to any in the world?" (Dial. 7 De Trin., p. 683.) .Again: "All of us who have :believed and become c6nforrned to God have been made, through union with the Son and the Holy Spirit, paiticipants of.thee divine nature, not only in name but in very reality in as much as we have been glori-fied with a beauty that is above all creation. For Christ is fashioned in us.in a manner that is indescribable, not as one 6feature in another, but as God in created nature in.that He 221 G. AUGUSTINE ELLARD Revieu~ for Religious has transformed our created nature through the Holy Spi.rit into His likeness and raised us to a dignity surpassing that. of all creatures." (De Trin. L. 4.) "The Spirit does not, like a painter, reproduce the divine substance in us as if He were extraneous to it, nor does He in .this way bring us to the likeness of God: rather He Himself who is God and pro-ceeds from God is .invisibly impressed upon the hearts of those wh6 receive Him like a seal upon wax, through com-munion and likeness to Himself, again painting our nature with the beauty of its original model and manifesting the divine image in man." (Tfiesaur., MG. 75, 609:) St. Basil: "Man was made according to the image and likeness of God, but sin destroyed the beauty of that image ¯. Let us return to the original grace from which we were ~alienated by sin. And let us beautify ourselves in the like-ness of God." (Serroo Ascet., MG., 31, 869.) Similarly St. Ambrose: "You have been painted there-fore, O man, and painted by the Lord thy God, You have a good artist and painter; do not. spoil the good painting, resplendent, not with color, but with the truth; expressed not~ with wax, but with grace," (Hex. VI, 47.) And St. Augustine: "Human nattire, When it is justified by its Creato~r, is changed from ugliness and deformii:y into a lovely and beautiful form" (De Trin. XV, c. 8, n. 14). IV, Grace also gives one a share in the beauty of Christ. Among the three divine persons of the Blessed Trinity .bea'uty is appropriatedparticularly to the Word, as "being the flashing-forth of" the Father's "glory, and the very .expression of his being" (Hebrews 1:3)i, or, in Knox's yersion, "who is the radianc~ of his Father's splendour, and the full expression of his being~" Even the created beauty of the humanity of Christ, natural and supernatural, physical and¯ moral, material andspiritual, is very great indeed and an object of the keenest delight to all the angels 222 Jul~, 1945 GRACE ,~NI~ BEAUTY and saints who see it. The Church in her liturgy often proclaims that .beauty: "Thou art beautiful above the sons of men: grace is poured abroad in thy lips . With thy comeliness and thy beauty set out, proceed p~osperously, and reign." (Psalm 44:3-.5.) Commenting on this passage St. Augustine. wrote: ',He is beautiful as God, the Word with the Father; He is beautiful i~ the womb .of the Virgin, where He assumed human_ity and did not lose His divinity.; He is beautiful as .a new-born babe and silent Word (infar~s Verbum) . Beautiful therefore in heaven, beautiful~ on on the earth; . beautiful .in His miracle~, beautiful in the scourging; beautiful while callii~g to life,~ and beautiful in not caring about death; beautiful as He lays down His life,.and beautiful in taking it back: beautiful on t.he. cross, beautiful in the sepulcher, beautiful in heaven . Let not, the imperfections of this body turn your eyes away from the splendor of His beauty. (In Psalm. 44, 3.) Clement of Alexandria thus extolls the.attractiveness of Christ: "Our Savior surpasses all human nature. Indeed He is so beautiful that ' He ' alone deserves to be loved b31 us, if we desire true beauty; for He was the truelight." (St~r,om. L. 2, c. 5.) ' . ~ All who receive sanctifying, grace are adorned after the model of Ch~:ist: "For all Of you who were bapt.i~zed into Christ, have pu~ on Christ" (Gala.tinny3:27):1 "My children witt~ whom I am again in tra.~ai.l,~ until Christ be formed in you" (Ibid. 4: 19) : "Those Whom he hath fore-known, them he hath predestined to bear a nature in the ima~ge of his Son's, that he should be first-born among many brethren" (Romans 8:i9). The Fathers of the Church like to emphasize the 1New Testament texts quoted in this article are from the Westminster Edition. 223 G. AUGUSTINE ELLARD Retffeu~ for Religious ?esemblance even in appearance between Christ and Chris-tians., Thus St. Cyril.of Alexandria writes: "Nor should we be sons by. adopti.on and inlikeness if there were no real and true son; to His form we are fashioned; to beilike Him we are transformed with a certain art and grace" (Tbesaur. MG., 75, 526). "One is molded to become a son of God according to an excellent model . This beauty is spiritual. ~ By participation in the Holy Spirit they ar~ fashioned in Christ as it were, according to Him as a model . Christ is indeed formed in us, the Holy Spirit impres.sing upon us a certain figurel ~hrough holi-ness and jusgice." (In Isaiarn; IV, II; MG.; 70, 936.) Sim!larly St. Gregory'Nazianzene writes: "Since the day -when y'ou were changed by baptism, all your old features have disappeared, .and one.f°rm l~as been imlSressed upon you all, namely, that of Christ" (Or. 40 In Sancta Lurn., n. 27). V. According to the analysis of the beautiful made by St. Thomas., and followed by many Catholik savants, there are three chief elements that concur to make a thing ¯ beautiful;- integrity, harmony, and brightness. Evidently integrity or completeness, in all parts is neces~'.~y. A person who has lost, say, an arm or a leg would ~:i~ly be a candidate for a beauty prize, nor could a buil'd~.~bf w.,,.hich some integral part has been destroyed exemplify architec~,ural beauty. It is deaf too that .har-mony, taken.in~;. ,,a~.~bgr,~o a,_d sense so as to include symmetry, proportion,, oraer, aria in general proper agreement, is required. All the different components that enter into the constitution of a thing ~bat has beauty~for instance, a cathedral~must have appr6priate size, mutually sui~ one ~nother, be suitably arranged, and all in all so fit together into one.coherent whole as really to mak~ a unit and con-vey .a unified impressioia. Order in some sense is so essential 224 dul~t,.1945 . GRACE AND BEAUTY to beauty that disorder and ugliness are almost synony-mous. = It may be noticed in passing that the name "cos-mos" for the uni~rerse as an ordered system of ,things and th~ term "cosmetics," the art of improving ,:feminine beauty, both come from the same old Greek word for "order." ¯ There is an order that we may call static; it is illus-trated, ¯ for example, in the disposition of an artistically planned pai'b]ti.ng 0r building. Dynamic order is found wherever different movements or actions are subordinated to one purpose: for instance, in the.mecbanlsm of an auto-mobile or in the multitudinous movements of an orches-tra. Order is in a peculiar sense the offspring of intelli-gence; and wherever it is found'and in.whatever degree, it gives satisfaction to the mind that p~rceives it. Though variety is said' to please, no great degree of it is necessary if there be sufficient'richness of content,' as, for example, in the finest silks or velvets, similarly certain single colors and tones, if they be sufficiently pure,, rich, and clear, seem t9 be beautiful. '~The e~y,,e admireth at the beauty of the whiteness thereof tsnow] (Ecclesiasticus 43:20). ~. , The third elen~ent required for the beautiful °is,!bright-heSS. Perfection of being, which is otherwise ~ibl~ to delight one who simply considers it, can hardl,y rfiake much of an impression on one who does not se~ it iclearly. Relat.ively to us, therefore, at least, a ~certain clari~ty of presentation is necessary. J,udged by these three criteria., namely, integrity, har-mony, and brightness;.grace has a right to be called beau-tiful. That it possesses integrity, or in other words that it has all that pertains to its perfection, may be inferred from its spirituality, and also from the fact that it is a creation of the .Divine Artist exclusively. He could not leave one. of 'the highest and noblest of His works incomplete nor 225 G, AUGUSTINE ELLARD Review for Religious inferior in appearance. There is an admirable harmony or order about sanc-tifying grace. To begin with, it sets a person in just the right essential_supernatural' relatiori to God, and thus, :at ~least indirectly, with respect to all other persons and things. Grace is alsoa prindple of order within a man himself inasmuch as it is a source 0f supernatural moral, order and propriety, and hence of .beauty, in all his con-duct. Moreover sanctifyin~ gr.ace'possesses order within itself in the sense that it brings with itself and keeps in proportion all the infused moral virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. All these taken together constitute the supernatural organism, the anatomical basis, so to speak, of the supernatural life, and this organism must have a proportion and symmetry and harmony equal to its gen-. eral excellence. Being spiritual, it must be superior to whatever is material; being of itself immortal and incor- ~uptible,,its beauty should be corr.espondingly great and lovely. Not only this, but since it is supernatural, its attractiveness should be higher 'and better than merely natural spiritual beauty. Oftentimes one of the principal sources of,the satisfaction found in the esthetic contempla-fion of works of beauty is the perception df how the artist has really reached or approached the ideal which was evidently before his mind. In grace, Which is a super-natural likeness of the divinity_---in fact the highest pos-sible likeness of it---~.the in'tended correspondence between the model or ideal and the real must be perfe.ct and com-plete since God Himself is the artist who ~produces it. That grace possesses brightness and adds. a certain light to the soul that it adorns is.abundantly evident from the fact that in all the literature on grace, whether ancient or modern,, light is one of the analogues most commonly used to explain it. Thus the Catechism of the Council of Trent 226 dul~t, 1945 GRACE AND BEAUTY says that grace is "a certain splendor and light, which blots out all.the stains of our souls and makes thos~ souls them- . selves more beautiful and splendid'.' (Or: Balatisrn, 50). Grace, therefore, has its own spir.itual and supernatural ¯ integrity, harm.ony, and brightness, and as such is beautiful or fair to behold. ¯ VI. Beauty as ~an effect of grace was a favorite theme with St. ¯Bonaventure. He liked to conceive grace as making one a sort of spouse of God. Hence it was natural for St, Bonaventure to emphasize the adornment that grace confers and that high and special kind of beauty' which becomes a spouse of God. It makes one so attrac-tive and lovely in the sight of God that one become.s a fit object of divine complacence. "The .king shall greatly desire thy beauty: for he is the Lord thy God, and him they shall adore" (Psalm 44:12). "How beautiful art thou, and how comely, my dearest, in delights" (Canticle of Canticles 7: 6). VII. Among the lekser eventual effects of grace will be the resurrection and the beauty of the glorified body. "Then 'shall the just.shine forth a.s the sun' in the king-dom of their Father" (Matthew 13:43). "The Lord 3esus 'Christ. will tr~lnsform the body of our lowliness, that it may be one with the body of his glory, by the force of that power whereby he is able tb subject all things to himself" (Philippians 3:21). The physical beauty of the glorified body will be yer~ great indeed, even in the case of those in whom it will be least, for instance, in the bodies of b~ptized infants who entered paradise with the lowest measure of grace, or in those sinners or converts who barely squeezed in fit the last moment. "There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the glory of the heavenly is different from that of the earthly'" (I Corinthians 15:40). Oftentimes, 227 G. AUGUSTINE ELLARD 'R~vieu~ [or Religious if not too often, mortal human beauty is enough to enchant and transport men.It is the product of a merely natural process or of the cosmetician's art. Immortal human beauty Will be the creation of the Infinite Artist Himself and such' as befits the final and crowning state of His uni~rerse. The human beauty that we see here is o. nly.too evanescent; celeso tial~ human beauty will be eternal,, forever adding to the delight of all who behold it. Human beauty in this life is granted indiscriminately to the good, bad, and.indifferent. with the advantage rather in favor of the indifferent or bad. -at least because they are more gi.ven to cultivating it. Glorio fled b~au~y is~ reserved for God's. own elect and favorites. Beaut.y here .issuch as becomes this vale of tears; beauty there must be great enough to harmonize with the mag-nificence of the ~elestial mansions and theexcellence of the" persons who form the celestial society. The least beautiful glorified body should be at the minimum, it would seem, incomparably more.lovely than the. most beautiful body not yet glorified. .'What then of the most beautiful men and women in heaven? The personal physical beauty, not only the spiritual, but particularly now that of the glorified bodies of the ~lect, will, like the beatific vision itself, be proportion~ate to~ ~the. amount of grace with which they entered heaven. "There is the ~!ory o~ the sun, and the glory of the moon, and the'glory of the star~; for star differeth from star in glo,ry. And so it is with the resurrection of the dead."" (I Corinthians. 15: 41, 42.) "In the final state such will be the subjection'of t.hebody to the soul that even the quality of the body will. follow the excelience of the mind: whence according to the different degrees of merit, one soul will be more Worthy than another and one body more glorious, than another" (St. Thomas, In II Dist. 21, q. 2, a. 1). VIII. The practical conclusion from all these consid-. 228 GRACE AND BE/~UTY erations is that one who desires to possess the optimum quality and the maximum quantity of beauty, natural and supernatural, physical and moral, spiritual, and b6dily, who wishes to let the greatest number of the best persons enjoy.it, and who would retain all that beauty for the !onges.t time, should devote oneself to accumulating the highest possible measure ofsanctifying grace. Moreover, the more grace one has, the keener will be one's Vision and fruition of the infinite beaugy of God Himself and of all the finite beauty, whether in persons or things, in heaven and throughout the whole universe, and that eternally. ENEMIES OF FAITH The enemies of faith are tw, o and .they are closely related to each othe, r, sin and worldliness, All sin but especially habits of sin obscure spiritual v~sion: make it hard for the mind to see God's full truth. Sin is a thing of darkness, and it loves the darkness to hide its sham~. Worldliness, however, is perhaps the greater enemy of a living faith because more common, more plausible, more insidious seeing that its manifestations are not'always obviously sinful. Worldliness is!a cast of mind and a habit of will that ignore divine adoption: the blight of a naturalism that vitiates one's appraisals, one's likes and dislikes, all of one's habits of life as though one.~were not a son of God. Gradu-ally but surely does it extinguiih the ligl-it bf th~ new knowledge to end in darkness and sin "and disrelish for prayer and the beautiful realities of God.--F. X. MCMENAMY, S.J., in Alter Christus. 229 ' Walter J. Ong, S.J.- MANY religious, sensing beneath the writings of John Henry,Cardinal Newman a character sympathetic to their way of 1if,e, must have asked thdmselves: Why did Newman not become a religious? In this centenary year of his conversion, many will recall that for some time after Newman was received into the Church'on October 9, 1845~ heithought seriously about the religious life as a vocation for himself and for others of the group of Anglicans who came into the Church with him. ~ In a .sense, he finally' decided both for and against the religious state. A year and ~ half after his conversion, he chos,e, in the life devised by St, Philip Neri for his Ora-torians, a place for himself half-way between that of the religious and~that of the diocesan priest. For members of an Oratory of St. Philip Neri are priests, and assisting lay brothers, who live under obedience in a ~ommunity. Never-theless, they are not religious, for they live thus without public vows. The Oratorian community, compared to a religious community,.ii thus very !oosely knit. Each mem-ber in great part provides for his own material needs out of his own resources, and each is free to leave should he wish to do so. Why. did. Newman settle upon this kind of life? Appeal of Religious Life? Was it because the religious life did not at all. appeal ,to him? Some might suspect this. Indeed, owith all the "230 NEWMAN AND THE RELIGIOUS LIFE writing there is about Newman', it would not .be surprising if ~omeone who likes to spade around in the subconscious has turned up a theory that Newman did not become a religious because the re.ligious life demanded too much self-abnegation. Perhaps someone has. Int~res.ting and even amusing texts could be quoted to support the theory. Let us quote a few. Reactions to Religious Observance? In 1846, the year after their conversion, and before their ordination to the priesthood, .Newman and his fellow-convert Ambrose St. John were to go to Rome, where they hoped to mature some definite plans for their future activity in the Church. At Rome they.would s.tay at the Co.llegio di Propaganda, a seminary conducted by theRoman Con-gregation of the Propagation of-the Faith. In this.semi-nary,, or. college, studies were made by many of tbose destined for the priesthood in missionary countries, among which countries England, like America, was classed ~at the time. From a former stud_ent. 'at the Collegio, a Dr. Ferguson, Newman had wormed out an advance description of the life there.'His letter to St. John reporting wh~t Dr. Ferguson b, ad to say s.bows interesting reactions to matters touching the religious life: Every quarter of an hour has its work and is measured-out by rule. It i~ a Jesuit retreat continued through the year. You get .up at half past five, having slept (by compulsion) seven and a half hours, at quarter to six you run into the:passage and kneel down for the Angelus. Then you finish your dressing. At six you begin to meditate--the prefect going up' and down and seeing you are at your work. Three mihutes off the 1half hour a bell rings for the col-loquium. At the half hour (hal'f past six) mass--which every ond attends in surplice. Seven breakfast, some bread and some milk and (I think) coffee. Then follow schools--at half past e1~ven dinner and so on. A dompulsory walk for.an hour and a half in the course 231 Reoieto for Religious of the day.x Newman calls' attention to some details closely related to common life: Recreation an hour after dinner and supper--but all recreate together ~--no private confabs. In like manner no .one must enter any other .person's room. (Corollary. It is no good two'friends going to Propaganda.) . Further, your letters are all opened, and you put the letters you. write into the Rector's hand. To continue--you must not have any." pocket money . "Then there is no good," I asked, '"in taking money." "No," said Dr. F., "none at all." Next, you may not have clothes.of your own--the RectOr takes away coat, trousers, shirts, stockings, ~c. ~c. and gives you some of the Propaganda's. Although the Collegio was run to train not religious but diocesan priests, the details which Newman here singles out for comment includ~ many which remain more or less a permanent part ~)f the religious life~ From the rueful tone of Newman's letter, one might gather that such details 'are listed because they show where the shoe pinched the most unbeara,bly. Little wonder, one would say, that Newman did not' become a religious. The life plainly did not at all appeal to him.' "They give you two cassocks," he goes on, "an old one and a new one." (Newman's own italics). ' "To complete it, he [Dr. Ferguson] said that I should be kept there three years and that I shouid have to read Per- .rone." Reading Perrone seems to have been ~ associated 'iri Dr. Ferguson's mind only with.feelings of the greatest ter-. ror. Perrone, well-known Italian theologian, Was laterto be Newman's friend and champion. But now Newman passes over Perrone's name without comment, having asso- Ciated with the name nothing but the iinister overtones of xWilfrid Ward, The Life of John Henry Cardinal Netoroan (New York: Longmans, Green and Co., 1913), I, 132. All quotations from this work are with the kind permission of. the publishers. . 232 , Ju1~,1945 NEWMAN AND THE RELIGIOUS LIFE Dr. Ferguson's woeful recollections. "Meanwhile . . . we heard that at Rome . . . 'apart:. ments' have been'got ready at Propaganda for Dr. Wiseman and' me." Newman must have shuddered as he~ wrote "apartments": at least he put~ the word in quotes. "The only allowanc~ I extracted from Dr. Ferguson," be continues, "was that you might bare private papers in your writing desk . Dr. F. said one thing was provided gratis--snuff ad libitum and I should be allowed to take a snuffbox." In the event, Newman was not subjected to the rules here described for the young seminarians. According .to our projected theory, this should pro.re that he had no stomach for any life restrained by strict rule. His.sub-conscious repugnance to restraint asserted itself here, and be somehow automatically edged his way around even temporary regular observance--this enterprising theory would hold. Other evidence could be scraped up. ofit of " Newman's letters to give body to such proof. For instance, shortly after his conversion he writes of a visit just paid to the Catholic college at Oscott:. ChaHes Woodmason and I . . . arrived here on the fe.Xstival of St. Cecilia . We found the passage crowded and no servants to answer the bell, and bad to poke in as we might, leaving our 1Bggage at the entrance. I say they perhaps were" scandalized, for they have the most absurd notions about us. I think they fancy I never eat, and' I have just lost a good dinner in.consequence. After returning from Birmingham walking and hungry, I literally have had to pick up a crust from the floor left at breakfast and eat it,. from shame at asking again and again for fhings.2 Does this hankering for servants 'and victuals Show the spirit of abnegation which the re!ig~ous life demands? And, the letter gets worse instead of better: 2lbid., I, 103-104. 233 WALTER J. ONG Review for Roligious . Wall, we were ushered into the boys' dining room--the orches-tra at the end, and the table~ plentifully laden,for all hearers with cake and (pro pudor)" punch~a very sensible w.ay of hearing mu.sic. They certainly were scandalized at my d~tecting the pu.nch--for they said again and again that it was made of lemon and sugar. All i~can say is that ours.at the high table was ~emarkably stiff,.and that I was obliged to dilute it to twice or thrice i~s quantity with water. More of this kind of thing ~ould be dug from New-man's correspondence, and one could turn it all to account to explain quite ~eadily Newman's turning away from the religious state. His unconscious self had said from the first, "Don't be a religious,'.' adding with standard subconscious ¯ hypocrisy, "but talk sometimes about the religious life So you'll get the credit for being interested in it." Thus New-man's attraction, to the religious state was sham--the the-ory Would conclude. A good conclusion, if only it 'were true. Such a con-clusion, hoWever, would not be founded on fact, but rather on a wild misinterpretation of some of Newman's pleasant-ries. Indeed, the last passage just quoted hints that people bad associated with Newman, not. mere talk, but definite habits of abstemiousness quite in accord with the little sac-rifices demanded by religious life. Newman's Self-Abnegation. )ks.a matter of fact, Newman had such habit~. An appetite for quite real s~lf-abnega~ion in .imitation of Christ had worked itself out very practically in Newman's lifd even before he entered the Catholic Church. In 1842 he had retired from Oxford to the neighboring town of Littlemore, where he gathered some of his Oxford friends. Here he became a Catholic 'and here he continued to live until February,. 1846. We have an account of the place of retreat at Littlemore in a letter in the Tablet shortly after Newman's conversion written by Father Dominic, the 234 July, 1945 NEWMAN ~AND THE',RELIGIOUS LIFE Italian Passionist who received him into the Church. "Littlemore," Father Dominic explains, is a village about :two or three miles from Oxford. It presents nothing charming in its aspect or situation, but is placed in a low, flat country; it exhibits no delightful vill.as, nor agreeable Woods and meadows, but one u~nvafi~d uniform appeara.nce, rather dull than pleasant. In the midst of this village we meet with a building, which has'more the look of a barn than a dwelling:house; and in reality, I think it formerly was a barn. This unsightly.building is "divided by a number of walls, so as to forni so many little cells: and it is So low that you might almost' touch the roof with'your hand. In the interior );ou will find t.h.e most beautiful specimen of patri-archal simplicity and gospel i~overky.8 The Italian was iensitive to the vagaries of the English weather and impressed by the sombrene.ss ofEngland's dark, damp days. Failure to take measures against such conditions was to him a sign of real mortification: To pass from one cell to another, you must go through a little out-side corridor, covered iladeed with tiles, but opeln to all inclemencies of the weather. At the end of this corridor, you find a small dark room,'whi.ch has served as an oratory. The furnishings and diet impressed him most of all. In the cells nothing is to be seen but poverty and simplicity-~bare walls, floors composed' of a few rough bricks, without carpet, a straw bed, one or two chairs, and a few books, this comprises the whole furniture ! !-! The refectory and kitchen are in the same style, all very small and v.ery poor. From this description one may easily guess what sort of diet was used at table: no delicacies, no wine, no .ale.,'no liquors, but seldom meat; all breathing an .air of the strictesk poverty, such I have never witnessed in any religious house in Italy. or France, or in any other.country,where I have been. A C~ipuchin monastery would appear a great palace when compared with Little-more. It is the "best geniuses of the Ang!ican. Church" who. have retired, to this house, Father Dominic goes on, and have lived there--persons "of birth, learning, and pie~ty,. Slbid.o I, 106,107. 235 WAETER 3. ONG Review [or Religiou~ who possessed, or at least might have possessed, the richest livings and fellowships which the Church of England can bestow." And yet it had been said that their living as they had at Littlemore was due to singularity and pride! "Those who entertain such an idea," the good father continues, "might in the same way calumniate our Blessed Saviour; his Apostles, and all the followers of the Gospel." Foroit was plain to any open-eyed observer that the life at Little-more was undertaken in imitation of Christ. The. ho!y and simple Italian priest, as Newman's biographer Wilfrid Ward calls Father Dominic, gets so excited at the blindness and malice of Newman's critics that he breaks into a regular, litany of puns: "O men, O English-men," he almost chants as he concludes his letter to the Tablet, hear the voice of Littlemore. Those wails bear testimony that the Catholic is.a little more than the Protestant Church, the soul a little more than the body, eternity a little more than the present time. Understand well this little more, and I am sure you "will do a little more for your eternal salvation. This is .apparently what made Newman, who was undoubtedly embarrassed by t.he good father's letter, remark that no one at Littlemore could read the letter with a grave face. Bu~ Newman does not contest the facts which Father Dominic had set down. Newman and the English Scbne Littlemore shows in some ways a .greater attraction to a life of self-abnegation and self-surrender than perhaps most religious exhibit before their novitiate. But Little-more provides us as well with the key to Newman's final decision against the religious life. For Littlemore was the place wh~re Newman retired to learn God's will in his regard, and there, were good signs.that the will of God called him elsewhere than to a r.eligious institute. 236 dulyo 1945 NEWMAN AND THE RELIGIOUS LIFE Had he been at the time of his conversion a young man, Newman might perhaps have entered a religious institute and let his life be shaped there, just as Gerard Manley Hop-kins was to do. Hopkins, an Oxford man like Newman and destined like, Newman to become a great figure in nineteenth-century literature, was converted at the 'age of twenty-two. But Newman. (who incidentally, was to be the one to receive Hopkins into the Chu.rch in 1866) was forty-four when he became a Catholic. He bad already cut himself a niche in English life. He had been the leader of a party which had split open the intellectual .world of Oxford and with it the Anglican Church; and, although the party had finally b~een .badly routed by the liberal Anglicans at the. time it lost many of its ,leaders to Rome, Newman's place in the Oxford movement had made him a marked man in England. And here we have the basic reason why New-man did not turn to. the religious state: he felt that his value to the Church, a value already fixed by his place in Eng-land's life, could not be best exploited the~e: ~ Being Taught God's Wilt .W.riting many years later to young Edmund Froude, who had rather precipitately made up his mind to be a religious, Newman sald, "I know you are a prudent boy, and I wish you gravely and continually to pray God, that you may. be taught His Will as regards you. For we must persevere in prayer, if we would learn it.''~ Newman him-self had had to persevere in prayer-to be taught God's will in his regard and this not only with regard to entering the true Church. For a year and a half after his conversion there was an interval of prayerful searching, as both New-man and his friends, eager to find what place God ,had marked out for them, felt their way about the edifice of' the 4Gordon-Huntington Harper, Cardinal Newman and William Froude, A Correspondence (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press. 1933), p. 169. ¯237 ~rALTE~ ,~. ONG ReOiew [or Reti~iou, s Church,'in which they Were at the same time.very much at home and strangely unconversant with many ordinary thifigs. They were at home because they were indeed in their Father's house, about whichthey, had been reading all their ~lives in the Scriptures and in patristic writings. But, how-ever much at home they felt, the fact was, their Father's house or no, they had never been in it before. Forthis rea-son Newman and Ambrose St. John went frorfi~England to Rome in 1846 to imp.rove their knowledge of the Church from the inside. It is a little amusing to see them cautiously smelling out different theological schools at Ro~e or still indulging in themselves something of the amazement of the benevblent Protestant who has just found thht the Cath-olic clergy are not such a bad lot after all. In this vein, Newman, en route to Rome, writes delight-edly from Langres in France to his friend Frederick Bowles that the French clergy are a merry, simple, affectionate set--some of them quite touchingly, kind and warm-hearted towards me, and only one complaining, as I think he did, of English heaviness (our stomachs were in fault) . M. La~ont is Very cheerful, hnd talks Latin well, which few of "the other clergy.do. The Dean does, and is a kind warmhearted person.5 During this time when he was gaining familiarity with the Church from inside her doors, Newman was in close contact with many religious-TDorninicans, Passionists, Jesuits, Franciscans, and others. He bad a Jesuit confessor at Rome. And Newman was certainly thinking of the various religious institutes in terms Of his usefulness in Christ's cause: "'It i~ ,one especial benefit in the Catholic ~burcb," he writes from Rome to Henry Wilberforc~, that a person's usefulness does not ~lepend on the accident of its .SWard, Life,~ I, 136. 23'8 ,lulg, ~94~ NEV~MAN AND THE RELIGIOUS LIFE being found out. There are so many ready-formed modes of'us~ful-hess, great institutions, and orders with great privileges and means, of operation, that he has but to unite himself to one of them, and it is as if Pope and Cardinals took him.up personhlly.° Newman adds a remark which shows that he was ~hinking of the religious life as a sort of r~fuge from pos-sible ecclesiastical honors: Since, I am in for it, I will add," what (as ~far as Io know) I have. never told to anY0ne--thai, before now; my prayers have been so earnest that I never might" have dignity or station, that, as they have been heard as regar.ds the English Church, I think their will be heard now also. They were~ No honors threatened for m~n)~ weary years; but rather failure and misunderstanding. Special Responsibilities But from the time of his conversion Newman was con-scious tl~at he might have "special responsibilities" which .would not'leave his choice of a State of,life entirely free. He was afraid that these responsibilities might not be discov-ered for him evenin Rome. "I can't tell as yet," he informs . Wilberforce in the same letter, what they will make of me here, or whether they will find me but. It is very difficult to get into the mind of a person like me, especially considering so few speak English . . . and I can say .so little in Italian. Newman and St. John had indeed picked up Italian only in their leisurely journey down through Italy to Rome picked it up not without some disaster, as when, mehning to tell a departing Italian acquaintance in Milan that he hoped to.see him in the winter., St. John blunHered confi~ dently, onto the word inferno for inverno and succeeded only "in leaving the startled Italian with the understanding that the English visitor hoped to see him s6on in hell. Newman was delighted at this occurrence, for St. John Olbid., I, 151. " ¯ 239 WALTER J, ONG Review [or Religious was the greater enthusiast for the language. But when they got to R6me arid Newman could pick his way only rather gingeriy through an Italian ~onversation, he fel'tthat he w~s greatly handicapped in his efforts to find his prope,r place within the Church. Newman wanted information and advice. But "what can people know of me?'" he goes on to Wilberforce, . I don't expect people will know me. The consequence will be, that, instead of returnihg with any special responsibilities upon .me, any special work to do, I Should on my return slink into some re~ady-formed plan of operation, and if I did not become a fi~iar or a Jesuit, I should go on hiamdrumming in some theological seminary or the like. Thus Newman felt that, /:or him; fitting into a ready-made plan might indeed be "'slinking" dodging the "spe-cial responsibility." In accordance with this line of thought, the conviction that he should not join a religious institute finally won out, as it had threatened to do from the first. He writes to Dalgair.ns from Rome on the last day of the year 1846: I have'the greatest fear I am bamboozling nays.elf when'I talk of an order: and that, just as Anglicans talk of being Catholics butdraw back when it comes to the pgint, so I, at my time of life, shall never feel able to give up property and take to new habits.7 But the repugnance to giving up property was no greater,. certainly, for Newman than for many who have embraced the religious life, and it was not this, repugnance which decided him in the course he took. He goes on: -Not that I should not do it [enter a religious institute], had I a clear call--but it is so difficult to know what a. clear call is. I do not know ~nough of the rule of the different ~ongregations to haste any opinion yet--and again I do not think I could, religiously, do any-thing that Dr. Wiseman disapproved. 71bid., I, 170. 240 July, 1945 NEWMAN AND THE RELIGIOUS LII::E Final Reasons for the Orator~t Even with this protestation of ignorance concerning the rules of religious institutes, Newman sbts down' at this time ¯ the reasons which were ultimately to d~termine--indeed, we[e already determining--his choice. In thinking of a. .regular life, he continues, a great difficulty . . . is my own previous history: When it comes upon me how late I am trying to serve the Church,the obvious ahswer is, Even saints, such as St. Augustine, St. Ignatius, did not begin in earnest till a late age. "Yes, but I am much older than ~hey." So then I go on to think and to trust that my past life may form a sort of aphorme [base of operations] and a ground of future usefulness. Having lived so long in Oxford, my name and person are known to a very great many people I do not know--so are my books--and I may have begun a workwhich I am,now to finishl Now the ques-tion is whether as a regular I do not at once cut off all this, as becoming a sort of instrument of others, and so clean beginning life again. As a Jesuit e.g. no one ~ould know that I was speaking my own words:" or was a continuation, as it. were, of my former self. Newman goes on to.set down a notion which he,had thought worthwhile ment.ioning to Bishop Wiseman, that he and his associates should be a group or college in Eng-land dependent on Propaganda, which still administered England in place of a regular hierarchy. "This," Newman concludes, "would not be inconsistent ~ith being Ora-torians." By the beginning of the year 1847 Newman and a group of his friends had fixed on the Oratory of St. Philip as their place in the Church--the place where prayer and common sense and the wishes of their eccclesiastical supe-riors made it plain that God wanted them. In the spring of t847 Newman, St. John, W. Goodenough Penny, J. D. Dalgairns, Robert Coffin, Richard Stantc~n, and F. S. Bowles began a brief novitiate at Rome, and in January of the following year the first English Oratorian ~ommunit~r 241 WALTER J. ONG began tO assemble at Birmingham under a rule adapted slightly to the demands of life in England. Newman's Choice and Prbvidence The event proved that Newman's calculations were {ralid, that his patient and' prayerful search had effectively laid his life in the hands of Providence. For it was to the best interests of Christ's Kingdom that Newman should remain preeminently an individual in the minds of the English people. The English never succeeded in under-standing Newman the Catholic. They would never even have tried to understand Newman the religious---the mem-ber of some weird and superstitious'posse of the Pope's. But with Newman the individual they could at least try to sympathize. And that is how Newman won his countrymen in his ,.Apologia pro Vita Sua, diverting the currents of feeling which swirled confusedly about him into channels friendly to the Church. In 1845 and 1846 and 1847 Newman could not see ahead to the Apologia, in which he was to l~iy bare the history of his religious convictions and jus-ti. fy his conversion to Catholicity. But in the Provi-dence of God, which calls some to one kind of life ai~d some to another, "disposing all things sweetly," he took the step in 1847. which made the Apologia possible and turned his life from a long series of failures into.a great spiritual suc-cess. Had he become a .religious, Newman would have had the same story to tell as he tells in the Apologia. But, as he shrewdly foresaw in 1846, no one would have belie~'ed that he was speaking his own words. In the Oratory of St. Philip, only loosely tied to his associates, he remained .in the popular mind Newman, the individual Englishman. That made" possible the work which God bad for him to do. 242 Why Does Father Ask Questions? Gerald Kelly, S.J. DURING the years of his seminary training,, the young priest-to'be is thoroughly instructed in the duties of those who go to confession anal is also made acquainted with some of the principal difficulties that his future, peni-tents might experience. ' This is as it should be, The priest should be able to help and sympathize with his penitents. But that is only one side of the picture. The confessor-. penitent relationship .is "mutual; and, particularly from the point of view of the penitent, it is, perhaps the most pro-f0u. ndly intimate relationship in the world. The penitent often reveals things to the confessor that he Would not dis-close to anyone, else, even his dearest friend.It seems logical, therefore, that the penitent ought to know something of the duties and problems of the confessor. Catholics do know, in.a rather vague way, something of the confessor's duties and difficulties. They know that he ~ears their sins as the ambassador of God and that he is bound by the most rigid and sacred secrecy possible. And they can readily understand that long hours in the confes-sional must be tiresome and must create a. spei:ial :difficulty with regard to the practice of such virtues as patience and kindness. But there are many things that they do not understand" and one of these seems to be the asking of questions by the.confessor.~ If we may judge from remarks heard in conversations about confession, we may conclude that penitents fall into three rather general classes with respect to being questionbd by the confessor. Some penitents rather like it because it 243 GERALD KELLY Reoieu~ for Religiou~ makes their own task easier and makes them more satisfied that their confession was good. Others definitely resent ~luestioning; they want to say what they have to say and then be allowed to go in peace. Still others neither like nor resent the questioning, but among these many wonder why questions are asked. All these classes of penitents--and of course all who teach catechism and instruct others how~ to go to confession--would very likely profit by-a knowledge of som'e of the reasons why the priest questions °~hem; and if they ~kriew these reasons they would very likely try to improve their methods of going to confession and thus avoid the necessity of questions. As a judge in the placeof Christ, the priest gives abso-lution to a worthily-disposed sinner and refuses absolu-tion to the sinner who is not sufficiently disposed. This is the most imporl)ant office of the confessor; but it is not his only.' function. He is also a pb~tsician., with the duty of healing the wounds of sin.and prescribing remedies for the "future; he is, to some extent~ a teacher, with the duty of instructing the ignorant; and he is the spiritual ~:atber to his penitent, with the° duty of giving paternal admonitions, counsel, affd e.ncouragement. In each and' all of these capacities, the priest might tinct reasons, for questioning pe.nitents. I" cannot discuss all these reasons here; but I should like to call attention to those tbat might be most common or most important. Sut~cien't Matter? For the instruction of. seminarians and for the help. of priests, moral theologians sometimes prepare ~¢hat thev call "case books"--that is, books of practical problems that ~the priest .is likely~ to encounter in.his ministry. To make the problem concrete, it is proposed in the form "of a ficti-tious incident. The student is to,decide what he would do 244 ,lul.q, 1945 \VllY DOES FATHER ASK QUES'I~IONS? under the circumstances; then he can check his solution with the solution offered by the author of the book. I can illustrate the first reason why a priest might ask questions by two s.ample Confessions taken from one of these case books. The first confession is that of a devout woman named Eudoxia. "I never detract others, as many women do," EuSoxia tells her confessor. "I have had to listen to men blaspheme, but.I told them I disapprove of their language. And I forgot to say my morning prayers several times.". That, according to the case book, is Eudoxia's entire confession. Not. a real sin is mentioned; and there is no concluding accusation of the sins of her past life. So far as absolution is concerned, Eudoxia might just as well be a newly baptized baby. But there is this l~rofound difference between Eudoxia and the baby" the baby has not sinned, whereas Eudoxia--unless she has the special privilege given to Our Lady--most certainly has committed some small sins, at least in he.r past life. The confessor's problem is to get her to confess a sin. "Perhaps you have told some small lies, or given way to impatience, or committed some other small sins; like sins of vanity?" the confessor asks Eudoxia. Most of us, I am sure, would call this an easy, safe approach, Tl~ere is" nothing particularly opprobrious about these .sins,.and even very good people occasionally fall into them. But not Eudoxia! "Far be it from me, Father," she replies firmly, ever to commit any of those sins!" With that we can leave Eudoxia to her confessor. He may try to explain to her how all people commit some small, sins, and that in her case it is just a matter of recog-nizing the sins and perhaps of examining her conscience more carefully. He might even indicate that she could get some valuable information abmit herself from. those "other 245 GERALD KELLY women" of whom she spoke in her confession or from those men who blasphemed in her presence. But he may not and cannot give absolution until he knows, there is something to absolve. Virtues, mere imperfections, involuntary acts, and doubtful sins (for example: "I accuse myself in so far asI amguilty") arenot sufficient matter for absolution;' and if a confessionconsists entirely of such things~ the con-fessor simply has to ask questions. ¯ Anbther sample confession, taken from the same case bbok, will illustrate the problem of insufficient matter under a slightly different aspect. This time the penitent is a man, .whose Latin name is best translated by Goodfellow. "'Father," runs Goodfellow's confession, "I haven't anything to confess except that I frequently had impure thoughts, and once, when I was traveling, I missed Mass on Sunday." That is the whole of Goodfellow's confession. He seems tO be a man of few deeds and fewer words. The prin-dipal difference between his and Eud0xia's confessions is that Eudoxia deaily confessed no sins, whereas Goodfellow may be confessing real sins. Every confessor learns, after some little ~xperience, that the accusation, "I had impure thoughts," does,not necessarily mean sin. It could mean that the penitent committed a mortal sin against purity_; but it could also mean that the penit.ent was merely tempted against purity--in other words, that the thoughts were entirely involuntary and not at all culpable. And the same may be said for Goodfellow's failure to hear Mass. Devout people sometimes confess "missing Mass," even when they had. a broken leg. They. do not really mean that they sinned; they merely feel better when they tell the confessor aboutoit. Goodfellow might be one of these devout people; perhaps his journey made it impossible to .hear Mass and lie knew this .was no sin. 246 dul~,IP45 WHY DOES FATHER ASK QUESTIONS? If Goodfellow's impure thoughts were involuntary and he had a good excuse or thought he had a good excuse 'for missing Mass, his confession is the same as Eudoxia's: it Gontains no real sin. Strictly speaking, things like this should not be confessed unless one wishes to get, some advice about them; but if the peni.tent does confess them, he should indicate .that they were not sins and should ' include in his confession some other matter for absolution. Otherwise the confessor must ask questions. Mortal or Venial Sin? Even if Goodfellow's impure thoughts were really sin-ful, there would still be a further problem for the confessor. He has to judge, in so far as this is reasonably possible, whether the penitent ~ommitted a venial sin.or a mortal sin: and this judgment is particularly difficult .to make with regard to such things as internal sins. As I said before, the accusation, "I had impure thoughts," may refer merely to a. temptation, in which case it would be no sin at all. But it could also mean that the penitent was guilty of some negli-gence in getting rid of impure thoughts--and this, though it would be a venial, sin, is a far cry from full consent and deliberate mortal sin. All of us learfied (or were supposed to learn) in cate-chism class that a full-fledged mortal sin must have three. elements: serious matter, sufficient ~eflection, and full con-sent of the will. In some types of[accusations a confessor can readily presume that all these elehaents were present;but in many other~ be must ask a question or tWO to determine whether the matter was really, serious or whether there was sufficient reflection and full consent. It is often very difficult, even after questioning, to.forma judgment regarding reflec-tion and consent; and it can happen that both the penitent and the confessor will have to leave the judgment to God. 247 GERALD KELLY Review for Religious But they are not supposed to "leave it to God" without r~aking some reasonable effort to decide it for themselves. I might mention here that the judgment concerning d~gree of guilt is not nearly so important as the judgment ~oncerning sufficiency of matter. A mistake concerning sufficient matter (for example: if the confessor judged that the confession contained real sin when not even a real venial sin was included in thea c'cusa"tion) would make the abso-lution invalid, even though the penitent, being in good faith, would commit no sin. But a mistake in judging the degree of guilt (for example: by judging a sin to be mortal when it was only venial, or vice vers)~) would not affect the validity of the absolution. The Law or: Integrity Reminiscing on catechism days will also bring to our minds the la~ of Christ that all mortal sins must be con-fessed according to species and number: in other words, the ekact kind of ~in committed andthe exact number of times each sin was committed, in so far as the penitent can tell these details, must be confessed. If the priest notices that this law is not being kept, he must prudently help the penitent by questions. The man who has committed mur-der does not satisfy this obligation by merel.y saying that he violated the Fifth Commandment, because there are many ways of violating that Commandment; and if he murdered his brother he would not satisfy his obligation by saying that he had killed a man, because homicide and fratricide are different kinds of sins. Finally, if we make the wild supposition that he bad seven brothers and that he mur-dered them all, he would not fulfill the law of integral con-fession by simply saying that he had murdered his brothers, because he "is Supposed to tell how many mortal sins he committed. 248 dulg, 1945 WHY DOES FATHER ASK QUESTIONS? I realize that homicide and fratricide are not the regular subject-matter for confessions. A Commandment that would probably touch the lives of ordinary people more ¯ closely would be the Sixth. And the confession of sins against this Commandment present~ special difficulties for both penitent and confessor. Penitents find the confession of sins of impurity embarrassing, and they would naturally 'like to keep their accusation as general as possible. Further-more. they often do not know just how to express them-selves, perhaps because they feel that they do not know the proper terms to be used in the confessional. As for the con-fessor, it is easily seen how he might find the questioning of penitents concerning sins of impurity a particularly delicate matter. The best solution to' the mutual embarrassment problem is to have the penitent try to keep the law of .integrity by confessing in his own words the kind of sin he committed. The confession should be brief and to the point. The confessor can hardly fail to understafid: and thus the need of questions, at least on this score, will be avoided. Of course, there are 15enitents who prefer to be questioned in this matter because they find it too difficult to express themselves without help. These penitents should at least mention their inability to the confessor and asl( for his assistance. True Contrition? A very important--in fact, an essential--judgment to be made by the confessor concerns the penitent's disposition. Practically speaking, tbis means that before giving absolu-tion the confessor must judge that his penitent has. true contrition, at least imperfect contrition. Absolution can-not be ~'alid if the penitent has not this minimum'disposi-sition. ¯Generally speaking, of course, the presumption is that 249 GERALD KELLY Review for Religious ¯ people do not confess their,sins unless they are sorry for them. But this presump.tion admits of many exceptions, as the moral theologiai~s are careful to point out. For instance, there is thecase of the penitent w, ho has been prac-t. ically forced to confession by wife, m0ther~ br teacher. It is true that even under such circumstances a good confession can be made; but there is a very real danger that such con-fessions might be insincere and that genuine contrit.ion and desire for absolution mil~ht be lacking. Another difficulty tha't might make for defective contrition is lack of instruc-tion. Great moralists like St. Alphonsus' Liguori point out that many simple people are a~t to get the habit of going to confession without really appreciating the need of contrition; especially with reference to purpose of amend-ment. In all.cases like the above, where the confessor has a reasonable .suspicion that-contrition is lacking or defective, he must ask a question or two. And besides these general difficulties there are certain sl~ecific problems concerning which he must be especially careful. Among these specific cases a m6st important one .is that of the penitent with a habit of serious sin. . The habitual sinner is apt to have a very vague and ineffective purpose of amendment. In. a general way he wants to break his habit, but he fails to decide on any deft-nite way of doing so. Strong habits are not broken in that way. One must.try to find the reason for his habit and try to remove that reason. The habit may be the result of his own weakness; and in this case he must take some means to strengthen himself. Or the habit may be connected with an occasion of sin; and in this event some very drastic measures may" halve to be taken, with regard to the occasion. These are basic points concerning habits of sin; yet the penitent may be ignorant of them and unconscious of his need for 250 J~,ty, 1945 Wl-iy DOES FATHER ASK QUESTIONS? help. And even if he feels his need very acutely, even if h~ is dreadfully discouraged--a not uncommon effect of habits of impurity---~ he may be too timid to ask for help; hence, if the .confessor does not takethe initiative, great harm may result. Even when a habitual sinner shows good Will his pr6b-lem is apt to be a'difficult one, because.it is not always easy to determine the exact ~ause of the trouble and to prescribe an immediately effective remedy. But the difficulty is much more serious when the penitent manifests a lack of sincer-ity: for example,, if he returns to the same confessor again and again without having made any attempt to follow advice, or if he goes from one confessor to another in order to find an "easy" one or to avoid the .need of giving an account of himself. Human nature is prone, to seek the ehsy ¯ way, and the very law of the Church which allows peni-tents a choice of confessors can be abused in such a way ~s to defeat the purpose of confession. Knowing these things. the confessor cannot omit questions when he notices or has a solid reason for suspecting that his peniten( is insincere. Other Reasons :or Questions. Thus far I have given the principal reasonswhy a con-lessor might feel obliged to ask questions: namely, to determine if there is sufficient matter foi absolution; to decide the degree of sinfulness; to help the penitent to make'- a complete, confession; to test the penitent,'s disposition; and to give needed advice and encouragement. Another very important reason is his desire to correct a false con-science. .These and similar purposes all fall within the scope of his sublime office as minister of the sacrament-- as judge, physiciah, teacher, and spiritual father. And to these we might add the simpler and more natural reasons, such as the fact that he does not hear what is.said, or that 25! GERALD KELLY . he is, not 'sure h.e catches "the penitent's meaning. And finally, the confessor is not exempt~from such difficulties as distractions and sleepiness. His mind may wander, and.his head may nod! If penitents were to keep all these things i'n mind, they would not resent questions, bfit they would try to make their confessions sufficiently clear and complete to allow the confessor tom keep his questions to the mini-mum. No doubt-it is true that occasionally unnecessary and even useless questions are asked: but this is'not the rule. Questioning penitents is seldom pleasant. Books Received ¯(From A~rll ZO to ,lune 20) " " LONGMANS~ GREEN. AND CO., INC., London, New York, Toronto. Enjoying the Neu~ Testament. By Margaret T. Monro. $2.50. THE BRUCE PUBLISHING CO. Milwaukee. A Dynamic 1~7or/.d Order. By Rt. Rev. Msgr. Donald~A. Mac Lean, A. M., S.T.L., Ph.D. $2.50. Weapons for Peace. By Thomas P. Neill. $2.50. CATECHETICAL GUILD, St. Paul, Minn. That You Mug Liue. By L. F. Cervantes, S.J. $2.00. SOCIETY OF SISTERS OF THE HOLY NAMES, Marylhurst, Oregon. The Hope of the Hart, est. By a-Sister of the Holy Names. $4.00 (plus postage). FREDERICK PusTET CO., INC., New~ York. Meditations on Eternitg for t~eligious. By the Venerable Mother Julienne Morell, O.P. $2.50. B. HERDER BOOK CO., St. Louis. A Retreat for Religious. By Rev. Andrew Green, O.S.B. $2.00. Christian Denominations. By Rev. Konrad Algermissen. $7.50. MOTHERHOUSE OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, Cdnvent Heights, New Britain, Conn. D,n'l~) Progress in Religious Virtues. By Rev. John Pitrus, S.T.D.'$1.60. 252 Perl:ecfion Is Union wish God Augustine Klaas, S.3. WE OFTEN HEAR it said.that spiritual perfection is union with God .and that~ the moreintimate this union is, the greater our perfection. The statement is true;but is there not frequently some haziness of mind as to just what is meant by. union With God and how it per-tains to perfection? Let .us examine variouskinds of union with God and their relation to spiritual perfectionl Hgposti~tic Union with God 'The closest union of our human nature with the divine is had in Jesus_Christ by rdason, of the hypostatic union, that is, the union of the divine and human natures of Christ in the Person of the Word. One Persofi, the Son of God, having a divine nature from all eternity, took to Himself a human nature like our very own from. the flesh of Mary, and by a viriginal birth became also .the son of Mary. "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt' among us" (John 1 : 14). ~Or as. Pope Saint Leo the Great graphically expresses it: "the Wisdom of God built a house in the flesh, whkh He took from a human being, and which He animated with a -rational soul." The human nature of.Christ ever remains distinct from the divine, but the two natures, are subs[an-t~ iallg united in the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. This is the closest possible .union of our human nature with God. Such an intimate, substantial union of the human and the divine is had in Jesus Christ alone, for revelation tells of only one hypostatic union. It were blasphemy to say that in our pursuit of perfection we could ever attain to such an 253 AUGUSTINE KLAAS for Religious immediate union with God. We cannot even understand its character fu!ly since'it is an ineffable mystery. Before it we can only bow our heads in faith, in adoration, and in grati-tude, too, because from the hypostat!c union comes not only our sublime Model of perfection, but also from it, as from a fo~antainbead, flow all our grace, justification, incorporation into the Mystical Body, spiritual perfection. and ultimately our everlasting:union with God in heaven. Union with God in Hea~)en The blessed Jn heaven are intimately united to God. This union of our human nature with ,the divine is not substantial, like the previous one, but only accidental. Called the beatific vision, it is an immediate intuitive p.er-ception of the essence of God ~esuking in 10ve, and a sati-ating joy and bliss that Will last forever. Aided .by the "light of glory; the blessed see God face to face. .'.'We see'nqw, ,through a glass in a dark manner.; but then fa~e to face" (I Corinthians 13" 12). And because of this direct vision of God the blessed love God to' their utmost and are supremely happy for all eternity~ They can neither increase nor diminish this union, since their time of probation is over. They are home at last in their Father's house. ¯ However, union with God in heaven is not had by all the blessed in the same degree, for "there are many man-sions" in our~elestial abode. What determines its degree? The degree o.f our vision of God and of our capacity for love and happiness .hereafter is indirect proportion to the sanctifying grace, merit, and spiritual perfection we have acquired in this l~fe. In other words, the degree.of our union with God in heaven is measured wholly by the degree of our union with God on earth. Union with God on Earth On earth we are united to God' by sanctffging grace. 254 dul~,1945 PERFECTION IS uNIoN WITH GOD Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical on the Holy spirit explains this union as follows: No. one can express the greatness of this work of divine grace in the souls.of men. Wherefore, both in Holy Scripture and in the Gritings. of the Fathers, men are styled regenerated, new creatures, partakers of 0the Divine Nature, children of God, godlike, and similar el~ithets. Now these great blessings are justly'considered as especially belonging to the. Holy Spiri.t . . . He not only .brings to us His Divine gifts, 15ut is the Author of them and is Himself the supreme Gift . To show tile nature and e~icacy of this gift it is.wel! to recall the explanation given by thee Doctors.of the Church of the words of Holy Scripture. Tfiey say that God is.present and exists in'all thin, gs by His. power, in so far as all things are sub'ject toHis power; by His presence, inasmuch a's al! thin~s are uncovered and open to His eyes; by His essence, inasmuch as He is present to all.as the cause of their being (St. Thomas, Summa Tbeologica I, Q. 8, Art. 3). But God is' in ma.n, not just as. in lifeles~ things, but in the.furthe.r way thaf He is also known and loved by him, since even by nature we spontane-ously love, desire and seek after the good.~ Moreover, God by'grac~ resides in the justsoul.as in a temple, in a most intimateand peculiar manner. From this proceeds that union of affection by which the soul adheres cl~sely to God, mor~ so than the friend is united t6 his most lovi.ng and beloved friend,' ~nd enjoys God in all fulness and sweetness. Now this wonderful union, which is prop~ly called "indwelling," differing only in degree or state from that with which God beatifies the saints in Heaven, alt1~ougl4 it is most certainly produced by ~the presence of the whole Blessed Trin-ity--" We {vill come to him, and will make .our abode ,with him" (dohn 14: 23)--nevertheless' is attributed in .a peculiar manner to the Holy Spirit. " Habitual union with God present in the~soul in a pecul-iar way through sanctif)fing, grace is of. the very essence of spiritual perfection in this world, since without sanct.ifying. grace we are supernaturallyand spiritualIy dead. On the other hand, the more sanctifying grace is increased in our souls by the worthy r.eception of the sacraments, especially of the Holy Eucharist, and by the assiduous practice of .the 255 AUGUSTINE KI~AAS Review [or Religious virtues, principally charity, the more, intimate becomes our habitual union with God and "the greater our spiritual.per-fection. When We shall have.acquired the maximum sanc-tifying grace we are capable of, granted our particular, indi-vidual opportunities of nature and.of grace, then.we shall hard attained to the closes~ habitual union with God and tbe highest perfection. This fundamental, essential perfec-tion spiritual writers sometimes call static, perfectior~. There is still another union with God flowing almost spontaneously from the'preceding'one-active union. Ac-tive union with God is called d~cnamic perfection and is what we ordinarily mean when we speak of spiritual per-fection. It consists in union with God by mind and will activity. Union with God b~t Mind Activity Active union with God" through intellect is had by thinking of God, by acquiring more and more knowledge of Him and His divine attributes fromthe .double source of reason and supernatural faith. Such knowledge of God is highly praised in Holy Scripture: "For to know thee is perfect justicei and to know thy justice, and thy power, is'tbe root of immo~tali,ty" (Wisdom 15:3). And Saint Paul: "Furthermore I count all things to be but loss for the ' excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ my lord (Philippians 3:8) . in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). Among the Fathers of the Church, did not Saint Augustine epitomize the whole of the spiritual life as an ever increasing knowledge of self and of God? By knowledge of God is here meant not. merely theo-retical knowledge, scientific knowledge, knowledge of God acquired chiefly by the study of philosophy and theology, book knowledge, if you will. Practical knowledge of God. 256 July, 1945 PERFECTION I$ ~JNION WITH GOD that is, knc~wledge inducing will activity, , is still more important. Let us evaluate knowl~dge of God with refer~ ence to perfection. Theoretical knowledge of God is excellent. It can be, .and frequently is, a puissant help and incentive' tospiritual perfection. However, it must be asserted that while such knowledge provides a useful soiid basis for perfection, it does not constitute our spiritual perfection, nor even.indi-care the degree of perfection we may possess. Have there ¯ not been saints, like Benedict Labre and Bernadette Soubi-rous, whose scientific theoretical knowledge of God was ¯ very meager? On the other hand, do we not sometimes see students of theology, who have a verst superior knowledg~ of God and work at it all day long; leading imperfect liveR? The fallen angels have an excellent theoretical knowledge of God, but they are the very opposite of perfect. Eminent theologians warn us that perfection "does not consist in union with God by mind activity alone, even a great deal o~ it. "Tell me, dear Father," said Brother Giles one day to the learned Saint Bonaventure, "can a simple, uneducated person love God as much as a scholar? . Yes," replied Bonaventure, "a simple, little old grandmother can love God more¯ than a master of theology." Whereupon, we are told, guileless Brottier Giles rose up, rushed out ¯ th?ough the garden and along the streets of the town crying at the top Of his voice: :"O poor, ignorant, simple old grand-mother, love Gri!! You can still overtake Brother Bona-venture." If this is true, what the little old gran.dmother probably bad was not so much a theoretical as a practical, a '~realized" knowledge of God, a knowledge leading to,the firm judgment.and deep conviction:' "I must value and 10ve God above all else." ¯UpOn this pract!cal mind activity can be built the loftiest perfection, but in itself it still is not the union with God that is equated with spiritual perfection. 257 AUGUSTINE "KLAAS Reoiew for~ Retigiou; Hence, .while we must greatly esteem knowledge of God, both theoretical ~nd practical, and strive constantly and perseveringly to incre~ise it, by meditation, .by spiritual reading, by delving deeper into the truths of faith, by ofien recalling the presence of God. by recollection, and the like, we must not remain content with only that. If we would be perfect we must pass from union with God by mere mind activity to something b~yonfl, to something still more. pre-. cious, to union witb God' by will activity,by~love. Saint Teresa of Avila says t.hat clearly when discussing union with God in her Foundations (chapter 5): "The soul's advancement, does not conist in thinking much; but in loving much." Our spiritual perfection .is measured, .therefore, not by our knowledge of God, even though it be the knowledge of strong supernatural faith, but rather by" our~active lo~¢e of Him. That is why Saint Thomas can say that "the love of those things which are above us; and especially of God, is to be preferred to the knowledge ~f them: Wherefore charity is more excellent than fafth" ¯ (Summa II-II. Q. 23, Art. 6). A'nd so the little old grand~ mother could probably never overtake the saintly Doctor of the Church by her mind activity, even hi~r practical mind activity: she could overtake him by her will, by her union with God through will acti~;ity, by her active love of God. : Union with God by Will Actiuitg Presupposing in the soul a-close union With God through sanctifying grace and a certain necessary union with Him through mind activi(y, we maintain that spir-itual perfection consists above all in union with God by will activity, that is, by active love of God. Supernal~ural faith and hope must be present in the soul, but we are per-fect in proportion as we love God more; and when we have 258 du1~,1945 PERFECTION IS UNION WITH GOD attained the maximum.activelove of God we are capable of with the assistance of grace, then we have reached the very summit of the mount of perfection. Active love is th~ norm and gauge of spiritual perfection. We are just as perfect as we are united to God by active love of Him. Such is the unanimous teaching of Catholic theologians. as for instance, Saint Thomas, who states in his Perfection of Spiritual Life that "the spiritual life consists principall~r in charity. He is simply perfect in the spiritual life who is perfect in charity."° It is' the teaching of the Fathers of the Church who agree with Saint Augustine when he informs us in. his work On Nature and Grace that "incipi-ent charity is incipient justice [justice here means holiness] ; advanced charity is advanced justice; great charity.is great justice; perfect charity is perfect justice." It is the teaching of Saint Paul (I Corinthians 13). It is the explicit teaching of Christ Himself: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and withlthy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greates.t and the first com-mandment. And the second-is like to th~s:.Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 22:37-39.) And again: "Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). And Saint ~John explains: ':God is charity. '" (I John 4: 16).1 Degrees of Union with God Spiritual masters have made many attempts to give us ~he ascending scale, of degrees in this unifying love of God and the characteristics that mark each degree. They are at ,variance in detail; fundamentally, however, they are in accord, for the main landings on the grand stairway leading to the highest love of God are p.retty well known and agreed upon by all. There are three suchlafidings or degrees of 1For. a fuller treatment of this point, el. Revi'eto for Reliyious, Vol. I, pp. 238 sqq. 259 ¯ ~,UGUSTINE KLAAS union with God through love. In the first the soul is so united to God and loves Him to such a degree that it habitually avoids all mortal sin and the occasions of grave sin. It has a nascent but still feeble desire for greater perfection; it still commits many venial sins, but it struggles valiantly and successfully against strong temptations. Penance for the past, purification, and mortification characterize this rather negative degree. Its prayer is mainly discursive meditation on the .fundamental truths of faith, particularly the four last things. This is the degree of beginners in the life of perfection and it is called the Purgative W.ay. in the second degree, the soul not only avoids all mor-tal sin, but habitually rejects deliberate venial sin. It makes advances in detachment from creatures and has an inc.reasing desire for perfection. The degree is more positive than negative, since the emphasis is on the acquirement of the virtues, especially by the imitation ot~ and assimilation to Christ, "the way, the truth, and the life." The prayer in this degree tends to be predominantly affective. It is the degree of those ad.vancing in perfection: it is called the" Illuminative Way. Presupposing the habitual practice of the other two, the third degree is marked by the struggle to reduce semi-deliberate venial sins and imperfections to the minimum. The soul has made great strides towards heroic detachment and is now intent on the maximum practice of the counsels and works of supererogat!on. Its manner of praying becomes more and more simple, contemplation of God's attributes being a favorite form in this degree. Intense charity permeates all its activity, since it now lives for God alone. This is the Unitive W.ay. Of course, these degrees cannot be rigidly delimited. Nor does .the soul. leave one degree and proceed to the next 260 July, 1945 PERFECTION IS UNION WITH GOD mechanically: it may. be and generally.is ~to some extent in all degrees at once. For example, in.order.to keep onese!f babitually from mortal sin, does one not have to observe a certain number of.the counsels? ~.Is the soul in the third degree exempt from doing penance? The Whole matter is one 0f emphasis, and according to the predominance of the va.rious.qualities noted above, a soul.can be easily placed in one of the tb?ee degrees. Moreover, tb~ third degree admits of indefinite progress, since we can neverlove God as much as He can be loved, and hence; our unions with Him can ,ever become more., intimat~ ag long as we live on this earth. Perf.ect and Imperfect. Love of God From the restricted viewpoi.nt of, nobility of moti~ce .two kinds Of active love of God may be distinguished. can love God above all else because He is good to us. Such is the love of God .indicated by the Psalmist when .be exclaims: "For thee my flesh and my heart hath fainted away" thou art the God of-my b.eart, and the God that is my portion forever" (Psalms 72:26). And again: ."I will ¯ love thee, O Lord,my strength.: the Lord, is-my firmament, my.refu'ge, and ~my deliverer . " .(Psalms 1'7:2). Our Lord appeals to thismotive when He proposes "treasure. in bea'Oen. '~ tbe"bundredfold," and "life e.verlasting." Because of the less perfect nature of the motive this love of God, called "imperfect love" or "i.nterested love" of God. it is already a great deal and should by no means be contemned or slighted, but there is a higher love of God springing from a nobler motive: "perfect. love," or as it is sometimes called "disinterested love", of God. "Perfect love" of God is had when We love Him above all else not so much for the good He so generously bestows on us, but for Himself, because He is all-good in Himself. , This "perfect love" is known as the love of benevolence and 261 AUGUSTINE KL&AS Revietv /:or Religio~s friendship. In its exercise we prescind from our own inter-ests or at least subordinate them to Him, since we love God simply for Himself,, and not for our own advantage. "Fhis highest of motives makes this the highest type of love of .God. In it we take complacent delight in God and in His perfections; we ardent!y desire to glorify Him; we actively give glory to Him by conforming our will as much as pos-sible in all. things to His: we .bring others to glorify Him. And all tl~is simply because God is God,.because God is all-good and all-lovable in Himself. The love Of benevolence affd friendship: is perfected extensively when we embrace by our lov~ more of the per-fections of God and more of His creatures; it: is perfected intensivelty when we make the acts of love more vehemently and more constantly until we develop a solid habit of the perfect love of God. W'hen the love reaches the maximum we are capable of then we are simply perfect. M~/stic Union with God Finally, there is still another union with God for which the union by rhind and will activity is an indispensable preparation. It is mystic union, a special gift of God's grace to His favored friends. Mystic unidn with God, an earthly union which approaches that of theblessed in heaven, is not necessary for spiritual perfection, but it is a potent means to it because it results insublime and intense acts of the perfect love of God. The precious gift of mystic union generally presupposes in him who receives it an advanced degree of union with God by active love, espe-cially perfect love. Conclusion To conclude by way of.summary: spiritual perfection is union with. God. It is union with God by a maximum 262 July/, 1945 ' PERFECTION IS UNION WITH GOD of sanctifying grace, called static perfection. It is unio.,n., with God. by a certain am.ount of necessary supernatura'[ mind activity, theoretical and practical. It is union with God by a maximum of supernatural will activity, a maxi-mum of the perfect love of God, called dynamic perfecti.on. This earthly union with God .whkh is our perfecti6n merits for us and is the measure~of our Union with God in "heaven, our ultimate, inamissible perfection. All our union with God, both in heaven and on earth, all.our spiritual perfection, we owe to the hyp0static union with God had in Jesus Christ, since He as God-man merited them fbr us by His life, passion and death. Moreover, He is the peerless Model of all spiritual perfection and union with God. PAMPHLET NOTICES It seems that religious institutes in increasing numbers are issuing pamphlets and other material to attract aspirants to their ranks. This is as it should be. One such pamphlet comes from South Africa and bears the title, Priestly/ and Religious Voca-tion. After giving a brief account of the m. issionary activity of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the author, Father T. F. Kelly, O.M.I., describes the nature and signs of vocation both in relation to the priesthood and to the religious life. He con-cludes with an earnest plea to the generous young people of South Africa to heed' the call of Christ. The pamphlet may be.obtained from the Oblate Novitiate, 44 Park-hill Road, Glebe, Germistou, Transvaal, South Africa. With the same purpose in mind the Sisters of Loretto, Lor~tto M0therho~se, Ner~inx. P.O., Kentucky, have issued a folder entitled "Congratulations Pegg~It."' Written in the form of a letter to a young woman about to enter the novitiate it gives us a brief account of the founding, the history, and the ~vork of the Lorettines in the Uuited States and in China. Some good photogral~hs depicting houses and activities of the congregation greatly increase the value of the folder. Father Albert H. Dolan, O.Carm., the zealous promoter of devotion to St. Therese of Lisieux, has issued a pamphlet, St. Therese, Patroness of the Mis-sions. In 16 pages he sets forth the reasons why SL Therese was chosen as Patron-ess of the Missions and urges her devout clients to follow her example of prayer and unfemittipg sacrifice for the missions. The pamphlet may be obtained from The Carmelite Press, 6413 Dante Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, or 55 Demarest Avenue; Engie~ood, N.J. Piice: ten cents. 263 Our,.Lady's Parents Francis L. Filas, S.3. MUCofH thaes p waree Wntso.u lodf l iOkue rt o,L'kandoyw, w thee c aacnt"u afli nlidf en-osttohriyng directl'y concerning them in the Gospels. However~ Holy Scripture gives us some information in stating that Christ was promised to Abraham and to 3acob, ~nd that He came out of the tribe of 3uda.1 This means that 3esus was a son of David and a son of Abraham, not only legally ~hrough St. 3oseph but also naturally through the Blessed Virgin, and therefore through her parents, 3oachim and /~nne. Various Scripture scholars have proposed a rather ingenious theory tO show that Luke set forth the genealogy of Mary rather than of 3oseph when he.wrote, "And 3esus Hi.resell, when He began His work, was about thirty years . of age, beingmas was supposed--the son of 3osdph, the son of Heli . : . the son of David . . the son of Adam. who was the son of God" (3:23). According to this the-ory the text is phrased differently so as to read, "3esus. being--as was suppbsed the son of 3oseph--the sori of Hell," and so,forth. Thus the person of Heli is identified with the person of 3oachim. Even further, the two names are said~ to be the same, for "Hell" ~Eli) is taken as a shortened form of "Eliachim." Both "Eliachim'~ and "3oachim" are interchangeable, meaning in Hebrew, "God sets up." Unfortunately, so charming a .theory is far from being accepted by all Scripture scholars. From earliest times the ¯ genealogies of Matthew and Luke have usually been inter- XGenesis 18,22, 28; Luke 1:32; Romans'l :3; 2 Timothy 2:8; Hebrews 8. 264 OUR LADY'S PARENi'S preted as giving the 1,egaI ancestry of Our Lord through St. Joseph and not through Mary. This has been the gen-eral tenor of opinion even thoug,19 no one theory fits per-fectly in further explaining th~ problems connected with the two varying accounts. Because of this silence ofthe Gospels we must turn to the only other possible sources of information concerning Mary's parents: the Iegends of Joachim and Anne. The Legends of Joachim and Anne At first sigh~ it might)seem a worthless task to have recourse to a legend to seek data about historic personages. Yet in the case of Joachim and Anne nothing else exists. We must at least consider what' was said about them, even if we cannot a~cept it all as true. The earliest account in which they are mentioned.-is Called the Protoeoange! of James, a work pretending to be a history of the birth of Mary and of the early events in tl~e life of Jesus. 'Having originated about 150 A, D., it is 0nly a hundred years younger than the Gospels and thus enjoys a reputation of antiquity. .- In common with other apocryphal literature ,of its type the Protoeoanget of James was apparently based on snatches of true tradition--a sort.of 'pious gossip---con-cerning Christ and those who were near to Him. Some~ thing like our modern historical novel, the Protoevanget wa~ meant to fill in with plausible details the gaps where the curiosity of the faithful was left unsatisfied by the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke~ and John. But unlike "these Gospels the Apocryphal tradition was of purely human origin. It was neither divinely inspired when com-posed nor providentially kept pure when transmitted. Accordingly, as it was.repeated again and again in word and writing, it accumulated more and more exaggerations, 265 FRANCIS L. FILAS R6biew for Religious and additions, so that at the present day we have no way of determining what is genuine and what is spurious in ~its content. The Chur~ch never accepted this imitation of the true Gospels, but early branded it as apocryphal'(as, for example, in .the Decree' of Pope Gelasius in 495). The majority of early Fa,thers of the Church, as well as later ecclesiastical writers, likewise recognized it as counterfeiL None the less, popular authors in the Middle Ages and afterward borrowed .extensively from .the legendary, source in order to stimulate the great ~levotion of the Ages of Faith. In all this spurious devotional literature the ques-tion of lying or passing on a lie was seemingly not attended to; rather, generous hearts uncritically sought and eagerly accepted every means to gain mbre knowledge, of the lives of desus and His saints. Two enlargements were made of the legend of ,loachiin and Anne as it appeared in the Pt'ptoevar~gd of da~es: namely, the Gospel of Pseado-Matthev~ (about 450 A. D.) and the Gospel of the Nativity/ [~f Mat'V (exact date unknown). As is evident, there is more likelihood of truth in the original, the P, rotoevar~get, than in any of its suc-ceeding variations. This is the substance of the original account: Joadhim is a rich and generous shepherd. He and his Wife Anne are deepl.y grieved because they have no chil-. dren. V~rhile Anne is lamenting tl6e curse of her sterility, an angel appears tO her with the Words, "The Lord hath heard thor prayer, and thou shalt conceive, and shalt bring forth; and thy seed shall be spoken of in all the world." At the same tim~ a similar vision is granted Joach~m ~hile tending his flocks~ In gratitude to God, Anne promises to consecrate.he~ child to the divine service in the Temple. Upon the birth'of the child, who receives the name of 266 dulg, 1945 OUR LADY'S PARENTS l~ary, the happy mother breaks out into a canticle of thanksgiving. Later, when she is three years old, Mary is .brought to the,Temple and joyfully remains there to praise and serve God. Such is the g!st of the early chapters of the Proto-evangel of James. In the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew :the story is given more imagingtive coloring: Joachim's gen-erosity is described at greater length. He distributes his riches to the poor and to those "who' worshipped God"' before taking ashare for himself. At 15 he is already a wealthy shepherd" and at 20 be marries Anne, "the daughter of Acbar, of his own tribe, that is,. of the tribe of 'Juda of the family of David." The couple's childlessness lasts for twenty years, after which the angels appear to Anne and Joachim. The rest of this tale merely develops the story of the Protoevangel, adding more details, greatek emphasis, and .particularly more frequent miraculous inter-ventions. The third and final form of the legend is contained in the Gospel of the Nativitg of Maw, a charming though unhistorical con~pilation of the preceding tradition. This Gospel does not'add substantially to the tale of th~ Proto-evangel, but rather edits it.so that the poetical beauty of the narrative is heightened and made more sublime. ~What Is True of Joachim and Anne? The task of separating the true' from the false in the old Apocryphal legends is most difficult, if not impossible. Yet, though we have no historical norms by which to judge, we can at least, attempt to determine what is definitely interpo!ated and what can perhaps be a vestige of the orig-inal correct tradition. ' In the first place, the special i'niracles of the angelic appa-ritions are quite doubtful. Such momentous divine inter- 267 FRANCIS L. FILAS Review for Religiods ventions in the lives of the parents of Mary would certainly have &awn so muchattention should we say notoriety? .-=to the Blessed Virgin that the obscurity which a-ccom-panied her life with doseph and desus would have given way to constant public notice. Moreoyer,- the Proto-evangel of dames, like all the Apocrypha, has a'very explicit tendency to scatter miracles with a bountiful hand through-out its narrative. Perhaps the most cogent reason for denying credibility to the miracles of the,Protoeoar~gel is the evident modeling of these prodigies on genuine miracles related in Holy Scripture. All the writers of Apocryphal legends are eager to have their accounts placed on a par with the canonical Gospels. They not only copy typical Gospel stories, but even plagiarize directly from th~ inspired text. In thecase ofdoachim his forty days" fast as a prayer. to obtain a child is based on the fasts of Moses, Elias, and Christ.~ Even more striking is the parallel between Anne~s prayer to (3od and theprayer of ,~dnna, mother of Samuel, that the Lord "would give to His servant a man-child.''3 Again, the canticle of thanksgiving of Anne, wife of 3oa-" chim, .is suspiciously similar to.the canticle of her earlier namesake and, .to some extent, to the Mayrffficat of the Blessed Virgin.4 In contrast to the few imi~ortant details given by the Gospels, the legends go to great lengths to set forth trivi-alities. -That is why the familiar details concerning Joa-chim's prosperity must also be re]ected. They constitute precisely the information which the Apocrypha were invented to supply. o The least~doubtful of all the data in the legend is the correctness o.f. the names Joachim and Anne. It seems UExodus 24:18, 34:28; .3 Kings 19:8; Matthew. 4:2. al Kings 1:9,18. 41 Kings 2: Luke 1:46-55. 268 dulq, 1945 'OuR'LADY'S PARENTS likely that,the name "Anne'~ (Anna: Hannah) reminded the early writer of Hannah, mother of Samuel, and thus led him to introduce the direct divine announcement of the forthcoming birth Of M~ry, modeled on that of the annouficement of the birth of Samuel. On the other hand, "Elcana," the name of the father Of Samuel has no resem-blance to "Joachim," the name of the father of Mary. Neither the names nor the circumstances related of Joachim and Elcana are similar. Finally, we must not forget that in all Christian centuries "Joachim" and ".Anne" were accepted as the names of the parents of Mary even while.the other details of their legend were discarded by the majority of Church scholars. While we .can prudently, doubt the authenticity of the legends of 3oachim and Anne, we know with absolute cer-tainty that God gave them every grace needed for their posi-tion as father and fiaother of the Mother Of God: The all-perfect and sinless Mary could hardly be born of any but the most saintly parents. In granting Joachim and Anne the title of saints, the Church has acted wisely and con-si~ te.ntly. The devotion v~hieh it sanctioned does not strand or fall with the correctness or falsity of the iegends. Rather, it represents the honor that is logically paid to the two per-sons ;¢¢hom the Eternal Father chose to bring forth the Mother of God. Just as J~sus sancti~fied Mary and Jose.ph by.His close relations with them, so must Mary .have sanc-tiffed h~r father and mother by her intimacy with ~hem in the years durir~g whi(h God was preparing her for her career as mother of the Savior and as the mother of all redeemed mankind. , The words of St. Peter Damian best express the atti-tude we ought to cultivate with regard to the details of the lives of Mary's parents. "There are s~ome," he writes, "who ¯ w~shing to know what is useless, seek with vain and exces- , 269 ¯ FRANCIS L. FILAS sire curiosity to find who was the father and who ¯ mother of Mary. They seek. to discover in vain¯What the Evar~gelist deemed it superfluous to ~elate. Had this knowledge been necessary, so noble a historiafi would not have neglected to give it to us, inasmuch as it is the constant practice of the sacred writers never to say .what can injure and never to omit what it is useful for us to know.''" If the greatness of the Blessed Virgin stemmed from. ,Joachim and Anne, the Gospels would have described them fully to us. But the case is actuallythe opposite. Mary is the light in whose reflected glory her parents shine. That is sufficient for Our interest. With absolute assurance we know the greatness of Mary from the revealed word of God. This fact again is more than enough to deduce the greatness of her parents. Our piety and devotion do not rest on an old tradition which cannot be authenticated and might one day be proved false in its'entirety. They are based on the truth demonstrated again and again during nine'teen cen-turies of Christian history--nearer to Ma~y means nearer to God. OUR CONTRI.BUTORS AUGUSTINE KLAAS, Professor of Sacramental Theology at St. Mary's College, is the author of several previous articles on the nature of perfection. (~. AUGUSTINE ELLARD and GERALD KELLY are members of our Editorial Board and Professors of Ascetical Theology and Moral Theology respectively. WALTER J. ONG is a stu-dent of theology at St. Mary's. FRANCIS L, FILAS, who has recently been ordained to the priesthood at West Baden College, West Baden Springs, Indiana. has con-tributed several articles to earlier i~sues of the REVIEW. ~Hom. 3 in Natio. B.V,M. .270 ( ues ions and Answers 35 Many sacristans would be grateful ~o you if you would publish these qu6stions and the answers to them in Review for Religious: (I) Must blessed ashes left over Trom Ash Wedn~e~day be put into the sacrarlumT. (2) Please llst all things that should be put into the sacrarlum. 1 ) Yes, it.ls proper to put the blessed ashes into the sacrarium, or else to throw them into the fire. (2) We cannot guarantee to give a list of all the thifigs that should be put into the sacrarium. Here are some of them: used baptismal water, other .blessed water, the.contents of the ablution cup kept near the tabernacle, the water used in washing the altar linens (palls, purificators, and corporals), and the water left in the taoabo dish after Mass. Please outlln~ the respective jurisdiction of the mother general and the local superior in a motherhouse in .which there is alsoa novitiate. What authority should each exercise with regard to (I) Sisters residing habitually in the house, (2). Sisters visiting the motherhouse, (3} occasional, events.~ The mother general goverias the institute as a whole; the local superior governs the local community just as any .other local superior does. Hence the Sisters residing habitually in the house, as well as Sisters visiting the motherhouse, are subject to the local Superior as they would be in any other community. As to occasional events, these have reference either to the local community or to the institute as a whole. In the first case they are under the direction of the local superior, in the second case under that of the mother ~eneral. The novitiate i~ directly under the care and supervision of the mistress of ndvices. Canon 561, § 1 clearly indicates this: "The master (mistress) of novices alone has the right and the obligation of providing for.the formation of the nbvices; he alone is charge.d with the direction of the novitiate, so that no one, under whatever pretext, may interfere in these matters, except 'superiors who are permitted to do so by the constitutions and the canonical visitors; as to the gen-eral discipline of the house, the master (mistress),. together v~ith.the novices themselves, is subject to the (local) superior." 271 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Review for Religious In two of our cqnvents there has been a bng-standlng custom of taking the body of a deceasi~d Sister to the communlty.chapel on the afternoon before the day of the funeral. I recall either hearing or reading that only the body of a deceased bishop, priest, etc., may be left in the church or chapel befor~ the burial Mass. What is the affltude of the Church on this point? Has canon law any provisions regarding.this maffer? There seems to be no positive, legislation either prohibiting or permitting the body of a deceased person to be brought to .the church or' chapel the day before the funeral and to remain there overnight. o Hence it would seem to be determined by local custom. In places where such a custom has been observed for a long time it may be con-tinued, but it .should not be introduced in other pkices without first consulting the local ordinary. 38 Some years ago we opened a mission house in a diocese distinct from that in which our motherhouse is located. We obtained permission from both bishops to do so. We now wish to close this house, because of serious difficulties. Is it necessary to informboth bishops of our intention to dis-continue our services in that particular parish? The closing, of a religious house is provided for in canon 498 which reads as follows: "No religious housel whether formal or not, belonging to an exbmpt institute, can be suppressed without apostolic authority; a house belonging to a non-exempt congregation approved or commended by the Holy See can be suppressed by the.supbrior gen-eral with the consent of the local ordinary; if it belongs to a diocesan congregation, it can be suppressed by "the mere authority .of the local ordin.ary after consultation with the superior of the congregation, subject however to the prescription of canon 493 if there be questio,n of an only house, and preserving the right of recourse with suspensive ~ effect to the Apostolic See." "' .Hence we must distinguish three cas~s: (1) The house belongs to an exemp.t institute, that is, to an order (which is exempt by law) or to a congregation which enjoys:a special privilege of exemption. In this case the permission of the Holy See must be obtained in order" to close the house. (2) The house .belongs to a congregation approved or commended (decree of praise) by the Holy See. In this case the superior general can close the house with the comenr .of the local ordin.ary, that is, the bishop of the.diocese in which, the house to 272 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS be closed is located. If' the bishop does not igiv.e his consent, the house cannot b~ closed by the su15erior general, o But the perrnissibn of the bishop of the diocese in which the motherhouse is located is not required to close a house in another diocese. (3) The house belongs to a diocesan congregation. The local ordinary alone can close it after consultation with the superior general of the congregation. The superior 'general cannot close the house: odly the bishop can do so. He must consult the superior general, but he does not need the consent o~ the latter. However, if the superior general thinks the house should not be closed, he may appeal to the Holy See against the decree of the bishop. Until the Holy See decides the case the decree remains sus-pended. ~ ~ m39~ On page 306 of the September, 1944, issue of t.he Review, you have an' article on rosaries made of string. We are eager to learn if anyone use these rosaries and gain the indulgences, or is their use restricted to those who are in the armed forc'es? May~ the rosary indulgences be gained by using the rosary plaques which have a kind of notched bead effect forming a decade around the plaque? These have been advertised in some Catholic reviews. ~ From the fact that this extraordinary privilege of blessing rosaries made of string was granted only to chaplains of the British and Allied Forces for the duration of the war, provided they already enjoyed the privilege of blessing and,indulgencing rosaries, it wo.uld seem to follow that the use of such.rosaries is confined to members of the armed forces. It is very doubtful whether others may use them and gain the indulgences ;ittached. In order that it may be blessed and enriched with indulgences,'a ¯ rosary must be made in the form prescribed.by the Church, that is, it must consist of five, ten, or fifteen, decades. The Sacred Congrega-tion of Indulgences explicitly declared on January 20, 1836, that gold or silver rings upon which ten beads had been embossed could not be blessed with the indulgences of the rosary. Such devices as ¯ rings and plaques may be a help for counting Parers and Ayes, but one would not gain the indulgences attached to the recitation of the beads by using them Is a religious institute justified in refusing perpetual vows to a religious who from the first year of her temporai'y profession began' fo manifest' .273 QUESTIbNS AND ANSWERS Review [or Religioug sym.ptoms of a psychosis (dementia praecox h/pc)?' The doctor s!ncerely believes that the cause and perhaps some minor symptoms may have been present heft;re her first'profession (unknown to the relkjious herself). The doctor also recommends that the individual return to the world because she will have a better chance of maklncj' a normal adjustment outside the environs of the cloister. The answer to this case is contained in canon 637: '"Those who have ,made profession of temporary vows may, when the term of the vows has expired, freely leave the institute: likewi'se, the institute, for just and reasonable motives, cab excltid~ the rehglous from renewin~ the temporary vows o_r~from~,making profession of perpetual~vows, nbt however because-bf ili health unless it be clearly proved that the religious, before profession, had fraudulently hidden or dissimulated the.illness." The institute, therefore; may not refuse perpet.ual vows to the religious in question if she did not fraudulently conceal her illness. The religious, however, is free to leave at~th.e expiration of her tem-porary vows, and a dispensation would readily be g'ranted by the proper a.uthority before the temporary vows have expired. It would be advisable, therefore, to have the doctor inform the Sister frankly of her condition and of the prospect of recovery outside the cloister, and to have him suggest to her that she should ask for a dispensation from her temporary vows, or at least leave of her own accord at the expiration of her temporary vows. If the Sister insists on staying, however, the institute may not send h~r away but must allow her to take perpetual vows if she is mdnt~lly capable of doing so. With reference to those who may be incapable of pronouncing final vows, it may be useful to introduce here two answers regarding the treatment and status of a religious who loses his mind during the period of tempbrary vows. The answers were given by the Sacred Congregation of Religious on Februars; 5, 1925, with the approval of His Holiness, Pius XI. "Whether one who is professed of the simple vows in an order or congregation, and who during the three years loses his mind, even incurably according, to the judgment of physicians, can at the end of three years be sent ,back to his relatives or into the world, or whether he must be kept in the religious institute?" The answer given: "In the negative'to the first part; in the af~rmative to the. second." To the further question: "What is the juridical condition of such 274 1945 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS a religious, and what are the obligations of the religious institute in the matter?" the reply was: "The' religious in question belongs to the religious institute in the state in which he was when he lost his mind. and the institute has th~ same obligations towards him that it,had at that time." ~41-- A certain mother superior of a concjreoafio~ in which temporary vows are taken for a year at a time for three: years preparatory to perpetual profess!on availed herself of the permission granted by canon 577, § 2 to "anticipate the renewal of temporary vows by one month. Thus, suppose the Sisters who made their first temporary profession on August IS, 1942, were permiHed to renew their vows for a year on July IS, 1943, and again on June IS, 1944, and final!y were'allowed to take their perpetual vows on June 15, 1945. Would such perpetual vows be valid? No, the perpetual vows .would not be valid because canon 572 requires that a period of three years x~ith temporary vows precede the profession of perpetual vows in order that it "may be valid. The Sis-ters in question had temporary" vows for only two years and ten months. Hence their perpetual vows were invalid. The mother superior misunderstood the permission granted in canon 577. This allows the renewal of temp,orary vows to be antici-pated ¯ by some days but not beyond one month. It does not take away any of the time required for temporary vows. When the Sis-ters took their first vows for a year, that year expired on the same recurring day one year later, August I15, 1943. Hence the vows which were renewed for another year on duly 15, "1943 did not begin to bind until'August 15, 1943, and did not ,expire until August 15, 1944. That this is the only meaning which canon 577 can have becomes evident if we read canon 34, § '3, 5° which tells us how time is to be computed in this case: "When there is question of acts to be renewed at stated times, for instance, a period of three years after temporary profession up to perpetual prof,ession, the'~ime ends on the same recurring day on which it began, but th~ new act may be placed. at any time on ~bat day." Hence perpettial profession may not be made until the same calendar day three years.after the first tempora(y profession ~was made. As w~ have seen above, this complete period of three .years is require.d bE canon 572 for the validit~l of the perpetual. professio.n. 275 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS --42-- Wh~t ;s the ob~J;ga~fion of the local superior wlth regard to conferences to be given to the community from time to time? How often should they be given? Must they be 9;yen by a priest? What is to be done if no priest ;s available? Canon 509 prescribes that "the local superiors shall take care . . . to have given at least twice a month . especially in lay institutes, a pious exhortation to all the members of the house." This exhortation is something.different from the catechetical instruction pre.scribed by the same canon for lay Brothers ahd l~ay Sisters (that separate class of religious devoted-to domestic duties), The purpose of the exhorta-tion is not principally to instruct but to renew the religious spirit and to urge the members of the commu.nity to even greater efforts in the observance of religious discipline and in the acquirement of religious virtues. These exhortations should be given to the community twice a month. Several eminent authors are of the opinion that they need not be given during the summer vacation. The law says that Superiors shall take care. This is a milder form of precept than the ordinary must se'e to it. It requires serious diligence on the part of the superior to have these exhortations given tO the community twice a month. If after diligent care has been exerted' the exhortation, cannot be had, the law is not violated.~ The exhortation may be given by the superior himself or by some other religious of the community tirovided he is capable. In !ay con-gregations an effort should be made to have a priest give these exhor-tations, at least from time t6 time. In case a, priest Or a capable reli-gious cannot be had to give these exhortations, it is recommended that a conference be read in place of the exhortation. Within kecent ¯ years excellent conferences written especially for religious have been published by Fatherg Skelly, Muntsch, Gabriels, and others. They will serve as a substitute for the exhortation as far as subject matter is concerned. This substitute, however, cannot be strictly imposed, since a pious reading is not the juridical substitute for an exhortation. However, in practice, when nothing better can be had, such pious reading of a conference dealing with a subject relating directly to the religious life will.he.lp to attain the puypose of the law, namely, to stir up the religious spirit' and to renew religious observance. 276 ommunicatdons Aga~ns~ "Formalism" " Reverend Fathers: In your last issue a Priest Religious objected to a pointa Sister brought upin the question, "Is there not too much formalism in our life?" The Sister had a point that should make all superiors examine their own governing of their communities. Is adherence to any com-munity rule more important than charity to the laity? 'But that is only by the way. I'd like to answer in my own humble way some of the arguments he proposes in' answer to her question. He begins by saying that we religious are professional people and can't be expected to be on call twenty-four hours a day. Well, if we are professional people, what is our profession? Unless" the religious is in a cdntemplative order, i~n'.t it the saving of souls by persor/al dealings with them? Helping souls to heaven by teaching, preaching, administering the sacra'merits, leading souls closer to Christ by our own'example, especially charity--not only in spiritdal mat-ters but in mundane matters as ~well? We should thank God that the people trust us enough to come to us with their e~rery day troubles, andif these .things make ours a twenty-four-hou,r-a-day job, then that's what it should be. It will be a sorry day for us if they ever do lose this trust in us, and we are not helpingmatters by refusing to even see them. It would be pretty difficult to imagine Christ or the Bles-sed Virgin setting up office hours for those who wanted to talk to them. The story of Christ and the little children gives us some idea of what He would d6. The Priest Religious then goes on to say tha't religious orders would be wrecked over night if their members were at the mercy of every whim and caprice of undisciplined souls that want us to be serv-ants of the pe~ople whenever their impulse suggests. From what I understand of religious life, we're supposed to be servants of the people even when their impulse doesn't suggest it. And as to-the first part, if any order can be wrecked because people want advice, comfort, or even a "hand-out," from the individual members of.the order, it would probably be" for the" good of the Church if it were wrecked. 277 COMMUNICATIONS Reoiew for Rel!yiot~s I know of no such order; but if any exists, its foundations are cer-tainly very shallow--its members are not. at all Christ-like, and they don't give the correct picture of the "Love thy neighbor" policy that Christ preached and that they should practice. The Priest Religious' then goes on to say, "any priest or religious who i~ at the continual call of unreasonable people . endangers his health." That sou,nds as if the average priest or religious has a line of unreasonable people waiting to see him or her all day long. .I've worked' in a large city parish and no one of the five priests there, no matter how popular, ever had more than four different parties waiting for him. It might take him a couple of ho.urs to see them all, but isn't that our job? Not only God, but even the laity expect us to do more than say Mass, hear confessions, run sick calls, teach in the school, and conduct a couple of sodalities. Then too, the average caller at a rectory or convert( is not unreasonable. Certainly., there are.so.me. and we can't expect to be immune. But bnly one out of ten could be called truly unreasonable. The rest of the time isn't the priest or Sister the unreasonable one when he or she objects that the parlor call is taking them from something else? His letter then goes oh to say, "One means of taking care of this situation is to have an intelligent doorkeeper who can "judge when there is a real need." Heaven help us! Why not tell the house-kegper to call us only for sick calls. People usually come to see a priest, not a housekeeper. I've only been ordained nine years, but even I.can see t~e'spirit of anti-clericalism that is growing even among our own people. Much of this is our own fault." Too often we see or hear of a priest or religious who i~ so high-handed that he makes himself inaccessible to the people. That isn't exactly what Christ had in mind when He called us .to be "fishers of men." No, I'm afraid I can't agree with this Pries~ Religious. If we have people storming the doors of our rectories because they want to see the priest, good for us!! True, our health may be endangered by this overwork, but what greater way to become ill tha~by serving the people, reasonable or unreasonable, as Christ would waht us to? In conclusion, to the Sister wl~o asked, "Is there not too much formalism in our life?" I'd like to say, "There certainlyis, Sister, and not nearly enough charity." A Diocesan Priest 278 Jul[t, "19 4 ~ COMMUNICATIONS Delayed Vocations Reverend Fathers: I remember a few years ago a Catholic weekly began to tun a page ~ for the men in~ the.service. Soon the women in the service com-plained that nothing was done for them. Perhaps they will make the same complaint When they realize that' something big is beihg done for the men to keep alive the grace of a vocation to the religious and (or) priestly life, or to enkindle such a vocation. No doubt there are women in the service whom Christ will favor with the call to serve Him as Sisters; women Whom He will want tO continue their marvellous work of caring for the ~eedy and the sick and of educating children, but not without consecrating their lives to ¯ Him in religion as His Spous,.es. These women will bare bad training in rather rigid discipline: they will have learned that it is possible to live contentedly in a uniform that is not made of silks and satins; they will know what it mean~ to make sacrifices for others. It would certainly' be of great heip for them to follow the inspi-rations ot: grace if they would receive positive encouragement from the Sisterhoods, if they .knew they are really wanted. Sisterhoods that are interested in such vocations should let the women know that they are willing to accept them. My attention was called to the Little Flower Mission Circle, Inc. (321.E. 156tb St., New York 55, N. Y.) for the promotion of vocations to all religious communities. It publishe.s a quarterl3~ chlled Come, Folloto Me. Perhaps this could serve the purpose. Or, a bulletin similar to lntroibo could be printed. Centers might be designated where such candidates could meet, either in a schoolc or in the parish hall, or perhaps even in the convent parlor. Tber~ they could come in direct contact with the Sisters. It seems that' such a venture would be most pleasing to Christ and quite profitable to religious communities and to the Church. Religious Priest [EDITORS' NOTE: Upon "receipt of the preceding communication we wrote to the Editor of lmroibo and asked him to tell us something about this publication. We received the following answer--with permission to publish it if we wished.] Reverend Fathers: lntroibo is a mimeographed bulletin that has had three issues since 279 COMMUNICATIONS . Review [or Religlous January and will have five mbre each~year? It is sent to any service-man who writes to Introibo, 19 Eye St., N.W., Washington 1, D.C. It is meant for servicemen who plan to be diocesan priests, religious priests, or Brothers. It makes no difference.what diocese the men will belong t%,or what religious institute they intend to join. The bu
The Mercury March, 1901 u >—I N D c THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY The Literary Journal of Pennsylvania College Entered at the Postoffice at Gettysburg as second-class matter ■ I VOL. X GETTYSBURG, PA., MARCH, 1901 No. 1 WANTED:—A MAN JAMES MCCREE. Wanted:—a man, a true real man; Too proud to stoop and too clean to steal. Too broad for party, or clique, or creed, Yet loving his country's weal. With an open hand for friend or foe, And a restful faith where he cannot know. Wanted:—a man without a price, Who will do the right, nor count the cost; Scorning a world broad title deed If purchased with honor lost. With nerve to look a wrong in the eye, And courage to strangle it till it die. Wanted:—a man with a woman's heart, To swell in pity at human woe; With god-like grasp of intellect For the cause that deals the blow; And, with sturdy stroke of word or pen, Smite the curse from the hearts of his fellow-men. GETTYSBURG COLLEGE LIBRARY GETTYSBURG, PA. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY THE RELATION OF THE JUS NATURALE TO THE JUS GENTIUM J. RUSH STONER, '01. TN order that we may arrive at any idea of the relation of the jus *■ naturale to the jus gentium, we must first try to get a clear conception of the real nature or characteristics of these two forms of Roman law. When the stoic philosophy came into the hands of the Roman jurists, they extracted from its vigorous and elevating theories the idea of Natural Law as applicable to Roman jurisprudence. These jurists held that what they termed the jus naturale was the natural and ethical foundation upon which must rest all Civil Law. Thus the origin of Natural Law among the Romans might be referred to the philosophical ideas of the Stoics. These Grecian philosophers looked upon the universe as "imbued with an all-pervading soul or power," which they considered not only as a "dynamical force producing motion, but as a rational principle producing order and perfection." This rational principle, the}'' taught, is a constituent element of all being, and reveals itself not only as a law of the physical world in external nature, but also as a guide for human conduct, having its throne in the conscious-ness of man. Man's greatest duty, they claimed, is to discover the law of reason and conform to this law as it is set forth in the "essential constitution of his nature." The highest precept in the Stoic philosophy was "to live in harmony with nature." It was the ultimate principle laid down to guide men in all the rela-tions of life. And how true is the statement made by one of the writers on this subject: "By his original constitution, man is a participant of the Universal Reason, and by the exercise of his rational faculties he can discover the Law of Nature, so far as it is necessary to control his own conduct. When looked at from a moral point of view, the Law of Nature is thus the highest rule of human conduct, and the ultimate standard by which all human actions, whether individual, social or civil, must be judged." This Stoic philosophy, since the conquest of Greece, had a vast influence over Roman thought along the line of morality,— individual and social,—and legal rights and duties. Roman lit-erature from the time of Cicero to Alexander Severus was per-vaded" with the idea that law has a deeper foundation than mere conventionalities or customs. Cicero was the first to make the important step of grounding law upon nature; and in his "Laws" THE GETTSBURG MERCURY the fundamental principle is laid down "that man is born for jus-tice, and that law and equity are not a mere establishment of opinion but an institution of nature." This principle was specially applied by the jurists of the Empire in determining legal rights and duties. Just what idea the Romans had of Natural Law seems to be somewhat vague. Ulpian says that Natural Law is common to all living creatures, both man and beast; but this view was not generally accepted and had no influence on the legal thought of Rome. It was generally considered, in a proper sense, as applicable only to rational being. Cicero, in a striking passage of his "De Republica," gives his views regarding Natural Law, declaring that God is its author and its duties are unchangeable obligations. Therefore, he says, "It is not one law in Rome and another in Athens, one to-day and another to-morrow, but it is ever the same, exerting its obligatory force over all nations and throughout all ages." Here we perceive the germ of International Law planted in the alluvial soil of heathen philosophy; after the elapse of many centuries, to spring up into the vast system of In-ternational Law now involving much of the ripest modern thought and promising a vigorous growth to perfection in the future. There is not a universal agreement in the theories of the dif-ferent writers on the Law of Nature. However, Chancellor Kent follows very nearly the definition given by Grotius, when he says, "By the Law of Nature I understand those fit and just rules of conduct, which the creator has prescribed to man as a dependent and social being and which are to be ascertained from the deduc-tions of right reason, though they may be more precisely known and more explicitly declared by Divine Revelation." It is said to be written on the heart of everyone by the Divine Hand and that no one can claim ignorance of it, in so far as his degree of intellectual and moral development makes him able to read it. And its author, essentially just, is everywhere and always the same. Taking this view of Natural Law it would seem to belong more appropriately to ethics than jurisprudence. In fact, many writers do consider it as equivalent to Moral Science. Many writers, as Dr. Paley in his work on "Moral Philosophy," main-tain that it embraces man's duty to God, to his neighbor and to self. Some exclude all other significance of the term Natural Law, and confine it strictly to the "rules prescribed to man, by THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY right reason, in his conduct to his fellowmen." Then there is a third class who use it in a still more restricted sense to mark out the theory of only that part of man's duty to his fellowmen that can be enforced. There are rules of justice which are universally recognized as founded on the rational nature of man and dictated by reason. Agreeing with the statement made in Prof. Lorimer's "Institutes of Law," I believe that Natural L,aw may be most accurately de-scribed as "the dictates of reason with reference to human rela-tions." Judging from some of the ideas cherished by the Romans, their conceptions of the true significance of Natural Law were vague. They looked upon it at times as equivalent to equity, and this seems to have been the real point of contact, through which the jus naturale and the jus gentium blended into one perfect code of law. Then again they considered it as synonymous with the jus gentium. Whatever is the relation the jus ?iaturale bears to the jus gen-tium, one thing is sure, it performed an important role in estab-lishing for Rome her vast and matchless system of law. The jus gentmtn, according to Main's interpretation, was "a collection of rules and principles determined by observation to be common to the institutions which prevailed among the various Italian tribes." Whenever a certain custom or usage was observed to be common to a large number of races, it was set down as a part of the Law of Nations, or jus gentium. A great many observances of this kind were made, and if, after a careful examination, a common characteristic having a common object was found in all of them, it was thus classified in the jus gentium. This new system thus established was not favored by many at that time. It was con-sidered as a mere appendage to the jus civile, as a practical means for adjusting civil relations between real Romans and foreigners. But this new system of law was destined to hold a more impor-tant place in Roman jurisprudence. Soon it came to be regarded as a constituent part of Roman law, equal to the jus civile and even more superior in dignity. And the whole body of Roman law was then made up of these two essential and co-ordinate parts, .the old jus civile and the jus gentium. These two elements were combined to form one body of jurisprudence, and henceforth there was a tendency in legal development at Rome for "law" and "equity" to blend into one "single and organic system of justice." THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 5 The close relation the jus naturalehore to the jus gentium may be seen in the prevailing belief existing among the Roman jurists when the theory of Natural L,aw was introduced for their consid-eration. They believed that 'the old jus genthim was in fact the lost code of nature, and that the praetor in framing an edictal jurisprudence on the principles of the jus gentium was gradually restoring a type from which law had only departed to deteriorate." When viewed in the light of Natural L,aw, the jus gentium took on a significance vastly different from the old. It was no longer looked upon as a mere "body of customs common to Rome and the states subject to Roman dominion," but those common laws collected by the praetors were now believed to be the laws that Universal Reason had instituted for men in primitive society. And the fact of their common existence was a strong proof that they were taken from 'universal principles inherent in the very nature of man." And as a consequence there was a tendency among the philosophical jurists to identify, in this highest sense, the jus gentium with jus nalurale. Gains declares that "the law which natural reason has constituted for all men, obtains equally among all nations and is called jus gentium." We have associated with the conception of nature the ideas of "simplification" and "generalization." And the result of a close study of the L,aw of Nature by the Roman jurists was that of in-ducing them to regard "simplicity," "symmetry" and "intelligi-bility" as the main characteristics of a good legal system. And when the jus gentium was looked at in the light of the theory of Natural Law, the copious and involved phrases of the law became out of taste, and the many ceremonials and other useless difficul-ties quickly vanished. Thus the contact of these two principles not only gave to the established system of Roman law a greater dignity but also made it more concise and direct. The jus gentium, when thus transformed from its old signifi-cance to a higher meaning by the reforming power of Equity as cherished among the jurists, was brought into so close a relation to the jus nalurale that the two principles became one and insep-arable. And while the idea of equity seems to have been the ele-ment through which these laws were united, yet the union of these laws had the effect of establishing a higher conception of ' 'aequi- /os" itself. The'jus gentium " "a^«Vai"andthe "jusnaturale," all bear a very close relation to each other. Their similarity is ■"■I1,M" 6 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY evident from the fact that they were so often considered identical. But each, if carefully examined, is noticed to have its own indi-vidual characteristics to distinguish it from the others. These terms of Roman jurisprudence might be considered successive steps in the development from a mere germ of International Law approaching the "perfect law of reason." But when we attempt to determine exactly what the true relation between \hajus naiut-ale and the jitsgentium was, we enter upon disputed ground. The real meaning the Roman jurists attached to the famous phrase, jus gentium, is not yet satisfactorily decided. And until this is rightly settled, no accurate conclusion regarding their real relation can be drawn. But one thing is certain, when Grotius drew up his famous system, known as the "Grotian Law of Nature," he adopted many principles of the jus gentiuni, declaring that they were part of that Natural Law, which all men are compelled by their own reason to obey; and his system of law was universally accepted by the civilized world. eQtfb THE HARM OF EXCESSIVE NOVEL READING ROBERT W. LENKKR, '03. [ OVEL reading is one of the principal diversions of the present day. Great is the number of persons who, as soon as they have partaken of a meal, lie idly about to digest, as it were, the plot of a novel along with their food. Neither is novel reading confined to that class who are well able to be at leisure at almost all hours, but it is indulged in by all classes from the common laboring man to the best families of the earth. Thus the novel has a great range and is read by a vast multitude. To read a good novel occasionally, thinking about what you have read, and storing it away, is beneficial and instructive, but to skip over any novel, good or bad, as many do, is harmful. Some one has said, "Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting." It is necessary that novels should be classified for this discus-sion. First, we have the classical novel which has stood the test of years and has been given a permanent place in the literature of the world. Nothing harmful can result from the excessive read-ing of this class except that the habit may be carried so far as to THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 7 be at the expense of biography, history and other matters of fact which are needful. The popular novel is the next to be considered. In this class are found such books as David Harum, Janice Meredith, Richard Carvel, and scores of others of not quite so recent publication. One is not considered " up to date " who has not read these books, but let me ask how many of these books will stand the test of years. Just one step lower than the popular novel we find books by such authors as Bertha Clay, Mfs. Georgie Sheldon, and hun-dreds of others of the same rank. The constant reading of books of this kind is most injurious. Of course the novel must have its hero or heroine, and it must of necessity be a tale of love. In these books the sympathy of the tender hearted reader goes out to one or more of the fictitious per-sonages. Sympathy gives way to compassion, and compassion to tears—the usual sign of grief. Were this to happen occasionally there would be no harm done, but when one is addicted to the novel it is a frequent occurrence. Softness of the heart disappears gradually, and finally all sense of tenderness and sympathy is destroyed. The last and worst class of novels is that class of dime novels so fitly styled 'blood and thunder." They frequently lead to heinous crimes those who are so unfortunate as to be drawn into the habit of reading them. This is a work of the devil which finds willing victims among school boys, and to which the corruption and ruin of many a precious soul may be attributed. It is need-less to describe this class of vile literature, but let it suffice to say-that the excessive reading of it has sent thousands of men to jails, penitentiaries and even to the gallows. Taken all in all, the reading to excess of any novels, whether classical or not, is harmful to humanity, first, because it destroys all sense of feeling; second, because it keeps from us the history of the world and its great men, and lastly, it takes up many hours which should be spent more profitably. An educated mind is a full-blown rose whose fragrance rejuv-enates all that come near.—Exchange. *-""-" — THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY MAS JOHNNY DEAR. CHAS. W. WEISER, '01. Johnny was a little man Who never told a lie, He never stole at mother's jam, Or "swiped" a piece of pie. (?) He spent his early years at home, Obedient (?) to his "ma," He was an angel in the sight Of his doting "pa." And when at last the day came That he was sent to school, He had a little "swelled head," And meant to keep the rule. (?) The fellows called him "sissy," He called them names as well; They had a "scrap" at recess Of which I "darsent tell." But when at eve returning He had a battered nose, A blackened eye and "strubbled" head, He made a prelty pose. His mamma had the tantrums, His papa took a fit, He was "as mad as blazes" That Johnny "wasn't it." * * « * He went to see his grandma Who lived upon the farm— All dressed "a cock-o-lorum" He did the "rustics" charm. He "grabbed a hold" the black cat, He held her by the tail, She scratched him on the "paddy" Which made the "youngster" wail. While playing with the house-dog, He fastened on a can, And clapped his hands, a shouting While the creature ran. He stole into the barn-yard And scared the poultry out, He stoned the pigs and cattle, Running 'round about. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY He "grabbed a hold" a cow's tail, She started on a run, She threw him in a mud hole— You should have seen the fun, They penned him in the wash-house, From there he "took a sneak," He climbed out thro' the window— He was a "perfect freak." He stole into the pantry, And helped himself to jam; He then ran down the mill-race, And fell into the dam. Old Towser saw him struggling, And helped him get away; He fled into the hay-loft, And lay upon the hay. "Twas there they found him sleeping- "Ma's darling little one," When they found he's missing, And all in search had run. «f£» A TOAST S. W. HERMAN, '99. 'TWAS a brilliant assemblage. Men famous as artists, sculp- A tors, authors and specialists of every kind had been gathered to grace the banquet. The odor of flowers and costly perfumes verily saturated the air. The tables were ladened with priceless gold and silver vessels heaped up with delicate viands. All that was beautiful seemed to be there to please the eye and delight the taste. Among the group of men there were but few in youthful prime. The springtime had passed and the autumn of life was draw-ing near to the great majority. Amid the clink of glasses and the clang of platters they lingered long over the feast. Then came the toasts and there was but one subject given to which each should respond—"The Happiest Day in Your Life." One of the youngest arose and holding high his bright goblet drank to the day when his ambition was realized in producing his first book. He recalled the intoxication of the joyous moment when he was assured of its success. Another drank to the day when his master-piece, a great paint- rsm 10 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY I ing, was completed and he stood before it drinking in its sublime beauty. Another told how happy was the day'when he restored, by a cut of his knife, the life of a patient. And another told of a life rescued from the depths of degradation and saved to a new life. Thus they spake of the days that brought to them the greatest joy. There was but one left and he was very old. The far away look in his eyes mirrored the character of his thoughts. As a swift rush of the incoming tide, his boyhood came back to him and he retraced it step by step. Slowly, almost unconsciously, he arose and with voice low, but distinct, gave his toast. He spake as though he were talking to some unseen person, relating a tale that had become the sweeter the more he told it. A silence that could almost be felt fell upon his hearers and thus he spake: "How well do I remember that day, the day of days, when joy rushed into my heart with an over-powering sense of completeness. Standing at this distance and looking into the past, memory brings back its relics and lays them here before my mental vision. Yes, almost as real as when they happened. Only the rough places are smoothed over now and the sharp corners are rounded by time's peculiar power. I thought upon that bright day that sor-row could never enter into my life again. The cup of happiness, which was held to my lips, was so full that it overran the brim and was wasted. I did not care because I had so much, neither did I think that some day I would agonize in spirit and begrudge even one drop spilled. But many days and years have filled in the gap between that day and this. Days of varied pleasures and sorrows. Pleasures that tried hard to measure up to the joy of that one day, but somehow failed. Sorrows which by comparison seemed very bitter, even bitter unto death. I will tell the story of that day and you may judge what happiness was mine and now the pain. I awoke at the call of the birds that morning. Such melodies poured forth from their throats that it seemed the very air I breathed was sweet with mu-sic. It thrilled me so. A song of praise rushed from my heart and lips. With the song came words of prayer and thankfulness. My life had been one unbroken dream of tender care and comfort. Where'er my eyes turned that morning I caught glimpses of that which made me glad. And then I closed my eyes and saw bless-ing upon blessing passing before my vision, coming back in this THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 11 memory's hour, to show me cause for gratitude. But I arose and threw open the window to let in the pure fresh air of spring-tide. Oh! glorious vision of life everywhere. As I threw open the win-dows of that dark room, I threw open the windows of my soul and let in the light. And it seemed to rush in and bear me up to the great fountain of light so that I was cleansed and purified for the day's toil. I could not help but say : 'Thanks be to Thee, who gavest light of day to dissipate the darkness of the night and for that light which removes the darkness of ignorance and sin.' From my window I could see far down the valley. I could see fields green with growing grain. Here and there upon the winding road were wagons wending their way to the little village lying in the midst of the valley. Down by the side of a dancing brook were the cows taking their morning drink. In the barn the horses were being harnessed. The chickens were busily scratching in the barnyard for their breakfast of flies and worms. Everything betokened peace and plenty. On the other side of the brook the ground rose in undulating swells until it reached the foot of the distant bluish mountain. I seemed to absorb that quiet yet beautiful scene, unmoved by the forces about me, not feeling my-self akin to the life powers that existed in them. Then I hastened to come down and bathed in the cool sparkling water, making my body as pure and clean as my soul had been cleansed before. I can feel even now the vigor which that bath imparted. The blood fairly rushed thro my veins. That was life, strong in its intensity. And then came the breakfast and the morning greeting of father, mother and baby sister. Father's loud and cheery voice, mother's quiet and tender and sister's baby greeting. All these were infinitely tender and joyous as I recall them over the space of years. Was there disappointment or sorrow in any of those tones? It didn't seem so then. Ours was a perfect home, full of unselfishness and love. The daily chores were soon done and well done, since the day would be given me as a holiday in which I might do whatsoever I desired. Mother smiled to hear me singing at my tasks. The wood was sawed, split and carried to the wood-box. The water was drawn. Then I sat and/watched mother as she worked, and after many attempts, countless digressions and falteriugs of speech, I unveiled my heart to her. She understood me as only a loving mother can, and coming, took rny hand in hers and stroked my boyish curls. I can feel her cooling hand L ""Il" ■"■'■■ ' ""* 12 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY upon my brow even now—hands hardened by toil in deeds of love. What healing power was in those hands ! By their magic touch the fever in my veins was conquered. Aye, even the heart throbs of youthful sorrow melted away like the tiny ice-diamonds in the warmth of the morning sun. How often since have I wished myself back upon that old doorstep, telling mother all my trials and being prescribed for with her love that probed deeper than a surgeon's knife, yet with infinitely less pain and far better results. You will have guessed ere this the love which I had hidden in my heart. It was to me so sacred that I scarce could breathe it aloud for fear the winds might catch it up and tell to all the world my sweet shame, for so it seemed to me in those first hours. But 'mother heard it all and wished me well. She told me the old saying that the lady fair was never won by a heart that fainted. So I resolved to do that day what had lain upon my heart so long and begged for utterance. No more did my love seem boyish in my eyes, for under mother's magic spell it assumed its true pro-portions and I knew that the grandest thing in all the world was love. I had not cared now even if the birds had told it where'er they went, or the winds had found out my secret and had whispered it to all parts of the universe. Indeed I tried to think and speak aloud how I should plead my cause, and when, late in the after-noon, I went to see the one who awoke within me all this tender care, I had mapped out my plans. As I drove over that familiar road, all nature seemed transformed. The plants and trees sent forth an aroma than which I never breathed a more delicious fra-grance. Even the clouds of dust through the sun's rays appeared as showers of gold. And as I rounded the last bend of that little lane down by the garden, I saw her picking weeds from out the beds. How like her ! A weed troubled her until it was removed. There was not a weed in her pure soul. I stopped to gaze when suddenly she turned and saw me. I wasn't prepared for that. I wonder which of us felt the more embarrassed. She with a sud-den turn had torn her apron off and unrolled the sleeves which had revealed to me a dimpled, dainty arm. And I was caught as a spy, it seemed to me, gazing upon forbidden objects. My courage slowly returned, as with a graceful bow she welcomed me. My! but now my new born boldness had deserted me. Where was that self-assurance now, which was so self-assertive 7HE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 13 but a short time since. All my forces put to flight by a little pink dress. There I sat and pondered over this question until she came forth to take a drive with me. We chose the road along the little dancing brook. The memory of that evening comes to me now, with such a wealth of meaning, that my words to de-scribe it seem to clothe it with poor rags. We talked of indiffer-ent things. But there was something that I wanted to say which seemed to choke me. I would make a bold attempt, only to fin-ish my remark with something concerning stream or sky or when these became exhausted to repeat them. At least a silence fell. I said I alwa)'S liked to view such a scene in silence and simply think. But really I wanted time to bring up reserve forces for the final attack upon this little defenceless fortress by my side. It was unfair I know. But had she been armed with all the weapons of war I would have had more courage. Every-thing about me seemed to speak of love. This little brook which rushed along so gayly, kissing the bank and babbling words of love to the fair water lilies, urged me on. The trees, aided by the winds, clasped their branches around each other and sighed with very surfeit of love. And yonder setting sun blushed rosy red as he kissed yon mountain top. With the increasing fervor of my imagination and the figures which it formed, I grew bolder. But now my beautiful words had flown. I thought it best to cap-ture by a quick attack, and so I blurted out my love. I would give half the years of my life to see again that flush of glad sur-prise, to see those deep blue eyes look into mine with sweet sur-render. Silence now was welcome, while our hearts tried to calm their startled beat and understand their wondrous joy. We loved and all the world can never know our secret until it feels the power within its breast. The hours glided by and we came home. Then followed days of sweet assurance. No longer doubts came into either mind to mar the sweet security ofmutual surrender. All days were bright when I had her to see. But that day seems to me brighter than them all. And if my choice were granted me to bring back whatever day I might choose from my past life, 'twould be that day in which we told each other's love. That night the stars shone with dazzling brightness. The moon seemed to rival the sun. The katydids sang for me and the fire flies be-came as attendant spirits to show me home. Mother was waiting for me and I poured into her listening ear 14 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY the story of my happiness. She wept with very sorrow at losing me. No longer was she as brave as when she urged me on that morning. But her tears of self-loss were soon spent and she only remembered my joy. Who can understand the depth of the mother's love? My love has long since died. Father and mother, too, have gone to join that invisible throng. I live in the past, in those days when my happiness was overflowing day by day. Memory is my faithful servant to recount the sweet old story. Even when I glance forward into the future, memory brings me the materials from the past with which the vision is built. When I may see her again after these years of separation, will hold her again in my arms and tell her how my love for her has remained young and strong, that will be the happiest day of all days." The old man's voice faltered and broke, but suddenly his eyes brightened. He seemed to be listening intently to some one speak-ing to him. And then again he spake in tones loud and distinct. "But listen, I hear again the song of the birds. Throw open the windows. I^et in the light. There they come, all of them, father, mother and sweetheart." The toast was ended. Tears were the applause. Reverently they laid the old man down. At last the happiest day had dawned. c^p SOUL, WHAT ART THOU? Oh my soul! what canst thou be, With thy unknown heraldry— Thy ceaseless ebb of consciousness ? Wilt thou tell me whence has come This thy strange incessant hum, Made manifest with vividness ? From what weird ethereal realm Hast thou found a ready Helm, To guide thee to this senseless clay ? Closely shrouded in a cloud, Or the thunder riven loud, Has chance in some way shown the way ? Maybe thou hast been evolved And must yet be all dissolved With that which gave thee thy birth. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 15 Then wilt thou like meteor flee, . Where the sun from gilded sea Of clouds looks down upon the earth ? And wilt thou leave to its fate Clay thou didst inanimate, When it distasteful is to thee? Or, returning, bear away This clod to elysian day, Transformed to angels' symmetry? Soul. Oft in adversity ; Oft filled with amenity. The strangest of all things below. Perceiving and defining ; Recalling and combining; And feeling knows and knows it knows. Soul—essence in unity With powers of a Trinity— Wilt thou reveal thyself to me ? Or to immortality Change, and with celerity Reveal then thy identity ? «^SL> 'PORTER. Are you one of those noisy people ? Are you ? Stop and think. Noise never wins a man anything. It is never construc-tive— it is ever destructive. Know a poor, imperfect machine by the noise it makes. The mightiest of mechanisms, the solar system, works in perfect silence. Men who have moved their fellow men have ever been the most quiet in their demeanor. There is real power in silence. Seek to gain that power now while at college. Remember that "voice answereth to voice," and it is the "still small voice" you must awaken in the hearts of men if in any way you are to rule them. e*$b I hold in truth, with him who sings To one clear harp in divers tones, That men may rise on stepping-stones Of their dead selves to higher things. —TBNNYSON. I \J\J H *— * ' —■ ■lllWMl I ■■■■' I HUM THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Entered at the Postoffice at Gettysburg as second-class matter Vox. X GETTYSBURG, PA., MARCH, 1901 No. 1 E. C. RUBY, '02, Editor-in- Chief R. ST. CLAIR POFFENBARGER,' 02, Business Manager J. F. NEWMAN, '02, Exchange Editor Assistant Editors Miss ANNIE M. SWARTZ, '02 A. B. RICHARD, '02 Advisory Board PROF. J. A. HIMES, A. M., LIT. D. PROF. G. D. STAHLEY, M.D. PROF. J. TV. RICHARD. D. D. Assistant Business Manager CURTIS E. COOK, '03 Published each mouth, from October to June iuclusive, by the joint literary societies of Pennsylvania (Gettysburg) College. Subscription priced One Dollar a year in advance; single copies Ten Cents. Notice to discontinue sending- the MERCURY to any address must be accompanied by all arrearages. Students, Profesiors, and Alumni are cordially invited to contribute. All subscriptions and business matter should be addressed to the Business Manager. Articles for publication should be addressed to the Editor. Address THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY, GETTYSBURG, PA. EDITORIALS nPO the members of the retiring staff we do not hesitate to say *• that we voice the sentiment of every friend of the MERCURY in extending to them a vote of thanks for their very acceptable and efficient service rendered to the literary journal of our Alma Mater. The editorial and the business departments have been so managed as to reflect great credit upon the staff. The high rank which the MERCURY, as a literary journal, holds to-day among the college publications and the excellent financial standing of the same shows that the student body had not misplaced their confi-dence. Whether this can be said of the new staff is a question which remains to be answered one year hence. To the Getlysburgian we extend our thanks for its words of THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 17 encouragement. We bespeak for the members of its new staff unparalleled success in the work which has been placed into their hands. With this issue the MERCURY enters upon its tenth year. It has not grown up without its trials and difficulties. In fact, it stands to-day as an excellent example of the truth that "strength is born of struggle." Let us not think, however, that it can maintain its present position without any more support. The pressure which is brought to bear upon it is greater each year. The more it grows and reaches out the more resistance it must necessarily overcome in order to move forward. With this in mind we trust that the students and alumni of Gettysburg College will give us all the encouragement and assistance possible in try-ing to push this journal to the foremost rank of its class. As to the case of plagiarism referred to in the February num-ber of this journal, we suppose it will be satisfactory to our read-ers to learn that the Princeton student has made a confession of his guilt and has been expelled from the University. The follow-ing is an extract from the letter which was written by the Prince-ton student to the editor of the Nassau Literary Magazine: "A great injustice has been done by me to Mr. Heilman, of Gettysburg, the University, my class, especially those who took part in the oratorical contest last June, and all who are proud of belonging to an institution where the principles of true Christian manhood are taught. I want to frankly confess the gross plagia-rism of which I am guilty, and remove any censure that may be brought upon your magazine, for upon me alone devolves the blame." J» The observance of the twenty-second of February as a national holiday is an important factor in the life of every American citi-zen, for it serves as a constant reminder of Washington and his relations to the history of the country and affords a good oppor-tunity for every one to show his patriotism, and his gratitude for the services of the man who threw himself, body and soul, into the life of the nation. Although set aside as a memorial to Wash-ington, it ought also to be looked upon as a remembrance of those who were silent participants in the struggle for success, in order that this country might be free. —S. %J\J> 18 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY AN ALUMNUS HONORED BY THE PEN AND SWORD SOCIETY The Pen and Sword Society has again invaded the ranks of the alumni and succeeded in capturing one upon whom they thought it fitting to fasten their badge of honor. This alumnus was Rev. William M. Baum, D. D., of Philadelphia, Pa., who delivered the address at the recent public meeting of the society. Dr. Baum prepared for college in an academy at Reading, Pa., entered Gettysburg College in 1842, graduated in 1846, entered the Theological Seminary the same year, and was admitted to the ministry in 1848. In 1861 he became a member of the Board of Trustees of Gettysburg College and also of the Board of Di-rectors of the Theological Seminary. He is the oldest member of the Board of Trustees, but is still as young in his activity for the welfare of his alma mater as ever. He seems always ready to grasp any opportunity to further the interests of Gettysburg Col-lege. We feel confident that no one will say that the Pen and Sword has made a mistake in choosing a man whose feelings towards the institution are in perfect harmony with the objects of the society. A NIGHT OF TERROR TN the course of a lifetime one is called upon to undergo many varied experiences. Most of these experiences are transitory in their effects ; but not a few of them, on the other hand, produce an indelible impression upon the mind of the individual, and are never forgotten. It is to this latter class that the one which I am about to relate belongs. Like an evil intruder it broke in upon the peace and monotony of my earlier years, and, at the time, seriously endangered my mental health and happiness. Now, however, although the memory of it is still unimpaired, I am able to look back with a smile of composure upon what was to me at the time a veritable night of terror, and, in the light of a fuller aud riper knowledge, make myself believe that what I so distinctly saw, heard and felt upon that night never had any existence,—in other words, that I was the victim of gross deception on the part of my senses. The northern part of the county of Monroe, in northeastern Pennsylvania, is still covered with vast tracts of woodland in which the ruthless axe of the woodman has not yet been permitted THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 19 to enter upon its work of destruction. Here the wild and pictur-esque Paconas reach skyward in rugged grandeur and beauty, as if in mute appeal to Him who created this old world to be spared from the spoiling hand of civilization. Here, amid venerable peaks, enveloped in hazy blue, deer, bears and other wild animals still find comparative peace and security. And there, too, issuing from out the mountain sides, are many brooklets of clearest and coldest water, which rush in glittering cascades down over pre-cipitous rocks, or, like interminable threads of silver, wind their devious ways among the underbrush in the bottoms of deep and shady ravines. Fortunate indeed is the angler or hunter who finds his way into these primeval regions, for here every brooklet is the home of countless numbers of beautiful, golden-spotted trout which have not yet learned to distrust the deceitful advances of the cunning followers of old Isaac Walton ; while clumsy Brunos frequently apprise you of their presence by suddenly emerging from the dense underbrush and deliberately looking at you in a surprised and inquiring manner, at the same time snorting their decided disapproval of your intrusion , and frequently beautiful deer with large watery eyes will suddenly confront you and then bound off again into the mountain fastnesses. Nor is this region pre-eminent alone for its natural beauty, but nearly every height and valley is invested with a strong romantic interest because of the many curious Indian legends connected therewith. One of these we shall here relate because of the direct bearing which it has upon our story. In a particularly obscure and unfrequented valley in these mountains, miles away from any other human habitation and al-most inaccessible to all but old mountaineers, is a rude and de-crepit log cabin, no longer tenanted by any living creatures but bats and wild animals which at times find in 'it refuge from the fury of the elements. A.nd yet, I hardly dare say that it is with-out any other occupants at present, for, if popular report is to be credited, evil and mischievous spirits of departed tenants still re-turn from time to time and make this old cabin a weird scene of diabolical revelry. Thirty-five years ago this cabin was inhabited by an old Indian sorcerer or medicine man, by the name of Wapohootche. He was the last one of his tribe to resist the civilizing tendencies of the time and place, and for years had dwelt all alone in his se- " " !UM-'' ff—"———- ""—"—■—■ 20 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY eluded valley, appearing among the whites only about once in four or five months in order to exchange venison and furs for the few products of civilization which he might need. Wapohootche was a remarkable character. The term, "old as the hills," was often applied to him, for his shiny, yellow pate, with its few sparse white hairs, his wrinkled and flabby skin and general ap-pearance indicated great age; he was evidently a centenarian be-fore our fathers knew him. However, his erect carriage and glit-tering eye showed that he still possessed much of the vigor and fire of younger years. Because of his reputed powers of sorcery he was held in superstitious fear and awe wherever he went. Wonderful stories were told of his fabulous wealth, and that these stories were well-grounded was shown by the fact that Wapohoot-che continually carried upon his person, as inseparable ornaments, four heavy golden armlets, probable relics of early barbaric splen-dor. It was in the summer of '64 that this Indian was last seen among the whites and it was generally believed that he had been murdered for his money, but not until some years after was any investigation made, so great was the superstitious fear entertained by the whites of entering Wapohootche's valley. At this time, however, two bold young hunters entered the Paconos with the avowed intention of visiting the valley and its solitary cabin. These hunters were never seen again, and popular report had it that they had fallen into the power of the evil spirits of the valley and had been spirited away. A rescuing expedition resulted in ignominious failure, for before it had come into sight of the cabin it was in some unaccountable manner seized with the greatest fear and panic, and the terrified rescuers were only too glad to escape with their lives. No further investigation was made and Wapo-hootche's Valley was shunned by all as an accursed place. In view of what has been said the reader can readily under-stand why I, a boy of fourteen at the time of which I write, should hail with delight the prospect of a trout-fishing trip to the Paconos. It required but little time to make the necessary preparations, and so, early one beautiful May morning, our party of ten started out for a point about two miles north of Wapohootche's Valley where the trout-fishing was exceptionally fine. We arrived at our des-tination just before sunrise, and in an hour or so were all stationed at different distances along a small stream upon the mountain THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY plateau, pulling out the finny beauties at a rate that would satisfy the most zealous fisherman. In the afternoon, by common consent, we divided our forces, some going up stream and the others down. L,ate in the day, about six o'clock as far as I could judge without a watch, I found myself so far down stream that I could obtain no response from my companions to my repeated halloos. However, inasmuch as my luck was very good just then, I determined to continue fishing down stream for awhile and then rejoin my friends. So interested was I in the sport that I became utterly oblivious to the passing time, and was only brought to my senses by the nearby rumbling of thunder. L,ooking about me, I observed that the sun had long since set and darkness, increased by a rapidly approaching thun-der- storm, was settling down. By the time I had put up my fish-ing tackle and had begun to retrace my steps, the storm was upon me in all its fury. I now found that while it was an easy matter to follow the stream on its downward course, it was a very difficult task to travel up stream. With a terrific rain beating in my face and vivid flashes of lightning blinding my eyes, it was impossible for me to make any progress. But, as I was now almost terrified at the prospect of spending a night alone upon the mountain, I de-termined to adopt what seemed to be my last resource, and follow the stream on its downward course until I should come to an old wagon-road which I supposed to be about a mile distant. On I now went with frantic haste, stumbling over rocks, run-ning into trees or becoming entangled in the underbrush. At last, utterly exhausted and completely bewildered, I leaned up against a tree and endeavored to regain my breath and quiet the painful throbbings of my heart. All about me was Stygian dark-ness. I made frenzied and ineffectual efforts to keep from my sight the scenes which every flash of lightning would reveal. The woods about me seemed full of horrible and menacing forms. The white trunks of dead trees with their bare limbs writhing in the storm were magnified by my highly excited imagination into frightful ghosts and the whole mountain seemed peopled with angry spirits. Overcome by exhaustion, fright, and a terrible sense of loneli-ness, I gave way to what was a very natural impulse for a boy of my age and sobbed spasmodically as I leaned there against that —-— yur *-• F^^^™"™™ ■■"■ ■■■■■ ■mniMmiM 22 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY tree. In my tears I found at least a temporary relief; tliey not only helped to shut out from my sight the terrifying scenes about me, but they also had a soothing effect upon my greatly overtaxed physical and mental faculties. A certain numbness seized me, and sinking down into a reclining position, I endeavored to nerve myself for whatever might come. Suddenly there was a particularly vivid flash of lightning and that instant I observed that my wanderings had brought me into a deep ravine. Immediately the appalling truth confronted me that I was lost in Wapohootche's Valley. Nor was I obliged to wait long for a confirmation of this truth, for all at once, with startling suddenness there broke out upon the night air a most hideous and blood-curdling scream which died away in a series of groans and sighs. At the same time I saw, by the aid of the lightning, a log cabin only a short distance before me which I in-stinctively knew to be that of Wapohootche. My knees smote each other and the cold sweat stood in beads upon my forehead. I sank to the ground in abject terror, but found my whole atten-tion involuntarily directed towards the cabin. The fury of the storm had abated, only fitful lightning remain-ing to lend to the scene a weird and ghostly effect. But now I longed for the crash of thunder again and the roar of the wind and rain, for, breaking in upon the oppressive stillness which ensued, there came to my ears from the cabin, heart-piercing sighs, groans and muffled screams of agony and despair, accompanied by fiendish laughter. Then arose a sound as if of some terrible struggle, ending in the fall of a heavy object after which there would again be those screams of agony mingled with demoniacal laughter. I tried to rise and flee, but I found myself riveted to the spot. And now I was able to distinguish a faint reddish glow about the door of the cabin, as it was slowly and silently opened, and presently, to my horror, I beheld in full view the hideous, skin-clad skeleton of Wapohootche, yellow with age and possessing a certain strange and terrifying luminosity. From out of the hol-low sockets of his eyes and from between his grinning jaws issued a reddish light. Suddenly that horrible, grinning skull riveted its gaze upon me; the light from its glowing sockets seemed to penetrate me through and through. And now the hideous appar-ition approached towards me with ghostly stride, the demoniacal grin becoming continually broader. I made another frenzied ef- THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 23 fort to escape, but could not budge. Closer, closer, closer it came until it stood directly over me. Down it stooped, and I felt its cold, clammy fingers about my throat. My blood was frozen in my veins; I could not utter a sound. Slowly, but surely, the vise-like grip of Wapohootche tightened. I was being choked to death. At last, summing up all 1113^ strength, I gave vent to an agonized scream, made a frantic struggle, and thereby ended one of the most disagreeable dreams it has ever been my misfortune to have. The scene which now greeted my eyes was strange indeed, but it had none of the terrifying characteristics of my hideous dream. The dark ravine, the solitary cabin, the weird sights and sounds and the apparition of Wapohootche had disappeared. Instead of these, the moon was shining brightly through the leafy canopy overhead, causing the drops of water, left b}' the recent shower, to sparkle like diamonds, while all about was forest, and only a few yards before me the little stream, in which I had been fish-ing the afternoon before, gurgled and purled as it tumbled along its stony channel. My .mind soon grasped the situation. I remembered the shower, the darkness, the frantic flight, my terror and exhausted condition when I sank at the tree; and I knew it was thus that an unnatural sleep induced by exhaustion, had overpowered me and rendered possible my frightful dream, in which all the worst fears and apprehensions that had seized me during my flight had been more than realized. As I was sitting there, pondering over the strange experiences of the night, the stillness was broken by a familiar voice calling for me from some point not far distant. I immediately answered, and in spite of my stiffness and drenched garments set out with surprising speed along the path which I had followed the evening before. A few more halloos were exchanged, and presently, to my great joy, I met with two of my companions of the previous day who had been searching for me ever since the storm had ceased. There remains but little more to tell. By the time the sun had risen we were well on our way home, my companions re-proaching me more than once along the way for the trouble I had caused them, and I, for my part, being willing to bear all their reproaches without murmuring, inasmuch as Wapohootche and his mysterious valley had been left far behind us. —R. D. C, '00. IW' 24 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY THE OLD SPELLIING SCHOOL EMORY D. BREAM, '02. \ BOUT sixty-five years ago there arose in the country schools ** of this part of the country the custom of devoting a part of one day in each week to a spelling match. Reading, writing, arithmetic and spelling were the principal branches then taught. The teachers had very limited knowledge of arithmetic, so that the children learned little more than reading, writing and spelling. As spelling was the foundation of reading and writing, the teach-ers felt that it should have special attention. Out of these spelling matches in the school grew the night spelling school. The primary purpose in view was to learn to spell correctly. The school terms were short. The farmers did not have the im-proved machinery and labor-saving methods that they now em-ploy. Competition was not so great and money making was the chief aim of progressive country people. Their plain ways of living and dressing were inexpensive, so that by beginning early and working hard a young man was in most cases able to start in life with a comfortable income. Owing to these facts the children as a rule were not sent to school until late in the winter and then did not always attend regularly on account of threshing and other work that was done during the winter season. Often, too, they did not go to school after they were fifteen or sixteen. Al-though the people paid little attention to education, yet they felt the need of spelling when they wished to write a letter or trans-act business. It was to this end that such schools were begun. The social benefit of such meetings was also taken into consid-eration. Places of entertainment and social gatherings were few. Anything that would afford a meeting place for the young people was sure to be well attended. The boys and girls not only learned to know each other better but became acquainted with those who came from a distance. The only place that could be obtained for such a meeting was the district school-house. These buildings were the property of the people and everybody was made to feel welcome. The only convenient time to hold such a meeting was in the long winter evenings when the days were short and the people were not tired and exhausted from toiling through long hours in the scorching sun. The meetings were usually held weekly and always on the same evening of the week. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 25 Spelling schools were started for the benefit of young men and women, but the teachers soon became very much interested and in this way used their influence in getting their pupils to attend. The children were anxious to go and often succeeded in bringing their fathers and sometimes their mothers with them. About seven o'clock was the time to begin spelling. Before beginning, however, the class had to be organized and some num-ber chosen for a game. Two persons were selected to choose those whom each wished to spell on his or her side. Desks such as we now have in our school-rooms were unknown to them. Long benches were used instead. These benches would be placed along the wall on each side of the room, and each of the two di-visions of the class occupied the benches, one division facing the other. The best spellers were chosen first and took their places in order, commencing at the front end of the room. Either Web-ster's or Walker's common school dictionary was used. The teacher of the school, or some other person who could articulate distinctly, dictated the words and kept "tally," as it was called; that is, kept an account of the words missed by one side and gained by the other. Sometimes the teacher would ap-point another person to perform this office. Commencing at the head end of the class, one word and one trial was given to each member, passing alternately from one side to the other. In case a word was misspelled by one person it was given to one on the opposing side. Should he or she spell it cor-rectly that counted one for the side on which it was spelled. A word was always permitted to go until spelled correctly. Return-ing from the foot to the head of the class, spelling continued until the game was won. The number usually taken was fifteen or twenty, varying according to the ability of the audience in general. When one game had been spelled an intermission often or fifteen minutes was given. This was a time for conversation and finding a partner to take home when the meeting should close. Recess being ended, a new class was chosen and another game spelled after which "spelling off'' took place. Taking the two at the foot of the class, one from each side, they were permitted to spell against one another until one ' 'spelled the other down.'' The unsuccessful one now sat down and the next person on the same side rose in his stead. In this manner the spelling was continued ■——- DJ\JI BUI ■ mgBKB^Bimmmmmmmfiimmummimmwiimmnmmmmim 26 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY till all of one side had sat down. The audience was then dis-missed and the engagements made at recess were fulfilled. The growth of spelling schools was rapid. Not only did they increase in number but soon became well attended. With growth came success. By taking part in one or more of such matches each week for several winters, persons of ordinary ability became good spellers. Those who took special interest in the work would master all the words in the abridged dictionaries. Some who could not even read or write learned to spell comparatively well. This helped them to higher planes in society. Taking into con-sideration these facts, we feel safe in saying that the old spelling school reflects very creditably upon the people of half a century ago. To say that spelling schools have simply gone out of style is not sufficient. They are not altogether a thing of the past, but are few in number and little interest is taken in them. Various causes have contributed to their decline. Probably the introduction of more branches into the schools and the advance along all educational lines has taken the attention of the people from spelling to other studies. The children remain in school a few years longer than formerly. Many of these young people prefer to spend their evenings in study. Not as many people are required to do the farm work as formerly. Many young people have gone to the factories and schools of the cities so that there are not as many young people in the country as there were years ago. Other causes might be in-cluded among the foregoing reasons but the result would not be altered. From these facts it must be obvious that the spelling schools will not be revived to any great extent. Nor will the coming generations ever attain the proficiency which characterized many of our fathers and mothers. «t*£> Too much of joy is sorrowful, So cares must needs abound ; The vine that bears too many flowers, Will trail upon the ground. —ALICE CARY. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 27 RUSSIA'S ATTITUDE TOWARD AMERICA MoNTFORT MELCHIOR, '02. '"THE twentieth century opens with a continuance of the same * relations between Russia and America that existed at the dawn of the nineteenth century. Russia has ever maintained and still maintains a friendly policy toward America. There has never existed any complications or strained relations between these two colossal nations of the world. In the past her friendly policy has been plainly recognized. Russia was very glad and even anxious to sell' to the United States the territory of Alaska for a mere trifle, in order that she might have some feasible excuse for friendly overtures toward America. She has never been jealous of Amer-ica's expansion; on the other hand has rather encouraged it, seem-ing to say, "You take all you want in the western hemisphere, Cuba or whatever it may be, and wink at me when I grab on the eastern side of the globe, so that we may grow great together." Russia has probably felt the need and desired the aid of Amer-ica in checking the marine domination of England. England's advancement and especially her naval success has always been an eyesore to Russia, and she has smiled with satisfaction at the stride America has taken in rivaling England's marine career. Another evidence of Russia's friendliness was shown when, in the early days of the American empire, she so earnestly desired an embassador from that rising nation. Jefferson, then President, was desirous of establishing a minister at St. Petersburg, but the Senate thought that there were not sufficient reasons for such a policy, and whatever reasons there were they did not justify the extra expense. As a result the proposition was lost, much to the dissatisfaction of Jefferson, to say nothing of Russia. When Mad-ison became President and advocated the same policy, he met a like opposition, but by his obstinate perseverance finally succeeded in winning his point, and John Quiucy Adams was sent as Amer-ica's representative at the Court of the Czar. The personal bear-ing of Adams and his policy in diplomatic relations won the friendship of the Czar himself, as well as that of the whole nation, and to Adams was due much of the friendly bearing of this des-potism to the American Republic* During the civil war of the United States, Russia, if ever, I *MemolrB of J. Q. Adams. TU7WI «■»' ■ii" —'■iiTfiifiri'iiftfrnmirmTtnimiffliimmmiiiiiyiyiiiiiiMiiiiiyiin 28 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY manifested the interest of a firm and loyal friend. At this mo-mentous crisis when all the world favoured and even abetted se-cession or the partition of America, Russia, like the mighty bear she is, gave a murmuring growl of sympathy, and it is fair to say she would have felt little hesitancy in manfully expressing herself, had it been necessary. Russia alone stood out and refused to do aught against the stalwart youth who had developed from the valorous few who dared brave the long dreary years of New Eng-land and Virginian hardship. At the present everything seems to show that Russia still maintains the same attitude toward America, that she always has maintained. Along commercial lines it is to her advantage to keep relations just as friendly as possible, and no less for political reasons. Russia well knows that she can depend on none of the Eurasian countries as a friend, and she feels the sore need of a formidable ally. Her great hope lies in America, and if an alliance could here be formed she would fear no one. In the recent disagreements between the two great continents, Russia always showed ber sympathy to be with the United States. She gloried to see Spain go down under America's powerful arm, and is no less anxious to see the Philippines quieted, and America triumphant over all. Some great man whose name has now escaped our memory, said, a few years ago, that if the whole world became involved in a chaotic state of warfare, Russia and America side by side, or shoulder to shoulder would battle against the world. That, no doubt, has been Russia's opinion exactly. At the present time the partition sooner or later of China seems inevitable. All the European powers have their eyes trained on this vast empire, and are waiting only for a plausible opportunity to jump in and help themselves. Russia is among the foremost of these powers, and right there is where she wants the co-operation of America. If an alliance could be formed between these two nations, then with her own great armies and the civilizing and enlightening agiencies of America the success of her eastern conquests would be certain. Here is where Russia's present attitude toward the old Amer-ican colonies blends into that of the future. We can entertain no doubt but that her policy in the future will be the same that it has been in the past and present. No one can fail to see the immense opportunities and resources of Russia. From the fur-bearing re-wm THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 29 gions on the north to the tropical fruits of the south; from the grain fields and manufactories of the west over the platinum and gold fields of the Ural mountains to the mines oi Siberia, she is provided with all the necessaries of human life. No one can help but see the same wealth of America. Russia has seen and thought of this for years. If these two nations were united commercially and politically, what could they not do ? Let England become unruly. Then let Russia and America close their ports, and say to the rest of the world, "You close yours"—where would Eng-land be in forty-eight hours ? Think of a federation reaching from St. Petersburg to the Ural mountains, from the Ural mountains across the whole continent of Asia to Kamtchatka, from Kamt-chatka across Behring strait to Alaska, or directly aross the Pacific to San Francisco, and from San Francisco across America to New York ! Think of the possibilities of such a union ! And Russia has been thinking about them. She, with all her despotism, is shrewd and quick, and distinctly sees that it is to her advantage to maintain friendly relations with America. Such has been, is, and no doubt will be her attitude toward the old American colonies. As to the United States, nothing is less probable than such advances, but let us ever remember that in Russia we have a firm and ever loyal friend. THE PROPER CARE OF HUMAN LIFE /~\NE of the great mysteries in this world is that of life, and es- ^^ pecially human life. We are told that "God created man in His own image and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.'' With this view of the origin of human life we have come to regard it as a divine gift placed into our hands for a definite period of time and conditioned upon a proper care and use of it. What constitutes a proper care of human life has never been universally agreed upon, but we believe that the human race is beginning to realize more and more the importance and necessity of a proper care. There are two important phases of this question; first, the care which each individual should have for his own life, and second, the care which he should have for the life of his fellow-men. Every human being shows his care for his own life by observ-ing the laws which pertain to the healthful condition of the body. 30 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Health is a priceless blessing. It is often called the greatest of blessings; and we are told that without it life has no worth. This language may be too strong, for we have seen those who, amidst infirmity and frequent illness, through force of intellect, and still more through religious principle, devout gratitude and trust, have found life a greater boon than the multitude of the strong and healthy ever dream of. Still, health is an inestimable good, and is essential to the full development and gratification of our powers. Without it life loses its bright charm, and gradually declines by m_vsterious decay. Without it human life falls far short of its true mission in this world. Health and disease are physical conditions upon which pleasure and pain, success and failure, depend. We may also safely consider what is known as self-defense against the violence of human hands, or the brutal attacks of wild beasts, or even the threatenings of the elements of nature as a part of the proper care for one's own life. The man who does not try to preserve his life when he is assaulted by his fellowruan without a cause, or when he is attacked by furious beasts, or when storms, floods, and fire threaten him, surely does not have much of a price set upon that mysterious gift from God. He cares little for his own life who goes through the world unconcerned as to what may befall him and regardless of the fact that he is created with the power and the necessary means for defending his life in very many instances. Then again, it must not be forgotten that there are circum-stances which require that human life must be given up. Our lives have an office for others, to help save and lift up humanity. Who are the men in whom human life seems to be manifested in its brightest glory, who appear best to have fulfilled its end ? They are those who have made the greatest sacrifices for truth, humanity, religion, patriotism and freedom. It is not to those who have watched over and kept their lives, but to those who have cheerfully given them away, that the tribute of reverence and joyful commemoration has been paid. This view of the proper care of human life may be implied in the teaching of Christ—"He that loses his life for my sake shall find it." This, however, re-fers more to the principle of unselfishness in general than to the sacrificing of life. We shall now consider the care which man should have for the life of his fellowmen. In all ages the individual has, in one form Hill! THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 31 or another, been trodden in the dust. In monarchies and aris-tocracies, he has been sacrificed to one or to the few, who, re-garding government as an heirloom in their families, and think-ing of the people as made only to live and die for their glory, have not dreamed that the sovereign power was designed to shield every man, without exception, from wrong. In the ancient republics, the glory of the state, especially conquest, was the end to which the individual was expected to offer himself a victim. It was the glory of the American people, that, in their Declaration of Inde-pendence, they took the ground of the indestructible rights of every human being, and in the Emancipation Proclamation they have given to the world the evidence that they meant what they declared. Indifference to human life is probably at its height in times of war. Such indifference was found in Napoleon when, for the amusement of some mistress of the night, he sacrificed fifty of his soldiers in an escalade which he knew to be positively futile for any military purpose, or in Abdul Hamid when, probably for no other reason than that he feared the downfall of his own power, he sanctioned the horrible massacres in Armenia, or even in our own Civil War, when thousands of men were carelessly sacrificed, both in the north and the south, for the sake of the military glory and fame of certain individuals. The sufferings and death of a single fellowbeing often excite a tender and active compassion, but we hear without emotion of thousands enduring every variety of woe in war. A single mur-der in peace thrills through our frames. The countless murders of war are heard as an amusing tale. The execution of a crimi-nal depresses the mind, and philanthropy is laboring to substitute milder punishments for death. But benevolence has hardly made an effort to snatch from sudden and untimely death the inumer-able victims immolated on the altar of war. Even to-day the voice of those, who forget that they have a care which pertains to the life of their fellowman, is heard in terms of reproach when we seek to avoid war. In most of these cases which I have mentioned there still ex-ist opinions which lead to either extreme. Like many other things of this nature it may be safest to say that the proper care for human life is the golden mean of these extremes. There are circumstances which demand that the right of self-defense be dis- TUrerr-T-T 32 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY placed by the willingness to give up life; that the rights and lib-erties of our fellowman be taken from him for the good of society; and that the government of a country must furnish some of its citizens as victims upon the altar of war, especially when it is car-ried on for the sake of bettering the conditions of the human race-s' EXCHAMGES TT is said that no two minds follow the same channel of thought. A We each have our likes and dislikes and what is attractive to one person may not have the least charm for another. A department entirely devoted to exchange work has recently been added to the MERCURY staff, and the editor takes this oppor-tunity to say that any criticism which may be given in this col-umn will be offered with perfect frankness but with not the slight-est intention of giving offense. We shall try to avoid useless and nonsensical "cutting," which has always reminded us very strongly of the proverbial "feline quarrel," but shall be ready to defend ourselves and our institution as best we can, if occasion demands. Among the exchanges which we have examined, we note the following: The Lafayette of February 8th contains an excellent article on fraternities. We agree with the writer throughout. If the sensi-ble ideas he expresses were followed, the membership of many fraternities would be smaller, but their moral character would undoubtedly be of a higher type. "His Professor" in the February Touchstone displays a bit of the real class-room spirit. The story is interesting and ends in a pleasant manner. The Lesbian Herald is a very welcome exchange—one which we enjoy thoroughly. Its appearance is unpretentious but at-tractive; its arrangement excellent; and its articles in general of a high type. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 33 We could wish that every person who tries to make puns would read the article "Puns and Punsters" in the February Mountaineer. We congratulate Allegheny College on her recent endowment of thirty thousand dollars for the purpose of building a chapel. Other exchanges to be acknowledged are: The Saint John's Collegian, The Western Maryland College Monthly, The Haver ford-ian. The Roanoke Collegian and The Ursimis College Bulletin. In men whom men condemn as ill I find so much of goodness still ; In men whom men pronounce divine I find so much of sin and blot, I hesitate to draw a line Between the two, where God has not. Burns and Byron—MmER. In battle or business, whatever the game, In law or in love, it is ever the same; In struggle for power, or the scramble for pelf, Let this be your motto: Rely on yourself! For whether the prize be a ribbon or throne, The victor is he who can "go it alone." -SAXB. c*p The very power that molds a tear And bids it trickle from its source, That power preserves the earth a sphere And guides the planets in their course. —ROGERS. uu> PATRONIZE OUR ADVERTISERS. C R. SOLT MERCHANT TAILOR Masonic Bldg., GETTYSBURG Our collection of Woolens for the coming- Fall and "Winter season cannot be surpassed for variety, attractive designs and g-eneral completeness. The latest styles of fashionable novelties in the most approved shades. Staples of exceptional merit, value and wearing durability. Also altering-, repairing, dj-eing and scouring at moderate prices. .FOR UP-TO-DATE. Clothing, Hats, Shoes, And Men's Furnishing- Goods, go to I. HALLEM'S MAMMOTH CLOTHING HOUSE, Chambersburg St., GETTYSBURG, PA. ESTABLISHED 1867 BY ALLEN WALTON. ALLEN K. WALTON, President and Treasurer. ROBT. J. WALTON, I Superintendent. flummelstooin Bromn Stone Company Quarrymen and Manufacturers of Building Stone, Sawed Flagging and Tile Waltonvllle, Dauphin Co., Pa. Contractors for all kinds of Telegraph and Express Address. Cut Stone Work. BROWNSTONE, PA. Parties visiting the Quarries will leave cars at Brownstone Station on the P. & R. R. R. For a nice sweet loaf of Bread call on J. RAMER Baker of Bread and Fancy Cakes, GETTYSBURG. PA. EIMER & AMEND, Manufacturers and Importers of Chemicals and Chemical Apparatus 205, 207, 209 and 211 Third Avenue, Corner 18th Street NEW YORK. Finest Bohemian and German Glassware, Royal Berlin and Meissen Porcelain, Pure Hammered Platinum, Balances and Weights. Zeiss Mi-croscopes and Bacteriological Apparatus; Chemical Pure Acids and Assay Goods. SCOTT PAPER COMPANY MAKERS OF FINE TOILET PAPER 7th and Greenwood Ave. PHILADELPHIA -■ ■'■'■HI"!'" ! GETTYSBURG COLLEGE LIBRARY GETTYSBURG, \.
PEBRUARY, 1901 ooTheoo ettysbiir Mercury CONTENTS The Flight of the Birds 239 The Taking of a United States Census 240 Pan-American Sports 243 A College Romance 244 The Treatment of the Skeptic 246 A Glimpse of Byron 248 Giving 254 Exchanges 255 Editor's Desk 258 The Past Our Present Pilot 259 A Financier (Continued) 263 A Twilight Reverie 266 "Taps" 266 An Era of Progress 268 G'BURG C. LIB. pUPLICATE FAVOR THOSE WHO FAVOR US. For Fine. Printing go to Tk Jo Eo Wile ftkilm Staff CARLISLE ST. GETTYSBURG, PA. C. B. Kitzmiller Dealer In Hats, Caps, Boots and Douglas Shoes GETTYSBURG, PA. R. M. Elliott Dealer in Hats, Caps, Shoes and. Gents' Furnishing Goods Corner Center Square and Carlisle Street GETTYSBURG, PA. EDGAR S. MARTIN, ^CIGARS AND SMOKERS' ARTICLES Chambersburs St., Gettysburg Leadership IN THE CLOTHING and MEN'S FURNISHING Business It is strictly here—everybody knows it. Testimony? The stock itself. The pen suffi-ciently nimble to tell all the good points of our ::::::: PALL AND WINTER. SUITS AND OVERCOATS has not been found. We will keep you dressed right up-to-date if you buy your Clothing and Furnishings here. : : : : STINE McPherson Block. No. II BALTIMORE STREET THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. The Literary Journal of Pennsylvania College. Entered at the Postoffice at Gettysburg as second-class matter% VOL. IX. GETTYSBURG. PA., FEBRUARY, 1901. No. 8. THE FLIGHT OF THE BIRDS. MARGARET (HIMES) SEEBACH. Not one by one on lonely wing, They seek afar a sunny clime, When winds a chill from ice-fields bring The sombre Autumn-time; But when the cold rain comes to beat On tattered nest and drooping feather, They rise in rushing flocks, to greet The South-land all together. Not one by one, as single souls, We seek thy sunshine, Land of Light, When o'er our love-lit sky uprolls The first black shade of flight. When Pain comes whispering, " Rise and go I I bring the heart's bleak winter weather," Our pilgrim souls clasp hands, and so We journey home together I 240 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY THE TAKING OF A UNITED STATES CENSUS. C. W. WEISER, '01. HPHE book-agent or peddler may meet with a door slammed in * his face, a couple of cross dogs let loose, or an angry and citrous tongue set wagging ; he may even meet with the toe of a boot, or some missile hurled violently at him—poor man ! But the enumerator who is discreet and courteous has none of these weapons of local warfare to fear. His way is paved by the an-nouncement in the local papers of his coming. All the cross dogs seem to be away on a visit, or else tied. The people greet you with, " I knew you'd be along ; I saw it in the paper.'' He, unlike the wretched book-agent, starts out knowing that he is going to succeed. He is not asking the people, in an indirect way, for dollars ; all he wants is their census. "Well, you hain't a going to get any of my senses," replied one woman. The census enumerator learns lessons and acquires experience which could be obtained in no other way. He comes in contact with all sorts and condition^ of men. Some of his experiences with these people are indelibly fixed in his memory. Many of them, indeed, are pleasant, and some of them ridiculously humor-ous ; while some of the scenes and tales of woe which incidentally come to his knowledge are pitiable in the extreme. It is our purpose to relate some of these experiences in the active service. In town the work was pleasant, and progressed rapidly, until I came to the manufacturing establishments, where it went slow. It was necessary to make a complete inventory of the books and property, which took much time. The proprietors, however, acted in a very courteous manner. In the country the work was more troublesome, owing to the distance between the different farms, and the rough roads I had to travel over. It was not an unusual occurrence to be seen pushing a wheel up a hilly road, which was almost too rough even for a buggy. The farmers were usually to be found in a back field at their corn. This meant a long tramp, and some-times several hours spent standing out under a scorching hot sun filling out the Agricultural report, for no one kept a book ac-count. But this was amply atoned for by a cordial invitation to a farmer's dinner. The required statistics were freely given, except in the case THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 2A\ of a few illiterate people, who thought that this was only a scheme for increasing taxation. I met one man only who was unreason-able. Him, no amount of explanation would satisfy, until fright-ened into answering by the presentation of my census badge. All in all, the farmers proved themselves to be a well read, intel-ligent, courteous and hospitable people. It was, however, among the poor classes in or along themoun-tain side where one met with the most varied experiences. We came in contact with poverty and illiteracy of the most flagrant kind. The lack of suitable food and clothing was most evident. Some of the narratives were heartrending. I rapped at the closed door of a little shack one June morning, and soon saw the hag-gard and disheveled head of a distracted woman peer through a sidewindow. Soon the bolts were drawn and the door was opened. After I had completed the Population Schedule, and asked for the cause of the death of her child, the poor mother answered in tones of despair that it had frozen to death in bed one cold mid-winter night. Perched in an agony of physical and mental torment, in a lit-tle black hovel, through whose single window peered the dim light, I found a murderess—an ex-penitentiary convict. The look of despair, and fear, and torment, mirgled with every sign of the wildest passion, were sufficient to make one shudder. After a long and lonesome journey on horseback, through the wildest and most picturesque mountains in the state, I arrived one mid-day on the top of a lofty mountain. Far below lay a deep, narrow vale, wooded with the verdant forest. On the op-posite side loomed up lofty crags and peaks, proud sentinels of a scene of native grandeur which few have ever beheld, and which brought tears of rapture to the eye. In all this grand and lonely fastness there were but four families, for two of which I had to make this long trip. They had never been to school. Had no-where to go to church. Creeping in among the bushes I came across some rude hovels, in which dwelt gnome-like creatures, who spoke a dialect scarcely to be understood. The chief object which showed of any com-munication with the outside world, which I saw in one hovel, was a tin cup filled with tobacco standing in the centre of a rough table. Of this both men and women smoked and chewed. I suppose it was their only consolation. When asked the date of 242 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY their birth, the one replied that she was born in "the corn husk-ing time," another in the " huckleberry season." When asked their age, they simply couldn't tell; they hadn't the faintest idea. At another house I rapped at the door. A woman answered, and after I had stated my business she simply turned her back and walked away. I followed her into the house, opened my portfolio, and began work. When I asked the date of her birth she studied awhile and finally drawled out, "Why—m—1749." (She was about thirty years of age.) Another woman said she was born in 1896. One old man replied, " My mommy hut mir net gesat" (His mother hadn't told him). No doubt you will ask whether the condition of these people of the mountains cannot be helped. It cannot, at least in this generation. It has been tried. Some of the children have been brought out to the town schools, and after years of hard toil and unceasing, patient effort 011 the part of the teacher, these chil-dren have gone back as ignorant as when they came. They could not spell d-o-g or c-a-t. When given warm clothing they could not be induced to wear much of it. Habits of thought and neat-ness could not be taught to them. When they spoke to each other it was in such guttural, and so rapid, that no one else could understand. And is it any wonder that these people have become so de-praved and mentally estranged ? Isolated from the world, amidst wild and lone surroundings, they have always lived in the same spot where their ancestors lived for two hundred years back. Under such conditions the natural condition would be for these people to drift back towards a wild and animal state. Thus, coming in contact with the high and the low, the rich and the poor, it will readily be seen what a wide range for the study of humanity the enumerator has. Much of the social and moral condition of our country cannot be conveyed by the great round numbers of a census report. It remains buried in the heart of the enumerator. 'Many a dream has vanished away, Many an ideal turned to clay ; Many a friendship proved untrue— Constant and lasting, Oh, how few !" THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 243 PAN-AMERICAN SPORTS. '"PHE President of the Pan-American Exposition recently appoint- *■ ed a Committee on Sports, as follows: Jesse C. Dann, Chairman, Dr. Chas. Cary, J. McC. Mitchell, John B. Olmsted, Chas. M. Ranson, Seward A. Simons, Wm. Burnet Wright, Jr. Soon after its appointment the committee invited the follow-ing named gentlemen to act as members of an Advisory Committee on Amateur Sports: Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, Walter Camp, C. C. Cuyler, C. S. Hyman (Canada), C. H. Sherrill, A. A. Stagg, Benjamin Ide Wheeler, Casper Whitney. The appointment of this Advisory Committee emphasizes the desire of the Committee to have all amateur competitions occupy the highest possible plane. The Stadium, with a seating capacity of 12,000, is beautiful in design and promises to be one of the most successful architect-ural creations of the Exposition. It will surround a quarter-mile track with ground area ample for the requirements of all the events proposed. As to the nature of the athletic events planned, it may be said that amateur sports of all kinds will be encouraged as representing the most desirable of athletic competitions, and the members of the Committee on Sports, being college graduates, particularly wish to make a special feature of college sports. In the manage-ment of inter-collegiate events, it is the desire of the Committee that the various college associations be invited to undertake as far as possible the arrangement of the necessary details connected therewith. Although amateur sports will comprise a large part of the program, it is proposed to have such a number of professional events as will allow visitors an opportunity to witness the athletic skill of the best professionals. The character of prizes that will be offered has not yet been definitely determined upon, but the assurance may be given that prizes will be awarded of value as lasting souvenirs of athletic success at the Exposition. It is proposed to arrange a number of college baseball and foot-ball games, and it is especially desired by the Committee that the Eastern Inter-Collegiate (I. A. A. A.) Track Meeting be held in Buffalo next year. An ideal program might be to hold in the Stadium the East-ern Inter-Collegiate Meeting, then the Western Inter-Collegiate 244 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Meeting; these to be followed by a Pan-American Meeting open to competitors in the two previous meetings and to representatives of other Inter-Collegiate Associations. Other Inter Collegiate events have been considered, such as La Crosse, Cross Country Running with start and finish in the Stadium, etc., etc. The Committee on Sports hope that the Exposition may have a full college representation. It is proposed to hold many other sports in the Stadium, the A. A. U. Championship, Lawn Tennis, La Crosse, Cycling, Association Football, Water Sports, Trap and Target Shooting, etc., etc. All communications should be sent to Jesse C. Dann, Chair-man; 433 Ellicott Square, Buffalo, N. Y. c*p A COLLEGE ROMANCE. '99. Thro' a painted window Soft the sunlight falls, With a rainbow beauty Lighting- up the halls— With a touch of glory, Gilding dim, old walls. Stately arching pillars Rise above the stair, On the carven columns Stone-cut faces rare; Here a laughing satyr, Tearful naiad there. Graven deep, long ages Each has filled its space, Keeping watch in silence O'er the classic place. Time has laid no finger On each cold, still face. Motionless in sunshine, And in shadow so, Heeding not unnumbered Feet that come and go. Oh, what fiue romances Must these statues know! THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 245 Could each sculptured image Open lips of stone, Tell to eager listening Secrets it hath known, Bits of lore and legend, Of the days long gone! Once a dark-eyed maiden Lingered near the stair, And a fair-haired Junior Stood beside her there, With one strong arm resting Strangely near her hair. Eyes of brown are meeting Eyes of tender blue, Hearts are closer beating— Lips are Hearing, too, How it came to happen Neither ever knew. Just a hurried pressure, One keen moment's bliss, But the face above them Saw the stolen kiss. When had graven image Looked on sight like this? Years have closed the lashes Over eyes of brown; One page in life's story Folds forever down. Thro' the classic hallway Others trail the gown. Tho' the silent statue May recall full well That romantic moment, Yet a magic spell Ouardeth still the secret— It can never tell! c*P Howe'er it be, it seems to me, 'Tis only noble to be good ; Kind hearts are more than coronets, And simple faith than Norman blood. —TENNYSON. 246 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY THE TREATMENT OF THE SKEPTIC. J. B. BAKER, '01. TVTHAT the world is to-day, she owes to the skeptic. Before " he walked among men, the race was inert and drowsy and dull. No systems of thought were conceived, no rational explanations sought. It does appear sometimes, however, in going back to mythic lands and mythopceic days, that they must have been, indeed, an active state. The grotesqueness of their various colored myths is sometimes taken as a proof of mental keenness. The multiplicity of their beings, and the variety of their functions, connected as they are with almost every conceivable phenomenon of nature, is said to augur a deep measure of mental acumen on the part of the authors, as well as the people who believed in them and honored them. But they are not the product of a mature analysis ; only the fancies of a dreamy childhood. Their golden fables were nothing more than the gyrations of splendid color to the yawning child who is just rubbing the scales of sleep away from his eyes. They are the capricious imaginings of an awakening mind. In this setni-somiioleut condition the sons of men were long enwrapped, and cared little to abandon it. When Thales, Anaximines, Diogenes and others appeared with their various creeds and myth-dispelling dogmas, they dis-turbed the lethargy of their fellows, and incurred the hostility of many. Their names became the targets of false accusation, and their teachings were branded as dangerous. But the world of philosophy is not unique in its antagonism to the independent thinker. The realm of science is its kin. There was a time when scientific men believed the world to be fiat. Columbus said it was round, and instantly the tongues of ridicule were loosened on him. Yet upon his hypothesis rest the important calculations of to-day. There was a time when the sage men of the world held that "lightning was an almost infinitely fine combustible matter, that floats in the air and takes fire by sudden and mighty fermenta-tion; also, that it was a physical expression of God's wrath against the insects He had created." Benjamin Franklin was too practical a man for such idle spec-ulation, and showed them their folly by the flying of his kite. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 247 No sooner had he seized the bolts of Zeus, however, and shat-tered their theory to the good of mankind, than he was charged with an affront to the Almighty himself. Protecting houses against lightning was said to interfere with the prerogatives of Deity, and when, three years after the experi-ment, New England was shaken by an earthquake, a Boston divine contended, in a sermon preached on the subject, that light-ning rods, by gathering the electricity from the clouds and ac-cumulating it in the earth, were the causes of the upheaval. There was a time, even later than that, when the stage-coach was the fastest mode of transportation, when steam locomotion was unknown and little thought of. George Stephenson went to work to construct an engine, and this is what the Quarterly Re-view had to say: "What can be more palpably absurd and ridicu-lous than the prospect held out for locomotives traveling twice as fast as stage-coaches. We would as soon expect the people of Woolwich to suffer themselves to be fired off in one of Congreve's cannons as to trust themselves to the mercy of such a machine going at such a rate." Another authority of equal prominence said that " the poisoned air of the locomotives would kill the birds." Waile still another insisted that " there would be no further use for horses." Such examples might be added to an almost infinite number, but would only strengthen a truth already quite patent. There is yet another sphere of activity in which the skeptic, or man of thinking, figures prominently, and that is the world of religious thought. Nowhere does dissension touch such a vital point in man's destiny, and nowhere has it been punished with greater severity. The men of courage, who gave us the heritage of a pure gos-pel, were men who felt the hand of inquisitional torture. They were men whose flesh and bones were blistered and charred by the fagots of fire; men who were driven about like the master they followed, with nowhere to lay their heads. We honor them, and mention their names with oracular reverence. But we are judging them all from the vantage ground of tested history. What shall be our attitude toward the skeptic of to-day ? Con-servatism might advise us to shun him as we would shun a ser-pent. Radicalism might tell us to be fearless and read his works. We shall not presume to answer the question, but consider it wise 243 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY to resort to that sage old philosopher, who said, "Know thyself," and to a still higher authority, which says, "Know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Above all things, whether we believe him or not, whether he is right or wrong, it is due to us to respect him for his independent thought and candor. "Honor the honest man. Earth rears but few. Only at God's white forge are such souls wrought. Rare honest man. His mind perchance sees truth In different forms from thine, yet honor him. Perchance his vision thy dim sight transcends And what to thee appears sublime and sure As the eternal hills, to him is but A bubble in the air. Perchance when thou Hast found the crystal spring whereof he drinks Thou, too, wilt quaff, and own the light divine." A GLIMPSE OP BYRON. HTHE meteoric career of this celebrated, but ill-starred poet has * been a subject of study for all lovers of literature and its makers. Meteoric, both because of its brilliancy and short dura-tion. Byron's popularity, in his day, was greater than that of any of his contemporaries, but it was much briefer and more in-constant, and to-day the general verdict pronounced by the read-ing public and literary reviewers, is against him. To-day men praise the highland ruggedness and simplicity of Scott's poetry; its bold irregularity and indifference to minor imperfections, claiming all to be the highest attributes of genius; they speak with unchilled ardor of Wordsworth: his great and sympathetic heart; his tender but manly verse, always sincere, often profound and ever, the genuine utterances of a true priest of the spirit; Southey and Coleridge are both loved and lauded for their large-ness of vision and poetic truth; but Byron who was hailed as he rose over the horizon in the artlessness and inexperience of his youth, as a star of the first magnitude, as the brightest orb in the firmament, is now almost universally despised and deserted; an outlaw under the ban of moral reproach and literary censure, he stands friendless in the gloom of his solitary exile. That Byron was endowed with rare natural gifts, that his poetry bears the evi-dence of exceptional powers are denied by no impartial reviewers; THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 249 that his poems lack energy, emotional colouring, daring in in-vention and many of the less definable qualities of poetry cannot be rationally insisted upon; bat that his poetry is unfit for the hands and hearts of innocent and impressionable youth and that it revolts the moral sensibilities of the more mature in years and experience, as well as offends the literary taste of the cultured, are matters of fact, known to all students of English literature. This apparent paradoxical fact must be accounted for by the unfortunate accompaniments that attended and marred his genius. His powers were of the first order, but they were accompanied by a pessimistic and envenomed spirit, a haughty egotism—though this he endeavored to conceal,—and at last, what reversed his early successes, a growing affectation of contempt for public opinion or private regard. There was a mixture of literary and moral virtues with literary and moral vices in which the propor-tion of vice became predominant, and eventually prostituted his genius to the service of shame and folly in their most attractive and insidious forms. Censorship should not be unjust, not even unsympathetic towards this most to be pitied of poets. His works to be properly appreciated, and his unwholesome sentiment and thought to be viewed in a fair light, must be traced back to his sad life as their source of inspiration, and there though the works may justly be reprobated as unchaste and injurious,we cannot help, at least but partially exonorate their author, when we view the circumstances that gave them birth and determined their character. Born into the world with a tender but impetuous and some-what petulant nature, he was alternately visited with passionate caress and indiscriminate and vindictive disfavor by his mother, —caressed into self-will and pride, he was upbraided and scolded into ill-temper and defiance; his sensitive young nature was embittered; his strong propensity to love and crave it in return was here first disappointed and thwarted; here his spirit began to be discolored with that tinge of hatred and haughty contempt for human kind that disfigured his poetry and ruined his life. Leaving home with scarce a regret save that at the expiration of the school term he would have to return, he hoped to enter a more wholesome social atmosphere, to mingle among more active and congenial spirits, and there find that sympathy, trust and esteem for which his ardent young nature panted. His friendships, 250 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY as may be imagined, were few but fast, nearly always broken, if broken at all, through his own petulance upon the most trivial occasions, but generally soon renewed with ties of stronger affec-tion and mutual respect. Precocious emotional susceptibility exposed him at a very early age to the vexatious experience of unreasoning loves. The mistresses of hisyouthful passions uniformly repelled his advances, little knowing that they were crushing a heart that would bleed, not for a day, or a week, or a month, but for a lifetime; that they were rejecting a passion, which, exalted by a sanctified home-life, would have provided and enriched every endearment of wedded felicity; but spurned with indifference in its first ventures, would turn to the madness of despair. The haughty pride of his untamed spirit was insulted at every turn; his keen sensibility to neglect or offense kept his resent-ment, against somebody or other, at white heat the greater por-tion of his life, making him new enemies, and decimating fre-quently the ranks of his friends—those who generally endured his eccentricities, and enjoyed his confidence and esteem. His first effort in poetry was a juvenile performance, with meagre promise of his later fame in it, written at school and pub-lished when he left the University under the title, " Hours of Idleness." It was assailed at once by Francis Jeffreys, the most celebrated critic of his day, in the Edinburgh Review. The poem, prefaced with a disavowal of all poetical aspira-tions and a cleverly written appeal to the clemency of the critics was condemned without reserve, its faults exposed with relent-less accuracy, and, in general, treated with so much ridicule and contempt that Byron was aroused, the latent powers of sarcasm and irony that lay sleeping within him were awakened, and he seized the pen and wrote with the energy and inspiration of a demon, "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers," venting indis-criminate calumnies upon all writers and critics of his day. This poem, though written in the rashness of youth, and in some re-spects inviting severe censure as " misplaced anger and indis-criminate acrimony," for the first time announced his real power. His skill in versification, the vigor of his thought, the terrible energy of his feelings, and brilliancy of sarcastic wit, proclaimed at once to England that no common man had risen, and prophe-cies were many and sanguine of his future fame. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 251 After having been rebuked by every journal, by critic and even friends for his unjust assault upon men of genius and merit, some of established reputation and venerated name, he became dissatisfied at home, and, conceiving his talents not duly appre-ciated, and himself slighted, he sailed from England and traveled throughout the continent, visiting Spain, France, Switzerland and Italy. During his tour he wrote the first two cantos of " Childe Harold." This poem, written in the verse of Spencer's " Fairie Queen," though often affectedly antiquated in style, and always darkened by skepticism and misanthropy, is energetic and manly in thought always, in spirit often, and his language is picturesque and expressive, conjuring from the world of fancy the weird but vivid and copious imagery that so uniformly characterizes all his poetry. This rhythmic tale is regarded as a poetical version of his own life, the central figure throughout the narrative no other than the haughty Byron himself, masquerading in an imperfect disguise. The spirit, the pictured career and dismal sentiments of the self-exiled hero, are all paralleled in Byron, though he strenuously denied their identity, alleging that Harold was wholly an inde-pendent creation, without an existing prototype, at least under his observation. The poet, however, in the fourth canto identi-fies himself with the gloomy pilgrim visiting earth's historic scenes, as if no longer caring to maintain his false character. All the poetry that followed was animated by the same spirit; characters were changed in name, but not in essence ; scenery was altered; the tale diversified by fresh incident; yet through it all stalked Harold's sombre ghost casting a shade of gloom and sadness over it, and breathing into it his philosophy of despair. Frequently Byron was bitter, but that in his attacks upon so-ciety, upon the virtues and excellencies of character, which most men admire and magnify, he was insincere, and did not give utterance to sentiments actually his own, only unsympathetic and misled readers dare assert. His poetry above any other of his age bears the stamp of its author's character, the seal of his spirit, though often gracefully concealed, and impresses the reader that whatever the scenes, whatever the characters, Byron is there and speaks from the innermost depths of his heart. "From the in-nermost depths of his heart," for in all his works the energy of his 252 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY spirit burns with a blazing heat and like a kindled furnace throws its wild glare upon the narrow scene it irradiates; little difference whether he wrote of angels or villains, of princes or beggars, the torch of his thought and feeling was lighted at the same flame. This sombre color and despairing energy of his genius, though admirable in the proper place and proportion, makes it impossible for him to sympathize with the ordinary and more generous feel-ings of humanity. He could not elevate the simple and obscure life, the pure love, the trials, the sorrows, the tradegy and comedy of those low in station and humble in fortune, into the realm of poetic beauty as Burns; Nature had denied him the tender respon siveness of heart to song of bird, ripple of brook, the sigh of wind, which it so richly bestowed upon Wordsworth. Byron was fasci-nated by rugged scenery, by nature in her violent moods but never loved her for herself, and though his poetry abounds with allusions to and descriptions of mountain and lake, ocean and forest, they serve but to suggest by analogy some mood of man—and that mood how monotonously the same ! What a sublime range of character, what inexhaustible re. sources of human feeling, what a wealth of poetic mystery, beauty and truth investing diversified nature and human life were left un-touched by his master pen. Had his energy of spirit not been perverted and confined to the narrow channels into which it was forced, had his harp been tuned to more numerous and pleasing chords, who can say that with his exuberance of imagination, ca-pacity for reflection and poetic insight and art, Byron would not have been the chief ornament of his day and generation, his mem-ory cherished with fondest admiration, and his poetry a more per-manent and vastly more desirable addition to our literature. Of this sad fact Byron was not ignorant and often took occasion in his verse to rebuke his impetuous and monotonous strain of feeling and ardently prayed for tranquillity of spirit and soberness of mind. Serene landscapes, peaceful waters, inspired longings "to forsake earth's troubled waters for a purer spring." "Clear placid Leman," he cries, "once I loved Torn ocean's roar but thy soft murmuring' Sounds sweet as if a sister's voice reproved." During the early stages of his literary career he resolves but in vain to tame his wild passions and to think and feel as other men: THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 253 "Yet must I think less wildly; I have thought Too long and darkly, till my brain became In its own eddy boiling- and o'erwrought A whirling gulf of phantasy and flame, And thus untaught in youth my heart to tame My springs of life were poisoned,—"Tis too late." The tragedy of a soul here seems to reach its catastrophe in the utterance of the concluding sentence: '' 'Tis too late !'' Byron here appears to stand on a commanding eminence and view with retrospective survey the irredeemable past, lamenting the errors of his way, but all "too late," and theu with sublime heroism to submit to the doom prepared for him, "to feed on bitter fruits without accusing Fate;'' to chide himself with the guilt of his own desolation: "The thorns which I have reaped are of the tree I planted—they have torn me and I bleed, I should have known what fruit Would spring from such a seed." His poetry thus is the musical wail of a proud yet broken spirit; a life with many shattered yet many vibrant strings; it is a feast of beauty attended by the unclean spirits of an unchaste mind, a song with the vigor and spirit of a march and the sadness and gloom of a dirge; the tuneful philosophy of a man who knew both too much and too little of himself and his fellow mortals, who in tempest and calm sailed life's pathless sea without chart or compass; a man with more than the usual powers of men, but destitute of their most common possession—character. "A wandering mass of shapeless fame, A pathless comet and a curse, The menace of the universe, Still rolling on with innate force Without a sphere, without a course." —TID BITS. Oh, many a shaft at random sent Finds mark the archer little meant; And many a word at random spoken May soothe or wound a heart that's broken. —SCOTT. 254 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY GIVING. When God brought forth the world we're told, He did it by decree, , Just spake the word, and chaos rolled Into consistency. But when the race of human-kind To sin became a slave, Not all the words in Perfect Mind Could ransom, so He gave. He gave his child, the anointed One, The best in Heaven above, That man might learn through His dear Son How God indeed is Love. And so must we, if we would be Found walking in His ways, Show to mankind that sympathy, That gives as well as prays. A word well said may often thrill, A happy song may cheer, But souls will ne'er be won, until Kind deeds with words appear. They are the vessels that contain The oil of healing grace, And they alone can free from pain The deep-scarred human race. Then let our eyes be e'er alert, Our neighbors' want to see, Our hands and feet grow more expert To bear them sympathy. For thus it is, each little chance Improved, becomes a gem, Whose lustre shall fore'er enhance Our heavenly diadem. —ERNIE. e$P Three poets in three distant ages born, Greece, Italy and England did adorn ; The first in loftiness of thought surpassed, The next in majesty, in both the last. The force of nature could no further go; To make a third she joined the former two. -DRYDEN. THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY. Entertdat the Postojfice at Gettysburg as second-class matter. VOL. IX. GETTYSBURG, PA., FEBRUARY, 1901. ' No. 8 Editor-in- Chief, . A. VAN OR.MER, '01. Assistant Editors, W. H. HKTRICK, W. A. KOHLER. Business Manager, H. C. HOFFMAN. Alumni Editor, REV. F. D. GARLAND. Assistant Business Manager, WILLIAM C. NEY; Advisory Board, PROF. J. A. HIMES, LIT. D. PROF. G. D. STAHLEY, M. D. PROF. J. W. RICHARD. D. D. Published monthly by the students of Pennsylvania (Gettysburg) College. Subscription price, One Dollar a year in advance; single copies Ten Cents. Notice to discontinue sending- the MERCURY to any address must be accompanied by all arrearages. Students, Professors, and Alumni are cordially invited to contribute. All subscriptions and business matter should be addressed to the Business Manager. Articles for publication should be addressed to the Editor. Address THE GETTYBURG MERCURY, GETTYSBURG, PA. EXCHANGES. [From the January TOUCHSTONE, Lafayette.] Our Contemporaries. I HAVE heard it said that we never have original thoughts; that even those which we consider original have been worked over in the minds of others who have gone before. It seems impossible, however, that two college men, apparently far sepa-rated, should have had thoughts so exactly similar, and above all, that they should have expressed them in language so similar, as have two men representing two of our prominent colleges. This is an age of psychological phenomenon, and the power ot one mind over another is unquestioned ; but, if the case under consideration comes under this head, there evidently remains a field of psychological research yet unfathomed. 2S6 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY We ask the aid of those interested in honest college literary work, in the solution of the following mystery : In the Nassau Literary Magazine for October, 1900, was printed the MacLeau prize oration, entitled "An Ideal of American His-tory." In the Gettysburg Mercury for November, 1900, appeared an oration, entitled " Abraham Lincoln." We quote from these two articles, and print them in parallel columns. AN IDEAL OF AMERICAN HISTORY. Thirty-five years have gone by and the Republic is stronger than ever. The battle smoke of the civil war has rolled away, and to-day when we look into the clear past, our first glance meets the colossal figure of Abraham Lincoln. He is an American mountain—when you view minutely and examine care-fully each particular crag or fea-ture, how homely he seems ! But stand back half a century, behold the entirety—do you not see an Al-mighty hand ? We say an Ameri-can mountain, for you cannot think of Lincoln as a Grecian or a Roman, he is not English and certainly not French—he is ours, the man be-longs to. us alone, while his fame is the world's. Our broad country can no more contain that, than the present race can compute its dura-tion. Ages are the units which shall measure its extent, and eter-nity shall not behold it9 comple-tion. Let us for a while then con-sider him who, under God's provi-dential hand, more than any other, preserved our liberties and main-tained for us our national govern-ment. ABRAHAM LINCOLN. Thirty-five years have passed and the Republic is stronger than ever. The battle-smoke of civil war has rolled away, and as we louk into the clear past, our first glance meets the colossal figure of Abra-ham Lincoln. He seems a moun-tain— when you examine each par-ticular crag and feature, how home-ly he appears; but stand back half a century, behold theentirety—Do you not see the hand of God ! We wonder at him for his greatness, and we are proud of him that he is ours. We cannot imaging Lincoln as a Grecian or a Roman; he is not English and certainly not French —he belongs to us alone, but his fame is the world's. Our broad land can no more contain that than the present generation can esti-mate its duration; ages are the units which shall measure its ex-tent, and eternity shall not behold its completion. Let us for a while then consider him who, under God, more than any other, preserved our liberties and kept us as a peo-ple what we are. The Nassau Literary Magazine Princeton University Princeton, N. J., Jan. 29, 1901 Editor Gettysburg Mercury, « Dear Sir: You have probably noticed in the Lafayette Touchstone for January, 1901, in the department headed Our Contemporaries, that attention is called to two orations, one entitled "An Ideal of American History," which was published in this magazine in the THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 257 October number and another, entitled "Abraham Lincoln," which appeared in your magazine for November. The opening para-graphs of the two orations are printed in parallel columns and are so similar that it leaves no doubt in our mind that either one was copied from the other or else both were taken from a common source. If you will read what the Toiichstonc says you will prob-ably come to the same conclusion. Now this matter should be sifted to the bottom and it is to the interest of both magazines to see that it is done. I send you a copy of the Lit. which contains "An Ideal of American History" and request that you send us the November number of the Mercury. Will you also state who wrote the oration on "Abraham Lincoln," when it was delivered, and when probably written. Also the home residence of the man who wrote it. "An Ideal of American History" was delivered here last June and won the Junior McLean Oratorical prize of $ioo. I trust you will appreciate the seriousness of this for both of us, and help me to find out the truth of the matter. Awaiting an early reply, I am, sincerely RALPH P. SWOFFORD. The above are self-explanatory. It but remains for the MER-CURY to clear away the accumulated mist, thus vindicating Mr. Heilman and his alma mater as well as the MERCURY. For this purpose we find sufficient testimony in Mr. Heilman's Statement. "March 9, 1900, I delivered the oration at Collegeville before the Pennsylvania Inter-Collegiate Oratorical Union; March 10, joined Glee Club on trip at Carlisle; March 19, returned to Get-tysburg from Glee Club trip and found awaiting me a letter from Princeton, written by a '97 alumnus of the Harrisburg High- School, whose classmate I had been for about 9 mouths. The letter asked me to send a copy of my oration for a few hints and ideas, as the '97 alumnus was preparing an oration soon to be de-livered. Sent copy of oration to Princeton March 20th or 21st. Handed oration to Dr. Himes in competition for Geis Prize— third number. [The third production for the Geis prizes is due May 1st.—Ed.] Have not seen the manuscript since." The oration came into possession of the MERCURY from the Geis prize committee through Dr. Himes, before the close of 258 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY college in June. We published it in the November MERCURY, and the original manuscript is still in our possession. We hope the above is a satisfactory explanation—that it is not necessary to ramble through that "field of psychological research yet unfathomed." It is to be hoped, further, that this, as a warn-ing to college men, may prove beneficial. Gettysburg does not suffer from the "mix up;" indeed we may feel complimented that one of our men wrote the oration that won the MacLean prize of $ioo at Princeton University, knowing that it was not sent for the use made of it. Princeton, come out. Lafayette, give us due credit. S. A. VAN ORMER, Ed. MERCURY. EDITORS' DESK. Following the custom of former years, no January number of the MERCURY was issued. The question of special programs in our literary societies is be-ing discussed. That they have merit no one will doubt; but whether they should occur so frequently is, indeed, a question. The object of the societies is to train their members for the duties that shall rest upon them in years to come by assisting in and completing that harmonious development that shall send the col-lege student into the world well-rounded. Our discoveries in science have been made by men who worked in seclusion; our masterpieces in literature and in art have not been wrought before the gaze of cheering throngs; the men who have "moved the masses" in days agone have frequently talked to the ocean's waves and the forest's trees. Young men, that they may be successful, must cultivate the habit of working with-out artificial stimulus. As this is the last issue of the present staff, we desire to ex-press our appreciation of the hearty support we have received from those interested in THE MERCURY. We have at all times had sufficient material on hand. Whether or not we have selected wisely the material used, others must determine. We have tried THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 259 to maintain the standard formerly held by THE MERCURY among the college journals of the State. In conclusion, we remind the Professors, Students and Alumni of Pennsylvania College that the standard of her journals have much to do with her success ; and we bespeak for the new staff the same hearty support given us, that the literary journal of the institution may be worthy ot Pennsylvania College. THE PAST OUR PRESENT PILOT. CHAS. LEONARD, '01, Reddig Junior Oratorical Prize. ■CAR back through the dim, dim vistas of the ages, when chaos, ■*■ darkness and void had receded in obedience to the eternal fiats of the Omnipotent, to give place to cosmos, light, and cre-ation, there appeared in that creation a creature whose progress and destiny have been the objects of the concern of two worlds. The earth was man's birthday present. "Go forth and subdue it" was the divine commission, and the history of the race is the story of the warfare that has been going on ever since that com-mission has been received. As the nineteenth century gates swing on their hinges, soon to shut into the hoary past another century, we feel like one who is leaving the harbor to sail an untried sea; in whose vision friends throwing kisses of good-by, and waving handkerchiefs for a suc-cessful voyage, are fast fading from view, and from whose sight the well beloved shore is receding and has at last merged into the misty horizon overhanging the deep. In the stately ship of civilization we are about to launch on a trackless ocean. Farewell to the past—only its lessons are any longer ours. Welcome the future, in which we are to live and act! I^et our prayers be united that our majestic ship may clear all the dangerous rocks that lie just beneath the surface, any one of which may prove fatal to the progress of the "Ship of State." As we stand at the stern of the vessel, looking out upon the watery expanse stretching into eternity on either side of the wake, with our mind's eye we take a retrospective glance into the history of the past. We look into the realm of discovery and we note that the most important contribution of this realm to civilization has been the discovery of laws in the moral and the physical universe. 260 THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY Ages ago the minds of men craved to understand the laws of the heavenly bodies, and the skies did speak to the old Chaldean shepherds, but in an unknown language. They were transported by the rich melody of the spheres, but could not appreciate or understand the celestial anthem. Ptolemy listened and caught a few scattered words; Copernicus hearkened and caught the first full sentences: Kepler and Newton gave us the first translation of the rythmical language of the heavenly orbs. Thus we see the gradual development of the scientific spirit in the presence of which truth has always unveiled her face and made herself known, as she has come to answer the everlasting "Why?" of science. In philosophy the same development is strikingly real. Man in his eagerness to answer the two questions concerning himself of "Whence?" and "Whither?" at first indulged in speculations that seem to us to the last degree chimerical. Twenty-five centuries have made but comparatively few changes on the face of the material world. A Greek of the fifth century B. C. might still find his way without difficulty from town to town of his native Hellas, and recognize at a glance the scenes of his childhood days, but he would find the world of thought a new creation or rather the old so transformed as to be unrecognizable. We have emanated from the mist and fog which enveloped the old Pagan philosophers. We have transcended the highest thought of grand old Socrates. Thought can no longer be said to be "An infant crying in the night, An infant crying for the light, And with no language but a cry." In the sunlight of truth this infant of thought has grown to a great stature, though it has not yet attained the perfect symmetry of maturity. The discovery of laws has been just as important and extensive in the social and political world as in the realm of philosophy. Every century has been an improvement over the preceding. Nations have been born, grown up, and died, while history, the coroner of the fallen empires of the past, has declared at the autopsy, "The cause of death was the result of a departure from law, either undiscovered or disobeyed" and standing, a silent sentinel, in the ashes of their former glory, pointing her finger toward the future she says in prophetic voice to all surviving nations "Beware!"— THE GETTYSBURG MERCURY 261 a word so full of meaning when uttered by such an authoritative voice. Are we heeding this long sounded warning? Shall we dare say that the past is meaningless? Shall we not profit by the wise instruction it has to give? The Mu
