^0 ^^0^ : r.^* A - .0 ^^-^^^ - ft ^>* «^ *. .* .•.%^.% v./ /.^1^\ ^^^.♦^ /- AO^ • • • '^^0^ f " o o " o .'^ ^0-7% «• «>• t"^ '^. cA" -^^^MPfff* ^. A^ /jA^^^A'- ''^^ C^ ^ A^ 0" •.s5^^'.. o .^^ A .^^^^^ V ^ ^. '^^ ^« o^^^^^^^^ii;^'-. ^. <-^ '/ v^'/ V-^'/ %^^-> .0 ^0 ^. jP-n., 4 THE Yes. Johs Baptist De La Salle, THE TRUE FRIEND OF YOUTH, FOUNDER OF THE BROTHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS. SPECIALLY PREPARED FOR ^ >w:»^-c^■^rv c^. AMERICAN YOUTH. NEW YORK: ...7 J J f :^''^' DE LA SALLE INSTITUTE, 48 Second Street. 1884. tf Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1884:, by JOHN P. MURPHY, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. Electrotyped and Printed at The New York Catholic Protect obt, West Chester, N. Y. TO The Catholic Boys of America: Generous of Heart to follow God's Will, Prayerful of Spirit to Obtain His Guidance, Future Brothers of the Christian Schools, This little Volume Is Affectionately dedicated By the Author. // INTRODUCTION. The world can find no labor more important, saints ask no greater privilege, than the care of youth. The greatest struggle that has ever been carried on, is that which is now waged be- tween the Church and her enemies to determine who will train up the child, who will mould its character, direct its future, and thus, in great measure, determine its eternal welfare. If we open the pages of Holy Writ, the same lesson is taught : the dignity ot the child is shown m every page, his education is the object ol the wisest laws, strengthened by the most wonderful promises to those who comply therewith ; while the direst cal- amities threaten the derelict in so sacred a cause , '* Bring them up in the discipline and correction of the Lord," said the Apostle who elsewhere declared, "1 became all things to all men that I might save all." He knew that " they that instruct many unto justice shall shine as stars for all eternity." ** Take this child and nurse him for me ; I will give thee thy wages." These words, spoken by the kind-hearted daughter of Pharoah have been again and again repeated to encourage those who make the care of youth their life-tasks and in so acting they have been enabled to repeat to their little flocks ; " Come, children, hearken to me ; I will teach you the fear of the Lord." Time, l^hich changes so many things, has made important al- terations in the position and sway which the child holds in society. To-day, as a thousand years ago, youth is the object of the most tender affection •, but, more than a thousand years ago, he is now enabled to raise himself to a much higher point of excellence. Society unites in procuring him every possible yi Introdioction, advantage ; laws are promulgated to defend his interests ; the Church, as ever the protectress of the weak and the lowly, raises her voice to bless those who help, and to anathematize those who seek to injure the dearest portion of her flock. In carrying out the teachings of our Divine Lord, the Church de- clares that whatever is done to the least of these little ones is' done to God himself. Their interests are hers, and she ceases not to proclaim : " Give me the souls of the little ones for whomv Christ has died." And thus we find throughout her history, that the Church has fostered the child as only a mother can foster it. A pagan world had for thousands of years declared that only the strong and hearty should be allowed to live ; among pagan nations, brutal parents, as in China, have been, and are still, allowed to feed their swine on poor, sickly, helpless babes ; deformity of body is in such countries a short road to destruction. In earlier days little ones were offered up in sacrifice, their burn- ing flesh and writhing limbs being supposed to propitiate the gods to whom they were so barbarously offered. But, behold! a change comes o*er the scene ! " A. virgin brings forth a son," the Babe of Bethlehem is born ; wise men from the East hasten to adore him. A cruel king seeks the Divine Infant's life, but an angel comes to his assistance- Jesus, the son of Mary is saved ; he is rescued from cruel hands. Like Moses of old, he is taken into a strange country. He grows in wisdom, in age and in grace. He is brought back in due time to his native land, waxes strong, begins his public mission, and all through His wonderful career, in which he goes about doing good, his con- stant appeal is, " Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." He threatens with the direst calamities those who scandalize the least of these little ones, whose angels, he declares, are constantly before his Father who is in heaven. As though this were not sufficient, Introditciion. vii he declares that it were better that a man should have a mill- stone tied about his neck, and that he should be cast into the sea, rather than that he should scandalize one of those little ones for whom he came to die. One of his last words on his journey to Calvary, tells of his ever constant love for children. When the pious women gather around and weep over him, He says in his own benignant and affectionate manner : " Weep not for me, but weep rather for yourselves and for your children." When the years of his mortal career were ended ; when he went to his Father to prepare mansions for his faithful disciples he forgot not the children. Scarcely had the Church escaped from the clutches of persecuting tyrants, when her first care was to prepare homes for children either forsaken by unnatural parents, or left orphans by martyred fathers and mothers. All through her early history, asylums were founded in which the orphan was harbored and educated. Her bishops founded homes which were confided to willing hands ; the early saints gave their lives and their fortunes to befriend helpless waifs ; monasteries opened their doors to educate them, and throughout the whole course of her history, the Church of Christ shows how faithfully she has carried out her divinely appointed mission to take the child and bring him up in the path in which he should go, that even in his old age he should not depart therefrom. But among those who have thus shown themselves the spe- cial friends of Christ's little ones, there are some whose names shine with unwonted lustre. St. Vincent de Paul and the Vener- able De La Salle may safely be said to be the prominent figures in this God-like mission. What Vincent did for the body. La Salle accomplished for the mind, the soul. Not content with taking care of the poor and helpless, the Church, in her charity, has raised up apostles of youth whose life hao been spent in caring for the spiritual and intellectual welfare of those who, so far as their mere bodily wants were con- viii Introduction. cerned, had no reason for complaint. Such as these were ex- posed to forget God in the mere worldly happiness they enjoyed. Others there were, who, though under the paternal roof, felt not the benign influence of a father's care or a mother's love ; who, while receiving such slight attention as enabled them to preserve life, were yet so far neglected as to be moral waifs. Of both such classes, the Venerable De La Salle was the friend in need, the friend indeed. To both, he gave up all that life has of dear- est, that home has of nearest, and making himself the apostle of youth became all to all children that he might save all to Christ. How far he succeeded, the following pages seek partially to determine. It is sincerely hoped, nay, fondly believed that such an example of self-sacrifice must appeal with untold strength and force to the mind of youth, naturally noble and intelligent, such as our American boys are. If, while perusing these pages, such youths find themselves impelled to love and revere all that is true, beautiful and good in such a life, the author will be more than repaid for his labor of love. The hope of such a happy result has led him to prepare this special Life for the bright Catholic boys of our beloved America. If, in addition to loving and admiring, even some few, nay, even one, more favored than the rest, should, like De La Salle, give up all to follow Christ, whose greatest love was shown to little ones, then, indeed, his highest hopes shall be tenfold realized. To- day, the Christian religious teacher is the want of the hour. God grant that the number may be increased ; that the fold of Christ's lambs be made larger, through the lessons taught, the examples given, the plan furnished by the "True Friend of Youth," the Children's Apostle, the Venerable John Baptist De La Salle. House of Studies, Amawalk. Feast of the Holy Rosary, 1883. CHAPTEE I. The Catholic idea of a Saint. — Cardinal Newman's description. — These views dwelt upon. — The Saint best knows and pities human weakness. John Baptist is baptized. — Early impressions. — Forecasts. — Visits to Churches. — Miniature Altar. — Exalted idea of the Priesthood. — In- fluence of the Crucifix and Rosary. — Devotion to the Sacred Passion and to Mary, Virgin most Pure. " Catholics have an instinctive veneration for those who have the traces of heaven upon them," for such traces indicate the saint. But wh at is a Saint ? By what signs may we know him ? May we hope to meet such a one during the course of our lives ? These are all important, interesting questions. There are few subjects, indeed, upon which men have ideas more vague than those which they conceive of God's special servants. His Eminence Cardinal Newman assures us that none but Catholics can fully conceive of such a character as is implied in the term Saint, and even among Catholics, there must be a degree of familiarity with the workings of God in his Saints, to enable us to point them out here below. It is only the initiated few who can point out and say : behold one in whom God dwells, and delights to make himself known to mortals. Saints are of a growth hidden to ordinary eyes, and yet, thank God, the Church is never without those whose lives are such as Saints lead. She is never without a very large number who, walking in the way of the command- ments, without, however, embracing the evangelical counsels, go to make up the number saved in the redeeming blood of Christ Jesus, and who, by their lives, in the midst of the world and its 10 The Venerable De La Salle. temptations, prove that the grace of God is all powerful ; that whoso chooses to take up his cross and follow the Crucified, will find strength in his weakness, light in darkness, energy amidst discouragements, joy in his tribulations. We are all called to be Saints ; the elect are all such ; heaven is peopled by their numbers and earth is blessed by their pre- sence. Yet, to the truly Catholic heart, the term Saint, as used by iJ the Church, when applied to her canonized children, implies a height of virtue, a depth of religious conviction, an extent of charity before which ordinarily good lives pale. " Very various are the Saints, their variety being a token of God's workman- ship ; but, however various, and whatever was their special line of duty, they have been heroes in it ; they have attained such noble self-command, they have so crucified the flesh, they have so renounced the world ; they are so meek, so gentle, so tender-hearted, so merciful, so sweet, so cheerful, so full of prayer, so diligent, so forgetful of injuries ; they have sustained such great and continued pains, they have persevered in such vast labors, they have made such valiant confessions, they have wrought such abundant miracles, they have been blessed with such strange successes, that they have set up a standard before us of truth, of magnanimity, of holiness, of love They are always our standards of right and good ; they are raised up to be monuments and lessons, they remind us of God, they introduce us into the unseen world, they teach us what Christ loves, they trace out for us the way which leads ' heavenward. They are to us who see them, what wealth, noto- riety, rank and name are to the multitude of men who live in darkness, — objects of our veneration and of our homage." Shall we venture to add a line to so lovely a picture ? Not certainly with the purpose of making the character more attrac- tive. Yet, with a view to bringing it within the grasp of the An Appeal to CafJioIic Youtli. 11 yoTitliful readers for whom we write, let us subjoin a few words of explanation or rather of reflection. To the ordinary mind, the idea of a saint seems strangely coupled with that of one who is morose, estranged from his fel- lows, void of those affections which make life dear : he is look- ed upon as being without interest in the welfare of society, dead to its pursuits, indifferent to its success or failure. Yet, take > the comprehensive definition or character of the saint as fur- nished by Cardinal Newman, and how fully all such false no- tions are exploded. A saint, in whatever sphere he becomes such, is a hero. Does this not tell that nobility of character must be the basis, while grandeur of purpose is his motive through life ? A saint is a hero, whose first victories and often not bloodless ones, have been over self, which he has curbed, bearing about in his flesh the image of Christ crucified. A saint is a hero who proves his claim to the title by faithfully fulfilling the promises made in baptism, and all through, later in life, by renouncing the world with all its charms, its seductions and its dangers. Yet, while thus heroic, self-controlled and sacrificed, there is in the saint a meekness, learned, by divine imitation, from Him who was meek and humble of heart ; there is a gentleness which must be the outgrowth of love ; a tender-heartedness which makes him take the whole world as his family, her most way- ward sons as his chosen children. In the character of the saint we find persistent cheerfulness the standing rule. What would render others sombre and dejected has no other effect than to send the saint into the arms of God, through prayer ; and there, as St. Ignatius expressed it, a quarter of an hour's colloquy with the Almighty, renders him ready for any trial, "God's will being adored in all things in his regard." (1) Monks and saints are spoken of by a certain class the world-over as being (1) Words of Ven De La Salle. 19 The Venerable Be La Salle, idlers , yet here we have them pictured truly as diligent in well- doing, so occupied in benefitting their neighbor as tc be forget- ful of the ill-treatment which often proves their only earthly reward. Was St. Paul an idler ? Did St. Francis De Sales lose much time ? Were St. Francis Xavier and the thousands i THE HOUSE IN WHICH THE VEN. DE LA SALLE WAS BORN, who followed him to preach the gospel and then to die, were those idle ? Certainly not ; so far from this, they persevered in vast labors, preaching, writing, exhorting ; strengthening their words by mighty works, and themselves shedding the An Appeal to Catholic Youth. 13 last drop of their blood, giving up to the very last, every effort of their strength, in defence and maintenance of the standard of truth and charity which they established. A real saint is the most magnanimous of men ; he gives himself for his fellow man. He is a standard of holiness, for he has learned and studied under the great divine model *, his life is a lesson of love, for love of God inaugurated his work, and affection for his neighbor is its secondary moving power. The saints are truly great, for they have been truly good. They point by the actions of their lives to a better land, whither we must tend, as the ultimate object of our wanderings in our exile here below. Such is the true idea of the saint, such the picture furnished in his after years by the child which divine Providence gave the world in the person of La Salle.* ^ * * (1) Holy Writ informs us that "a wise son maketh the father glad, but the foolish son is the sorrow of his mother.*' Taking this as the measure of the blessing bestowed upon the parents of the child John Baptist De La Salle, they were blessed indeed. Their conduct in his education was such as to deserve all the happiness that such a son can bestow. On his birth day John Baptist was regenerated in the waters of baptism. It was near his cradle that Mdme. De La Salle loved to pray. While still a babe, and suffering as children are wont, the Christian mother gave her first-born the crucifix to kiss, and long before the little one had learned the meaning, he had felt the soothing power of the sign of our redemption. The pious mother had read and learned what Sts. Jerome and Augustine tell us of the passion as developed in earliest years. She knew that it was her duty as a Christian mother to (1) A few years ago, a literary society was founded in Rheims Among the subjects of discussion given, was " The old houses of our city." In examining the documents referring to these, the house in which the Ven. De La Salle was born was thus discovered. It is now the property of the Institute, and was re-opened on the 200th anniversary of the day on which D. L. S. took the teachers into his own dwelling (Authob.) 14 Tlie Venerable Be La BcJk. begin from the most tender years to train the child in the way of the cross. Divine Providence afforded little De La Salle a fair share of the cup of suffering, for from his birth he was delicate and frail. If the sign of our redemption was the first shown to the child, the name of the Divine Bedeemer was also the first that he was taught to pronounce. Long before any effort was made to teach him the names of those to whom after God, he owed his being, he was made to pronounce that name " whose sweetness equals its power," without which all food is dry and insipid ; a name which is exquisite honey in the mouth, sweet melody to the ear, jubilation to the heart," the Holy name of Jesus. With the pious author of the hymn on the sacred name of Mary we may say : " He spoke it and he smiled. " "As soon," says the biographer of De La Salle's youth, "as reason dawned, and that the child could walk with ease, the pious mother led him to the church." "At once," writes his first bio- grapher, " his heart was charmed." His eyes were drawn to the contemplation of the altar and its flowers and ornaments, the rising incense, the priests in prayer, surrounded by their assist- ants ; and while his senses were thus wrapt in the externals of religion, his soul felt an undefined yet genuine impulse leading him to learn that God alone is truly good ; that religion alone can charm the mind while ennobling the heart. Young De La Salle went home after his first visit to the church firmly con- vinced that he had been in the divine presence, actually residing in God's holy temple ; he felt that the great God had listened, and that he, a little child, had been allowed to hold converse with Him. After his return home, his only subject of conversation was the sights he had beheld. Like all intelligent children, he had a thousand wliys to propose. If ordinary children are so attrac- An Appeal to Catholic Youth, 15 tive in their infantile talk about the usual topics of the child- world, what, asks one of his biographers, must have been the interest felt in young La Salle who babbled the sweet names of Jesus and Mary, asked such strange questions about their prerog- atives, and thus, like the Divine Child in the Temple, asked and answered questions which astonished his hearers ! Young La Salle naturally concluded that no one should know these sacred things so well or so fully as the priest. As many of the reverend clergy frequented his father's house, he seemed su- premely happy and at ease. When he perceived them at a dis- tance he hastened to meet them, and ere their arrival at the parental home, he had secured their good graces, asked many questions and received as many answers. Naturally anxious to encourage such excellent dispositions, the good clergy not only answered his queries, but, by an intelligent direction, gave his thoughts a deeper and more practical bearing. When they spoke? he listened with attention ; he then renewed his questions, and only ceased his interrogatories when he felt that others were likewise entitled to the company and conversation of his father's visitors. It was after such visits to the church and such conversations with the ministers of holy Mother Church that young De La Salle was accustomed to retire to his room where, with the great- est gravity and truly juvenile piety, he repeated such ceremonies of the Church as he could well remember ; the flowers he gather- ed, he used to decorate his miniature altar, while candlesticks and other ornaments were made to do duty in the young saint's oratory. While thus describing John Baptist De La Salle, it must not be imagined that he was either taciturn or morose. On the contrary, he was the gayest among his lively companions : lov- ed to be in the midst of interesting but innocent games. " Even in his old age," relates one of his biographers " his delight was to see children busy at play : he enjoyed their shouts of laughter and 16 The Venerable De La Salle. declared that where there was plenty of noise there were few sins." Youth, when worthy of its years, loves freshness and openness of heart and soul ; generosity of sentiment, valor in juvenile struggles, sweet gayety, kindly manners, pure emotions are all the portion of the truly Christian youth : such were the traits which all admired in young De La Salle. In this way did he acquire, even as a boy, that wonderful influence over youth, for which, in all his after years he was so distinguished. And all this happy combinatioa of traits and virtues which, in others could be but the result of prolonged years of struggle, De La Salle possessed while yet under seven years old ! Many reasons might be given for such rare indications at so early an age, but, we may perhaps say that it was his wonderful, devotion to the Saints and his persistent study of their lives which brought about such early fruits. Even before he had learned to read, the Saints' lives were his daily, not to say hourly food. Among his relatives and acquaintances, it was well known that the shortest way to reach his good will and affection was by reading to him some of the lives of those saints whose narrative proved most attractive. Even in his early days, the future character was seen ; the future mission ii.dicated. Young La Salle loved such lives as had been filled with deeds of good to men ; lives lived for the benefit of humanity ; liv« s given up that souls might be saved. And thus, as Pere Gaven tells us, the child John Baptist De La Salle already shone as th ^ most brilliant gem in a truly illustrious family ; in his beauty of soul was seen the ingrowing of Christ's own exceeding lustre .' here indeed was a soul not only bought but kept pure and unstained by the merits of the blood of a Kedeemer and Saviour. To pre- serve this young soul thus untarnished, to present it daily as a pure holocaust before the Lord, became thenceforth the reigning thought, the sole ambition of John Baptist's parents. But, the mother, as biographers relate, took the largest share An Appeal to Catholic Youth. 17 in this holy work. Her's was a piety whose perfume filled the whole house. Under such influences, John Baptist grew up in- haling a blessed atmosphere as he waxed stronger. Thus the young mother, though so mild and gentle, exercised a wonder- ful influence by the wisdom of her words, the energy of her acts, and vivifying principle of piety gave to both acts and words a meaning and a power which they could not otherwise possess. " This pious mother," as the most ancient of De La Salle's biographers relates, "strove in retirement and silence to culti- vate those virtues which dread the gaze of men in the glare of society, from which they rarely escape unscathed. In this labor of love, in which she sought to reproduce Christ in the person of her heaven-blessed son, she never failed to avail herself of the assistance to be obtained by praying to, and the influence to be exercised by, the mother of all Christian children, Christ's own Immaculate Mother, Mary. Often, while praying beside her son's cradle, or later, when showing him the image of heaven's Queen, she would place her rosary in young De La Salle's hands. Thus under the benign influence of prayer, example and his own good disposition, John Baptist grew to be a boy of seven years. He had already made a chapel of his own little room ; his ambition was soon to be satisfied, when he would be allowed to enter the sanctuary as an altar-boy, there to perform angelic functions which had already been the delight of such holy personages as St. Louis of France, a King of Bohemia, Louis of Gonzaga, and many others Avhose examples he sought to imitate, whose lives he strove to reproduce, so far as the good God would permit it, in his own. For a whole year, John Baptist had been studying the respon- ses, watching his more favored companions already in service, and asking such questions as would enable him best to fulfil such holy functions. When, finally, he was allowed to enter the holy place, to act the part of altar boy to the ministers of 18 Tlie Venerahh De La SaUe. the Most Higli, he appeared rather an angel than a child ; he was pointed out as the exemplar of the sanctuary, the child who was to realize great things, since God was so visibly with him, guiding his actions, inspiring his thoughts, and giving a hea- venly caste to his whole exterior. " When at the altar, he was seized with a holy fear which communicated itself to the as- sistants. On beholding him, people were inclined to call him a seraph in the flesh ; his whole exterior bespoke a lively faith, an ardent love for Christ Jesus." His countenance inflamed, eve a in his early years, with love divine, moved all hearts. Though yet so simple and comparatively untaught, he went about the altar with genial grace and with a serious cast of countenance that bespoke faith, fear and love, and which at once proclaimed him destined for the service of the altar. His re- sponses at Holy Mass were at once clear, energetic, and yet mel- lowed by the holiest of convictions. But, his piety was not eon- tent with the important duties incumbent upon the true altar- boy. His devotion asked for more, and he might be seen in his spare moments, kneeling at the feet of Mary's favored statue. He was drawn to this good Mother through the love he bore her divine Son, and all through life, his greatest pleasure was to prostrate himself at her feet ; his greatest trial to withdraw from the lovely and childlike conversations which he held with the Mother of Purity, the Protectress of the weak and lowly. We have thus far seen young De La Salle amid his own friends and parents, showing by his conduct what the future man was to be ; let us now follow him outside the paternal mansion, to the University of Rheims, where his virtue will be put to the test, his talents fairly measured by comparison, his worth proven by the keen test of exposure. In all these cases lie will prove worthy of his earliest promises. CHAPTEK II. Influence of Early Training. — The private tutor ; public Christian Schools. — Benefits of Emulation. — Young La Salle enters the TJni" versity oj liheims. — Professor and Pupil. — Mutual relations. — Holr^^ amusements. — John Baptist loves only Sabred Music. — Fails to learn profane airs. — Vocation. — M. De La Salle and wife con sent, after c, struggle. — Appeal to Christian Parents. — Besult of one vocation folloived. — John Baptist receives the tonsure. — How he preserves his virginal purity. — Penances and other means employed. — He is named Canon at 16. — Impression made by the young Cleric. — La Salle goes to Pans. — Death of father and mother. — Beturn to Bheims. — Trials and Temptations. — Important lesson given. — Victory f " If we have had so many bad princes and rulers, " wrote the late illnstrioTis Mgr. Dupanloup, bishop of Orleans, " we owe it to their isolated education." Kept apart from the world whose welfare they were bound to study and understand, these chiefs of the people came to look upon themselves as a superior class of beings and acted accordingly. Had they, on the contrary, been brought up in any of those renowned public schools which the Church has established, or which the State encouraged, they would have learned their own and others' worth by the practical test of experience. And what is true of princes, equally applies to the sons of wealthy parents at the time of which we write. Monsieur De La Salle knew human nature too well to be ignor- ant of the countless blessings which arise from healthy rivalry between youths of the same age and equal capacity. He was anx- ious that his son's manhood should be gradually but surely de- 19 20 The Venerable De La Salle. veloped by daily contact and competition with juvenile compan- ions. Wliile fully aware of the dangers which threaten the stu- dent who attends largely frequented schools, he was convinced that the advantages far exceed the dangers, and therefore resolv- ed that his son John Baptist should follow the courses pursued in the University of Rheims, where he accordingly entered, as a day- scholar. Moreover, the fond parent was persuaded from evidences already furnished, that his son would, God helj> ing, be able to resist and even forestall the dangers to which he would be exposed. Nor was he mistaken. The University was at that time under the Presidency of Eev. M. Dozet, a relative of the La Salles and likewise a Canon of the Metropolitan Church of Eheims. Thus guided, under the eye of a watchful relative, John Baptist soon became a favorite with all his professors, who, already, as related by Pere Blain, began to ask themselves : *' What think you shall this child be ? for the Lord is surely with him ! " To his new professors he appeared in the same light as he had formerly done to his parents and relatives : " frank and sincere in word, in conduct ; neither disguise nor evasion ; wonderfully given to obedience, while manifesting the utmost firmness of character in carrying out the orders he received : in disposition, mild and affable, gay and vivacious. An angel in prayer, of whom it was hard to say whether he was more amiable than pious, — a question which has never been settled by any of his biographers, for we may easily conceive that he excelled in both, since he copied each from the same divine model. It was by such conduct that he became *' a model of virtue to his fellow-students, and a subject of pride to his masters. The precocious talents of the young scholar, his keenness of judg- ment and close attention to study, gave his parents reason to expect a most brilliant future for their son. . . . Greater than they had ever dared to hope was to be his repute, yet, in the designs An Appeal to CatJiolic Youth, 21 of God, this distinction was to be attained in a sp]i3re far dif- ferent from what his parents, but especially his father, had anticipated. A partial revelation of John Baptist's future course was shown in the manner in which he acted when urged by his worthy father to study profane music. The La Salle mansion was known among the gentry of E-heims as being among the most generous encouragers of arts and artists. Their parlors were the scene of many brilliant musical entertainments, and M. De La Salle did not consider it beneath his dignity as a magistrate, to take a large personal share in contributing to the pleasure of his visitors. Among the many accomplishments which he desired his son to acquire, he particularly wished him to become a good musician. He had reason to think that his little son had more than ordinary talent, for, from his infancy he had taken pleasure in humming church tunes and hymns. But, the good father had failed to perceive that his son's taste scrupulously avoided committing to memory any of the many short airs of a secular character which were so often sung and played at home. Thus when the proposal was made that young De La Salle should learn music, he at once complied with his father's wishes, and strove to gratify his desire. But, Providence wished other- wise, and despite all his self-control it soon became evident that John Baptist's taste was limited to strictly religious music. This was, as we have said, a forecast of the higher voca- tion to which he was called. In the course which M. De La Salle wished his son to pursue, the youth soon perceived that while religion was in honor, she was not to have the first place. What was he to do ? Obedience required him to comply, and yet an inner voice told him that he was not to be of this world. His latest biographer, Eev. Pare Gaveau, beautifully says : " What shall the future Foun- der do ? Who will solve his difficulties ? Though but a very young student, he has acquired a habit already old in his case. 22 The Venerable De La Salle. He will place tlie matter in the hands of her whose Son called him to his service. He will ask her to smooth the path, to fill up the yalley of difficulties, with the inflowing of her choicest graces, and his prayer will be heard. The hour comes when the good father makes known his wishes ; then, in words which he speaks from the fullness of a truly filial heart, young John Baptist gives his father to understand that such hopes may not be cherished. Parents are often pained that God may be pleased. He feels himself called to serve God alone ; to minister at the altar of sacrifice ; he asks to be allowed to follow his voca- tion, which, as both Pere Gaveau and Brother Lucard tell us, he received at the moment of his first communion. "To know God's will and to act accordingly " was ever young De La Salle's practice. In this circumstance his child-like eloquence won his cause. M. De La Salle renounced all worldly prospects for his son, while the latter hastened to thank God for giving so easy a solution to a question which had threatened to be serious in its consequences. Christian parents, do you understand the nobility of such conduct ? Do you see your own duty traced in the action of this Christian father ? If urged, even at the risk of your lives, to break open the door of the tabernacle, to seize the sacred vessels, and to use them for profane pur- poses, the blood-stained altar-steps would attest the courage with which you had resisted so sacrilegious an outrage. Yet, what less criminal act do you commit, when you thwart the religious vocations of your children ; when you take these vessels of election, and constrain them to serve a purpose for which Providence had never intended them ? Had such un- christian principles directed the conduct ol Louis de La Salle, we should not have one of the brightest pages furnished for our information and encouragfement in the extensive volume of Catholic history, while the Church, and, through her society, might have had fewer laborers m the great cause of popular education. An Appeal to Catholic Youth, 23 In tlie conduct of John Baptist, at this early age, we see that his retiring disposition did not indicate want of force of character. It was his first great sacrifice, and his Christian fortitude proved equal to the exigency. True courage is never demonstrative. Like still waters which run deep, it is only the occasion Avhich brings forth the expression of its power. The first step which young La Salle took towards embracing the ecclesiastical state, to which he and his parents had now de- cided he should devote himself, was the reception of the tonsure. This he received on the eleventh of March, 1662. This was not an idle ceremony, nor simply a seeming renunciation of worldly manners and customs Young La Salle's tongue only spoke what his heart felt when he declared that he took God for his portion, and that he desired no other inheritance. Once a cleric, John Baptist, already so good, seems yet an entirely new man. His piety, his modesty, the innocence of his morals, al] shone with greater lustre than before he had vested himself with the cleric's surplice and had approached the steps of the altar. Among the young aspirants to holy orders, clerics like himself, he was a shining light. As beautifully said by his oldest biographer, La Salle was a candle that the bishop had lighted and had placed upon a candlestick, that it might spread its rays upon the church of Eheims. Soon this light would shine over all France. His love for chanting the praises of the Lord increased each day. Providence was preparing his young ser- vant to follow him still more closely. La Salle's hair had fallen under the blessed scissors, while he was robed in the white surplice. Thus sacrifice was joined to the reception of that garment so significant of holiness of life and purity of purpose. From that moment, likewise, " he devoted himself with re- doubled energy to his studies. His application increased the re- sults to be expected from his talents, and a keen intelligence join^ 24 The Venerable De La Salle, ed with good sense and extraordinary industry, made Mm a stu- dent of whom all had reason to be proud. Documents still pre- served tell that in a few years he became one of the most distin- guished students in the University. His affability of manner never abandoned him for a moment, and those whom he surpass- ed in study were the first to congratulate their more fortunate competitor," John Baptist was now at an age when the treasure of inno- cence can only be preserved at the price of sacrifice. Hence he became extremely watchful over the movements of his own heart ; he never allowed his temper to overcome his usual serenity, and his victory over himself was complete because he never made sacrifices by halves. This struggle against his nascent passions was a success, because in this battle with self, he called upon God in prayer, in words dictated by humility. When he found that vigilance, prayer and struggle were to be but a part of his duty, when holy purity was to be preserved, he never hesitated a moment to join to these such other means as religion suggests, and our Divine Lord himself has declared to be necessary. Hence, even at this early age, he employed those severe measures against his own body which we admire in the Saints. Cruel scourgings kept his flesh in subjection, while he declared that " the only safeguards against the pitfalls of sensuality are the salutary thorns of penance and mortification. '* In this way his whole life was made to feel the influence of an angelic existence : he manifested a precocity of manliness, a mild firmness, a generosity of sentiment, an elevation of soul, which announced his future greatness. This constant attachment to the holy virtue and his success in preserving it, he attributed to the Most Blessed Virgin, to whom he was remarkably devoted. " So fully did he participate in the characteristic virtue of the angels, that he in some sort presented in his person a resume of their charms. His purity of body gave An Appeal to Catholic Youth. 25 untold brilliancy to his mind, enabling him to seize upon and to appreciate the nicest distinctions in disputed points, the choicest thoughts in literary gems, the pivotal points in historical studies Thus gifted, he was prepared to admire great men ; he was moreover ready and qualified to take his place among those to whom the Christian world by which he was surrounded looked up for spiritual guidance. " At this time the University of Eheims had for chancellor? Pierre Dozet, archdeacon of Champagne. . . . He was a man of great information and of profound piety. He had, by per- sonal observation and the report of the professors, learned the worth of young De La Salle. . . Finding that death was likely to surprise him at any moment, the venerable chancellor, who had been over fifty years canon, resolved to put the youth in his place. This thought consoled him, and he made it known to the youth's parents. John Baptist was the least flattered by the offer, but through obedience he accepted. He took pos- session of his stall on the 17th of January, 1767, being but six- teen years old. ... " Remember," said M. Dozet to his young friend, " that a canon should live like li Carthusian monk ; he must pass his life in solitude and in retreat. . ." Young De La Salle never forgot this advice. For three years he continued his studies at the University of Eheims, where he finally graduated. During this period " his assiduity at choir was remarkable : yet the devotion with which he sang the Divine Office attracted even greater attention. The aged members of the Chapter considered themselves happy in having the young canon in their midst : the more youthful re- spected his virtues, for had they been inclined to irregularity, his example would have condemned their conduct. In 1670, being nineteen years old, De La Salle went to Paris to pursue his theological studies under the best masters. These he found in the Seminary of St. Sulpice, where he remained 26 The Ve'iieraUe De La Salle, till called home by the death of father and mother, within a short lapse of time. In leaving his holy retreat where study and prayer had so fully occupied his time, he deserved to have the following testi- monial entered opposite his name in the Seminary register : John Bapist De La Salle was an exact observer of the rules, be- ing most assiduous at all the community exercises. He daily grew in retirement from the world. His conversation was humble and affable. He seems never to have pained anybody, or to have been reproached on any point. " Such testimony is worth much from an institution which " makes saints, but rarely speaks of them as such." It is the characteristic of well governed ecclesiastical houses that good is done in a quiet way. It is in those mysterious retreats, far from the bustle and noise of the world that the future soldiers of Christ prepare themselves by prayer and other holy exercises for the struggles of future battle-fields. The Seminary and the Novi- tiate do a like work. Under the guidance of wise and holy direc- tors, the cleric or novice is taught to look into and sound the depths of his own heart, and in thus studying himself, the future priest or teacher learns to know the entire world. En- lightened by the divine light received in prayer, they learn to know and understand the things of God. They learn to value souls at their true price and to sacrifice themselves unceasingly in their behalf. . . . A period of such training in the best seminary then in France, had already been given De La Salle, when the duties of home, where he was to act the part of father and mother to six younger brothers and sisters, called him from his holy retreat. At this point came the strongest temptation of his life, one that was to decide whether he was to take up his cross and follow Christ, or whether, loving brother and sister more than Christ, he was to prove unfit for the kingdom of heaven. An Appeal to Catholic Youth, 27 In dying, M. De La Salle had confided liis children to the care of John Baptist. He could not refuse this legacy of love and confidence. The young canon prayed much, asked advice and finally accepted the task with all its heavy responsibilities. He was in his twenty-first year, and was required to show, in his person, such a combination of qualities as would enable him fittingly to replace two such worthy parents as Mons. and Mme. De La Salle. Scarcely had he undertaken the difficult duty when the trial of his life was upon him. He, for the first time experienced a really violent temptation against his ecclesiastical vocation. There was much in the surroundings of his position to give color to his disturbance of mind. Thus far, he had only received minor orders and was not irrevocably fixed in the ser- vice of God. Moreover, did not the death of father and mother justify his looking back ? Did not circumstances require him to remain in the world ? Were not his brothers' and sisters' for- tunes in his keeping ? How could he reconcile the administra- tion of a large fortune with those duties which would be incum- bent upon him, if he pursued his ecclesiastical career ? Might he not secure his salvation in the world ? Did not duty call upon him to forego his personal inclination towards a more per- fect state that he might give himself up to the task of educating and protecting the young family by which he was surrounded ? Young reader ! Here is a lesson which you should carry with you all through life. In such circumstances, where nature pleads so eloquently, where the world comes in with its subtle arguments, be not your own guide. Follow the example of De La Salle. Go, cast yourself at the feet of Christ's minister, and listen to his words. As he did, ask Mary to protect you. God, in his infinite goodness had provided the proper guide to lead De La Salle out of the wilderness of his own thoughts into the calm and peace which are the reward of obedience. In the 28 The Venerable De La Salic. person of E-ev. F. Boland, our liero found one of tliose sympa- thetic yet great souls made to lead others to tlie highest peaks of the mountain of religious perfection. To him Do La Salle made known the secret thoughts which strove to obtain the mastery. He pleaded not in favor of one side more than the other. His motives were most pure, his sole desire to know the divine will which, through all future years " he will adore in his DB LA SALLE INVOKING DIVINK AID. regard." The experienced spiritual director soon learned the value of the soul he was to save from a false step : he had no hesitancy in assuring him that God required his undivided love and service. Moreover, properly directed, and with a purified intention, the distractions inevitable in his guardianship w^ould become a source of sanctification instead of being a cause of falling away. Such was M. Eoland's opinion. This advice which De La Salle received as an expression of An Appeal to Catholic Youth. 29 the divine will, put an end to liis perplexities. WMIb devoting himself unreservedly to the welfare of his youthful wards, he re- sumed his studies, and at the close of two months from the time of his final resolve to persevere in his ecclesiastical vocation, he took the irrevocable obligations of the state upon himself by receiving sub-deaconship on the eve of Trinity Sunday, 1672. The habits of order and discipline which were always familiar to him, but which had been strengthened by his sojourn at St. Sulpice, taught him the value of such a systematic mode of life at home. Accordingly, he gave his brothers and sisters a regu- lation in which all the hours of the day had their allotted duties or privileges. Thus the Yenerable spent six years in the quiet pursuit of his duty to his relatives and of the studies which were to pre- pare him for the priesthood. In 1677 he received deaconship, after which he spent a year in preparing for the dread ceremony which was to make him a priest forever. It was after having spent the Holy Week of 1678 in contemplating the mysteries of the great sacrifice, that he presented himself on Holy Saturday to receive those sacred powers that would enable him also to renew the unbloody sacrifice, to be one among the many who would from the rising of the sun till the setting of the same give glory to God on high, and by his ministrations tend to. preserve peace among men of good wilL During these six long years of preparation, M. De La Salle had been under the constant direction of Bev. M. Eoland. This worthy priest's work was accomplished. He had led La Salle into the temple, and placed him at the altar ; moreover he had founded an Institute of nuns for the instruction of the poor and had greatly interested his penitent in their welfare. He is now called away. Eighteen days after his ordination John B. De La Salle closed M. Boland's eyes in death. Their last glance of gratitude was given when the future founder of the Brothers 30 Tlie Venerable l)e La Salle, of the Christian Schools promised that he would be a father to the orphaned Daughters of the Holy Child Jesus. Such was the name of M, Roland's Institute. Do you not perceive the wonderful ways of Divine Providence in all this ? Quietly, the mission is being prepared :; gradually the task unfolds itself ; without noise or bustle, the ground is being broken. De La Salle is protecting the Daughters of the Holy Child Jesus. In supporting them in their first trials ; in over- coming the opposition of the public against the new Society, he is exercising himself in the very class of work to which, on a much larger scale, he will soon give himself up entirely . He is in the hands of an infinitely wise Providence. He is borne in its arms ; acts under its impulse. The protector of the Daughters of the Holy Child Jesus, devoted to the welfare of poor girls, will soon appear, with his own banner afloat. He will be the founder of an Order, " one of the greatest factors in the Church," whose mission it will be to call little children together and teach them the fear of the Lord. Of this, in our next chapter. CHAPTER in. "Each one has a work to do, amission to fulfil" — La Salle labors in another* s field , — Use made of his influence. — What the Church has done for youth. — At work wherever a monastery is built or a Church erected, — A few schools mentioned. — What ivas taught. — Lack cf method in schools of France at the time La Salle began his work.- — His meihod developed. — Opposition. — Famine. — '^Providence the only bcMs upon which to build Christian Schools," — 3L Be La Salle edu^ cates his d'lsciples. — His ''Meditations on School." — Resume of princi- pal headings of Chapters. — Schools for higher classes also opened. — How children should be treated. — Absence of corporal punishment. — Object lessens. — The School of Discipline. — Plan of St. Yon. — Where the Venerable lived. — Foreign Countries. — An event in Madagascar , John Baptist De La Salle has reached that age and position in which Providence indicates the work to be done, and in a calm quiet way, prepares the plan on which this work is to "be done ; allowing such circumstances to occur as will manifest the design and facilitate the first steps toward its realization. After the death of Pere Boland, De La Salle faithfully kept the sacred trust given him by the dying priest who had said : " I confide to you also my newly established congregation of the Sis- ters of the Child Jesus : this is the noblest inheritance you will receive from my profound friendship. Your zeal will cause it to prosper. Through love for the souls of poor children purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ, you will complete the work I have begun." No sooner had the worthy priest breathed his last than M. De La Salle took charge of the young Community . . . , This struggling society which M. Roland had so dearly loved, 31 / 32 Tlie Venerable Be La Salle. wliicli he had sustained with all his influence. . . . would have fallen shortly after him, had not their faithful friend come to their assistance. He procured them letters patent^ had them recognized as of public utility by the City Council, and ceased not to labor in their behalf till the Daughters of the Child Jesus were solidly established, when they justly considered their new protector a second Founder. So much interest in their welfare naturally required many visits to the Convent. One day as he approach- ed the convent he was met by two travellers careworn and fa- tigued : one was of mature years, the other young, apparently the elder's servant. In them, without knowing it, La Salle was greet- ing the first laborers in a vineyard over which he was soon to preside. Let us take a short glance, and see what had been done previously for the education of the poor ; what the state of education among the poor was, at the time of which we write. " Primary education begins with the Church. Christ was himself a teacher of the very elements of divine truth which He came to make known to men : his Apostles were the earliest Christian educators. The Church and the School have always been inseparable for the people. As time rolled on, and revolu- tion followed revolution, the Church clung to her divine mission to " go and teach ! " Even when success crowned her efforts, and princes encouraged her labors, she forgot not her calling. Her sons went forth, formed colonies, and exchanged the comforts of an established home for the miasma of the marsh and the ter- rors of the forest." " The pagan world had paid but littb if any attention to the instruction of the masses. The Church, on the other hand, had devoted herself unreservedly to the task for sixteen cen- turies : her councils obliged to this by the force of their laws ; Chapters of different churches looked upon it as a first duty, their treasures were poured out unstintingly in this noble cause : wherever the Church arose there were found men laboring Lir An Apijeal to Catholic Youth. 38 the betterment of mankind, through the elevation of the stand- ard of intelligence among youth. "In her Alexandrian Schools, the Christian system absorbed every branch of learning The Koman Schools were on a hum- bler scale, but those who desire to know what they were like, at least in external foi-m, may satisfy their curiosity by a visii to the catacombs of St. Agnes, where several chambers may still be seen, with a seat and benches . . . which were intended for the master and his hearers." From Rome, pass over to Ireland. There the schools pre- served the whole world from falling into barbarism. " Colum- ba was the first to lead the way in whatever labors the monks engaged.". . . . He himself was a skilful penman . . . - and lona came to be looked upon as the chief seat of learn- ing, not only in Britain, but in the whole Western world. Thither, as from a nest, these sacred doves took their flight to every quarter. They studied the classics, the mechanical arts, law, history and physic. They improved the arts of husband- ry, .... supplied the rude people, whom they had undertaken to civilize, with ploughshares and other utensils of labor, and taught them the use of the forge, in the mysteries of which, every Irish monk was instructed from his boyhood. " The probability is," says the author of '* Christian Schools and Scholars,'' that Charlemagne established both a School and an Academy, and that the two institutions, though not identical, were directed by the same masters. . . The Academy was formed of the friends and courtiers of Charlemagne, while the School was for the education of youths chosen from all ranks, noble and simple.". . . ."Fail not to cultivate learning," said the Emperor Charlemagne, " with the humble intention of pleas- ing God. . .We wish to see you what soldiers of Christ ought to be — devout in life, learned in intercourse with the world, chaste in action, and scholars in conversation — so that all who 34 The Venerahle De La Salle. approach you may be as much enlightened by your wisdom as they are edified by your holy life." In 789, an edict was pub- lished, requiring elementary schools to be attached to all mon- asteries and Catholic churches, ivithout exception, and that children of all ranks, both noble and servile should be received therein. The more important monasteries were to open High Schools, in which mathematics, astronomy, arithmetic, geo- metry, music and rhetoric would be taught." Passing from the Kingdom of Charlemagne to the realms of " Good King Alfred " of England, we find the Church equally solicitous. The history of this prince, and his noble efforts in the cause of learning, are so familiar to all readers that it may seem unnecessary to say much of the restoration of letters which took place during his reign, xllfred was told of Grimbald who was renowned for his knowledge of the Scriptures and his profi- ciency in musical science, and for this purpose he dispatched an embassy to the Archbishop of Eheims begging that the learned monk might be sent to him without delay. . . . Grimbald arrived in England in 884, and began to teach, ... in the schools opened by Alfred at Oxford. ... A small number of French monks were placed by Alfred in the monastery newly erected in the Isle of Athelney. . . . The direction of the Court School was given to Asser, a monk whose fame had reached Alfred from afar. . . . Not only princes, and the sons of the nobility, but many also of hum- ble rank, received their education in these literary nestlings. " If ive jyiit together the different classes of schools enumerated, it will, I think, appear that in the loth Century, England loas as well 'provided iviththe Tueans of ediix^ation, for rich and poor, as she is at the present day." (1) (1) "Christian Schools and Scholars." We cannot suggest any more instructive reading, any that will show boAV faithfully the Chnrch, in keeping with the means at her disposal, cared for and instructed the people. It is a complefe, exhaustive answer to the many trivial scribblers who talk about the Church loving ignorance, and fearing the light ; these forget that it is to the Church, and to her alone, we owe the preservation of letters and sciences. An Appeal to Catholic Youth. 35 And thus the Churcli has accomplished her mission in every part of the world — whenever and wherever she was at liberty to do good, her first attention was devoted to the children. So prospered affairs till the dark cloud of the Reformation came to break up long established monastic schools, and to scatter the teachers. We do not propose to enter into details here, suffice it to say, that wherever the Church was dethroned, the rights of the poor were forgotten. In no countries in the world were the people so much neglected as in those where they had been in- duced to give up the old faith, and with this faith, all the priv- ileges it claimed for the poor. Moreover, the education most of the poor could obtain, previous to the invention of printing, was very limited. Guttenberg's invention of the types, and Colum- bus' discovery of America, both Catholic achievements, opened a new field for the lower classes. It was the mission of the Vener- able De La Salle to supply this want first for France, after which he would furnish a large portion of teachers to the entire world. When the Venerable undertook to form his first disciples, primary education was at a low ebb in his native country. Be- fore studying their own language, French boys were obliged to learn how to read Latin. However strange this may appear, it was universally the case. Thus, years were spent in acquiring the mere ability to read a language they never understood. This the Venerable changed, though in doing so, he was op- posed by all past experience, and by many even of his chief helpers and friends. But, De La Salle had an educational genius : in this as in so many other things, he quietly pursued his course, allowing the world to talk. Later, he published his reasons, through respect for an eminent Bishop who opposed the change, and required the Venerable to explain his motives for what was termed an innovation. This the humble servant of God did with such clearness, as fully to convince the most sceptical of the wisdom which guided him in his new methods. 36 The Venerable De La Salle. Again, previous to his time the indiyidiial method of teaching- was almost universally pursued, or where this was not the case, large numbers of children were gathered into one large room, where they were separately taught, each pupil going to the teacher in turn, while the balance either remained in ab- solute idleness, or if the master had not sufficient control, amused themselves to the great annoyance of the child who was receiving a lesson. It will easily be seen that this plan did not produce satisfac- tory results, and in most cases the number of children was extremely limited. Moreover, even such schools were not numerous at that time for the poor. In some cities, despite the opposition of the Church, attendance at poor schools was considered disgraceful, and so far was this spirit carried, that in the City of Eouen, poor scholars were obliged to announce the fact by bearing a band about their caps with the name poor scholar written or printed upon it. The Venerable was to change all this. Under his gentle sway, the poor were to be the favorites. As beautifully expressed in his Bule, he required that " the Brothers should have an equal affection for all their pupils, but especially for the poor." But, it was in his methods that he proved himself the child's greatest friend. Instead of the awkward school-room previously described, where one child was heard at a time, De La Salle first received all who presented themselves, in the schools whicli he established in various parts of France. He then examined each pupil carefully, and had him placed in a separate class- room under a competent Brother. Here, the child was again examined, and placed in the section of that class for which he was best fitted. It is said that so great was the progress thus obtained that in a very short time, the Brothers' schools were overcrowded. The wealthy had no objection to their children associating with the poor, when they found that all were treat- An Appeal to Catholic Youth. 37 ed with equal kindness. And here, speaking of the kindness of De La Salle and his disciples, it must be said to his and their honor, that in the first regulations made, there is no question of corporal punishment, the only penances named therein being such as would make the pupils repair their faults by performing some task, committing to memory some lines that referred to the nature and danger of the fault committed. Nor was it long before such paternal treatment had its effect. Many of the best class of boys became so attached to their masters as to wish to join them by embracing their, manner of life. Thus it was that the holy Founder established his Junior or Preparatory Novitiates. The same practice holds in the Institute to-day ; and if any of our young readers wish to see thirty or more of the happiest boys in the world, they need but visit the Bro- thers' Preparatory Novitiates of Montreal, New York, or Bal- timore. We must not, however, imagine that all this good was accom- plished without trouble. Scarcely had the first successes been achieved when the writing masters attacked De La Salle and his Brothers as being illegally employed in teaching. So far did they go in their opposition, that they drove the Brothers from their schools in Paris, and threw the furniture into the street. Patiently were these and similar attacks borne up against, till better days shone, and the classes w^ere re-opened. Perhaps, when we come to learn the character of the work done by these writing masters, we will partly excuse, or at least understand their opposition. As their name indicates, the writing masters t?i.ught some few the art of penmanship for a stipulated sum — of course, this debarred the poor from learning. Moreover, all who were ignorant of writing, and these were extremely numer- ous, employed the masters to do all their correspondence, etc. When De La Salle undertook to teach every child to do what had been almost a close secret, we can well understand the dis- 38 The Venerable De La Salle, may of tliose who for years had charged what they pleased, and had looked upon their business as almost an inalienable right. Within twenty years after the establishment of the Brothers' schools in any city, the writing masters found their occupation gone. Five years had thus elapsed : the schools were a success, the Brothers seemingly happy, when an unexpected and trying occasion presented itself. Here is how the matter is described in the Life and Work of the Venerable De La Salle. " The year 1684 may justly be termed the sad year in the history of France. Several seasons of insufficient crops had rendered provisions as scarce as they were dear. From all the surrounding villages, hundreds of poor persons crowded into the cities, and Eheims had the appearance of a vast pauper- house. Most of the middle and lower classes were reduced to beggary, as all work had ceased. Even many rich people were brought to the utmost state of misery. Religious communities, to whom want had hitherto been unknown, were forced to part with their most costly furniture, in exchange for bread. So afflicting a year was one in which the Abbe De La Cille could part with his goods, without going far to find ready receivers. He was now to remove a difficulty he had shortly before writ- ten about. ' My mouth, ' he said ' is closed : I have no right to speak the language of perfection to my teachers ; nor can I tell them of poverty while I am possessed of a rich patrimony, which precludes the possibility of want. How can I speak to them of abandonment to Providence, while I am provided against indigence ? ' ' No other reliance than Providence is suited to the Christian schools,' De La Salle had been told, by those whom he consulted. He determined to act on the suggestion. Accord- ingly, he divided his fortune into four parts : the first purchased food for his poor scholars, and assisted the Sisters of the Child Jesus : the second was given to the outside poor, who were first A71 Appeal to Catholic Youth. 39 taught catechism for a few moments before each distribution ; the third part was given to females in distress, the fourth was distributed among the bashful poor. Every effort was made to find these deserving persons without being discovered by them. His former enemies who had been most bitter in their assaults were the chief objects of his liberality." But, when they saw their beloved father and founder reduced to a state of poverty like themselves, these timorous teachers became more confident, for the Venerable 's instructions now fell upon hearts that had been moved by the power of example to follow their master in all things." The same author, speaking of the state of the Institute at the time of which we write, quotes from Monta- lembert who says in his Monks of the West : "No monastic insti- tution has ever failed which had for its corner stone faith, poverty for its walls, and modesty for its roof." These were the three virtues in which the Abbe De La Salle centred his hopes. They were therefore built upon the foundations against which the waters and winds beat without avail. His whole career and that of his disciples was inspired by the first of these great virtues ; poverty was seen in everything connected with his foundations, while modesty in word and work was so conspic- uous as to make the new religious a spectacle to angels and men. Not content with having become as poor, or even poorer than his children, DeLa Salle gave repeated evidence that the master did not consider himself greater than the disciple ; his every act proved that on the contrary he looked upon himself as one destined to labor as the servant of all. Whenever a Brother fell ill, he hastened to replace him in the class room, where, as has been so lovingly dilated upon by all his biographers, he was distinguished from all his disciples by the gentle gravity of his looks and words, the charity of his proceedings, the zeal which shone forth as characteristic of his every movement. When he returned from such hours of his labor of love, his disciples 40 Hie Venefi^ahh De La Salle. eagerly gathered about aud questioned him on the results of his efforts. He took special delight in detailing all his little plans for success to the younger Brothers, to whom he was strongly attached. For these he would enter into details, re- peat explanations and devise plans such as could only proceed from the mind of an educational genius, filled with the love of God and its sister virtue, affection for his neighbor, especially of that part nearest and dearest to the Sacred Heart of Jesus , the portion which he came chiefly to protect, and Avhich he declared to be the model upon which all must form themselves, to be of the kingdom of heaven. De La Salle in thought word and deed was the special friend of childhood, such his whole life demonstrates ! Thus, though he had unlimited confidence in his Brothers, in their virtue which he had seen tried by so many serious difiicul- ties, yet he was not satisfied till he had made the cause of the children doubly certain. His Institute was solely and entire- ly founded for the benefit of youth, especially of the poor. Not content then, with giving his Brothers the ordinary vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as practised by other Insti- tutes, he desired to secure the services of his disciples for life, and thus he added the vows of teaching gratuitously and this for a life-time, by the super-added vow of stability. And in this his views agreed perfectly with those afterwards expressed by the Holy Father in his Bull of Approbation, where he shows liis exalted idea of the vocation of the Brothers of the Chris- tian Schools, decreeing that no Brother shall leave the Order, even for the purpose of entering a more rigorous Institute, an exception made for very few religious bodies in the Church. His Holiness, with all his successors, including the gloriously reigning Leo XIII wisely concluded that the education of youth is one of the most important works in which a religious can be engaged. The more fully to imbue his disciples with a most ex- alted idea of their vocation, he had prepared a special series An Appeal to Catholic Youth. 41 of Meditations on tlis Christian and religious teacher's work. In these touching pages he tells the Brother of the Christian Schools that ''it is God himself who, in his Providence estab- lished the Christian Schools." He then enters into prolong- ed details of " the means which should be employed by those who are charged with the Christian education of youth." To encourage those who embrace so arduous a calling he assures them that "they are co-workers with Christ in saving souls, " and further tells them that '* those who are chosen by Provi- dence to educate youth, act the part of guardian angels ," and he proves this most beautifully in the 6th meditation of tlifr series. As though this were not sufficient, he continues his^ argument by showing that " the educator's office is most ne- cessary to the Church." While thus raising the profession of the Christian teacher to the height to which religion and jus- tice demand that it be elevated, he likewise most eloquently urged upon his sons the essential truth that to be worthy of their sublime calling they should discharge their duties with great zeal, the motives for which devotedness he draws from the example of our Divine Lord and of his apostles, one of whom,, though not among the first twelve, could say of his dispositions,. " I most gladly will spend and be spent myself for your souls." Pursuing the thread of his subject, he still further teaches that the truly zealous master will warn and correct his pupils and he gives the wisest possible rules for carrying out this form of what may almost be termed fraternal correction." The holy founder next enters into details likely to inspire every Chris- tian and religious teacher with holy awe, when he treats of the account an educator must give to God of the manner in which he acquits himself of his employment. When treating of the chief head of this accountability, we see the true idea which the Venerable had of the Brothers' work. All that re- lates to religion and its practices holds the foremost rank, yet 42 The VenemUe Be La Salle. without failing to impress upon his disciples, that to be true to their calling, their classes must be genuine nurseries of secular as well as religious learning. He goes so far as to accuse him of theft who neglects his duty in teaching secular branches, since this is one of his essential duties if he wishes to keep his pupils and their parents satisfied. Neither does the Yener- able fail to impress upon his sons that " those who shall have educated youth may expect a recompense even in this life." But, after having treated of this subject cursorily, he takes up the more consoling argument as to " the recompense which a faithful Brother of the Christian Schools may expect in heaven." *' When the prince of pastors shall appear, 3^ou shall receive a never-fading crown of glory," upon which he proceeds to say : " Oh ! what a happiness is in store for a good Brother of the Christian Schools ! What shall be his feelings, when surround- ed by his numerous pupils, all like himself safe in their eternal home, they will admit that through the merits of Jesus Christ, ^applied through their masters, they have been saved. What a combination of unalloyed rejoicing sliall then be seen between master and pupils. What union, in God, between souls thus gathered in the bonds of love and gratitude ! What happiness he shall experience conversing upon the riches of his inheritance in the Saints. " The crown shall be proportioned to the labor sustained, the victories won, the fatigues endured. Hence all these trials may be considered as so many sources of rejoicing. Our zeal must herein find food upon which to strengthen itself against difficul- ties, obstacles and persecutions. After such a career, the true Brother will be able unceasingly to proclaim in a better land ; ^I exceedingly abound ivith joy, because of all our tribulations.''' 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