land of the sanctuary, the only one of the thirteen colonies settled
by Catholics, and the only one that raised aloft over her fair lands
the banner of liberty of conscience, and that invited the op-
pressed of other colonies to seek an asylum beneath its shadow."
The labors of the saintly missionaries will be traced in every State
of the Union, in Canada, in Mexico, and in South America, where
villages of Christianized, civilized Indians arose as by magic, those
"Reductions" which even Voltaire regarded as "the triumph of
humanity."

If we of Detroit do no more toward teaching in the grades the
history of the Church in the Northwest than to make the children
familiar with the story of each of the four great men whose
statues grace the exterior of our City Hall, we shall have done
much; since it covers a glorious period of the Church in America:
and those are among its noblest representatives. Incidentally,
too, in this case, as in many others that present themselves,
we may find proof that, as a rule, the public is ready and willing
to give honor where honor is due; all that it wants, in order to
give fair play, is a knowledge of the facts.

There are, however, some errors that die hard. Only the other
day it was stated in the most offensive manner that the Bible was
prohibited in Mexico. It was said that formerly all Catholics
were forbidden to read the Holy Scripture; and the "chained
Bible" was given as indisputable proof of the assertion. In an-
swer to this, tell the children of the Passion Play of Oberammer-
gau, which is but the Biblical representation of our Lord's life
and passion by the peasants of a small German village that is now
educating the world, and call attention to the fact that these plays
were common in the Middle Ages, like the theatrical representa-
tions of the present time, and that those mysteries were repre-
sented with wonderful realism, which could not be the case if the
people of the "Dark Ages" were not familiar with the Bible. In
this connection refer to the testimony of Sir Thomas More
that, long before Wyclif, there was an English version of the
Scriptures "by good and godly people with devotion and soberness
well and reverently read."

One by one those "ugly questions" about "Bloody Mary," St.
Bartholomew's Massacre and the Spanish Inquisition, etc., may

be briefly disposed of. For example, ask the pupils if they can explain the answer once given by a Paulist Father to the query, "What about the Spanish Inquisition?" "We are not Spaniards,' he replied, "and we do not live in the sixteenth century." And let this lead to a discussion of the chapter on "Charges of Religious Persecutions" in that valuable book, "The Faith of Our Fathers," which proves conclusively that the Protestant historian, Leopold von Ranke, was right in classing the Inquisition as a political tribunal, and also that religion had nothing to do with the massacre of the Huguenots, who were slain solely on account of their alleged treasonable designs.

Thus, in one way or another, the class will be taught the principal events in the past history of the Church; but this is not enough. Our pupils must be kept informed as to the condition and the work of the Church to-day, and inspired with an emulative desire to further its interests. In this connection, we may recall a recent utterance of Pius X: "With regard to newspapers and periodicals, would that all the good were persuaded of the necessity of doing everything possible to supply Catholics with Catholic reading of this nature; for we are certainly of the opinion that in our time there is nothing more important than this." Let us remember that in a few years the boys and girls of our "grades" will be the men and women of our parishes, who ought to be able and willing to carry out the injunctions of our Holy Father, and that we can even now help on the good work by interesting the pupils in the Catholic paper of their diocese, and we can easily make the children of grammar school grades appreciate such an able exponent and champion of their faith as America.

It is indeed important to prepare our children to give reasons for the faith that is in them, to repel attacks on the fair name of their Mother, the Church. But only part of the teacher's work is done, and this no doubt the least important, if the pupils are not moved to love and practice their religion. It is not enough to implant pride in the Catholic position if we forget "that this right pride grows best in the soil of personal loyalty to our Lord." We cannot, like those happy mothers in Judea, take our little ones to Jesus that His hands may be laid in blessing on their

heads; but, in the manner of writers like Mother Loyola, we can put such interest, such vividness in our Scripture stories, as to bring Jesus into the midst of our little fold by an "ever developing presentment of His character, making Him real for the children, making Him live for them."

In the words of a recent writer, if we would make our religious teaching send its sap into the fibres of being and of life, nothing will be found more effectual than the "Lives of the Saints." Look at the incalculable good accomplished, the countless army of souls saved through the zealous sons of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and you see a result of the chance reading by a worldly Spanish nobleman of the "Lives of the Saints." Who can say what miracles of grace are not still daily wrought among us by means of the "Lives of the Saints"? Let us mention one example, that of a youth who, after some years of successful work in an ecclesiastical seminary, unaccountably changed his plans and engaged in commercial pursuits. After some time, however, he suddenly resumed his studies and persevered to the end; and years after his ordination, when he had become one of the best known and best loved priests in the Middle West, he said to his sister, a religious: "Mary, did I ever tell you what sent me back to the seminary? No? Well, it was the life of St. Elizabeth of Hungary that you brought home one Sunday from the Cathedral library." To-day there are scores of priests who owe their vocation to him. Indeed there may be in this gathering men and women who knew and revered him, the late fervent, whole-souled Father Thomas Burke of St. Columbkille's Church, Chicago.

It may be that Montalembert's "Life of St. Elizabeth" is not responsible for many such vocations; but consider what the history of St. Elizabeth did for the author when bitter disappointments had so affected his mental and spiritual attitude. towards the Church that he feared for himself; and, to regain peace of mind, fled to the comparative solitude of Wartburg in Hungary. Here he chanced, in his wanderings, to come upon a lonely church built on the crest of a hill. Entering, he found it to be a beautiful edifice of medieval times, upon whose walls and windows was traced the story of a saintly woman. The

subject interested him; interest grew into fascination; and the result was, for the world, the "Life of St. Elizabeth"; for himself, peace of heart and mind with renewed love of religion. Today there is not a city or village in the civilized world in which charity does not grow apace under the patronage of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, the first settlement worker. History is full of such examples showing that the saints, though they have passed from earth, still live among us in the influence which permeates our lives, now as illumination, now as strength. "The saints live; Stanislaus and Aloysius and the early Fathers of the desert and the early martyrs have kept many a young heart pure and inspired many a deed of heroism."

Our pupils learn in their catechism that in all ages many members of the Church have been eminent for holiness; but let us make this statement more than a dead letter, let us acquaint the children with the principal saints, those whose labors have been epoch-making, the founders of religious orders, those missionaries who have evangelized the world, and those men and women who have sanctified themselves in the paths which they themselves expect to tread when they shall have found their vocation.

This instruction need not be given by reading dry-as-dust chronicles; neither need it intrench on the time that should be devoted to other work. Much may be done informally and in odd minutes. For instance, St. Patrick's Day is at hand, which to many of the children means little more than an opportunity of wearing the green. Take the occasion then to relate the beautiful story of the Apostle of Ireland as it is found in Eliza Allen Starr's "Patron Saints," invested with all the charm of romance. Again, when Christmas is near, let your class read of the conversion of Germany in Dr. Van Dyke's "The First Christmas Tree," for surely the heroism of the monk St. Boniface, which appealed so strongly to this Protestant writer will not fail to touch the impressionable hearts of these little ones of the household of the Faith. Perhaps the pupils have been reading the drama or the story of Macbeth; then let us add, as a

supplement, a page of Scottish history, a sketch of the holy queen, St. Margaret, wife of Malcolm, who devoted herself to enlightening and uplifting her husband and her people.

It may be the children are studying masterpieces of architecture, sculpture or painting; and this gives an opportunity to speak of St. Francis of Assisi, the real father of the Italian Renaissance, "the leader," as Dr. Jas. Walsh says, "in that great return to nature which constitutes the true basis of modern poetic and artistic ideas of all kinds." Then, we should remember that the statues in our churches and chapels are intended not merely to ornament these sacred edifices but to instruct and influence the congregation; therefore we should not fail to show the children the meaning of these sermons in stone. Again, what are the storied windows but illuminated pages of Church history, which the children should be taught to read understandingly and reverently? They tell better than the printed page the story of our Divine Lord, His Blessed Mother, the apostles and disciples.

There is in this diocese one little chapel where the windows in the sanctuary are devoted to the Gospel story, while those in the nave give many a chapter in the history of the Church from the earliest days to modern times. Among these, St. Cecilia and St. Catherine of Alexandria tell of the persecutions and the catacombs; St. Thomas Aquinas, the glory of the thirteenth century; St. Edward, the Catholicity of Old England; St. Bernard, the Crusades; St. Vincent de Paul, the beginnings of organized charity; and St. Jean Batiste de la Salle, the beginning of modern education.

Another view gives many of the founders of religious orders, St. Augustine, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Francis de Sales, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. Alphonsus; and those who did so much by their example to enkindle ardor in the youthful heart, as St. Francis Xavier, St. Aloysius Gonzaga and St. Stanislaus Kostka. Still another view of these chapel windows shows the universality of the Church; for Asia, Africa, Europe and America are represented in their saints.