society it involved, the persecution of the Church and of her clergy,
and her religious, which it shamelessly introduced in the name of
liberty, the ruthless war it waged upon religion, virtue, all that wise
and good men hold sacred, not unnaturally, to say the least, tended to
create in the minds of the clergy and the people, who remained firm in
their faith, and justly regarded religion as the first want of man and
society, a deeper distrust of the practicability of liberty, and a
deeper horror of all movements attempted in its name. This, again, as
naturally tended to alienate the party clamoring for political and
social reform still more from Catholicity; which, in its turn, has
reacted with new force on the Catholic party, and made them still more
determined in their anti-liberal convictions and efforts. These
tendencies, on both sides, have been aggravated by the European
revolutions and repressions, till now almost everywhere the lines are
well defined, and the so-called Liberals are, almost to a man, bitterly
anti-Catholic, and the sovereigns seem to have succeeded in forcing the
issue: The Church and Caesarism, or Liberty and Infidelity.
Certainly, as religion is of the highest necessity to man and society,
infinitely more important than political freedom and social well-being,
I am unable to conceive how the Catholic party, under the circumstances,
could well have acted differently. Their error was in their want of
vigilance and sagacity in the beginning, in suffering the political
Caesarism to revive and consolidate itself in the State, or the
sovereigns, in the outset, to force upon the Catholic world so false an
issue, or to place them in so unnatural and so embarrassing a position.
The truth is, the Catholic party, yielding to the sovereigns, lost, to
some extent, for the eighteenth century, the control of the mind of the
age, and failed to lead its intelligence--they who should always be
first and foremost in every department of human thought and activity.
That the struggles in Europe have an influence on the Catholic clergy
and laity in this country, cannot be denied. As yet many of our
Catholics, whether foreign-born or native-born, seem scarcely to realize
the fact that they are freemen, and possess, in this land of freedom,
equal rights with their fellow-citizens of every other denomination.
They have so long been an oppressed people, that their freedom here
seems hardly real. And unhappily even some of the clergy seem to be too
timid and backward in defending boldly and publicly those doctrines of
our holy faith which are opposed to the popular errors of our infidel
age. So far we have, thank God, been enjoying full religious liberty;
but it will depend mainly on the Catholic clergy to maintain this
liberty, by upholding the religious principles upon which all true
liberty is based. In order to maintain these principles they must defend
liberty of education to the utmost, and must not cease to remind the
State that it is its solemn duty to govern a free Christian people in a
Christian manner, and according to the Constitution of the Republic; and
that, under no pretence whatever, can it violate this Constitution in so
vital a point as is the education of our children; and that it is a
constant and crying injustice to tax Catholics for the support of
godless schools. We must not yield any of our constitutional rights; if
we do, the Church will be implicated, by degrees, in the same kind of
struggle which is now becoming so serious in Europe.
Now in order to meet with success, let us take up the press. In our
country, unfortunately, an unchristian press is guaranteed the fullest
liberty, and the evils that flow from that liberty are widely spread. It
is certain that this unrestricted freedom of the press, which every one
is ready to abuse, and which allows every one to constitute himself a
teacher of the public, can be defended neither on principles of reason
nor of faith. It becomes, therefore, not only our privilege, but our
solemn duty, to combat the unchristian by a really Christian press--a
matter on which the Church, and the Head of the Church, have spoken in
an unmistakable manner. If Catholics have not thorough Catholic papers,
they will take periodicals which are not Catholic. To have even one good
paper, through which we can give expression to our thoughts, is a great
blessing and a great gain; but that certainly does not enable us to give
our voice that weight in the questions of the day to which it is
entitled. A great deal has, of late years, been done for the
establishment of Catholic journals, and much good has been accomplished
by them. But far more might have been done had the Catholic press
received more support both from the clergy and laity. It is so easy for
the clergy to give this support by encouraging the Catholics in general,
but especially the members of so many excellent Catholic associations,
to subscribe to such periodicals. One word from the priest on the
usefulness of having a good Catholic paper and magazine in the family,
will induce a hundred times more Catholics to become subscribers, than
the longest appeal of a newspaper editor. The stronger the Catholic
press becomes, the more the attention of the nation is called to it, the
more shall we secure their respect for us and our religion. Yes, it is
absolutely necessary in a country like ours, where religious tracts
from Protestant societies, and pamphlets and periodicals of the most
obscene character, are flying over the land like leaves before the
autumn wind, that Catholic journals should be called into existence on
every hand, and that no sacrifice should be spared to do so, and to
encourage those already in existence. If the clergy only take the matter
in hand, they will find those willing and able to carry the matter
through. Let us use our talents, as God shall grant us grace and
ability, that we may, by so powerful a means as is the press,
disseminate the principles of truth, in order to contend with error. The
light of truth is far more calculated to dispel the darkness of error,
than the light of the sun is to disperse the darkness of the night. Why
are there so many talents lying idle among us? Why so many pens that
move not, when they should be burning with love for God, and for the
welfare of their fellow-men? Why so many tongues that are ever silent,
when they might, day after day, preach the good tidings of the Gospel of
Christ? Let us rest assured God has given to us, to every man his
vocation, his sphere of action and holy influence, wherein he can
proclaim to those around him that faith which maketh wise unto
salvation. Let us not be cowards,--let us show as much determination and
courage, let us sacrifice as much for the propagation of truth as its
enemies do for the dissemination of error; bearing, however, always in
mind that the manner in which we must combat error ought to be
charitable; for otherwise it is not calculated to command respect, and
make a salutary impression. It is thus that our fellow-citizens of other
denominations will come to understand that we appreciate our liberty,
and know how to use it for the benefit of the public.
But all rights and liberties avail nothing, in the end, if Catholic
education itself is not what it ought to be. And the great battle that
is waging, that education may not be deprived of its Christian
character, can be won by us only on condition that teachers, and
educators themselves, as well as parents and the clergy, understand
precisely the full bearing of the question.
To-day, more than ever, we need a thorough Catholic education. The
enemies of our religion are now making war upon its dogmas more
generally and craftily than at any former period. Their attacks, for
being wily and concealed, are all the more pernicious. The impious rage
of a Voltaire, or the "solemn sneer" of a Gibbon, would be less
dangerous than this insidious warfare. They disguise their designs under
the appearance of devotion to progressive ideas, and hatred of
superstition and intolerance, all the better to instil the slow but
deadly poison. By honeyed words, a studied candor, a dazzle of
erudition, they have spread their "gossamer nets of seduction" over the
world. The press teems with books and journals in which doctrines
subversive of religion and morality are so elegantly set forth, that the
unguarded reader is very apt to be deceived by the fascination of false
charms, and to mistake a most hideous and dangerous object for the very
type of beauty. The serpent stealthily glides under the silken verdure
of a polished style. Nothing is omitted. The passions are fed, and the
morbid sensibilities pandered to; firmness in the cause of truth or
virtue is called obstinacy; and strength of soul, a refractory
blindness. The bases of morality are sapped in the name of liberty; the
discipline of the Church, when not branded as sheer "mummery," is held
up as hostile to personal freedom; and her dogmas, with one or two
exceptions, are treated as opinions which may be received or rejected
with like indifference.
Nor is this irreligious tendency confined to literary publications; it
finds numerous and powerful advocates in men of scientific pursuits, who
strive to make the worse appear the better cause. The chemist has never
found in his crucible that intangible something which men call spirit;
so, in the name of science, he pronounces it a myth. The anatomist has
dissected the human frame; but, failing to meet the immaterial
substance--the soul--he denies its existence. The physicist has weighed
the conflicting theories of his predecessors in the scale of criticism,
and finally decides that bodies are nothing more than the accidental
assemblage of atoms, and rejects the very idea of a Creator. The
geologist, after investigating the secrets of the earth, triumphantly
tells us that he has accumulated an overwhelming mass of facts to refute
the biblical cosmogony, and thus subvert the authority of the inspired
record. The astronomer flatters himself that he has discovered natural
and necessary laws, which do away with the necessity of admitting that a
Divine Hand once launched the heavenly bodies into space, and still
guides them in their courses; the stenographer has studied the
peculiarities of the races; he has met with widely-different
conformations, and believes himself sufficiently authorized to deny the
unity of the human family; in a word, they conclude that nothing exists
but matter, that God is a myth, and the soul "the dream of a dream."
Thus do men attack these sacred truths, which cannot be shaken without
greatly injuring, and finally destroying, the social edifice.
Now, when we see the snares so cunningly laid to entrap our youth, can
we wonder that so many of our Catholic young men, even after they have
been educated at Catholic colleges, are caught in them, and fall into
infidelity? A short time ago, a gentleman of great learning, and a
celebrated convert to our Church, told me that he had the greatest
trouble to keep his son from falling into infidelity, though he was
naturally inclined to piety. He said that he had him educated at one of
the best colleges in the country, and that he felt surprised at the fact
that so many of the young men educated there had become infidels. "I
cannot," he said, "account for this, otherwise than by presuming that
the religious training there is not solid enough; that the heathen world
is too much read and studied; that principles somewhat too lax are in
vogue; that the truths of our religion are taught too superficially;
that the principles which underlie the dogmas are not sufficiently
explained, inculcated, and impressed upon the minds of the young men,
and that their educators fail in giving them a correct idea of the
spirit and essence of our religion, which is based on divine revelation,
and invested in a Body divinely commissioned to teach all men,
authoritatively and infallibly, all its sacred and immutable
truths--truths which we are consequently bound in conscience to receive
without hesitation.
"Now what I have said of certain colleges applies also, unhappily, to
many of our female academies; they are by no means what they should be,
according to the spirit of the Church; they conform too much to the
spirit of the world; they have too many human considerations; they make
too many allowances for Protestant pupils at the expense of the Catholic
spirit and training of our young Catholic ladies; they yield too much to
the spirit of the age; in a word, they attend more to the intellectual
than to the spiritual culture of their pupils.
"But what is even more surprising than all this is, that some of our
Catholic clergy, and among them some even of those who should be first
and foremost in fighting for sound religious principles, and seeing that
our youth are carefully brought up in them, are too much inclined to
yield to the godless spirit of the age--to the so-called liberal views
on Catholic education, which have been clearly and solemnly condemned by
the Holy See. They tell us poor people in the world, that, if we are
careless in bringing up our children as good Catholics, we are worse
than heathens, and have denied our faith! that, if our children are lost
through our neglect, we also shall be lost. I would like to know whether
God will show Himself more merciful to those of our clergy who take so
little interest in the religious instruction of our youth; who make
little or no exertions to establish Catholic schools, where we could
have our children properly educated; who, when they condescend to
instruct them, do so in bombastic language, in scholastic terms which
the poor children cannot understand, taking no pains to give their
instructions in plain words, and in a manner attractive for children.
"As the pastor is, so is the flock. We enjoy full religious liberty in
our country. All we need is good, courageous pastors--standard-bearers
in the cause of God and the people. We would be only too happy to follow
them, and to support and encourage them by every means in our power.
What an immense amount of good could thus be achieved in a short time!
Our religion never loses anything of its efficacy upon the minds and
hearts of men; it can only lose in as far as it is not brought to bear
upon them. What is most wanted is not argument, but instruction and
explanation.
"I can hardly account for this want of zeal for true Catholic education
in so many of our clergy, who are otherwise models of every virtue, than
by supposing the fact that their ecclesiastical training must have been
deficient in many respects, or that they must have spent their youth in
our godless Public Schools, where they were never thoroughly imbued with
the true spirit of the Catholic Church--the spirit of God.
"I have quietly, for some time, studied, as far as I was able, the
prevailing spirit of our people; noted the remarks and efforts of a few
ecclesiastics, laics, and Catholic periodicals (and, alas! how very few)
made in behalf of the sacred obligation of education, and endeavored to
compare the results with the efforts, and the observation _made_ is
sadly disheartening.
"Examine the Catholic almanacs, the census of the various States, or
those of the United States, and ascertain, first, the number of
Catholics in the country; second, the number of those between the ages
of six and twenty-one years; then divide this last number by the number
of Catholic schools, including colleges, academies, convents, parochial
and private schools, and the _quotient_ will be what? _Indifference to
Catholic education!_ In other words, this simple operation in vulgar
arithmetic demonstrates that in no country claiming to be enlightened
can be found _thirteen millions_ of Catholics with such an inadequate
number of schools as we have, or are likely to have, if a policy widely
different from that which prevails at present be not _early_ inaugurated
and steadily pursued. It is, indeed, true--and I willingly, cheerfully
admit the fact--that most of our priests, and nearly all our bishops,
are exerting themselves zealously, strenuously, and with marked success,
in the cause of education. But _not all_ the priests; _not all_ the
bishops are enlisted in the cause; nor are all in _positive_ sympathy
with it. All may be, perhaps are, agreed in believing that Catholic
education is necessary; but _all are not_ agreed as to the necessity of
Catholic schools in which it may be secured. Unanimity exists as to the
_end_, but not as to the _means_ to that end. And this lack or absence
of unanimity, especially among those whose peculiar province it is to
shape and direct Catholic sentiment, has produced, and continues to
produce, the most injurious consequences.
"Many of the clergy are _not_ opposed to the Public Schools, nor do they
feel reluctant to publicly make known the "faith which is in them," when
an opportunity presents itself. Many are opposed to these schools, but
theirs is a _negative_ opposition; that is, they are not in favor of
them. They believe that Catholic schools are better and safer, but they
do not consider it a duty incumbent on themselves to undertake the labor
and trouble inseparable from the establishment and direction of
parochial schools. These reverend gentlemen are simply neutrals; that
is, _if men may, or can, be neutral on such a subject_.
"Thought is free, and it may, perhaps, be impossible to have entire
unanimity in matters of opinion only; but if one of the ends sought to
be attained by the Church be the securing to each child a Catholic
education, it is very evident that the establishment of schools should
not be left to the discretion or whim of the several pastors. Upon
subjects far less important than that of schools, the statutes in many
dioceses are clear, explicit, binding. Is there any reason for their
silence on the subject of education? Our bishops have not only the
power, but the will, to enforce such matters of discipline as they deem
necessary. This granted--because too clear to be denied--does it not
follow that the establishment of schools maybe made obligatory upon
pastors? Let discipline be made uniform, and we will not witness such an
anomalous condition of things as exist at present. Duties are never in
collision; obligations never clash. There is but one right thing to be
done, but one right cause to pursue, all things considered; and whatever
is in conflict with this cannot be a duty, whatever may seem to be its
claim. In some parts of this country, the sacraments are refused to
those who decline to have their children attend Catholic schools where
such are convenient; but there is not, so far as I am informed, in those
parts, any _rule_ making it obligatory upon pastors to establish such
schools. In other sections, to withhold the sacraments for such a cause
is unthought of. The consequence is that many Catholics are at a loss to
understand why it is that an act which subjects them to such severe
punishment in one diocese should in another not call forth even a mild
reproof--pass unnoticed. In actions indifferent in themselves, it may be
wise, "when in Rome, to do as the Romans do"; but where _principle_ is
involved, such an easy adaptability cannot be encouraged.
"In this laxity of discipline, and in this want of uniformity, in this
wide difference of opinion among those who give direction to Catholic
sentiment, and who speak, as it were, _ex cathedra_, may be found some
of the causes for the indifference existing among our people on the
question of Catholic education.
"But it is so convenient to allow things to go on in the old way, and
so hard to establish anything new. Yet a thing which, in the great
struggle between the Church and antichrist, is one of the most powerful
means of victory, is really worth the highest sacrifice. Indeed, the
establishment of thorough Catholic schools is the most important step
that can be taken by our clergy to solve certain social questions, and
which can be solved only on Catholic principles. The greatest social
danger of the age, is the dechristianization and demoralization of the
rising generation. This dechristianization and demoralization are, to a
great extent, the cause of the wretchedness of society, and make that
wretchedness almost incurable. What enormous dimensions has this evil
assumed under the present godless system of education in the Public
Schools! But even the evils resulting from this system might, to a great
extent, be healed, if the clergy labor, with the zeal and fire of
apostolic times, to have good schools, and imbue our children therein
with thorough Christian knowledge, with fervent piety and earnest
devotion. Oh! if the children of light were only as wise as the children
of the world, we should witness wonders. It is true that evil makes its
way in this world better than goodness does, but it is also true that
goodness does not prosper, because those who represent it take the
matter too lightly, or do not go about it as they should. More is often
done for the worst cause than men are willing to do or to sacrifice for
the best. A great deal has of late years been done for the establishment
and maintenance of Catholic schools. Let us sincerely hope that a great
deal more will be done, and more universally; and need requires us not
only to pray, but to work with all our strength, with inexhaustible
patience and devotion, at the establishment of Catholic schools, and
make, for this noblest of objects, sacrifices not less generous than
those made by infidels in behalf of godless education."
It was thus that the good old gentleman spoke to me. He uttered great
truths. His language is that of all good Catholics in the country. I
have often heard it. It is no exaggeration to assert that the salvation
of those of our clergy who have charge of congregations depends, in a
great measure, on the solicitude with which they promote the thorough
Catholic education of those children who are confided to their care.
"Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord
God: Behold I Myself come upon the shepherds, I will require My flock at
their hand."--(Ezek. xxxiv. 9, 10.)
If our Lord will require His flock at the hands of their pastors, He
will undoubtedly require from them a stricter account of that part of
his flock for which he has always shown a particular predilection, that
is, for children. It was to children that He gave the special honor of
being the first to shed their blood for His name's sake. He has given
them to us as a model of humility, which we should imitate: "Unless you
become like little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."
He wishes that every one should hold them in great honor: "See that you
despise not one of these little ones." Why not? "For I say to you, that
their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven."--(Matt.
xviii. 10.)
He wishes every one to be on his guard, lest he should scandalize a
little child: "It were better for him that a mill-stone were put about
his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should scandalize one
of these little ones."--(Matt. xviii. 6.)
He says that the love, attention, and respect paid to a child, is paid
to Himself. "And Jesus took a child and said to them: Whosoever shall
receive this child in My name, receiveth Me."--(Luke ix. 48.)
He rebuked those who tried to prevent little children from being
presented to Him, that He might bless them: "And they brought to Him
young children, that he might touch them. And the disciples rebuked
those who brought them; whom, when Jesus saw, He was much displeased,
and saith to them: Suffer the little ones to come unto Me, and forbid
them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Amen I say to you,
whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a _little child_,
shall not enter into it. And embracing them, and laying His hands upon
them, He blessed them."--(Mark x. 13-16.)
The motives, then, that should induce every priest to devote himself
zealously to the spiritual welfare of youth, are: First, the great
interest which Jesus Christ takes in children; and second, the more
abundant fruits reaped from the care bestowed upon the young.
The Son of God came into the world to redeem all who were lost. But do
children profit by His abundant redemption? Do they draw from the source
of graces that are open to all? Will they be marked with the seal of
Divine Adoption, and be nourished with His own Flesh in the Sacrament of
His love? Will they be counted, in the course of their career, among the
number of His faithful disciples, or among the enemies of His law? Will
they one day be admitted into His kingdom? Will they be excluded? Is it
heaven or hell that will be their lot for all eternity? It is we
priests, and almost we only, that are expected to solve these problems.
Children are the noblest portion of the flock that is confided to our
care. Their fate is in our hands. If our zeal is not active in their
salvation, Jesus will lose, in them, the fruit of His sufferings and
death. How many are deprived forever of the sight and possession of God,
because they have not received a good Catholic education. Who is to
blame? Has the pastor sufficiently instructed, warned, and watched over
them? How many lose their baptismal innocence almost as soon as they
are capable of losing it, grow up in vicious habits, grow old in sin,
and die impenitent at last, because they were neglected in early youth,
were not subjected to the amiable yoke of virtue! "Bonum est viro, cum
portaverit jugum ab adolescentia sua."--(Thren. iii. 27.) If the first
years of life are pure, they often sanctify all the after life; but if
the roots of the tree are rotten and dead, the branches will not be more
healthy. "Adolescentes, cum semel a malitia fuerint occupati, quasi
incaptivitatem essent adducti, quoquo diabolus jusserit eunt."--(S.
Chrys. Hom. 19 in Gen.) Education is the mould in which a man's moral,
intellectual, and religious character is formed. Man will become, in his
old age, what education made him in his youth. "Adolescens juxta viam
suam, etiam cum senuerit, non recedet ab ea."--(Prov. xxii. 6.) All is a
snare and seduction for youth. If the fear of God, the horror of evil,
the maxims of religion, are not profoundly engraven in the soul, what is
to protect young people from their passions? What can be expected of a
young man who has never heard of the happiness of virtue, the hopes of
the future life, and the blessings or the woes of eternity? Now who
will give the Christian education, if not the pastor? Can we rely on the
parents? on Sunday-school teachers? Oh, priests! we are almost the only
resource of these poor children. Can we, knowing, as we do, how much
Jesus Christ loves them, can we, I say, resign ourselves to leaving them
in their misery? "The kings of the earth have their favorites," said St.
Augustine. The favorites of Jesus Christ are innocent souls. What is
more innocent than the heart of a child whom baptism has purified from
original stain, and who has not, as yet, contracted the stain of actual
sin? This heart is the sanctuary of the Holy Ghost. Who can tell with
what delight He makes of it His abode? Deliciae meae esse cum filiis
hominum. Look at the mothers who penetrated the crowd that surrounded
the Saviour, in order to beg Him to bless their children.... They are at
first repulsed; but soon after, what is their joy when they hear the
good Master approve their desires, and justify what a zeal, little
enlightened, taxed with indiscretion! Ah! let us understand the desires
of the Son of God. "Suffer," says He to us, "suffer little children to
come to me." What! You banish those who are dearest to Me? They who
resemble them belong to the kingdom of heaven. If you love Me, take care
of My sheep, but neglect not My lambs. Pasce agnos meos. Despise not one
of My little ones. "Videte ne contemnatis unum ex his pusillis."--(Matt.
xviii. 10.) I regard as done to Myself, all that is done to them. "Qui
susceperit unum parvulum talem, in nomine meo, me suscipit."--(Ibid. 5.)
O Saviour of the world! the desire to be beloved by Thee, and to prove
my love for Thee, urges me to devote myself to the Catholic education of
our children.
How great and consoling are not the fruits of zeal, when it has youth
for its object! The good pastor never despairs of the salvation of his
sheep, whatever may be their wanderings; he knows the power of grace,
and the infinite mercy of the Lord. But what difficulties does he not
encounter when he undertakes to bring back to God persons advanced in
age! Children, on the contrary, oppose but one obstacle to his
zeal--levity. All he needs with them is patience. Their souls are like
new earth, which waits only culture to produce a quadruple. They are
flexible plants, which take the form and direction given to them. Their
hearts, pure from criminal affections, are susceptible of happy
impressions and tendencies. They believe in authority. A religious
instinct leads them to the priest. They adopt with confidence the faith
and the sentiments of those who instruct them. Oh, how easy to soften
that age, in speaking of a God Who has made Himself a child, and Who
died for us! to awaken the fear of the Lord, compassion for those who
suffer, gratitude, divine love, in souls predisposed, by the grace of
baptism, to all the Christian virtues! Ask the most zealous pastors, and
all will tell you that no part of their ministry is more consoling than
that which is exercised for youth, because the fruits are incomparably
more abundant. Although all my efforts for the sanctification of an old
man, ever unfaithful to his duties, should be crowned with success, they
could not help his long life being frightfully void of merits, and a
permanent revolt against heaven. But if there be a child in question, my
zeal sanctifies his whole life; I deposit in his soul the germ of all
the good that he will do, and I shall participate in all the good works
with which his career will be filled. All believers have come out of one
single Abraham. From one child, well brought up, a whole generation of
true Christians can proceed. In this little flock that surrounds me, God
sees, perhaps, elect souls on whom His Providence has formed great
designs--pious instructors, holy priests, who will carry far the
knowledge of His name, and aid Him in saving millions of souls. In what
astonishment would the first catechists of a St. Vincent de Paul, of a
Francis Xavier, be thrown, had they been told what would become of those
children, and what they would one day accomplish! But even supposing
that all those confided to me follow the common way, I have in them the
surest means of renewing my parish. To-day they receive the movement, in
fifteen years they will give it. They will transmit good principles,
happy inclinations to their own children, who will transmit them in
their turn. Behold, it is thus that holy traditions are established, and
a chain of solid virtues perpetuated; ages will reap what I have sown in
a few days. It is by these considerations that the greatest saints, and
the finest geniuses of Christianity, became so much attached to the
education of youth. St. Jerome, St. Gregory Pope, St. Augustine, St.
Vincent Ferrier, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Francis de Sales, St. Joseph
Calasanctius, Gerson, Bellarmin, Bossuet, Fenelon, M. Olier, etc.,
believed they could never better employ their time and talents than in
consecrating them to the education of the young. "It is considered
honorable and useful to educate the son of a monarch, presumptive heir
to his crown.... But the child that I form to virtue, is he not the
child of God, inheritor of the kingdom of heaven?"--(Gerson.) "Believe
me," said St. Francis de Sales, "the angels of little children love
those with a particular love who bring them up in the fear of God, and
who plant in their tender souls holy devotion." Have we always
comprehended all the good that we can do to children by our humble
functions?
But if we wish for the end, we must also wish for the means--for
Catholic schools. They are the nurseries of the Church, as novitiates
are the nurseries of religious orders. The chief pastoral work of the
Church is to be done in the school. The school must be the chief
solicitude of the priest. He must consider no trouble too great, no
sacrifice of time and convenience too much, in order to secure good
attendance and efficiency in the school. Neither sick calls, nor any
other ecclesiastical duties, should be allowed to interfere with the
school. He must be the life and character of the school, and it is
principally he who must administer correction. The authority of the
priest, his interest in the school, and his relation towards the
parents, are far more persuasive and effectual as corrections, than
scoldings and penances inflicted by the master and mistress.
It seems to me that we cannot insist too much upon the vital importance
of the Catholic school. A priest's time is never better employed than
when three or four hours of it are daily spent in school--and that so
regularly, that his presence in the school is looked for alike by
teachers, children, and parents--and when he then occupies another
portion of his day in looking after the defaulters, and in talking with
parents over the school duties, and the future prospects of their
children. Thus the parents feel that in sending their children to be
educated there, they are not turning them over to a number of paid
teachers, nor even to Brothers and Sisters, but to the clergy
themselves, for their education. This personal interest and solicitude
of the priest reacts upon the parents as well as upon the children.
A pastor, then, wishing to secure the salvation of the best part of the
flock of Jesus Christ, must do all in his power to establish good
Catholic schools, and oblige parents to send their children to them, and
not to Public Schools--to the grave of Catholicity. It is _then_, also,
and not till then, that we shall see more young people called to the
priesthood, and to such religious orders as devote themselves especially
to the education of youth. In Europe, the bishops and priests, together
with the laity, fight for the liberty of educating the children
according to Catholic principles and customs. In this country, our
religious liberty is as great as it possibly can be. Now not to profit
by this liberty, is for the shepherds of the flock of Jesus Christ to
incur the greatest guilt; it is to be like that ungodly Bishop of
Burgos, who, on being told by Las Casas that seven thousand children had
perished in three months, said: "Look you, what a queer fool! what is
this to me, and what is that to the King?" To which Las Casas replied:
"Is it nothing to your Lordship that all these souls should perish? Oh,
great and eternal God! And to whom, then, is it of any concern?"--(Life
of Las Casas, by Arthur Helps.)
To be destitute of ardent zeal for the spiritual welfare of children, is
to see, with indifferent eyes, the Blood of Jesus Christ trodden under
foot; it is to see the image and likeness of God lie in the mire, and
not care for it; it is to despise the Blessed Trinity; the Father, who
created them; the Son, who redeemed them; the Holy Ghost, who sanctified
them; it is to belong to that class of shepherds, of whom the Lord
commanded Ezekiel to prophesy as follows: "Son of man, prophesy
concerning the shepherds of Israel: prophesy and say to the shepherds:
Thus saith the Lord God: Wo to the shepherds of Israel.... My flock you
did not feed. The weak you have not strengthened; and that which was
sick, you have not healed: that which was broken, you have not bound up;
and that which was driven away, you have not brought again; neither have
you sought that which was lost:... and My sheep were scattered, because
there was no shepherd: and they became the prey of all the beasts of the
field, and were scattered. My sheep have wandered in every mountain,
and in every high hill: and there was none, I say, that sought them.
Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: Behold, I Myself
come upon the shepherds. I will require My flock at their
hands."--(Ezek. xxxiv. 2-10.) To be destitute of this zeal for the
Catholic education of our children, is to hide the five talents which
the Lord has given us, instead of gaining other five talents. Surely the
Lord will say: "And the unprofitable servant cast ye out into the
exterior darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth."--(Matt. xxv. 30.)
What a shame for pastors of souls to know that the devil, in alliance
with the wicked, is at work, day and night, for the ruin and destruction
of youth, and to be so little concerned about their eternal loss; just
as if it was not true what the holy Fathers say, that the salvation of
one soul is worth more than the whole visible world! Since when is it,
then, that the price of the souls of little children has been lessened?
Ah, as long as the price of the Blood of Jesus Christ remains of an
infinite value, so long the price of souls will remain the same also!
Heaven and earth will pass away, but this truth will not. The devil
knows and understands it but too well. Oh! how he delights in a priest
who is called, by Jesus Christ, "the hireling, because he has no care
for the sheep, and who seeth the wolf coming and leaveth the sheep and
flieth."--(John x. 12.)
On the Day of Judgment, such a priest will be confounded by that poor
man of whom we read, in the life of St. Francis de Sales, as follows:
One day this holy and zealous pastor, on a visit of his diocese, had
reached the top of one of those dreadful mountains, overwhelmed with
fatigue and cold, his hands and feet completely benumbed, in order to
visit a single parish in that dreary situation; while he was viewing,
with astonishment, those immense blocks of ice of an uncommon thickness,
the inhabitants, who had approached to meet him, related that some days
before a shepherd, running after a strayed sheep, had fallen into one of
these tremendous precipices. They added that his fate would never have
been known if his companion, who was in search of him, had not
discovered his hat on the edge of the precipice. The poor man,
therefore, imagined that the shepherd might be still relieved, or, if
he should have perished, that he might be honored with a Christian
burial.
With this view he descended, by the means of ropes, this icy precipice,
whence he was drawn up, pierced through with cold, and holding in his
arms his companion, who was dead, and almost frozen into a block of ice.
Francis, hearing this account, turned to his attendants, who were
disheartened with the extreme fatigues which they had every day to
encounter, and availing himself of this circumstance to encourage them,
he said: "Some persons imagine that we do too much, and we certainly do
far less than these poor people. You have heard in what manner one has
lost his life in an attempt to find a strayed animal; and how another
has exposed himself to the danger of perishing, in order to procure for
his friend a burial, which, under these circumstances, might have been
dispensed with. These examples speak to us in forcible language; by this
charity we are confounded, we who perform much less for the salvation of
souls intrusted to our care, than those poor people do for the security
of animals confided to their charge." Then the holy Prelate heaved a
deep sigh, saying: "My God, what a beautiful lesson for bishops and
pastors! This poor shepherd has sacrificed his life to save a strayed
sheep, and I, alas! have so little zeal for the salvation of souls. The
least obstacle suffices to deter me, and make me calculate my every step
and trouble. Great God, give me true zeal, and the genuine spirit of a
good shepherd! Ah, how many shepherds of souls will not this herdsman
judge!" Alas! how just and how true is this remark. If we saw our very
enemies surrounded by fire, we would think of means to rescue them from
the danger; and now we see thousands of little children, redeemed at the
price of the blood of Jesus Christ, on the point of losing their faith,
and with it their souls; and shall we be less concerned and less active
for these images and likenesses of God than for their frames, their
bodies?
We hear a little child weeping, and we at once try to console it; we
hear a little dog whining at the door, and we open it; a poor beggar
asks for a piece of bread, and we give it; and we hear the Mother of our
Catholic children--the Catholic Church--cry in lamentable accents: "Let
my little ones have the bread of life--a good Christian education"--and
we do not heed her voice. We hear Jesus Christ cry, "Suffer the little
ones to come unto Me," by means of a Catholic education; we hear him
say: "Woe to him who scandalizes a little child"--who makes it lose his
innocence--his faith--his soul, by sending it to godless schools; we see
Him weep over Jerusalem, over the loss of so many Catholic children, and
we hear Him say: "Weep not over me, but for _your children_"; and
neither His voice nor His tears make any impression. We say with the man
in the Gospel, "Trouble me not, the door (of our heart) is now shut, I
cannot rise and give thee."--(Luke xi.) If an ass, says our Lord, falls
into a pit, you will pull him out even on a Sabbath-day; and an innocent
soul, nay, thousands of innocent children, fall away from Me and pass
over to the army of the apostate angels, and become My and your
adversaries, and you do not care. Oh, what great cruelty, what hardness
of heart, nay, what great impiety! If we were blind, we should not have
sin; but as Jesus Christ has spoken to us on the subject of education
through His Vicar on earth, through so many zealous bishops, through
sad experience, nay, even through many of those who are outside the
Church, we have no excuse for our sin of suffering devilish wolves to
devour our youth in our country. "My watchmen," says the Lord, "are all
_dumb dogs_, not able to bark, seeing vain things, _sleeping_, and
loving dreams."--(Isa. lvi. 10.) Truly the curses and maledictions of
all those who led a bad life, and were damned for want of a good
Christian education, which we neglected to give them, will come down
upon us! What shall we answer? "And he was silent."--Matt. xxii.
Marvellous, indeed, have been God's gracious dealings with this poor
land of ours, so very far above what we could have dreamed or hoped for
some years ago, that we may say in all truth that the finger of God has
touched us. That touch has quickened Catholic life in our land to a
wonderful extent; not, indeed, as yet, with the great exuberance of
Catholic European countries, but nevertheless with almost exulting
gladness; for to-day there are few indeed of our cities and towns in
which at least the pulse of Catholic life does not beat strongly.
But why have these great things been done for us? Why has our Catholic
life been increased and strengthened so wonderfully, except to win more
souls to Christ, to bring more of the American people into closer union
with God? If this be so, then we must not leave our Lord to work alone;
we must be fellow-workers with Him, by helping forward the growth of
holiness, the progress of the spiritual life, the poverty of the Cross,
the spreading of His Spirit in opposition to the formal and
self-indulgent spirit of the age, and this by every means in our power;
and, above all, by multiplying amongst us Catholic schools and
institutions. What the future may have in store for the Church in
America we cannot tell; whether, when more of God's Spirit has been
poured out upon us, our sons and our daughters shall prophesy, and our
young men shall see visions, and our old men shall dream dreams, as in
the days of old; but of this we may be sure, that in exact proportion as
our clergy exert that mighty energy which springs from the living faith
that overcomes the world, in order to leaven the mass of the American
people, and to build up, throughout the length and breadth of the land,
temples and schools to God's holy name, and altars to His honor, will
be the manifestation of the kingdom of God with power and majesty in the
midst of this American land, and the grasp of God's Church upon the
hearts and minds of this American people!
* * * * *
I have now only to add that I submit this, and whatever else I have
written, to the better judgment of our Bishops, but especially to the
Holy See, anxiously desirous to think nothing, to say nothing, to teach
nothing but what is approved of by those to whom the sacred deposit of
Faith has been committed--those who watch over us as being _to render an
account to God for our souls_.
Now, should the Prelates of the Church deem this publication ever so
little calculated to promote the great cause for which it has been
written, the compiler will believe himself amply rewarded for his labor,
and he will feel extremely grateful if they encourage its circulation by
giving it their special approbation and recommendation.
Father Michael Mueller's Books,
FOR SALE BY
PATRICK DONAHOE,
AND ALL CATHOLIC BOOKSELLERS.
THE BLESSED EUCHARIST OUR GREATEST TREASURE. Price, $1.50.
* * * * *
[_Letter from Archbishop Spalding._]
"We have read with much pleasure and with great edification this
valuable work, composed by one of our Redemptorist Fathers in Baltimore.
We have found the matter solid, well digested, and instructive, and the
style simple, earnest, and full of unction. The examples are, in
general, appropriately selected as illustrations of the text; and many
of them are very edifying, and even touching. These are, of course, to
be received, according to the author's timely protest in the beginning,
with the wise reserve expressly ordered by the Church in regard to such
matters, in the well-known Bull of Urban VIII.; but, with this necessary
precaution, such legends are profitable unto edification, as the way of
teaching by example is much more compendious, as well as much more
impressive, than that by word or writing. It is refreshing to find, in
this cold utilitarian age, a work issued from the press so full of
Catholic life, and so glowing with the fire of Catholic love. Believing
that its extensive circulation and diligent perusal will be promotive of
piety, and will be useful to all classes both within and without the
Church, we earnestly recommend the work to the faithful people under our
charge.
"MARTIN JOHN SPALDING, _Archbishop of Baltimore_.
"_Baltimore_, Feast of St. Francis de Sales, 1868."
* * * * *
[_Letter from Bishop Luers._]
"Rev. and Dear Sir:--'The Blessed Eucharist,' of which you have kindly
sent me a copy, is truly a charming work. It should be in every Catholic
family.
Yours truly in Christ,
"J. H. LUERS, _Bishop of Fort Wayne_.
"_Fort Wayne_, January 23, 1868."
[_From the "Banner of the South," Augusta, Georgia._]
"We have read this beautiful book; we have tasted the sweetness of its
thoughts, and we are reading it again. There is a humility about its
style so like His humility who dwells with us in the Holy Sacrament:
deep thoughts in plain words--doctrinal sublimities in language so
simple, that a child, without effort, may understand. It is indeed a
book of piety, and it will fill many a heart with love for the Great
Mystery of the Altar.
"REV. FATHER RYAN, _of Augusta, Ga._"
* * * * *
[_Letter to the Editors of the "Baltimore Mirror."_]
"Messrs. Editors of the _Baltimore Mirror_:--If you have room in your
columns, permit me, through them, to say a word or two about Father
Mueller's book, 'The Blessed Eucharist.' But how shall I begin? To say it
is great, good, or grand, is not enough. The nearest I can come to
expressing what I feel about it, is to say, next to receiving the
Blessed Eucharist, is the perusal of this inestimable book. I wish to
say to every reader of the _Mirror_, buy the book. No matter how great a
sinner you are, the hope of speedy relief is pointed out to you here; no
matter how weak and discouraged you are, the way to strengthen you is
shown here; no matter how dear the privilege is to you of receiving the
Blessed Sacrament, it will become doubly dear after reading this book.
To the rich I would say, buy two copies and give one to your poor
brother; his prayers and blessings will well repay you for the trifling
expenditure. To the ladies I would say, spare yourself a bit of ribbon
and buy the book. To the gentlemen, a few less cigars or drinks, and buy
the book. Every single page of it is worth the price of the volume.
Could dear Father Mueller have heard the prayers and seen the tears of a
poor old lady who is crippled, and cannot go to church, when it was
being read to her this morning, he would be rewarded as I know he wishes
to be. To one and all I say, buy the book.
"CECELIA.
"_Harrisburg, Pa., 1868._"
PRAYER THE KEY OF SALVATION. Price, $1.50.
* * * * *
[_Letter from Archbishop Spalding._]
"The Book on Prayer, Key of Salvation, is a collection of beautiful
jewels. It is a truly admirable book. In point of intrinsic merit, it is
superior to its predecessor--the golden book on the Holy
Eucharist--making due allowance for the difference of subject. It is
replete with interest and solid instruction, and is specially well
adapted for spiritual reading in religious communities and in families.
We take much pleasure in recommending to our diocesans this excellent
work of Rev. M. Mueller, C.S.S.R., which appears in a second revised
edition.
"M. J. SPALDING, _Archbishop of Baltimore._
"_Baltimore_, Ash Wednesday, 1869."
OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL HELP, IN THE WORK OF OUR REDEMPTION AND
SANCTIFICATION. With an Historical Account of the Origin and Effects of
the Miraculous Picture. Price, 40 cents.
* * * * *
[_Letter from James A. McMaster, Editor and Proprietor of "New York
Freeman's Journal."_]
"MY DEAR FATHER MUeLLER,--I have read the manuscript you were so kind as
to leave with me, on 'Our Lady of Perpetual Help.'
"I will say, sincerely, that I think it even more valuable, and more
interesting, than your book on the Blessed Eucharist, that has done so
much good, and is liked so much by pious souls. More than this it cannot
be needed to say; but I will add that, in my poor judgment at least, it
is so desirable to have it _speedily_ published, that I wish the angels
may _tickle the lungs_ of any one that, beyond what is necessary, delays
its production.
"Affectionately and humbly yours,
"JAMES A. McMASTER.
"_New York_, May 19, 1871."
THE GOLDEN RULE; OR, THE BOOK FOR ALL. Price, $2.00.
* * * * *
[_From the "Boston Pilot," Nov. 25, 1871._]
"The author of this excellent work is the Rev. Michael Mueller,
C.S.S.R.--a name deservedly held in great esteem in the Catholic
community. We shall not praise the author for his eminent qualities, for
we do not wish to give him pain. But of his work, which we have
carefully examined, we must say that it will compare favorably with
Rodriguez, Nigronius, and Cassian. True, it is written for Superiors of
Religious Communities, yet it will prove eminently useful to Pastors and
Directors of Souls. Father Mueller exhibits a knowledge of Religious and
Ascetic Economy truly wonderful. We bespeak for this work a wide
circulation. It is a book of that enticing class that, once taken up, it
will not be laid down until read through, from A to Z. Dry as the
subject may appear, it is so handled that the _Utile Dulci_ must needs
be felt by all readers. Again we thank Father Mueller for this new
addition he has given to the stock of our American Catholic Literature
and profitable reading.
"REV. FATHER FINOTTI."
[_From the "New York Freeman's Journal."_]
"This book will be very valuable to Superiors of Religious Houses, for
whom it is primarily intended. But it is the book, also, for a great
many others. It is a book for Catholic Pastors of parishes--for they
have governmental responsibility of souls. It is a book for priests who
sit in the Confessional, for these, too, have to deal with all sorts of
temperaments and of characters. But it is a book, also, for _Catholic
parents_--for these, by Divine order, have the care and responsibility
for the right training of their children."
* * * * *
[_From the "Pittsburgh Catholic."_]
"This is a work which will be very acceptable to the Superiors of
Religious Orders. In a clear and forcible manner the reverend author has
laid before us the awful responsibility, with its trials and
consolations, which rests on the shoulders of all those who are called
to rule and direct the various characters that enter the religious
state.
"The art of arts, and the science of sciences, is to rule--to govern
men. With this beautiful as well as profound saying of St. Gregory, the
reverend author opens his first chapter. Around it he hangs all the
wisdom which many years of study and experience have enabled him to
collect.
"We have every hope that the work will meet with a well-merited
reception. It may truly be called the 'Golden Rule,' since it embraces
all the duties of Superiors."
* * * * *
[_From the "Baltimore Mirror," Nov. 4, 1871._]
"This excellent work, by a talented and respected clergyman of this
city, although written principally for the instruction of those who have
charge of religious communities, will prove of immense benefit to all in
authority, whether clerical or lay; and while the director of souls will
find in it much sound advice, the parent, the teacher, will treasure it
as a safe guide in the performance of duties too often little
understood. If it is hard to learn to obey, still harder is it to learn
how to govern. The perusal of 'THE GOLDEN RULE' will do much towards
avoiding the misuse of the 'brief authority' with which one is clothed.
"The book bears the 'Imprimatur' of the Most Rev. Archbishop of
Baltimore, and its typographical execution does credit to the
publishers."
* * * * *
[_From the "New York Tablet," Nov. 11, 1871._]
"This is truly a golden book, full of sublime instruction for the
governing and the governed, not only in religious communities, for whom
it seems specially intended, but amongst Christians in the world. It is
a work of the highest importance, and ought to find a place in the
library of every religious house."
TRIUMPH OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT; OR, HISTORY OF NICOLA AUBRY. Price, 50
cents.
* * * * *
[_From the "Boston Pilot."_]
"This is a valuable work. Father Mueller is a writer well-known to the
Catholics: his writings have proved most acceptable for their solidity
and practicalness. This is a timely production, when, by an inexplicable
inconsistency, the agency of spirits is asserted, and their existence
denied. The history of Nicola cannot be contradicted; and page 114
contains the clearest exposition of the nature of Spiritualism
(spiritism), and the conclusive proofs of its agency.
"FATHER FINOTTI."
* * * * *
[_From the "New York Tablet."_]
"This little book is full, from beginning to end, of extraordinary and
intense interest. The narrative contained in the first part of it is one
that shows in a remarkable manner the dread power of Our Lord in His
Sacrament of the Altar, a power which the infernal legions recognize,
and before which they tremble. The second part gives a short but deeply
interesting account of modern spiritualism, as the form which
divination, sorcery, and devil-worship has assumed in our days. It is
written in a simple, agreeable style, that makes it pleasant to read."
THE RELIGIOUS STATE. Price, 75 cents.
* * * * *
[_From the "Pittsburgh Catholic."_]
"This is an excellent little work--one which should be read by all. It
shows the origin of the religious state, and the advantages to be
derived by a life solely devoted to the service of God. The many
objections that are frequently put forward against religious orders are
answered in a clear and brief manner."
THE CATHOLIC PRIEST. Price, 50 cents.
* * * * *
[_From the "New York Tablet."_]
"The priest is measured in every light which the various obligations and
phases of his sacred character throw around him. His mighty proportions
on the world's stage are drawn with power, and thorough appreciation.
Not a single grade in his ministry but is educed with a fine
distinctness, from the position in which he is the dear friend and
adviser of his flock, up to that awful height in which he is permitted
to touch, with his consecrated hands, the Body and Blood of his Lord and
God. Written in a strain of fervent enthusiasm, it is, for Catholics, a
book to be read and cherished."
* * * * *
[_From the "Pittsburgh Catholic."_]
"This is a small volume of 163 pages. In it the learned author shows us
how, by the institution of the Sacred Priesthood by our Divine Lord, the
priest is constituted the light of the world, the salt of the earth, the
guide, father and friend of the people, and the obligations the faithful
are under to hearken to his counsels. We wish the volume an extensive
sale."
* * * * *
THE OUR FATHER. Vol. I. Price, 50 cents.
PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION. Price, $1.50.
* * * * *
[_IN PRESS._]
CHARITY TO SOULS IN PURGATORY.
_DEVOTIONAL, INSTRUCTIVE, &c._
_The Instruments of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ._ Paper, 75
cts. Cloth. $1 50
_Catechism of the Christian Religion._ By Rev. S. Keenan. 1 50
_Instruction of Youth._ By Gobinet. 1 50
_Preparation for Death._ By St. Liguori. 0 75
_Instructions on the Commandments._ By St. Liguori. 0 50
_Reflections on Spiritual Subjects._ By St. Liguori. 0 75
_Discourses Addressed to Mixed Congregations._ By Rev. J. H. Newman. 1 00
_Wiseman's Sermons on the Devotion to the Holy Eucharist._ 0 25
_The Golden Treasury._ 0 75
_The Imitation of Christ._ By Thomas A'Kempis. From 30 cts. to 1 50
_Treatise on Prayer._ By St. Liguori. 0 30
_The Spiritual Combat._ 0 30
_Familiar Instructions._ 0 30
_River's Manual._ 0 75
_The Rosary and Scapular Book._ 0 50
_Epistles and Gospels for the Festivals throughout the Year._ 0 30
_The Forty Hours._ Paper, 10 cts. Flexible cloth. 0 15
_The Immaculate Conception._ By J. D. Bryant, M. D. 1 00
_The Month of Mary; or, Devout Meditations._ By Ferran. 0 60
_The Month of Mary._ By Muzzarelli 0 30
_A Manual of Instructions and Prayers for the Jubilee._ 0 05
_The Child's Month of Mary._ Flexible cloth, 20 cts. Paper. 0 12
_The Glories of the Virgin Mother._ From the Latin of St. Bernard. 0 60
_Introduction to a Devout Life._ By St. Francis de Sales. 0 75
_The Holy Communion._ By Dalgairns. 2 00
_Questions of the Soul._ By Rev. I. T. Hecker. 1 50
_Aspirations of Nature._ By Rev. I. T. Hecker. $1 50
_An Epistle of Jesus Christ to the Faithful Soul._ 1 00
_The Apostleship of Prayer._ By Rev. H. Ramiere. 1 50
_Manual of the Apostleship of Prayer._ By Rev. H. Ramiere. 0 35
_Love of Religious Perfection._ By Rev. Joseph Bayma, S. J. 0 75
_A Pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Theresa._ By Rev. Canon Dalton. 0 15
_All for Jesus._ By Faber. 1 50
_The Blessed Sacrament._ By Faber. 1 50
_Growth in Holiness._ By Faber. 1 50
_The Creator and the Creature._ By Faber. 1 50
_The Foot of the Cross._ By Faber. 1 50
_Bethlehem._ By Faber. 1 50
_Spiritual Conferences._ By Faber. 1 50
_The Precious Blood._ By Faber. 1 50
_Ullathorne on the Immaculate Conception._ 0 60
_An Explanation of the Devotion to the Immaculate Conception._ By Faber. 0 10
_The Means of Acquiring Perfection._ By St. Liguori. 0 25
_Memorial to Preserve the Fruits of First Communion._ 0 10
_Via Crucis; or, Holy Way of the Cross._ From 5 cts to 0 15
_Little Testament of Our Lord and Blessed Virgin._ 0 15
_Devotion to the Pope._ By Faber. 0 15
_Good Thoughts for Priest and People._ By Rev. T. Noethen. 2 00
_The Garden of Roses and Valley of Lilies._ By Thomas A'Kempis. 0 50
_Christian Catechism of an Interior Life._ By Rev. J. J. Olier. 0 50
_Think Well On't._ By Challoner. 0 31
_Manual of the Sodality of B. V. Mary._ 0 45
" " " " " 0 90
_Manual of the Sodality of B. V. Mary, and Sacred Wreath._ 1 25
_Manual of Devotion to the Arch-Confraternity of the Most Holy and
Immaculate Heart of Mary._ 0 30
_A Treatise on General Confession._ 0 45
_The official Documents Connected with the Definition of the Dogma of
the Immaculate Conception._ 2 50
_A Treatise on the Love of God._ By St. Francis of Sales. 1 75
_The Manual of the Children of Mary._ From 50 cts. to 1 50
_The Spirit of St. Francis de Sales._ $2 00
_Crasset's Meditations for every Day in the Year._ 1 80
_The Sufferings of Our Lord Jesus Christ._ By Father Thomas of Jesus 2 00
_The Knowledge and Love of Jesus Christ._ 3 vols. 7 50
_The Spirit of St. Vincent de Paul._ 2 00
_The Sufferings of Jesus._ By Catherine Emmerich. 0 60
_Spiritual Progress._ By Rev. J. W. Cummings, D.D. 1 50
_Selections from the Writings of Fenelon._ 1 25
_The Ark of the Covenant._ By Rev. Thomas S. Preston. 0 60
_Scenes in the Life of the Blessed Virgin._ 0 38
_The Little Month of the Holy Infancy._ 0 63
_The Confraternity Manual._ 0 45
_The Difference Between Temporal and Eternal._ 2 00
_The Practice of Christian and Religious Perfection._ By Rodriguez. 3
vols. 4 00
_The Christian Virtues._ By St. Liguori. 1 00
_Meditations on the Incarnation._ By St. Liguori. 0 75
_The Visits and Spirit of St. Liguori._ 0 75
_Visits to the Blessed Sacrament._ By St. Liguori. 0 38
_Eternal Truths._ By St. Liguori. 0 75
_Glories of Mary._ By St. Liguori. 1 25
_Saintly Characters._ By Dr. Nelegan. 1 00
_The Elevation of the Soul to God._ 0 75
_Spiritual Maxims of St. Vincent de Paul._ 0 38
_The Spirit of Christianity._ 0 75
_Hay on Miracles._ 1 00
_Butler's Feasts and Fasts._ 1 25
_The Youth's Director._ 0 50
_Sancta Sophia._ 1 25
_On Prayer._ By St. Liguori. 0 50
_Hours Before the Altar._ 0 50
_Manual of Prayers for those Seeking the True Church._ 0 75
_Month of November._ 0 38
_The Seraphic Staff._ 0 25
_The Rosary of the Blessed Virgin._ 0 10
_The Scapular Book._ 0 10
_Devout Instructions._ By Goffine. 2 25
_Month of the Sacred Heart._ 0 50
_The Love of Mary._ 0 50
_Love of Christ._ By St. Liguori. 0 50
_The Rule of Life._ By St. Liguori. 0 50
_Mater Admirabilis._ 1 50
_Seven Words of Jesus Christ on the Cross._ 0 10
_Instructions and Stations for the Holy Season of Lent._ 0 10
_A General Introduction to the Sacred Scriptures._ By Dixon. $4 00
_A Treatise on Baptism._ By Most Rev. F. P. Kenrick. 1 00
_Banquet of Theodulus._ 1 00
_The Blessed Eucharist our Greatest Treasure._ By Mueller. 1 50
_Lectures on the Eucharist._ By Wiseman. 1 50
_Lectures on Holy Week._ By Wiseman. 1 00
_Lectures on the Doctrines of the Church._ By Wiseman. 2 00
_Catholic Christian Instructed._ By Challoner. Flexible. 0 25
_Considerations on the World._ By Rev. B. S. Piot. 0 50
_Catechism of the Vows._ By Father Cotel, S. J. 0 50
_Devotion to the Holy Guardian Angels._ 0 50
_Devotion to the Heart of Jesus._ By Dalgairns. 0 75
_Furniss' Tracts._ 1 00
_Glimpses of Heaven._ 0 15
_Grounds of Faith._ By Manning. 0 40
_Devout Christian._ By Hay. 1 25
_Sincere Christian._ By Hay. 2 00
_Joy of the Christian Soul._ By Damphoux. 0 40
_Lacordaire's Letters to Young Men._ 1 50
_Little Month of St. Joseph._ 25 cts. and 0 40
_Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius._ 1 75
_Meditations for a Retreat of one Day in each Month._ 0 60
_Panegyric of the Blessed Aloysius._ Flexible. 0 25
_Poor Man's Catechism._ Flexible. 0 50
_Prayer, the Key of our Salvation._ By Mueller. 1 50
_Pious Exercises and Practices in Honor of the Sacred Heart of Mary._ 0 12
_Pious Exercises and Practices in Honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus._ 0 12
_Reflections on the Passion._ By Hearne. 0 75
_The Soul on Calvary._ 0 75
_The Mission and Duties of Young Women._ 0 60
_The Month of Mary._ By Gratrey. 0 50
_Anima Devota._ 0 60
_Bona Mors._ Flexible. 0 25
_Christian Perfection._ By Damphoux. 1 00
_Christian Sanctified by the Lord's Prayer._ 0 30
_Confidence in the Mercy of God._ 0 50
_Devout Communicant._ 0 60
_Hornihold on the Commandments and Sacraments_ 2 00
_Hours of the Passion._ By St. Liguori. 0 60
_Love of Christ._ By St. Liguori. 0 60
_Spirit of St. Liguori._ $0 60
_Visits to the Blessed Sacrament._ By St. Liguori. 0 75
_Way of Salvation._ By St. Liguori. 0 75
_Homilies on the Book of Tobias._ 0 75
_Interior Christian._ 0 60
_Lenten Monitor._ 0 60
_Little Treatise on the Little Virtues._ 0 45
_Manual of St. Augustine._ 0 38
_Meditations of St. Augustine._ 0 50
_Soliloquies of St. Augustine._ 0 50
_Confessions of St. Augustine._ 0 75
_Month of Mary._ 0 40
_Memorials of a Christian Life._ 0 75
_Borgo's Meditations on the Sacred Heart._ Flexible. 0 50
_Net for the Fishers of Men._ 0 06
_Nouet's Meditations for every Day in the Year._ 2 50
_Oratory of the Faithful Soul._ 0 50
_Office of Holy Week._ 60 cts. and 1 00
_Portraiture of True Devotion._ 0 30
_Reeve's Practical Discourses._ 1 75
_Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary._ By Lanzi. 0 60
_Sincere Christian's Guide._ By Gother. 0 50
_Sunday Monitor._ 0 50
_Spiritual Director._ By St. Francis de Sales. 0 50
_Spiritual Consoler._ 0 50
_Challoner's Meditations for every Day in the Year._ 2 00
_The Month of Mary._ By Kenrick. 0 55
_Rules of Christian Life._ 1 75
_St. Liguori's Spiritual Works._ Thick. 0 80
_The Catholic Pocket Library._ By St. Liguori, 13 vols. comprising:
_Divine Love and the Means of Acquiring It._ 0 20
_Consolation and Encouragement of a Soul._ 0 20
_Means of Acquiring Perfection._ 0 20
_Conformity with the Will of God._ 0 20
_Conversing Continually and Familiarly with God._ 0 20
_Practice of Meditation, and Practice of Perfection._ 0 20
_Rules of a Christian Life._ 0 20
_Practice of Christian Virtue._ 0 20
_Obligation of Children and Parents._ 0 20
_Explanation of the Sacrament of Penance._ 0 20
_Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus._ 0 20
_The Virtue of Chastity, and the Enormity of the Sin of Impurity._ 0 20
_The Injuries done to our Neighbor, &c._ 0 20
In Paper covers, 10 cts. each
_Devotions to the Heart of Jesus._$0 90
_Hell Opened._ 0 30
_Instructions on Matrimony._ 0 60
_Mary, the Morning Star._ 0 50
_Griffet's Meditations._ 0 50
_Novena of St. Anthony._ 0 15
_Path of Perfection._ 0 80
_Sinner's Guide._ 1 25
_Sinner's Conversion._ 0 45
_The Ursuline Month of Mary._ 0 50
_The Glories of Mary._ 0 50
_The Glories of Jesus._ 0 50
_The Glories of St. Joseph._ 0 50
_The Glories of the Holy Angels._ 0 50
_Young Catholic's Guide in the Preparation for Confession._ 0 08
_The Year of Mary._ 1 50
_Meditations of St. Ignatius._ 1 50
_Sacerdos Sanctificatus._ By St. Liguori. 0 80
_Sodalist's Friend._ 0 80
_The Religious Soul Elevated to Perfection._ 0 60
_Month of St. Joseph._ 0 50
_The Little Offices._ 0 50
_Mere de Dieu._ 0 50
_Man's Contract with God in Baptism._ 0 50
_Guide to Salvation._ 0 40
_Sacred Heart Mission Book._ O 75
_The Little Manual of Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus._ 0 40
_Despondency in the Pursuit of Piety._ 0 60
_A Treatise on the Catechism._ By Hamon. 0 60
_Marriage and Family Duties._ By Abp. Purcell. 0 25
_Stations of the Cross._ Prepared by the Jesuits. 0 20
_Devout Manual of the Holy Family._ 0 38
_Shadows of the Rood._ By Bonus. 0 75
_The Hidden Treasure, or the Holy Mass._ 0 50
_The Sacramentals of the Holy Catholic Church._ By Barry. 0 75
_The Imitation of the Sacred Heart._ By Arnoudt. 2 50
_A Manual of the Catholic Religion._ By Weninger. 1 25
_The Four Gospels Examined and Vindicated._ By Bishop Heiss. 1 25
_The Day of First Communion._ 0 10
_A Treatise on the Scapular._ By Colgan. Half bound 0 50
_The Month of the Holy Angels._ 0 50
_Bishop David's Retreat._ 1 25
_Practical Piety._ By St. Francis de Sales. $1 25
_Easter in Heaven._ By Weninger. 1 00
_The Christian Armed._ 0 50
_Roothan's Meditations._ 0 50
_Following of Christ._ From 60 cts. to 2 50
_The Graces of Mary._ O 60
_The Christian Instructed._ By Father Quadrupani. 0 38
_The Little Testaments of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph._ 0 25
_Novena of St. Patrick._ 0 25
_Cardinal Lambruschini, on the Immaculate Conception._ 1 00
_The Art of Suffering._ O 38
_Perry's Instructions for the Use of Catechists._ 0 90
_Revelations of St. Bridget._ 0 50
_The Clock of the Passion._ By St. Liguori. 0 45
_True Spiritual Conferences._ By St. Francis de Sales. 1 50
_Office of the Blessed Virgin._ (In Latin and English) 0 38
_A Short Treatise on the Rosary._ By Heaney. 0 50
_The Complete Sodality Manual and Hymn Book._ By Young. 1 00
_Guide for Catholic Young Women._ By Deshon. 0 90
_The Great Day._ 0 50
_The School of Jesus Crucified._ 0 75
_Appeal to Christian Young Women._ 0 50
_Life Pictures of the Passion._ 1 50
_Particular Examen._ By Brother Philippe. 2 00
_Difference between Temporal and Eternal._ 2 00
_Paradise of the Earth._ 1 50
_Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus._ By Franco S.J. 0 90
_In Heaven we know our own._ 0 60
_Segur on Holy Communion._ 0 35
_Choice of a State of Life._ 0 90
_The Our Father._ By Veith. 1 50
_Jesus and Jerusalem._ By Sister M. F. Clare. 1 50
_The Catechism Illustrated._ 0 75
_Familiar Discourses to the Young._ 0 75
_Memoirs of a Guardian Angel._ 1 00
_The Happiness of Heaven._ 1 00
_The Holy Communion, It is my Life, &c._ 1 00
_The Love of Jesus, or Visits to the Blessed Sacrament._ 0 50
_Devotions to St. Joseph._ 1 00
_Instructions on the Mass._ By Sullivan. 1 50
_The Vatican Council and its Definitions._ By Manning. 1 25
_Meditations on St. Joseph._ 1 50
_The Attributes of Christ._ 1 50
_Meditations on our Last End._ 1 50
_Resume of Meditation._ 2 00
_Meditations on the Litany of the Blessed Virgin._ 1 50
_Beauties of the Sanctuary._ 0 75
_CONTROVERSIAL._
_Plain Talk about the Protestantism of To-day._ By Segur. Paper 25 cts.
Cloth. $0 60
_Short and Familiar Answers to the Various Objections Commonly urged
Against Religion._ By Segur. Paper 25 cts. Cloth. 0 60
_Trials of a Mind in its Progress to Catholicity._ By Dr. Ives. 1 00
_The Bible Against Protestantism and for Catholicity._ By Dr. Shiel. 1 00
_Five Lectures on Catholicity and Protestantism._ By Dr. Nichols. 0 75
_Manning's Shortest Way to End Disputes About Religion._ 1 00
_Sure Way to Find Out the True Religion._ 0 25
_Grounds of the Catholic Doctrine._ 0 25
_The Bible Weighed in the Balance and Found Wanting._ By Dr. Blake. 0 40
_Works of Rev. D. W. Cahill, D. D._ 1 00
_An Exposition of the Apocalypse of St. John, the Apostle._ By Rev. E.
Putnam. 2 00
_An Exposition of the Principles of the Catholic Religion._ 0 10
_Gropings after Truth._ By Huntington. Paper 25 cts. Cloth. 0 75
_Problems of the Age._ By Rev. A. F. Hewitt. 2 00
_Apologia Pro Vita Sua._ By Dr. Newman. 2 00
_Reason and Revelation._ By Rev. T. S. Preston. 1 50
_Dr. Newman's Answer to Dr. Pusey's Eirenicon._ 0 75
_Moehler's Symbolism._ 4 00
_The See of St. Peter._ By Allies. 0 75
_The Comedy of Convocation._ Paper 25 cts. Cloth, large edition. 1 00
_Spalding's Lectures on the Evidences of Catholicity._ 2 00
_The Primacy of the Apostolic See Vindicated._ By Kenrick. 3 00
_A Vindication of the Catholic Church._ By Kenrick. 1 25
_Protestantism and Catholicity Compared._ By Balmes. 3 00
_The Genius of Christianity._ By Chateaubriand. 2 50
_Hughes and Breckenridge's Oral Discussion._ 2 50
_The Bible Question Fairly Tested._ 0 75
_Divine Faith, and Natural Reason._ By Baine. 1 50
_The Gentle Skeptic._ 1 50
_Kirwan Unmasked._ By Abp. Hughes. 0 12
_Travels of an Irish Gentleman in Search of Religion._ By Moore. $1 50
_Law and Wilberforce's Reasons for Submitting to the Catholic Church._ 0 30
_Manual of Controversy._ O 88
_Milner's End of Controversy._ 0 75
_The Clifton Tracts._ 4 vols. 3 00
_The Convert._ By Brownson. 1 25
_Principles of Church Authority._ By Wilberforce. 1 25
_Letters to an Episcopalian on the Book of Common Prayer._ 1 00
_Our Faith the Victory._ By Bishop McGill. 2 50
_The Protesting Christian._ 0 15
_An Amicable Discussion on the Church of England._ By Trevern. 2 00
_Answer to Rev. G. S. Faber's Difficulties of Romanism._ 1 00
_Defence of Catholic Principles._ By Gallitzin. 0 60
_Letters to a Protestant Friend._ By Gallitzin. 0 60
_Difficulties of Protestantism._ By Fletcher. 1 00
_Exposition of the Doctrines of the Catholic Church._ By Bossuet. 0 60
_Letters to a Prebendary._ By Milner. 0 60
_Letters Concerning the Roman Chancery._ 0 75
_Notes on a Protestant Catechism._ 0 06
_Poor Man's Controversy._ 0 50
_Short History of the Protestant Religion._ By Challoner. 0 50
_Spirit of Religious Controversy._ By Fletcher. 0 50
_Tracts._ By Dr. Lingard. 1 00
_Hughes' and Breckenridge's Controversy._ 2 00
_A Vindication of the End of Controversy._ By Milner. 1 00
_Baxter's Most Important Tenets of the Catholic Church._ 0 30
_A Protestant's Objections._ 0 60
_Unity of the Episcopate._ 0 80
_White's Confutation of the Church of Englandism._ 1 25
_Charity and Truth._ 1 25
_A Catholic's Apology, &c._ 0 50
_Galileo and the Roman Inquisition._ 0 30
_The Touchstone of the New Religion._ Flexible. 0 15
_Italy and the Papal States._ By Cardinal Wiseman. 0 25
_Fifty Reasons._ 0 25
_Papist Misrepresented._ 0 25
_Campbell and Purcell's Debate._ 1 50
_Development of Protestantism._ 0 50
_On the Apostolical and Infallible Authority of the Pope._ By Weninger. 1 50
_Catholicity, Protestantism, and Infidelity._ By Weninger. 1 25
_Why Men do not Believe._ By Laforet. Paper, 30 cents. Cloth. 1 00
_Vicker and Purcell's Debate._ 1 00
_Christianity and its Conflicts._ By Marcy. 2 00
_Conversations of a Catholic Missionary with Americans._ 1 25
_Bossuet's Variations._ 3 00
_Religion in Society._ 1 50
_Pope and Maguire's Discussion._ 1 25
_Cobbett's Legacies._ 0 60
_Ward's Errata of the Protestant Bible._ 0 75
_His Holiness, Pius Ninth, &c._ By Rhodes. 0 38
_Liberalism and the Church._ By Brownson. 1 00
_Catholic Doctrine, as defined by the Council of Trent._ 3 50
_Newman's Grammar of Assent._ 2 50
_The Invitation Heeded._ By Dr. Stone. 1 50
_The Question Solved._ By Dr. Hannan. 1 25
_The Visible Unity of the Catholic Church._ 5 00
_A Catholic Servant's Apology._ Paper. 0 05
_McGuire's Lenten Lectures._ 0 50
_Letters to a Protestant Friend._ 1 25
_Points of Controversy._ By Father Smarius. 1 50
_Order and Chaos._ By Marshall. 0 25
_Rome and Geneva._ 0 25
_Anti-Janus._ 2 50
End of Project Gutenberg's Public School Education, by Michael Mueller