THE FAMILY

The family, as well as the heart of the Christian,, is a sanctuary which religion consecrates, and sanctifies, in ail its parts, by making known to each of its mernbers the duties which God enjoins upon them.

10. Faith tells the spouses that their indissoluble union is a great sciemment, sacramentum magnum (Eph. V. 32.), because it confers a spécial grâce, the source and type of which are found in the ineffable union of Jésus Christ with His Church. Eeciprocal love and respect, mutual forbearance, and inviolable fidelity until death, spotless honesty, ail thèse render honorable the Christian marriage (Heb. XIII. 4.), and draws down upon the spouses heavenly blessings.

11. Thèse blessings are especially necessary for the good éducation of children, which is a long, difficult and important work. It is a sacred work, for its object is to lay in the soûl of your children the foundations of a holy life, and to make them upon earth the living temples of the Holy Ghost, that, one day, they may be found worthy to enter into the heavenly Jérusalem. And this is chiefly why the holy catholic Church, established the guardian of the sacrament and the mother of the children of Christ, detests and reproves those mixed marriages, which are always a danger for the spouses, and so serious an obstacle to the Christian éducation of the children.

12. The holy man Tobias laughl his son from his infancy to fear God, and to abstain from ail sin ; quem ab infantia limer e Deum docuil et obstiner e ab omni peccato (Tobias, f. 10.). After thie example, at the

first dawn of intelligence in your children, teach them to know God, the infinité perfection, to love, to fear, to serve Him, and to pray to Him. Make them understand that God is everywhere, that nothing escapes His all-seeing eye, not even what is hidden in their heart ; that even the darkest night is to Him light as the day : tenebrœ non obscurabuntur a te... sicut tenebrœ ejus ita et lumen ejus (Ps. CXXXVIII. 12.). Inspire them with a tender dévotion to Mary, a great love and a profound respect for their good angel, the faithful companion of their pilgrimage hère below and the perpétuai witness of their deeds. Thèse first impressions of piety, of respect, of confidence, will be profoundly engraven on their young hearts, and will never be effaced.

13. When your children are old enough to attend catechism, it is your duty to send them regularly, that they may be taught the truths of which no Christian can be ignorant, without endangering his salvation.

14. Give to your children and see that they receive, instruction according to your means, and for this hesitate not to make pecuniary sacrifices. Take heed especially that the masters and mistresses, to whom you confide your children, be, in every respect, irreproachable. Our Provincial Councils, according to the doctrine of the Holy See, hâve already cautioned you against protestant schools, and against those others, which are called mixed schools, where the faith and morals of your children would run so great dangers, either because doctrines contrary to the catholic religion are there taught, or because your children would there accustom themselves gradually to look upon religion with indifférence.

15. We hâve already spoken to you, O. D. B. B., of that exact and continuai vigilance, which every true

Christian should exercise to persévère in justice. Youtli, which needs it more, is unhappily less capable of exercising it, because it little apprehends the necessity thereof. This, parents should supply by keeping their children from the danger of offending God.

Watch therefore over the books, newspapers, pictures and other articles of art which enter your houses. Watch over the companies, which your children fréquent. Do not allow them to contract habits of luxury, of sensuality, of egotism, of prodigality, of false liberty, which would cause their, and your, unhappiness, by stifling every noble sentiment, and fostering the worst instincts of a degraded nature. Do not permit them those immodest dresses, those forbidden dances called fast dances, waltzes, and others, those d^ngerous walks, those solitary rendez-vous, those prolonged evening meetings, which are, as it were, so many poisoned sources, from which your children would largely draw iniquity and death. Do not, to calm your fears, say that your children are sufficiently old and reasonable, that they are wise and well brought up, and that they run no danger. Fatal delusion ! The more precious the treasure, the more also should you watch over its préservation ! O ! how many children are lost daily owing to this false security ! And what a terrible account shall their parents, one day, reuder of their blind confidence.

1G. There is, in the life of your children, one epoch, on which their happiness dépends ; passage bordering upon abyses famous for numerous catastrophes. Cornes the time when they think of settling in life, and contracting marriage. How many embrace this state, solely actuated by a passion which blindfolds them a moment, but is soon followed by a despairing reality ! For years together those young hearts are allowed to nourish a naine, which devours them, which dries up

piety in their heart, darkens their intelligence and too often drags them into lamentable disorders. This protracted company-keeping, as it is called, is, we say it with grief, one of the plagues of our country. The passion once kindled, paternal authority is disregarded, the wise counsels of true friendship despised, the voice

of conscience stifled, God Himself forgotten It is

foolishly imagined that love supplies ail in this world, and that, befbre the tribunal of infinité holiness, it will justify everything. The day shall corne when their eyes will be opened ; when regrets, remorse, a whole life of sorrows, will make them expiate that imprudence and those excesses.

Watch therefore, O. D. B. B., over your dear children, as the apple of your eye, during that period. Deter them, as much as you can, from those unions between near relatives, which, for grave reasons, the law of the Church prohibits, and which she would never hâve to allow. Deter them also from those mixed marriages, where the différence of religious belief is so serious an obstacle to the perfect union of hearts, and the good éducation of families.

17. You should also exercise your vigilance to discover and extirpate the evil inclinations and the faults of your children. In this difficult task avoid the opposed extrêmes of excessive severity and culpable indulgence. Christian charity, paternal tenderness, enlightened by faith, will inspire you that happy mixture of meekness and of strength which overcomes ail obstacles. Never be disheartened ; le instant in season, oui of season ; reprove, entreat, rebuke, in ail patience and

doctrine be vigilant, labor fulfèl thy ministry ;

insta opportune, importune ; argue, obsecra, increpa in

omni patientia et doctrina vigila, labor a, mi-

nisterium tuùm impie (II Tim. IV. 2, 5.). By your prayers and good works, strive to merit God's blessing,

and reflect tliat your reward shall be in proportion to your good will and to your labor.

18. Vain shall be your efforts if yourself, you give not to your children the example of ail the virtues you wish to implant in their liearts. In your household be, as it were, an open book, wherein your children may easily read the virtues they should practise : Faith, charity, religion, the fréquentation of sacraments, respect and attention to the word of God, love of truth, respect for an oath, tempérance, justice and meekness towards ail men. Be such that, like St. Paul, you may say to your children : Be ye follotvers of me, as I also am of Christ ; imitatores met estote, sicut et ego Christi (I Cor. IV. 16.).

19. If faithful to thèse practices, you will find, O. D. B. B., in the obédience, virtue, and love of your children, a first reward, which shall be your happiness hère below, and a loretaste of that other life, where they shall form your crown and your joy during eternity. You also, children, understand well that your security and happiness can be found, but in the obédience and respect shown to your parents. Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is just, says St. Paul, honor thy father and thy mother, which is the first commandment with a promise : that it may be well tvith thee, and thou may est be long lived upon earth (Eph. VI. 1...).

20. In many families there are also servants, hence several reciprocal duties.

]f thou hâve a faithful servant, says the Holy Ghost, let him be to thee as thy own soûl : treat him as a brother (Eccli. XXXIII. 31.). Masters, adds St. Paul, do to your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also hâve a master in heaven (Col. IV. 1.). Treat theni with charity, as your children ; with jus-

$ifce, not exacting excessive labor and paying tliem their just hire ; with meekness and kindness, as you would, in their place be treated ; with vigilance, lest God, one day, demand back, at your hands, soûls lost through your neglect. Meditate occasionally thèse words of St. Paul : If ' any man hâve not cave of his own, and especially of those of his house he hath denied the faith, and is tvorse than an infidel (I. Tim. V. 8.).

21. On the other hand, servants owe their masters fidelity, obédience, labor and respect. Servants, says St. Paul, obey in ail things your masters according to theflesh, not serving to the eye as pleasing men, but in simplicity of heart, fearing God. Whatsoever you do, do it from the heart as to the Lord, and not to men : hnowing that you shall receive of the Lord the reward

of inheritance He that doth wrong, shall receive for

that which he hath done zvrongfully (Col. III. 22 ).

Blessed the family wherein God is thus honored by ail the members thereof! What peace, what concord, what charity, what subordination among them ! How striking an image of that great family of heaven, of which God is the Father, and of which the angels and the saints are the happy children ! Faith, Christian virtue, fidelity to ail duties can alone work such a prodige