CHRYSOSTOM 



1373 



CHURCHILL 



twisted, solid or shaggy, single, double or semi- 

 double chrysanthemums in true pompon or 

 button form and size, dozens of blossoms from 

 one stem, or one wonderful showy eight-inch 

 head topping one straight, sturdy stem. So 

 . from the dainty bamboo greenhouse, with its 

 oiled paper roof, came the flower, fourth in 

 commercial importance in the United States, 

 $500,000 worth being used yearly. 



CHRYSOSTOM, kris'ostum, JOHN, Saint 

 (about 345-407), a beloved and manly Chris- 

 tian, one of the greatest and most celebrated 

 of the early Church fathers, bora at Antioch, 

 Syria. He studied rhetoric with Libanius, the 

 most famous orator of his time, and became so 

 wonderfully eloquent that the name Chrysos- 

 tom, meaning the golden-mouthed, was given 

 him. Through the influence of his pious 

 mother he determined to consecrate his life 

 to God in the deserts of Syria. After six years 

 spent in studying and meditating, he became 

 ill and returned to Antioch. He was later 

 ordained deacon and presbyter, and in 398 went 

 to Constantinople. There he did so many 

 things to lower expenses so there might be 

 more to give to charity that he was called 

 John the Almoner. He preached so much 

 against worldliness that the emperor was dis- 

 pleased and banished him to the northeast 

 shore of the Black Sea. He was obliged to 

 make most of the journey by foot, bare-headed, 

 in the burning sun. This exposure was too 

 much for him to bear, and he died on the way. 

 His festival is celebrated on January 27 in 

 Roman churches, on November 13 in Greek 

 churches. The Homilies he wrote on parts of 

 the Scripture are considered the best in the 

 ancient Christian literature. 



CHURCH. When Jesus Christ was on earth 

 He gathered about Him a body of followers 

 who accepted His teachings and spread them 

 after the Resurrection. Within a few years 

 this organization which Jesus founded became 

 known as the Church. The name comes from 

 a Greek word meaning dedicated to the Lord. 

 The Scotch kirk and the German Kirche come 

 from the same word and possess the same 

 meaning. In the Book of Revelation (which 

 see) the Church is spoken of as the bride of 

 Christ, meaning all who have become His fol- 

 lowers. This makes the Church a spiritual 

 body, and this is what the word means in its 

 broadest sense. 



During the time of the Apostles the name 

 was applied to different groups of Christians, 

 and some of Saint Paul's Epistles are addressed 



to these churches. In Revelation, also, the 

 word is used in the same way, where the angel 

 bids John write to the seven churches in Asia 

 Minor. A third meaning of the word is a body 

 of Christians having the same creed, as the 

 Presbyterian Church, the Baptist Church and 

 the Roman Catholic Church. In this sense 

 the meaning is the same as denomination. 



Finally, the name, as a common noun, is 

 given to the building in which a group of peo- 

 ple of the same faith worship. 



For the history of the Christian Church down 

 to the end of the Reformation see the articles 

 ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH ; REFORMATION, THE. 

 After the Reformation the Protestant body 

 divided into numerous branches, because of 

 differences in regard to doctrine and worship. 

 The important divisions of the Protestant 

 group are treated in this work under their re- 

 spective titles. 



CHURCHILL, WINSTON (1871- ), an 

 American author who has written a series of 

 historical novels and several noteworthy books 

 dealing with live social and political issues in 

 modern American life. He was born in Saint 

 Louis, Mo., and 

 was graduated in 

 1894 from the 

 Annapolis Naval 

 Academy. His 

 first novel, The 

 Celebrity, ap- 

 peared in 1898, 

 and was followed 

 by three related 

 historical tales 

 that won him 

 great popularity 

 Richard Car- 

 vel, The Crisif 

 and The Crossing, 

 tales of colonial and pioneer days. In 1906 

 came possibly his best achievement, Coniston, 

 & finely-written story of New England local 

 politics. Mr. Crewe's Career, another political 

 novel, A Far Country and The Inside oj the 

 Cup, the last named a criticism of modern 

 church methods, are his latest stories. His 

 books are brightened by delightful humor, 

 and he knows how to arouse the reader's inter- 

 est. All of his novels show the results of sound, 

 careful workmanship, and are uniformly clean 

 and wholesome. 



Churchill has for several years taken an 

 active interest in the politics of his home state, 

 New Hampshire. In 1903 and 1905 he was 



WINSTON CHURCHILL 

 American author. 



