Chapter V
Section IV
The Rosary and the Worship of the Sacred Heart
Every one knows how thoroughly Romanist is the use of the rosary; and
how the devotees of Rome mechanically tell their prayers upon their
beads. The rosary, however, is no invention of the Papacy. It is of
the highest antiquity, and almost universally found among Pagan
nations. The rosary was used as a sacred instrument among the ancient
Mexicans. It is commonly employed among the Brahmins of Hindustan; and
in the Hindoo sacred books reference is made to it again and again.
Thus, in an account of the death of Sati, the wife of Shiva, we find
the rosary introduced: "On hearing of this event, Shiva fainted from
grief; then, having recovered, he hastened to the banks of the river
of heaven, where he beheld lying the body of his beloved Sati, arrayed
in white garments, holding a rosary in her hand, and glowing
with splendour, bright as burnished gold." In Thibet it has been used
from time immemorial, and among all the millions in the East that
adhere to the Buddhist faith. The following, from Sir John F. Davis,
will show how it is employed in China: "From the Tartar religion of
the Lamas, the rosary of 108 beads has become a part of the ceremonial
dress attached to the nine grades of official rank. It consists of a
necklace of stones and coral, nearly as large as a pigeon's egg,
descending to the waist, and distinguished by various beads, according
to the quality of the wearer. There is a small rosary of eighteen
beads, of inferior size, with which the bonzes count their prayers
and ejaculations exactly as in the Romish ritual. The laity in
China sometimes wear this at the wrist, perfumed with musk, and give
it the name of Heang-choo, or fragrant beads." In Asiatic Greece the
rosary was commonly used, as may be seen from the image of the
Ephesian Diana. In Pagan Rome the same appears to have been the case.
The necklaces which the Roman ladies wore were not merely ornamental
bands about the neck, but hung down the breast, just as the modern
rosaries do; and the name by which they were called indicates the use
to which they were applied. "Monile," the ordinary word for a
necklace, can have no other meaning than that of a "Remembrancer."
Now, whatever might be the pretence, in the first instance, for the
introduction of such "Rosaries" or "Remembrancers," the very idea of
such a thing is thoroughly Pagan. * It supposes that a certain number
of prayers must be regularly gone over; it overlooks the grand demand
which God makes for the heart, and leads those who use them to believe
that form and routine are everything, and that "they must be heard for
their much speaking."
* "Rosary" itself seems to be from the Chaldee "Ro,"
"thought," and "Shareh," "director."