not to fear that the charge, made by some, may be believed by others, that in our academies and colleges, religion is the Cinderella of the studies? And yet against such a charge everyone of us, in all sincerity and truth, registers a most emphatic "Not guilty." We have been teaching and are teaching, in a most conscientious manner, the subject of religion. Some defects may have been discovered by our critics in particular cases; but the charge, directed against the Catholic academies and colleges in a body, especially as to their mind on this point of importance and necessity, is most certainly false and is easily disproved. Our Catholic educational institutions and teaching communities, ever since they began, have been following a well thought-out program in the presentation of Catholic truth; and have made it serve as the basis of the moral training of our Catholic people, as thousands of grateful pupils will testify.

Assuming, then, as proven what every one admits, that religious instruction, throughout the whole curriculum, from the kindergarten to the university, is the necessary leaven of all education, we ought to approach the question, by no means an idle one, whether the religious syllabi in our colleges, framed and fashioned perhaps in other times, perhaps in other lands, do fully and adequately meet the requirements of our day, of present conditions, in these United States. With a view to attain to a better understanding of the function of religious instruction in our present-day educational program, and to more fully realize the aim of all Catholic education, namely, the training of Christian men and women, I beg to present a few thoughts for the consideration of this Department, hoping that they may lead to a fuller discussion and elucidation at the hands of men far more able and experienced than the writer of this paper.

Before proceeding, I wish to note that, while in speaking on this subject, we must keep in mind that it applies equally to our institution for girls. I shall not explicitly mention this distinction, since, with perhaps a slight modification in some of the details, the general principles apply equally to both.

The first thing necessary for us to do when a pupil enters upon our academic course is to ascertain the extent and the quality of the religious training he has received; for the great fundamental

principle of education demands that the matter to be taught be adjusted to the needs and capacity of the learner. And right here we are confronted with either a normal or an abnormal condition. We consider the condition normal when the boy enters upon academic work after having completed the work of the parish school curriculum, where he has received elementary religious instruction-when we assume that he has assimilated the teachings of the catechism, both as to Catholic belief and Catholic practice. He is supposed to have mastered the definitions and to be somewhat familiar with the terms employed in the science of religion.

At the outset, then, we ought to make sure that he has received this instruction, especially in regard to the teachings that have a more or less direct bearing upon his every-day duties and the principles of conduct applicable to himself, hic et nunc, the sacraments which he is now obliged to receive, etc. It may be necessary or advisable to review the catechism with a view of ascertaining whether or not these things are now firmly rooted in his mind.

The next step, then, should be to instill into the minds and hearts of our young people of that age a true and solid Christian piety and Christian virtue. The time has not yet come for boys or girls of fourteen or fifteen years of age to engage in arguments concerning religious truth. To my mind it is a serious mistake to suppose that they are to be treated as young sceptics or agnostics or heretics, and I fear that very often more harm than good results from the overburdening of their minds with all the finer distinctions and definitions and argumentations of our larger catechisms, however logical and solid these may be. All these things will find their place and time some day, of course, but let us not begin too soon. Our young people, if reared in a Christian home, and if surrounded, as in our colleges, by a Catholic atmosphere, believe with all their hearts; indeed our Blessed Lord urges us all to become as children in this regard. Therefore, let Catholic truth be presented to them in a positive manner; and if proof be deemed advisable to strengthen their Faith, let it be taken from Holy Scripture and ecclesiastical authority in a few, clear, and concise arguments so as to eliminate

our own personality and to place it upon the sure basis of the testimony of the Holy Ghost.

The principal aim, then, during this plastic period of boyhood and girlhood ought to be to make our youth practice the religious teachings. The first thing to be done is to stimulate their interest and inspire them with greater reverence for things sacred. And I think that we ought to approach this part of a religious education by a thorough study of the life and person of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I have in mind the "Life of Jesus Christ," by the Rev. Walter Elliott of the Paulist Fathers-in my opinion the most suitable book for this purpose; it certainly possesses literary excellence, it is a rich mine of important details, and it breathes from its every page the true spirit of the devoted and pious ambassador of the Divine Master. It embraces the entire Gospel narrative, many extracts being literally taken from the evangelists-is filled with helpful illustrations, that really do illustrate and embodies the teachings and the miracles of our Savior and His foundation of the Christian Church. And let me assure you that if this book is properly presented to a class of boys or girls, and its beauties revealed to them by the teacher, its effect will be tremendous, the impression indelible, and the picture of our Divine Lord's personality and teachings unforgetable. Contrast such a review of the mystery of the Incarnation and of the Redemption of the world, of the teachings of our Lord and of the foundation of His Church with the long and dreary questions and answers of some of our larger catechisms and their respective effect upon the feelings, the affections, and the will of our youth, and, I am sure, I need no longer argue my point. The hidden. roots and naked trunk of Catholic truth shown to them in the smaller catechism will shoot forth for them a crown of the richest foliage and delightfully perfumed blossoms, entrancing the eyes of their soul, and they will delight to dwell in its shade.

After the student has become familiar with the life of our Divine Savior and with the earliest beginnings of the Christian Church, we ought to acquaint him with the spirit and lives of the heroic Christians during the tragic and pathetic period of their struggles against paganism, especially of the Roman Empire. Where could we find a history that will give us a fuller insight

into that period than is furnished in books such as "Fabiola," by Cardinal Wiseman, or "Callista," by Cardinal Newman, supported here and there by the framework of the purely historical facts and events of those times. They will appeal to the young minds and hearts; they will prove to them the power and work of the Holy Ghost in the Church and awaken enthusiasm for religion. It has been truthfully said that, in general, most of the historical works of the nations of the world are mainly concerned with the wars and conquests and political changes of the nations, and are therefore sadly lacking in educational value because they do not give us a sufficient insight into their inner life and character. On the other hand, the great charm of Bible history lies in the fact that it is a series of biographies held together by the thread of narrative, which method is now recognized as the great pedagogical method of teaching history. We ought to keep this fact in mind when presenting our youth the character of Christianity as reflected in history. A multiplicity of names and dates and numbers is to be avoided, for these only serve to burden the memory to the prejudice of the heart and mind, and make instruction tedious and hateful. We should rather present the matter in the form of selections grouped around some notable personages, men and women, by which means the history of the epoch remains deeply impressed on the imagination of the young. Of course the teacher ought to make reference to the doctrines of faith and morals connected with the story told. Likewise the lives and sayings of the saints, and the works and doings of the Church ought to be clearly distinguished in their character from the lives and sayings of ordinary men, however famous, and from purely secular events or occurrences. In other words, the supernatural element in the Church and her saints ought constantly to be set forth.

The same method ought to be followed in presenting the spirit of Christian teaching as exemplified in the lives of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Francis De Sales, St. Vincent De Paul, St. Francis Xavier, St. Theresa, St. Rose of Lima. I single out the names of these great saints solely because I consider them types and models of which our present age stands sadly in need.

Another point which I consider of paramount importance in the scheme of Catholic instruction in our time, is a thorough and complete exposition of the constitution and organization of the Catholic Church, especially as it affects her members. It is hardly necessary to point out how many wrong conceptions and misrepresentations, some born of ignorance, some of malice, are afloat to-day on this all-important point. The hierarchic degrees, their various rights and obligations, the various forms of ecclesiastical authority with which their respective offices are invested should be thoroughly understood. Indeed it is not open to ques tion that the right understanding of what authority means, and the respect we owe to all rightfully established authority, whether spiritual or temporal, ecclesiastical, civil or parental, is a basic principle which needs inculcation, if we are to preserve our precious liberty and to be guarded against moral and social chaos. Loyalty to ecclesiastical authority, coordinated with loyalty to civil and parental authority ought to spring from the Christian view of God's authority over man.

Another source from which we must draw an effective explanation of the Catholic doctrine is the study of the liturgy of the Church and of liturgics. "The first," says Spirago, "describes the clerical officers and their functions (words and actions), the sacred places and seasons, in fact everything concerned in the divine worship of the Church; the latter explains their origin, reasons and meaning." Although there may not be room enough for a separate class of liturgy (or rather liturgics), there can be no doubt that it may claim a decided recognition all through the course. This subject is an inexhaustible source of sacred object lessons to illustrate the profoundest mysteries of religion, and an effective means of making the lessons given in catechism attractive and interesting in the extreme. In many ways it can be made a powerful factor to enlighten the young minds to influence their hearts, and to arouse their emotions; and, since the ceremonies and feasts of the Church are meant to be "the book of the ignorant," there can be no valid objection on the ground that the explanation is difficult. Speaking of the feasts of the Church, Dupanloup observes: "There is nothing more beautiful, nothing more captivating. It is all a poem, a sublime poem, the