tuaries of religion then sent forth holy men to spread the seeds of Christianity over the country, established schools for the education of young priests, and taught the barbarians to leave off their savage manners, and to follow peaceful and useful occupations. Thus the wild Germans were taught agriculture, the duties of domestic life, trades, and mechanical arts. By the industry and labor of the monks deserts were changed into rich fields, and dark forests into pleasant abodes; in all respects they were the greatest benefactors of mankind. The Emperor Charlemagne, who had especially the propagation and prosperity of the Christian Church at heart, founded more than twenty-four monasteries, and erected several episcopal sees, which he most liberally endowed with lands and estates. His example was followed by the pious King Stephen, to whom Hungary is indebted for her conversion to Christianity.
39. [1]Whilst the Christian faith was propagated in the West with gratifying success, most fatal and deplorable disturbances arose in the East. The Greek Emperors at Constantinople, instead of humbly submitting themselves to the Church, wanted to rule her, and obtrude upon her their opinions as articles of faith. The people were heedless, the clergy frequently forgot their duties, and pride and dissension supplied at last what was still wanting to bring about that lamentable Schism by which the greater portion of the Greek or Eastern Church seceded from the Pope, the common Head of the Church
- ↑ What happened in the East, whilst the Christian faith was successfully spread in the West? Who was the chief cause of those disturbances? To what were the people and the clergy inclined? What was the unfortunate result of all this? Did God suffer all this to remain unpunished? Who was Mahomet! What did he pretend to be? Of what did he form his new religion? How did he spread it? What did his successors do? Was the Christian religion totally destroyed under them? What became of it, and what was the reason?
