You might be amazed!

By Lynn Ascrizzi 

It’s likely that very few people today have heard of Saint Crispin or his brother, Saint Crispinian. Nonetheless, since the third century A.D., the twin brothers have been recognized as?”the patron saints of cobblers, glove makers, lace makers, leatherworkers, saddle makers, shoemakers, tanners and weavers.”? 

It’s an amazing tribute. But given modern culture’s rapid changes, that level of acclaim?might not have the same impact today that it once enjoyed centuries ago.?Even so, the story of the brothers’?saintly dedication to the work of hand and heart is still quietly appreciated. And, if one or more of the familiar, above-mentioned trades happens to be an integral part of your?own work?history, you might want to take note. Or, even count yourself blessed. 

To understand all this, we need to step back to the crisis-ridden third century, at a time when the Roman Empire nearly collapsed under?the combined pressures of invasion, civil war, plague, religious?conflicts and economic calamity.? 

?The two brothers,?born to a noble Roman family,?fled persecution for their?Christian faith, an ordeal that took them from Rome to Soissons, one of the most ancient towns of France. During the day, they preached to a group of farmers and metal workers called the Gauls. At night, they worked at making shoes.? 

Apparently, they earned enough to support themselves and to aid the poor, so it’s likely they?experienced a certain amount of peace and prosperity. But the era in?which they lived was anything but idyllic. It was fraught with barbarian?invasions, civil wars, peasant rebellions,?political?instability, economic failure and plague. 

Ironically, the brothers’ success at their trade and their outspoken loyalty to a faith, which at the time was severely persecuted, aroused the ire?of the Roman governor. By his decree, the two men suffered torture and were thrown into the river with millstones around their?necks. Somehow, they survived?that first onslaught, but in A.D. 286, the Emperor Maximian had them beheaded.?Now, seen as martyrs, the brothers were declared to be saints. 

For about 600 years, October 25th has marked their feast day. Although?the?day is no longer on the Roman Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar,?Crispin and Crispinian are still officially venerated by the Church.? 

 
Over the long centuries,?St. Crispin’s Day has been celebrated with solemn processions and joyful festivities, events in which shoemaker guilds played a leading role.?In fact, shoemakers traditionally observed the feast with a day off work and much merrymaking. Newspapers stories reported shoemakers being “on the drink” for the occasion. 

An old rhyme ran: 

“The twenty-fifth of October, 

More snobs drunk than sober.” 

? 

And, if it rained on Oct. 25^th, it was said that St. Crispin was?helping shoemakers by sending weather that made people buy new shoes and galoshes.? 

? 

At one time,?shoemakers, leatherworkers and similar trades, frequently used?Crispin or Crispinian in the names of their businesses or organizations. In those days,?people?were more aware of the history behind the Saint’s Day and it’s likely they?wanted their trade to share in its spiritual meaning.? 

 
For instance,?an?important, but now almost forgotten part of women’s U.S. work history was named the?Daughters of St. Crispin.?The?large organization, founded in 1869 in Lynn, Massachusetts,?represented the first national women’s labor union in the U.S.?It began with a strike of over a thousand female workers. The group was comprised of  

“resident stitchers, who lived in towns near the factories, and floating stitchers, who traveled from factory to factory in response to seasonal shifts in work.” 

One of their victories occurred in 1870, when the women unanimously?adopted a resolution demanding equal pay for doing the same work as men. The women’s successful second strike granted workers higher wages.? 

Their male counterparts were the Knights of St. Crispin, organized in 1867, in Milwaukee,?Wisconsin. The order spread throughout the Northeast and even into Canada. In a few years, the group claimed about 400 lodges and 60,000 members. Dues-paying members, however, were far fewer! Thus, it’s not surprising that?the Knight’s history experienced jarring ups and downs. In 1872, its eastern lodges went on strike and were defeated, and the organization quickly declined. 

? 

However, when the order was revived in Lynn, Massachusetts, members defeated an attempt by manufacturers to sign a pledge not to join a union. Yet, in a financial crisis called the Panic of 1873, factories suffered heavy losses and the union rapidly lost members. 

? 

Of course, recounting the ups and downs of historical enterprises that bear the names Crispin or Crispinian, does not necessarily ensure that the saints’?deeper story and purpose will be preserved. But in Shakespeare’s?famed?”St. Crispin’s Day Speech” — which is a key part of?his history play, Henry V —?their names are immortalized. 

? 

In the scene, King Henry’s rousing speech cited recounts?the Battle of Agincourt, which in 1415, took place on Saint Crispin’s Day. Seeking to inspire his largely outnumbered English forces to fight,?he tells them:?“The fewer men, the greater share of honour.” ? 

? 

Moreover, he reminds his men:?”This day is called the feast of Crispian!” And, he declares that every soldier who survives the battle, will each year, “rouse him?at the name of Crispian,” and say: “These wounds I had on Crispian’s day.”??? 

? 

“Crispin, Crispian shall ne’er go by,? 

From this day to the ending of the world, 

But we in it shall be rememberèd; 

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.”