Apr (M-fT A HANDBOOK FOR BRIDE AND GROOM By REV. ANDREW KLARMANN, A.M. Author of "Princess of Gan-Sar," "Nizra," "Chapters in Christian Doctrine," Etc. ]^Yehmtk lustel $: (Ho. Printers to the Holy Apostolic See and the Sacred Congregation of Rites 52 Barclay Street 436 Main Street NEW YORK CINCINNATI (Utiapl^rB in Qllfrtattan ©ortrttt^ Reason the Witness of Faith " Rationabile ObsequiumVestrum " "Your Reasonable Service" Rom. xii, I With Ecclesiastical Imprimatur BV REV. ANDREW KLARMANN, A. M. l8mOf 246 pa.ges, cloth Net 50 cents, per dozen, $4 80 Special Price for Introduction The book should, be found among all sets of "Mission Goods," in every household and in every College and Academy. It also is a very practical manual to give to prospective converts. An eminent theologian, to whom we submitted the manuscript before publication, wrote regarding same: : ' " I find it not only very good, but in parts most excellent and covering in an admirable manner more questions of an interesting and most useful nature than we generally find in books of this char- acter. This book might well serve as a guide in the con- struction of text-books in other branches, and we welcome it heartily as giving forth the right note among many uncertain sounds. —Fortnightly ReiAew, St. Louis, Mo. The book is written in catechetical form, and we are glad to see that the answer always includes the question. It is the kind of book to be used for the higher classes of colleges and convents and is a worthy supplement to the "Penny Catechism." —The Catholic Times, London, England The chapters are thrown into catechetical form because a "well-pointed question is worth nine- tenths of the answer"; and the questioning is ad- mirably done, for not a word the young would find it hard to understand is allowed to pass unex- plained, even if the answer seems to carry tlie author away from his subject. The chapters on the Mission and Work of Jesus, on Truth and Essen- tials, and on Purity are particularly well done. —America, New York. iiatnmnmal A HANDBOOK FOR BRIDE AND GROOM By REV. ANDREW KLARMANN, A.M. Author of "Princess of Gan-Sar," " Nizra," "Chapters in Christian Doctrine," Etc. IfnhH'xck fmm ^ (Ho. Printers to the Holy Apostolic See and the Sacred Congregation of Rites 52 Barclay Street 436 Main Street NEW YORK CINCINNATI dLtnsox. jArcIitisItoji of ^efa '^orfc. ^efa ^i«It, (Aug. 2, 1915- l^xxnith m p. ^, JV. (Enpyriglit, 1915 3ln tl|c ^ntteit States sent Circal ^rttmn Jfr. Pustet & Co. iialrimo«ial frim^r I. GENERAL REFLECTIONS. 1 . Those who contemplate entering upon the mar- ried state, should earnestly strive to realize its im- portance, its obligations, and its privileges and advan- tages. For Marriage is a divine institution; that is: It is one of several prominent factors in the Providence of God, by which He as the Creator carries out His designs concerning man. 2. The principal design of God concerning man is, to fit man here below for a happy eternity. We are called to rejoice in unending happiness in Heaven with God, in the company of His angels, as soon as we shall have finished our course of training and trial here below. This is so much the main purpose of our exist- ence, that it may safely be said to be the only one, if we wish to take a large view of our destiny. 3. Everything else, besides our lot in eternity, is transient, perishable, and unreliable. Our lot in eter- nity is not hell, by any means, but Heaven, because by the will of God we are destined and created for Heaven, and for nothing else. If any souls are lost, they are lost because they have mistaken their calling from God, and have made a failure of their lives on earth. They have fallen short of their duties towards God in important matters, contrary to their better knowledge and the dictates of their conscience. 4. Of minor importance in our lives are all the other opportunities which God offers us for the exer- cise of our mental and bodily faculties. Our health, therefore, and our very life, are not to be considered as goods of greater importance than our calling to do the will of God. Their value is not absolute, but greater or less in proportion to the measure of assistance we derive from them in striving to promote our spiritual life and health and to secure our eternal salvation. Earthly possessions, such as wealth, power, and social position, comfort and luxury, pleasures and joys, de- serve so much less consideration than our lives and our health, as they are far less valuable, and often even stand in our way in working out our eternal destiny. 5. Everyone of us, therefore, is a unit, well weight- ed and calculated in the plan of God, for the promo- tion of God's work in the creation. For his conscien- tious co-operation in this work, each may confidently expect to receive an eternal reward. II. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS. 6. The larger and more important factors in the Providence of God for procuring the end for which man was created, are : 1 ) The true Church, which is the custodian and treasurer of the Redemption for mankind; 2) just Government, by which mankind is arrayed in the proper social order for securing tem- poral safety and welfare; 3) Matrimony, by which the orderly propagation and education of the human race is to be secured. 7. Matrimony, therefore, occupies a place of honor among the fundamental institutions of God for the welfare of the human race. His adopted family. Mat- rimony shares not only the honor of God's grandest in- stitutions, but, in justice, also the responsibilities which attach to each of them. Again, it shares also their authority, in its own sphere. The Church teaches, guides, and corrects her members with the authority of God. The state also rules in the name of God, or, at least, has the power to do so, abuses not withstanding. Marriage has a share in the power both of the Church and of the state. The marriage contract accords cer- tain sacred rights which cannot be lawfully denied by either party, because they are accorded by God Him- self. Certain obhgations, also imposed by Marriage, are so sacred, that their violation would shake the very foundations of the Natural Law, which is the Univer- sal Law of God for His Creation. 8. Hence, the importance of Marriage as a divine institution is evident. Moreover, it is elevated to the dignity and power of a sacrament. "Have you not read," Our Lord said, reproving the Jews for their low estimate of Matrimony, "have you not read, that he who made man from the beginning, made them male and female? For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and the^ two shall he in one flesh. Therefore, now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder" (Matth. 19, 4-6). And, quoting the same passage, St. Paul de- clares: "This is a great sacrament (sacred thing); but I speak in Christ and in the Church" (Ephes. 5, 32). As a sacrament. Matrimony takes on the character of sacredness of God, that is, of inviolability upon divine sanction. All that, therefore, pertains to the nature and object of Matrimony is to be viewed from the angle of religion. Nothing of these things is left to the arbitrary disposition of the contracting parties, so long as they have decided to execute their contract. As a sacrament. Matrimony also confers the neces- sary particular graces for the faithful discharge of the duties of the married state. And as a sacrament of the living, it increases sanctifying grace. 9. But Marriage presents itself as a most important institution of God also from the viewpoint of its object. It is not only vested with the dignity of a sacrament, but it is endowed with especial virtue and power as the only legitimate source of human propagation. It is the pivot of human history, the cradle of the world, the school of order and integrity. Without the insti- tution of lawful wedlock the human r«ce would have been given over to the ravages of unbridled passion, and of blood-reeking contention, either of which means destruction. For the faithful observance of the obli- gations of married life, this sacred institution has ever been for individuals as well as for whole nations, the chief source of progress, contentment, happiness, and of both spiritual and temporal blessings without num- ber. Nations that violate the sacred marriage con- tract are thereby driving the most effective wedge of disintegration into their power, health, strength, and culture. Hence, Marriage is inded a sacred thing both from the viewpoint of the Church and from that of the state, or of the human race at large. III. THE OBLIGATIONS OF MARRIAGE. 10. For the reason that Marriage is an institution of the utmost importance both for the Kingdom of God here and hereafter and for the existence of na- tions as units of development in their moral and tem- poral welfare, it is evident that none should enter it without due consideration and preparation. To rush into marriage headlong, without having weighed the chances for happiness and unhappiness, would be im- prudent; in some cases, disastrous. To enter into it, even if leisurely, but without a thought of commending so serious a step to God, the author and defender of marriage, would be wicked. ] I . The obligations of the married state are mani- fold, hard, and often most tedious and burdensome. The primary duty of the married couple is, to raise children, provided they decide to carry their contract into practice. The substance of this contract is, to give to each party the power of the lawful use of the body of the other. The second duty of the married couple is, willingly to assist each other in allaying and relieving the im- pulses of the flesh. 12. From these duties, however, flow additional obligations: as the bringing up and education of the children born of the marriage, the preparation and guidance of the children for their future place in the community, the care for the children in danger, trouble, and sickness. In one word: a participation in the Fatherhood and Providence of God. It is for this reason that God jealously protects the honor of parent- hood by the Fourth Commandment and by many other injunctions in the Old as well as in the New Testa- ment, and promises an immediate reward for the pious observance of these injunctions. The most important prerogative of parenthood is its authority. This jeweled wand, parents must never yield to their children under pain of failure of all their parental cares and efforts. 1 3. The foregoing obligations are the ramifications, in a manner, of the primary obHgation of marriage, that of making the use of marriage serve the propaga- tion of the human race. The following instances rep- resent some of the deductions from the second marital obligation, that of mutual assistance in bearing the burden and the heat of the flesh: a) Disregard of per- sonal comfort for the love of the partner; b) at times also sacrifices of well-being, unless the partner can be persuaded to be contented, without danger to his virtue; c) denial of one's moods and unseasonable dis- positions ; d) sometimes even direct efforts of attracting the renitent partner. 1 4. The most salient feature of married life is un- selfishness. When both partners learn each his own disposition, weaknesses, and tendencies, and at the same time strive to make due allowance for common faults and to make room for the fostering of the good traits in each other, then there is placed a foundation for lasting peace, happiness, and vigor—and not otherwise. Hence, it is necessary that candidates for marriage should study each other's points of attractipn, and not neglect to take notice also of each other's shortcomings and less agreeable peculiarities. Love and affection must not be allowed, before marriage, to blind the candidates to all blemishes of character and disposi- tion. For this indulgence, many occasions will be of- fered after marriage. 15. In the last place, husband and wife are obHged to be a means of edification and sanctification for each other. The self-control and self-discipline of the mar- ried, on this account, is as imperative for the peace of the home, as is the obedience of the religious for the 8 peace of their community, and is of greater conse- quence in that it affects the training of the children. 1 6. Hence, the great requisite in family life is prayer; common prayer. In this exercise of religion, the hearts of husband and wife are closely brought together in God: wounds and bruises are healed, scars are removed, tears are dried, burdens are lightened, and in trials and straits love is fanned to intenser flame, and purified by a new infusion of the love of God. Prayer, common prayer, family prayer—be- hold the sanctuary lamp before the shrine of Matri- mony! IV. PRIVILEGES OF MARRIAGE. 1 7. The noblest privilege which Marriage accords a Christian couple is the communication of two souls in mutual understanding and affection. Ordinary re- spect for our neighbor and every-day charity are intensified by the fire of love, and ennobled by unob- structed inspection of each other's soul and heart, in conjugal life. It is the accomplishment of the tender- est and strongest friendship. In union with the prac- tice of prudent and loving restraint, it forms an ideal, such as the Author and Source of all love alone could conceive and establish on earth. Its permanency and exclusiveness are but its natural condition and con- sequence. The thought of disruption is foreign to so intimate, delicate, and grateful a union. It is bound to lure to light that which is the very best and the most beautiful in the soul, and to put a check upon all that is gross and indelicate. 18. A less ethereal and idealistic, but none the less precious privilege of Marriage is the mutual commu- nication of those powers and pleasures which God has designed for the propagation of the human race. For the all-wise Creator has surrounded the office of parenthood with an inexplicable charm. The atmos- phere of the conjugal chamber, as produced by Nature, is a seduction of the sober senses and a fascination of the fancy; a rosy-lined deception. This is neither chance, nor mere passion, nor sin. It is a necessity. It is the white bloom of the fruit trees of spring. It is a fragrant veil spread over the door of Nature's workshop. It is the balm that soothes the pangs of childbirth, the music that stills the cries of the nursery. How else could the Creator win over an obstreperous race, cursed with self-will and love of ease, to assume their necessary part in the plan of His Providence, except by taking captive altogether their senses, their sentiments, and their minds? He made unyielding Nature the mistress of propagation, subject- ing her only to Himself, and, indeed, directly to Him- self. 19. But right here are encountered the reefs of conjugal life. Nature is not only insistent in her cravings, but is unreasonable in asking satisfaction. She visits terrible retribution upon those who disregard her ultimate purpose, it is true. But she keeps on wielding the rod over her servitors. "But if thou take a wife, thou hast not sinned. And if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned: never- theless such shall have tribulation of the flesh" (I Cor. 7, 28). Hence, Nature must not be allowed to enthrone herself in Marriage as the supreme arbiter of the con- duct of husband and wife. Strong as may be the bonds which concupiscence winds about sense and 10 fancy, the intellect and the will can keep themselves free from the trammels and shackles of passion; espe- cially in view of the fact that passion is blind, and, therefore, is designed to be guided by reason. It is subject to the leadership of our nobler faculties. Hence, it would be acting in an unmanly manner, would one resign oneself to natural impulses without judgment, and without reasonable restraint. 20. Yet, we are not greater and stronger than our- selves, that is, we have, by nature, no power to over- come ourselves when our whole being is in sympathy with an impulse or a commotion rising up against reason and law. But God has provided assistance by grace for occasions when our moral strength is evenly matched by the strength of passion, and when, in addition, we are urged to make common cause with our assailant for our own defeat. And this assistance of God can always be secured by humble and devout prayer; not perhaps by oral prayer alone, but by a fervent petition from the depth of an anguished heart. 2 1 . There are frequently suggested in married life such considerations as endanger the integrity of con- jugal life. Often it is the consideration of the health of the mother which seems to make a deflection from the rule of marital habits not only reasonable, but im- perative. To continue in the regular practice of wedded life would be tantamount to the sentence of death pronounced on a faithful mother. "One more birth," the physician will decree, "and this life of yours will be wrecked forever, or, will be snuffed out." Therefore, a convenient way is to be sought out of the difficulty. A "convenient way," of course, because it is the easiest way. Whether or not it is the correct, that is, 11 the virtuous and natural way, it is not considered worth while discussing. 22. If the danger is as grave as the physician an- nounces, and, therefore, a change in conjugal habits is demanded, the onl^ natural, correcU and virtuous way is either to face the danger squarely, or to abstain from the use of conjugal privileges. The former is the less virtuous, in itself, in the face of the demands of xiharity. The latter, in many instances, will be found to be the only virtuous way. 23. But in not a few cases the physician, for pro- fessional reasons, exaggerates the danger. He knows that an early repetition of the labor and hardships — in a particular case—of child-bearing, will aggravate a certain neurotic or other pathological condition in his patient, and, therefore, in order to make sure that his professional services for that particular ailment may not be expended in vain, he threatens the direst ills upon her as a deterrent from interfering with his treatment. 24. This is good policy, medically speaking. It is the reverse, from the moral standpoint. It is an untruth, and an incentive for weak and passionate mortals to the forming of criminal habits. For the usual course pursued under such circumstances is not the practice of charitable abstention, but the practice of sinful indulgence, the direct prevention of concep- tion in some way or other. Yet this remedy does not cure. Nor does the doctor intend to persuade the parties under considera- tion to make wrong use of their rights. Only his de- claration produces this consequence, because both or either of these parties find it hard to control their im- 12 pulses. The physician knows better than anyone else that whatever practice runs counter to the order of nature, runs counter also to whatever course of cure he may have instituted for his patient. The last things of such patients are invariably worse than the first. 25. For mothers who are brought face to face with a proposition of this sort it is well to consider 1 ) That the Keeper of our lives and health is, in the first place, God, and not the doctor. 2) That the state of pregnancy is as natural a state, that is, so much in accordance with the office of motherhood, as the maturing of fruit on trees. It is more likely to produce a good effect on the condition of a woman than a bad one. 3) That the physician would natur- ally advise his patient to spare herself, if possible, the inconveniences of motherhood for a while so as to enable him to pursue his treatment without interrup- tion and interference. 4) That God Himself, as the Author of motherhood, will take care of dutiful and self-sacrificing mothers. 5) That most of the incon- veniences encountered during pregnancy may be re- lieved or removed by seasonable medical treatment so as not to grow large enough to become actually a danger to life. 26. In some cases, serious injury in the organs of gestation and delivery suggests the declining of mother- hood. Here the mother is obliged to seek reHef at the hands of a skilful surgeon, or if this be not thought necessary, at the hands of a skilful obstetrician, either of whom can work all but miracles in procuring re- lief, and immunity from extraordinary danger. Gener- ally speaking, every young married woman should 13 immediately consult an experienced physician upon noticing that her pregnancy is not proceeding nor- mally. None should take undue risks where the normal course can be so easily re-established as is done in innumerable cases of child-bearing. Many a life would thus be saved, many a break-down pre- vented. 21 . The most abundant source, however, of crim- inal habits in Marriage, in our days, is the unwilling- ness of parents to bear and rear more children than one or two. In some families nothing but the trouble coincident with motherhood and fatherhood, that is, the annoyance of repeated confinements and the subse- quent restraint of the mother, and the prospect of the care and solicitude becoming necessary later on in raising an increasing number of children, induce young parents to violate their sacred contract. 28. Let parents ponder this observation : Although Marriage was instituted by God for the express pur- pose of securing the propagation of the human race in the only safe and becoming manner, yet no definite number of children is prescribed as a product of this or that marriage. Hence, looking at it from an eco- nomic standpoint, parents may limit the number of their descendants at will. Neither God nor the Church commands that each married couple must have more children than they want or than they can care for. But if this end is procured by abuse of the privileges of the married state, then it is criminal, and neither God, nor the Church, nor any physician can condone this crime. Nature also will revenge herself as the agent of the Creator. 29. Others are found who say that they must re- strict the number of their offspring on account of 14 poverty. Now, poverty may be absolute or relative, that is, generally speaking, real or imaginary. Limited means are not in themselves a sign of poverty. A little retrenching here and there in expenses for luxuries, or for dispensable comforts, would often furnish a new cradle in the home. Absolute poverty, that is, dire hunger and nakedness, if it were enduring for any length of time, would indeed be a strange apparition in our state of civilization. 30. The genuine spirit of Christian self-denial, a generous spirit of sacrifice for the love of God in view of the eternal reward He has promised His faithful servants, will overcome most, if not all, of the diffi- culties of married life. 31. A WARNING. There is a widespread be- lief—if an unfounded opinion can be called such — among certain classes of men and women who are still professing to be Christians, that whatever may be go- ing on between husband and wife is nobody else's concern. That is, in plain language, "it is nobody's business what we are doing." And in the class of the nobodies is found none but the confessor. The doctor is not excluded. He is consulted on ways and means of procedure, and of cure, when sinful practices—as they invariably will—cause trouble. 32. Now, no confessor is anxious, to say the least, to meddle with those who in a cowardly way desecrate their conjugal couch. But as the methods employed in these cases are sinful, they must be submitted for judgment either in the sacred tribunal of penance, or at the tribunal of God in the end. 33. Or, for what conceivable reason should one of the most detestable crimes escape the obligation of 15 confession? For that which is "nobody's business" is generally the unnatural crime of onanism, or some other vicious practice that shuns judgment and dreads detection. 34. It is in vain that confirmed desecrators of con- jugal chastity essay to mask their sin and its conse- quences either before God or before man. Their ex- pression of face is marked by the meanness and beast- liness of their criminal abuse, and their conduct be- trays the audacity and the impertinence of their prac- tices. Shrewdness of observation and experience are not required to note and single out such individuals. The atmosphere in which they move is their traitor. They suffer from the dissatisfaction of their entire nature, but strive to conceal their injury of body and mind under the mask of a brusque presence, thus cre- ating a pitiable picture of degraded humanity. They instinctively feel and act as the grave-diggers of the human race. They cannot conceal their profession, ihey are to be classed with famine, war, and pesti- lence, the scourges which God and nature inflict upon mankind as chastisements for inveterate habits of universal wickedness: an unenviable position indeed for the cowardly onanist! V. THE SACRAMENTAL CHARACTER OF MATRIMONY. 35. In the New Testament, which concerns all Christians, Matrimony is graced with an added dis- tinction. Under the Old Dispensation, Matrimony was a natural contract, instituted by God and estab- lished on the basis of the natural law which is noth- ing but the will and design of God in His creation. 16 In the Christian era, Matrimony is raised to the dig- nity of a sacred contract, that is, of a contract sanc- tified or endowed with a special blessing by the Re- deemer. Thus it is become a religious institution. 36. In addition, however, to this endowment, it has received, at the hands of the Savior of mankind, the virtue of signifying the union of Christ with His Church, and of producing grace necessary to preserve this significance by preserving the union of the parties to this contract. In this way. Matrimony is elevated to the dignity and power of a sacrament—a sacred and efficacious symbol of grace. 37. As a sacrament, then. Matrimony stands aloof, together with Baptism and the rest of the sacraments, from mere civil and legal ceremonies. It is spiritual in nature and character. It is holy. It participates in a most especial and intimate manner in the graces wrought by the Passion and Death of Our Savior, no less, in its own way, than, for example, the Sacra- ments of Confirmation and Holy Orders. For as Confirmation symbolizes the strength of the grace of the Holy Ghost and makes us fighters for Christ, and Holy Orders symbolizes the service of the altar and creates leaders for the cause of Christ, so Matrimony symbolizes most effectually the love of Christ for His Church and supplies the means for the material con- tinuance of the Church. It is made the blessed Garden of God whence He draws the means of sustaining the earthly existence and external ornament of His heav- enly Kingdom. 38. There are three elements—a threefold virtue — which constitute the sanctity of the Sacrament of Matrimony in such a way as to form the ground for the special sacramental grace and blessing of this sa- 17 cred contract. First, the bonum sacramenii, "the good of the sacrament." This consists in the dignity of the marriage contract as an institution sanctified by the grace of the Redemption. Hence, whatever is incompatible with the dignity of an institution espe- cially ordained by God for signifying a particular divine favor, or a particular operation of divine grace, as is found in the sacraments, that is also incompatible with the dignity of Matrimony. Now, by the will of Our Savior, as St. Paul loudly testifies. Matrimony was elevated to the dignity and efficacy of a sacrament for the express purpose of symbolizing and signifying practically the union of divine love between Christ and the Church. This union is never to be inter- rupted or terminated. It is to endure to the end of the world. It is not to be disfigured or disgraced by con- tentions and enmities. It is ever to operate for the increase of sanctity and grace. Therefore, Matrimony must be an enduring bond of love between husband and wife; inseparable on this side of the grave; a bond that can endure the strain of human perverseness to the end by ever opening a recourse to the original source of grace, the sacrament once received and ever appealed to by prciyer in the days of stress and strain- ing. In other words: Matrimony is indissoluble, ex- cept by death. And there is no conceivable reason why it should not be strong enough, in view of the graces God holds out to the married, to withstand such onslaughts of passion and other temptations as are sure to be encountered also in every other of the thousand occasions of contact between human beings. Matrimony always furnishes to the well-disposed suffi- cient grace to make a virtue of necessity, whereas divorce is commonly a concession made to haste and impulse, or, in extreme cases, to unbridled lust of the 18 flesh. Matrimony has its own rewards. But the best of them, as the enduring blessings of a hard journey patiently completed, must not be expected here below. Matrimony is a divine institution, entitled to a divine reward. And God gives best when He defers. It is the privilege of faithful fathers and mothers to be the favored creditors of an exceedingly generous Debtor, the Almighty God. 39. The second element or virtue of the sacramental sanctity of the marriage contract is the bonum fidei, "the good of faith (fidehty)." This consists in the unity (oneness, or exclusiveness) of Matrimony. By virtue of its unity, marriage excludes the participation of outsiders both in the contract and in the use of its rights. Hence, this sacred unity is violated ( 1 ) by admitting anyone else but the wedded partner to the privileges of marital intercourse (adultery), and (2) by the attempt of admitting an outsider to the con- tract (bigamy and polygamy). 40. Divided conjugal attentions on the part of either husband or wife are infringements on the vested rights of the other. By Matrimony, the contracting parties make mutual cession of the use of their bodies for the purposes of married life. Now the principal purpose of Matrimony, the propagation of the human race within the security of the family, is frustrated if the family circle is opened to a trespasser, and the rights both of the partner and of the children to be raised are trodden under foot. To the cession of rights, moreover, an acquisition of rights must correspond in a bilateral contract. Hence, divided attentions in married persons constitute a grave injustice. Add to this the divine decrees that "they two shall be in one flesh," and "let no man put asunder what God has 19 joined together," and it is evident that the exclusive- ness, the essential unity and incommunicabihty of Matrimony is established both by Nature and by God. 4 1 . The Church goes so far even as to frown upon a second successive marriage. Although there is neither sin nor shame attaching to a new^ marriage after widowhood, and there may be grave reasons why a second marriage should be sought, yet the praise of the Church and of the Word of God is accorded virtuous widowhood rather than happy repetition of nuptials, as is apparent from the encomium pronounced on the long and venerable widowhood of Anna, and from the caution of the Church against the selection of men in second marriage for the episcopal office. The reason is not far to seek. Next to virginity, con- tinence is the most arduous virtue to practice—and the Church weighs values and merits in accordance with the weight of sacrifices assumed and of grace needed. Therefore, we may safely make this deduction in the sense of the Church: The voluntary practice of reasonable continence in married life acts as a safe- guard against impulse and passion, and thus increases the security and sanctity of matrimonial fidelity, and reduces the dangers of sin, calamity, and divorces. 42. The third element or virtue of the sacramental sanctity of the marriage contract is the bonum prolis^ "the good of the child" (the right of propagation). This does not mean that marriage is essentially sanctified by the actual bearing and rearing of chil- dren. No. Marriage is holy in itself as a divine in- stitution and as a sacrament. Marriage is instituted directly for the purpose of sanctifying the propagation of the human race. If, then, marriage candidates, or 20 even married couples, agree to forego this privilege of theirs, they commit no sin, precisely by so agreeing. But if they so agree without at the same time agreeing that they will not execute in practice their sacred con- tract, they are sullying by brutal selfishness the cove- nant upon which they entered with God. The mutual surrender and acceptance of the marital use of the body is made solely upon condition of use for the pur- poses of marriage. But it is not the purpose of mar- riage to issue a license for prostitution, or to legalize the abuse of faculties granted primarily for one only purpose, that of peopling the Church of God here below with new children, and the realms of Heaven with citizens to be made the brethren of the angels. 43. This last element or virtue, then, consists in this: that it not only renders honorable the bearing and rearing of children, but even renders sacred the act of procreation (or cohabitation) in view of the end in- tended. It is the practical application of the divine command to "increase and multiply and to fill the earth." It gives children the right to appear on earth as progeny blest of God. It is the only avenue by which man is admitted to co-operate with God in the work of the creation: a privilege sacred indeed, but also onerous and arduous in its full scope, that of not only assisting in starting new life in the world but also of co-operating unceasingly in preparing this new Hfe for its final destiny in Heaven: a task to which all that are averse to self-sacrifice and self-denial should hesitate to consecrate themselves unless they are willing to learn and to profit by the opportunities which mar- ried life offers in abundance. 21 iortrto Reason the Witness of Faith "Rationabile Obsequium Vestrum" "Your Reasonable Service" Rom. xii, I With Ecclesiastical Imprimatur By REV. ANDREW KLARMANN, A. M. I8mo^ 246 pages, cloth, • • net, 50 cents Per dozen, $4,80 Special Price for Introduction 1. ^'Chapters'* is not a Catechism: it has an ar- rangement, and a way of following the light of Faith, all its own. 2. **Chapters'* takes up each single doctrine from its source in human need and follows it through all the region of life it is bound to touch down to its mouth on the shore of eternity. 3. The weighing of the human heart in the scales of Providence is the keynote of '^Chapters*' and is carried through with relentless persistency. 4. ^'Chapters** reflects the doubts, difficulties, and dangers of the present-da^ Catholic, RECOG- NIZES, MEETS, and SETTLES THEM, 22 5. *'Chapters*' is not a convenience, but a neces- sity, as is sure to be recognized on opening the book anywhere after the first page. 6. Whoever desires to k^ow wh"^ he is a Catholic, and what it imports to he a Catholic, Tvill find in **Chapters* a net of reasons from which there is no escape. 7. Whoever desires to see the Hght of Twentieth Century Christianity placed on the top of the mountain must read and study **Chapters in Christian Doctrine.*' 8. As chapters of particular importance for our age and country ma^ he noted that on PURITY and that on TRUTH and ESSENTIALS. 9. *'Chapters'* shows how close the heart of God and the heart of man beat together and how close human reason stands to the inexhaustible source of the light of Eternal Truth. 10. ^'Chapters" makes this world both ph^sicall}) and morally more intelligible and proves man to be neither a nonentity nor a demigod, but what we all feel to be naturall}), a telling factor, a moving wheel, in the divine plan of the Creation and Redemption. Cljajttfrs in QUjrtattan Snctntt? ought to be placed in the hands of every teacher and pupil. The book should be found among all sets of "Mis- sion Goods," in every household and in every College and Academy. IT ALSO IS A VERY PRACTICAL MANUAL TO GIVE TO PROSPECTIVE CONVERTS. 23 An eminent theologian, to whom we submitted the manuscript before publication, wrote us regarding same : I FIND IT NOT ONLY VERY GOOD, BUT IN PARTS MOST EXCELLENT AND COVERING IN AN ADMIR- ABLE MANNER, MORE QUESTIONS OF AN INTER- ESTING AND MOST USEFUL NATURE THAN WE GENERALLY FIND IN BOOKS OF THIS CHARACTER, AND I BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL FIND A READY SALE FOR IT, IF PUBLISHED. A BOOK WHICH WILL BE A REAL BOON TO OUR TEACHERS is Chapters in Christian Doctrine. It is published without the author's name. Whoever he may be, he understands how to inform his subject with the vitality of Catholic truth, how to present every- thing in its relation to that truth. In a word, he is a Christian educator. We quote from the preface of the work the statement of its aim: "Although retain- ing the usual form of questions and answers for good reasons, the author aims at bringing out the absolute harmony of Religion with Reason for the especial instruction of the American and English Catholics who are constantly confronted by both press and pulpit, and by daily intercourse, with the ever-ready ridicule of apparent discrepancies between their dis- tinctive views of life and the current views of the world." This hook might tvell serve as a guide in the construction of text-books in other branches, and Tve Welcome it heartily as giving forth the right note among man^ uncertain sounds. —Catholic Fortnightly Review, St. Louis, Mo. 24 ®i|f ©rialofJffiua Msfan ftlatp- A Study IN Juridical 'Arrogance and PHARis-a;iCAL Justice. BY REV. A. KLARMANN, A.M. 34iuo. 69 pages. Paper cover. Per copy $0.10 Per dozen .' 90 Per 100 ., 5.00 Father Klarmann has well proven his claim that the trial in reality was an instance of juridical arrogance and Pharisaical justice on the part of a cowardly judge before a fanatical people, prompted by hatred and diabolical bitterness. This little book is a handy volume that would prove profitable to the worldly wise to-day who are affected by the rampant criticisms of scripture in the air. —Cecilian Messenger, Brooklyn, N.Y. "The purpose of the pamphlet is one of the many efforts that are everywhere being made to keep before this age, whose religious indifference and moral levity are effacing it, the beautiful image of the Saviour." One can share with the writer in the devout wish that "what was undertaken for the love of the Master will contribute to the re-estab- lishing of the Good Shepherd in the hearts of His flock; not in a small way," as he modestly says, "but very considerably, especially in holy season of Lent, when the Church fixes its eyes with more than usual love on the cross. The careless world cannot altogether withdraw itself from its influence. —Messenger , New York. The author treats the subject in a learned manner and in a spirit of genuine piety. - Donahoe's Magazine, Boston, Mass. The reverend author closely follows the Gospel narrative relating to the Passion of our Lord. The malice of the Pharisees, the effeminacy of Herod, the cowardice of Pilate, the fickleness of the Jewish people, the majestic, awe-inspiring innocence of Christ, are all set forth with sufficient clearness and not without pathos. The essay will not fail t© interest many readers. —Fortnightly Reuiew, St. Louis, Mo. A HISTORICAL NOVEL BY ANDREW KLARMANN "-i/' Author of 5mo, 5 + 312 pages^ net^ $1.00, Like " The Princess of Gan-Sar," this new book of Andrew Klannann is alive and moving from beginmng io end, and is wi'itten with the charm and grace of the author's customary poetic style. " Niz^a " is, as a matter of fact, a paraphrase of the Gospel narrative of that beautiful scene at Bethlehem, where the Wise Men from the East pay their respects to the new- born Saviout. (§pm\ans of tljp j^resa. Iloiuid the Bible text Father Klarmann weaves a story one may not well lay down without finishing:. The situations are most picturesque and excitinj^ without ever going beyond tlie probabilities. A flash of gay, glad life all through the story, is an Irishman among the Roman legions, who at the end is martyred with Nizra and the Holy Innocents for the new-born King of the Jews. —New York Freeman's JowmaL The story is most thrillingly told; it is intensely interesting. The scriptural scenes are nicely brought out and so adeptly inter- mingled with the description of earihly happenings, that the mrnd is captivated. —Si. Vincent's College Journal, Beatty, Pa. We predict for Nizra a w'de circulation, and recommend that it be put on college, academy, parish and public library shell es without loss of time. — Tyue Voice, Omaha, N eh. This is Christian poetry of the highest quality, and should suffice to insure for Father Klarmann a place at the side of CARDINAL. WISEMAN and other classical writers of all times. —Harold des Glaubens, St. Louis. Mo. We do not feel quite cordial in recommending the "Princess of Gan-Sar" for the young; but "Nizra vtHi be just the thing for every class of reader. — The Examiney, Bombay, Ind.