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* JESUITS. 190 JESUITS. vow to go as missionaries wherever the Pope might send them. The Older was inaugurated in 1541 by the elec- tion of Ignatius as general. He wished to refuse this office at first, but wiis finally prevailed upon to accept it. The name, chosen — (Society ( or more properly Company) of Jesus — was meant to re- call that Ignatius's idea in its foundation was that tlu'v were trt be a band of soldicr> in the army of the Church. What time he could spare from the government of the Society and liis many good works the ^'ciicral devoted during the next ten years to the drawing up of the formal Con- stitutions and rules of the Order. In 1550 these were submitted to the members, and received cer- tain modifications in detail. The revised text, written by Ignatius himself and known as the autograph text, was then sent to all the fathers, even to those in India, and suggestions asked. 8uch as seemed juoper were incorporated in a third text, which forms the Constitutions of the Jesuits now in force. These are essentially from the hand of Ignatius, never having received any important modilication. They are considered by .lesuits of the present day as the palladium of their existence as a religious Order. The most important part of the Constitutions are those that prescribe the training to which each mem- ber of the Order shall be subjected. The forma- tion, as it is called, of the Jesuit for his life work takes about eighteen years. As a rule, be- fore entrance into the Order he has already pur- sued studies equivalent to those required for the collegiate degree of A.B. The first two years of novitiate are spent in spiritual exercises, prayer, meditation, and ascetic reading, in the practice of mortification, and in humble occupa- tions of various kinds. During his first year the novice devotes thirty days of retreat, as it is called,' in absolute silence, to making the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius. These consist of meditations on (lie four last things to be remem- bered and on the life of .lesus Clirist. Every year of his life afterwards, no matter what his status in the .Society, at Wst eight successive days are devoted to the same purpose. At the end of the second year of novitiate the candidate takes simple vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Then two years are devoted to the study of the htimanities and the modern languages. After this three years are given to philosophic and scientific studies, durin? which, though a definite course is marked out for all. opportimities are provided for those who wish to pursue special studies. At the completion of these seven years of study of self, the humanities, philosophy, and science, the young .Jesuit, usually now about twenty-five years of age, is sent to teae assigned to teach this branch. He is not confined to one class during his years of teaching, but is supposed to go up with his class during the course, thus providing for his own mental development as well as the con- sistent progressive formation of his students. After the period of college work, the .Jesuit studies theology for three years, and then is ad- vanced to holy orders. For one year more theo- logical studies are continued, and then oppor- ttinities are given the young priest for mission work and spiritual employment of various kinds for a year, after which a final year of novitiate, called the third year of probation, is prescribed. During this year the Jesuit devotes himself ex- clusively to the study of spiritual things, his own character, the waj-s and means of the In- stitute of the Society, its rules and Constitution. During his third year the thirty days' retreat of silence and prayer, according to the method of the spiritual exercises of Saint Ignatius, is once more made, -ftcr this final year of pro- bation the candidate is admitted to the last solemn vows, now four in nundier, because they include a sjwcial vow of obedience to the Pope. Those who accomplish this full course are called professed fathers. The rules prescribe in detail the .Jesuit's daily occupation, and. as far as circumstances allow, a definite routine is followed very exactly by all the members of the Order. The .Jesuit rises at 5 A.M. Half an hour is given to physical prepa- ration for the day. He devotes one hour to mental prayer, for which there has been fifteen minutes of preparation the night before. He then hears mass, or. if a priest, says mass. About 7 .^.M. he breakfasts, and after a few min- utes devoted to a review of his morning medita- tion, and es])ecially the practical resolutions that it has led him to. lie begins the day's work, what- ever it may be — studying, teaching, preparing sermons, missions or retreats, or writing books or articles. He is advised by his rules not to continue any one form of occupation, whatever it may be, for more than two consecutive hours without a diversion of mind for some min- utes at least. About noon he devotes fifteen minutes to a review of his morning's work, and plans the work of the afternoon, so as to do better. Dinner is taken in common, and then, according to rule, one hour is passed in recreation in common. About U p.m. the community assemble for the recital of the litany of the saints and of the Blessed Virgin. This is the only daily spiritial c^cercise in common enjoined l)y rule. Even this did not originate with Ignatiiis himself, but with Saint Francis Borgia, the third general of the Society. Ig- natius wished to leave his Order free for work and study, depending on the constant direction of the motives of their work to make them spir- itual men. The litanies are followed by fifteen minutes devoted to the selection of a passage of (he life of Christ for meditation next morning. Then follows the evening examination of con- science. At 10 o'clock all arc in bed, unless spe- cial permission is given for further work. The Monitn flrrreta (q.v.). 'Secret Admonitions.' a masterpiece of craft and duplicity, supposed to have been issued for the private direction of thoroughly initiated members of the Order, is now acknowledged by all serious authorities to be an invention of the enemies of the .Jesuits. The government of the Society of .Jesus, though often spoken of as autocratic, is a striking ex- ample of a limited constitutional authority, prac- tically the first of its kind. The Order is gov- erned by a general, whose power, said sometimes to be absolute, is strictly limited by the Consti- tutions. He is elected by a general congrega- tion and holds his office for life. He may be deposed by a general congregation under certain conditions prescribed by the Constitution, though such an incident has never happened in the his-