Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 13.djvu/866

 SILENCE

790

SILESIA

R.*.MSAr, Asia Minor (London, 1890), 122; Texier, Asie mineure (Paris, 1862), 276.

S. PetridJjs.

Silence. — All writers on the spiritual life uni- formly recommend, nay, command under penalty of total failure, the practice of silence. And yet, despite this there is perhaps no rule for spiritual advancement more inveighed against, by those who have not even mastered its rudiments, than that of silence. Even under the old Dispensation its value was known, taught, and practised. Holy Scripture warns us of the perils of the tongue, as "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov., xviii, 21). Nor is this ad\'ice less insisted on in the New Testament; witness: "If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man" (St. James, iii, 2 sq.). The same doctrine is inculcated in innumerable other places of the inspired writings. The pagans themselves understood the dangers arising from un- guarded speech. Pythagoras imposed a strict rule of silence on his disciples; the vestal virgins also were bound to severe silence for long years. Many similar examples could be quoted.

Silence may be viewed from a threefold standpoint : (1) As an aid to the practice of good, for we keep silence with man, in order the better to speak with God, because an unguarded tongue dissipates the soul, rendering the mind almost, if not quite, in- capable of praj^er. The mere abstaining from speech, without this purpose, would be that "idle silence" which St. Ambrose so strongly condemns. (2) As a preventative of evil. Seneca, quoted by Thomas a Kempis complains that "As often as I have been amongst men, I have returned less a man" (Imita- tion, Book I, c. 20). (3) The practice of silence in- volves much self-denial and restraint, and is there- fore a wholesome penance, and as such is needed by all. From the foregoing it will be readily under- stood why all founders of religious orders and con- gregations, even those devoted to the service of the poor, the infirm, the ignorant, and other external works, have insisted on this, more or less severely according to the nature of their occupations, as one of the essential rules of their institutes. It was St. Benedict who first laid down the clearest and most strict laws regarding the observance of silence. In all monasteries, of everj' order, there are special places, called the "Regular Places" (church, re- fectory, dormitory etc.) and particular times, es- pecially the night hours, termed the "Great Silence", wherein speaking is more strictly prohibited. Out- side these places and times there are usually accorded "recreations" during which conversation is per- mitted, governed by rules of charity and moderation, though useless and idle words are universally for- bidden in all times and places. Of course in the active orders the members speak according to the needs of their various duties. It was perhaps the Cistercian Order alone that admitted no relaxation from the strict rule of silence, which severity is still maintained amongst the Reformed Cistercians (Trappists) though all other contemplative Orders (Carthusians, Carmelitej?, Camaldolese etc.) are much more strict on this point than those engaged in active works. In order to avoid the necessity of speaking, many orders (Cistercians, Dominicans, Discalced Carmelit<« etc.) have a certain number of signs, by means of which the religious may have a limited communication with each other for the necessities that are unavoidable.

Holy liihU, especially Psalms, Proverbs, Eeclesiasticus, and Catholic Epistle of St. James; Thomas X Kempis. Imilalion of ChriHt: HOLBTEINILH, Codex Re^ularum quag S. Patrea Moruirhin et Virginibun prwucripere (Paris. 100.'}); St. Benedict. Hull/ RuU, in particular chaps, vi and vii; Schott, Fundament der GTuntlrinne dfr Vollkommenheit (Constance, lOSO); Hodri- OOEZ, Chritlian Perfection (I>ondon, 1801).

Edmond M. Obrecht.

Silesia. — I. Prussian Silesia. — Prussian Silesia, the largest province of Prussia, has an area of 15,557 square miles, and is traversed in its entire length by the River Oder. In 1905 the province had 4,942,612 inhabitants, of whom 2,765,394 were Catholics, 2,120,361 Lutherans, and 46,845 Jews; 72-3 per cent were Germans, and nearly 25 per cent Poles. Agriculture is in a flourishing condition, 66 per cent of the area being under cultivation; the mining of iron, lead, and coal is largely carried on, and the manufacturing industry is considerable; among the articles manufactured are hardware, glass, china, linen, cotton, and woollen goods.

In the earliest period Silesia was inhabited by Ger- mans, the tribes being the Lj'gii and the Silingii. When during the migrations these peoples emigrated about the year 400 towards the West, the territory was lost to the Germanic races, and for about eight hundred years the region was Slavonic. The sole memorial of the Silingii is the retention of the name Silesia; the Slavs called Mount Zobten near Breslau "Slenz" {SilingU), M\d. the Gau surrounding Mount Zobten they called Pagus Silensi or Slenzane, Slcnza, Silesia. The region belonged politically at times to Poland and at times to Bohemia. Christianity came to it from Bohemia and Moravia. The apostles of these two countries, Cyril and Methodius (from 863), are indirectly also the apostles of Silesia. Until nearly the year 1000 Silesia had no bishop of its own. The right bank of the Oder belonged to the Diocese of Posen which was established in 968 and was suffragan of Magdeburg; the left bank belonged to the Diocese of Prague, that was established in 973 and was suf- fragan of Mainz. The Emperor Otto III transferred the part on the left bank of the Oder to the Diocese of Meissen in 995. In 999 Silesia was conquered by the Poles. Duke Boleslaw Chrobry (the Brave) of Poland now founded the Diocese of Breslau; in the year 1000 this diocese was made suffragan of the new Archdiocese of Gnesen that was established by Otto III. In 1163, at the command of the German Em- peror Frederick Barbarossa, Silesia was given dukes of its own who belonged to the family of the Piasts. With these rulers began the connexion with Germany and German civilization. Lower Silesia was governed by Boleslaw the Long, the companion-in-arms of the emperor. His successor was Henry the Bearded (1201-38), the husband of St. Hedwig. From about 1210 Henry began to bring German colonists into his territory and to permit them to found German villages and cities. Bishop Laurence of Breslau followed his example in the district under the control of his see, the castellany of Ottmachau. The monas- teries did much to aid the colonization and the Ger- manic tendencies, especially the Cistercians of the monastery of Leubus. These established no less than sixty-five new German villages and materially promoted agriculture and gardening, mechanical arts, mining, and navigation of the Oder. In the reign of Henry II (1238-41), the son of St. Hedwig, Silesia and its western civilization were threatened by the Tatars. Henry met them in battle at Wahl- statt near Liegnitz and there died the death of a hero; his courageous resistance forced the barbarians to withdraw. Consequently 9 April, 1241, is one of the great days of Silesian history.

The German colonization was vigorou.sIy carried on and towards the end of the thirteenth century Lower Silesia was mainly German, while in Upper Silesia the Slavs were in the majority. Among the contcmi)orari('s of St. Hedwig (d. 1243) were the Blessed Ccshuis and St. Hyacinth, both natives of Upper Silesia. They entered the Dominican Order in Italy and then became missionaries. Ceslaus laboured in Breslau, where his order in 1226 obtained th(! Church of St. Adalbert; he died in 1242. Hya- cinth, who among other labours also preached in