,,the ,,education ,,of ,,catholic       
,,girls        99     99     99     99  
,,public ,,schools ,,for ,,girls4 ,a    
,series of ,papers by ,nineteen         
,headmistresses dealing with the        
,history1 ,curricula1 and      ,aims of 
,public ,secondary ,schools for ,girls4 
,edited by      ,,sara ,a4 ,,burstall1  
,headmistress of the ,manchester ,high  
,school1 and ,m4 ,a4 ,,douglas1         
,headmistress of the ,godolphin         
,school1 ,salisbury4 ,crown #hvo1 #ds4  
#f;d4    ,,the ,,dawn ,,of ,,character4 
,a ,study of ,child ,life4 ,by ,,edith  
,e4      ,,read ,,mumford1 ,m4,a41      
,cloth-workers' ,scholar1 ,girton       
,college1 ,cambridge1 ,lecturer on      
',child ,training' at the      ,princess
 ,christian ,training ,college for      
,nurses1      ,manchester4 ,crown #hvo1 
#cs4 #f;d1    ,,notes ,,of ,,lessons    
,,on ,,the ,,herbartian ,,method 7based 
on      ,herbart's ,plan74 ,by ,m4      
,,fennell and ,members of a ,teaching   
,staff4 ,with a ,preface by ,m4         

,,fennell1 ,lecturer on      ,education4
 ,crown #hvo1 #cs4 #f;d4    ,,science   
,,of ,,education4 ,by ,t4 ,p4 ,,keating1
 ,b4,a41 ,l4,c4,p4 ,with      an        
,introduction by ,rev4 ,t4 ,a4 ,,finlay1
 ,m4,a41 ,national      ,university1    
,dublin4 ,crown #hvo1 #bs4 #f;d4 net4   
,,talks  ,,to ,,teachers ,,on           
,,psychology ,,and ,,to ,,students ,,on 
,,some ,,of      ,,life',s ,,ideals4 ,by
 ,,william ,,james1 formerly ,professor 
of      ,philosophy at ,harvard         
,university4 ,crown #hvo1 #ds4 #f;d4    
,,education ,,and ,,the ,,new           
,,utilitarianism1 and other ,educational
      ,addresses4 ,by ,,alexander       
,,darroch1 ,m4,a41 ,professor of        
,education in the ,university of        
,edinburgh4 ,crown #hvo1      #cs4 #f;d4
 net4    ,,education   ,,and            
,,psychology4 ,by ,,michael ,,west1     
,indian      ,education ,service4 ,crown
 #hvo1 #es4 net4     ,longmans1 ,green  
and  ,co41    ,london1 ,new ,york1      
,bombay1 ,calcutta1 and ,madras4        

99     99     99     99   ,,the         
,,education ,,of ,,catholic ,,girls  by 
,,janet ,,erskine ,,stuart  ,with a     
,preface by ,cardinal ,bourne           
,archbishop of ,westminster  ,longmans1 
,green and ,co4 #ci ,paternoster ,row1  
,london ,fourth ,avenue  #cjth ,street1 
,new ,york ,bombay1 ,calcutta1 and      
,madras  ,fourth ,impression #aiad      
,nihil ,obstat3 ,f4 ,,thos4 ,,bergh1    
,o4,s4,b4  ,imprimatur3 ,,franoisous    
,,card4 ,,bourne ,,abchiepos            
,,wesimonast1  die #a ,januarii1 #aiab4 
,,preface  ,we have had many treatises  
on education in recent years2 many      
regulations have been issued by         
,government ,departments2 enormous sums 
of money are contributed annually from  
private and public sources for the      
improvement and development of          
education4 ,are the results in any      
degree proportioned to all these        
repeated and accumulated efforts8 ,it   
would not be easy to find one1 with     
practical experience of education1 ready

 to give an unhesitatingly affirmative  
answer4 ,and the explanation of the     
disappointing result obtained is very   
largely to be found in the neglect of   
the training of the will and character1 
which is the foundation of all true     
education4 ,the programmes of           
,government1 the grants made if certain 
conditions are fulfilled1 the           
recognition accorded to a school if it  
conforms to a certain type1 these things
 may have raised the standard of        
teaching1 and forced attention to       
subjects of learning which were         
neglected2 they have done little to     
promote education in the real sense of  
the term4 ,nay1 more than this1 the     
insistence on certain types of          
instruction which they have compelled   
has in too many cases paralysed the     
efforts of teachers who in their hearts 
were striving after a better way4  ,the 
effect on some of our ,catholic schools 
of the newer methods has not been free  
from harm4 ,compelled by force of       

circumstances1 parental or financial1 to
 throw themselves into the current of   
modern educational effort1 they have at 
the same time been obliged to abandon   
the quieter traditional ways which1     
while making less display1 left a deeper
 impress on the character of their      
pupils4 ,others have had the courage to 
cling closely to hallowed methods built 
up on the wisdom and experience of the  
past1 and have united with them all that
 was not contradictory in recent        
educational requirements4 ,they may1    
thereby1 have seemed to some waiting in 
sympathy with the present1 and attaching
 too great value to the past4 ,the test 
of time will probably show that they    
have given to both past and present an  
equal share in their consideration4  ,it
 will certainly be of singular advantage
 to those who are engaged in the        
education of ,catholic girls to have    
before them a treatise written by one   
who has had a long and intimate         
experience of the work of which she     

writes4 ,loyal in every word to the     
soundest traditions of ,catholic        
education1 the writer recognizes to the 
full that the world into which ,catholic
 girls pass nowadays on leaving school  
is not the world of a hundred1 or of    
fifty1 or of even thirty years ago4 ,but
 this recognition brings out1 more      
clearly than anything else could do1 the
 great and unchanging fact that the     
formation of heart and will and         
character is1 and must be always1 the   
very root of the education of a child2  
and it also shows forth the new fact    
that at no time has that formation been 
more needed than at the present day4    
,the pages of this book are well worthy 
of careful pondering and consideration1 
and they will be of special value both  
to parents and to teachers1 for it is in
 their hands and in their united1 and   
not opposing action1 that the           
educational fate of the children lies4  
,but ,i trust that the thoughts set     
forth upon these pages will not escape  

either the eyes or the thoughts of those
 who are the public custodians and      
arbiters of education in this country4  
,the ,state is daily becoming more      
jealous in its control of educational   
effort in ,england4 ,would that its     
wisdom were equal to its jealousy4 ,we  
might then be delivered from the        
repeated attempts to hamper definite    
religious teaching in secondary schools1
 by the refusal of public aid where the 
intention to impart it is publicly      
announced2 and from the discouragement  
continually arising from regulations    
evidently inspired by those who have no 
personal experience of the work to be   
accomplished1 and who decline to seek   
information from those to whom such work
 is their very life4 ,it cannot1 surely1
 be for the good of our country that the
 stored-up experience of educational    
effort of every type should be          
disregarded in favour of rigid rules and
 programmes2 or that zeal and devotion  
in the work of education are to be      

regarded as valueless unless they be    
associated with so-called               
undenominational religion4 ,the         
,catholic ,church in this and in every  
country has centuries of educational    
tradition in her keeping4 ,she has no   
more ardent wish than to place it all   
most generously at the service of the   
commonwealth1 and to take her place in  
every movement that will be to the real 
advantage of the children upon whom the 
future of the world depends4 ,and we    
have just ground for complaint when the 
conditions on which alone our           
co-operation will be allowed are of such
 a character as to make it evident that 
we are not intended to have any real    
place in the education of our country4  
,may this treatise so ably written be a 
source of guidance and encouragement to 
those who are giving their lives to the 
education of ,catholic children1 and at 
the same time do something to dispel the
 distrust and to overcome the hostility 
shown in high quarters towards every    

,catholic educational endeavour4        
,,francis ,,cardinal ,,bourne1          
,,archbishop ,,of ,,westminster4        
,,contents  ,,preface ,,introduction    
,,chapter     ,i4 ,,religion    ,,ii4   
,,character4 ,i4   ,,iii4 ,,character4  
,,ii4    ,,iv4 ,,the ,,elements ,,of    
,,catholic ,,philosophy     ,v4 ,,the   
,,realities ,,of ,,life    ,,vi4        
,,lessons ,,and ,,play   ,,vii4         
,,mathematics1 ,,natural ,,science1     
,,and ,,nature ,,study  ,,viii4         
,,english    ,,ix4 ,,modern ,,languages 
,x4 ,,history    ,,xi4 ,,art   ,,xii4   
,,manners  ,,xiii4 ,,higher ,,education 
,,of ,,women   ,,xiv4 ,,conclusion      
,,appendix ,i        ,,appendix ,,ii    
,,index     ,pair though it be1 to watch
 unclose ,the nestling glories of a     
rose1 ,depth on rich depth1 soft fold on
 fold2 ,though fairer he it1 to behold  
,stately and sceptral lilies break ,to  
beauty1 and to sweetness wake3 ,yet     
fairer still1 to see and sing1 ,one fair
 thing is1 one matchless thing3 ,youth1 

in its perfect blossoming4              
,,lionel ,,johnson4     ,,introduction  
,a book was published in the ,united    
,states in #aiaj with the title1        
,,education3 ,,how ,,old ,,the ,,new4 ,a
 companion volume might be written with 
a similar title1 ,,education3 ,,how     
,,new ,,the ,,old1 and it would only    
exhibit another aspect of the same      
truth4  ,this does not pretend to be    
that possible companion volume1 but to  
present a point of view which owes      
something both to old and new1 and to   
make an appeal for the education of     
,catholic girls to have its             
distinguishing features recognized and  
freely developed in view of ultimate    
rather than immediate results4          
,,chapter ,i4  ,,religion4  ,oh6 say    
not1 dream not1 heavenly notes    ,to   
childish ears are vain1 ,that the young 
mind at random floats1    ,and cannot   
reach the strain4  ,dim or unheard1 the 
words may fall4    ,and yet the         
,heaven-taught mind ,may learn the      

sacred air1 and all    ,the harmony     
unwind4                                 
,,keble4  ,the principal educational    
controversies of the present day rage   
round the teaching of religion to       
children1 but they are more concerned   
with the right to teach it than with    
what is taught1 in fact none of the     
combatants except the ,catholic body    
seem to have a clear notion of what they
 actually want to teach1 when the right 
has been secured4 ,it is not the        
controversy but the fruits of it that   
are here in question1 the echoes of     
battle and rumours of wars serve to     
enhance the importance of the matter1   
the duty of making it all worth while1  
and using to the best advantage the     
opportunities which are secured at the  
price of so many conflicts4  ,the duty  
is twofold1 to ,god and to ,his         
children4 ,god1 who entrusts to us their
 religious education1 has a right to be 
set before them as truly1 as nobly1 as  
worthily as our capacity allows1 as     

beautifully as human language can convey
 the mysteries of faith1 with the       
quietness and confidence of those who   
know and are not afraid1 and filial     
pride in the ,christian inheritance     
which is ours4 ,the child has a right to
 learn the best that it can know of     
,god1 since the happiness of its life1  
not only in eternity but even in time1  
is bound up in that knowledge4 ,most    
grievous wrong has been done1 and is    
still done1 to children by well-meaning 
but misguided efforts to make them good 
by dwelling on the vengeance taken by   
,god upon the wicked1 on the            
possibilities of wickedness in the      
youngest child4 ,their impressionable   
minds are quite ready to take alarm1    
they are so small1 and every experience 
is so new2 there are so many great      
forces at work which can be dimly       
guessed at1 and to their vivid          
imaginations who can say what may happen
 next8 ,if the first impressions of ,god
 conveyed to them are gloomy and        

terrible1 a shadow may be cast over the 
mind so far-reaching that perhaps a     
whole lifetime may not carry them beyond
 it4 ,they hear of a sleepless ,bye that
 ever watches1 to see them doing wrong1 
an ,bye from which they cannot escape4  
,there is the ,judge of awful severity  
who admits no excuse1 who pursues with  
relentless perseverance to the very end 
and whose resources for punishment are  
inexhaustible4 ,what wonder if a daring 
and defiant spirit turns at last and    
stands at bay against the resistless    
,avenger1 and if in later years the     
practical result is--if we may not      
escape1 let us try to forget1 or the    
drifting of a whole life into           
indifference1 languor of will1 and      
pessimism that border on despair4       
,parents could not bear to be so        
misrepresented to their children1 and   
what condemnation would be sufficient   
for teachers who would turn the hearts  
of children against their father1       
poisoning the very springs of life4 ,yet

 this wrong is done to ,god4 ,in        
general1 children taught by their own   
parents do not suffer so much from these
 misrepresentations of ,god1 as those   
who have been left with servants and    
ignorant teachers1 themselves warped by 
a wrong early training4 ,fathers and    
mothers must have within themselves too 
much intuition of the ,fatherhood of    
,god not to give another tone to their  
teaching1 and probably it is from       
fathers and mothers1 as they are in     
themselves symbols of ,god's almighty   
power and unmeasured love1 that the     
first ideas of ,him can best reach the  
minds of little children4  ,but it is   
rare that circumstances admit the       
continuance of this best instruction4   
,for one reason or another children pass
 on to other teachers and1 except for   
what can be given directly by the       
clergy1 must depend on them for further 
religious instruction4 ,this further    
teaching1 covering1 say1 eight years of 
school life1 ten to eighteen1 falls more

 or less into two periods1 one in which 
the essentials of ,christian life and   
doctrine have to be learned1 the other  
in which more direct preparation may be 
made for the warfare of faith which must
 be encountered when the years of school
 life are over4 ,it is a great          
stewardship to be entrusted with the    
training of ,god's royal family of      
children1 during these years on which   
their after life almost entirely        
depends1 and it is required among       
stewards that a man may be found        
faithful4 ,for other branches of        
teaching it is more easy to ascertain   
that the necessary qualifications are   
not wanting1 but in this the            
qualifications lie so deeply hidden     
between ,god and the conscience that    
they must often be taken for granted1   
and the responsibility lies all the more
 directly with the teacher who has to   
live the life1 as well as to know the   
truth1 and love both truth and life in  
order to make them loved4 ,these are    

qualifications that are never attained1 
because they must always be in process  
of attainment1 only one who is          
constantly growing in grace and love and
 knowledge can give the true            
appreciation of what that grace and love
 and knowledge are in their bearing on  
human life3 to be rather than to know is
 therefore a primary qualification4     
,inseparably bound up with it is the    
thinking right thoughts concerning what 
is to be taught4  #a4 ,to have right    
thoughts of ,god4 ,it would seem to be  
too obvious to need statement1 yet      
experience shows that this fundamental  
necessity is not always secure1 far from
 it4 ,it is not often put into words1   
but traces may be found only too easily 
of foundations of religion laid in      
thoughts of ,god that are unworthy of   
our faith4 ,whence can they have come8  
,doubtless in great measure from the    
subtle spirit of ,jansenism which spread
 so widely in its day and is so hard to 
outlive--from remains of the still      

darker spirit of ,calvinism which hangs 
about convert teachers of a rigid       
school--from vehement and fervid        
spiritual writers1 addressing themselves
 to the needs of other times--perhaps   
most of all from the old lie which was  
from the beginning1 the deep mistrust of
 ,god which is the greatest triumph of  
,his enemy4 ,god is set forth as if ,he 
were encompassed with human             
limitations--the fiery imagery of the   
,old ,testament pressed into the service
 of modern and western minds1 until ,he 
is made to seem pitiless1 revengeful1   
exacting1 lying in wait to catch ,his   
creatures in fault1 and awaiting them at
 death with terrible surprises4  ,but   
this is not what the ,church and the    
,gospels have to say about ,him to the  
children of the kingdom4 ,if we could   
put into words our highest ideals of all
 that is most lovely and lovable1       
beautiful1 tender1 gracious1 liberal1   
strong1 constant1 patient1 unwearying1  
add what we can1 multiply it a million  

times1 tire out our imagination beyond  
it1 and then say that it is nothing to  
what ,he is1 that it is the weakest     
expression of ,his goodness and beauty1 
we shall give a poor idea of ,god       
indeed1 but at least1 as far as it goes1
 it will be true1 and it will lead to   
trustfulness and friendship1 to a right 
attitude of mind1 as child to father1   
and creature to ,creator4 ,we speak as  
we believe1 there is an accent of       
sincerity that carries conviction if we 
speak of ,god as we believe1 and if we  
believe truly1 we shall speak of ,him   
largely1 trustfully1 and happily1       
whether in the dogmas of our faith1 or  
as we find ,his traces and glorious     
attributes in the world around us1 as we
 consider the lilies of the field and   
the birds of the air1 or as we track    
with reverent and unprecipitate         
following the line of ,his providential 
government in the history of the world4 
,the need of right thoughts of ,god is  
also deeply felt on the side of our     

relations to ,him1 and that especially  
in our democratic times when sovereignty
 is losing its meaning4 ,there are free 
and easy ideas of ,god1 as if man might 
criticize and question and call ,him to 
account1 and have his say on the doings 
of the ,creator4 ,it is not explanation 
or apology that answer these1 but a     
right thought of ,god makes them        
impossible1 and this right thought can  
only be given if we have it ourselves4  
,the ,fatherhood of ,god and the        
,sovereignty of ,god are foundations of 
belief which complete one another1 and  
bear up all the superstructure of a     
child's understanding of ,christian     
life4  #b4 ,eight ideas of ourselves and
 of our destiny4 ,it is a pity that evil
 instead of good is made a prominent    
feature of religious teaching4 ,to be   
haunted by the thought of evil and the  
dread of losing our soul1 as if it were 
a danger threatening us at every step1  
is not the most inspiring ideal of life2
 quiet1 steady1 unimaginative fear and  

watchfulness is harder to teach1 but    
gives a stronger defence against sin    
than an ever present terror2 while all  
that belongs to hope awakens a far more 
effective response to good4 ,some       
realization of our high destiny as heirs
 of heaven is the strongest hold that   
the average character can have to give  
steadiness in prosperity and courage in 
adversity4 ,chosen souls will rise      
higher than this1 but if the average can
 reach so far as this they will do well4
  #c4 ,eight ideas of sin and evil4 ,it 
is possible on the one hand to give such
 imperfect ideas of right and wrong that
 all is measured by the mere selfish    
standard of personal security4 ,the     
frightened question about some childish 
wrong-doing--is it a mortal sin8 often  
indicates that fear of punishment is the
 only aspect under which sin appears to 
the mind2 while a satisfied tone in     
saying it is only a venial sin looks    
like a desire to see what liberties may 
be taken with ,god without involving too

 serious consequences to self4 ,it is   
wrong ought to be enough1 and the less  
children talk of mortal sin the         
better--to talk of it1 to discuss with  
them whether this or that is a mortal   
sin1 accustoms them to the idea4 ,when  
they know well the conditions which make
 a sin grave without illustrations by   
example which are likely to obscure the 
subject rather than clear it up1 when   
their ideas of right and duty and       
obligation are clear1 when ,i ought has 
a real meaning for them1 we shall have a
 stronger type of character than that   
which is formed on detailed             
considerations of different degrees of  
guilt4  ,on the other hand it is        
possible to confuse and torment children
 by stories of the exquisite delicacy of
 the consciences of the saints1 as ,st4 
,aloysius1 setting before them a        
standard that is beyond their           
comprehension or their degree of grace1 
and making them miserable because they  
cannot conform to it4  ,it is a great   

safeguard against sin to realize that   
duty must be done1 at any cost1 and that
 ,christianity means self-denial and    
taking up the cross4  #d4 ,eight        
thoughts of the four last things4 ,true 
thoughts of death are not hard for      
children to grasp1 to their unspoiled   
faith it is a simple and joyful thing to
 go to ,god4 ,later on the dreary       
pageantry and the averted face of the   
world from that which is indeed its doom
 obscure the ,christian idea1 and the   
mind slips back to pagan grief1 as if   
there were no life to come4  ,eight     
thoughts of judgment are not so hard to 
give if the teaching is sincere and     
simple1 free from exaggerations and     
phantoms of dread1 and on the other hand
 clear from an incredulous protest      
against ,god's holding man responsible  
for his acts4  ,but to give right       
thoughts of hell and heaven taxes the   
best resources of those who wish to lay 
foundations well1 for they are to be    
foundations for life1 and the two       

lessons belong together1 corner-stones  
of the building1 to stand in view as    
long as it shall stand and never to be  
forgotten4  ,the two lessons belong     
together as the final destiny of man1   
fixed by his own act1 this or that4 ,and
 they have to be taught with all the    
force and gravity and dignity which     
befits the subject1 and in such a way   
that after years will find nothing to   
smile at and nothing to unlearn4 ,they  
have to be taught as the mind of the    
present time can best apprehend them1   
not according to the portraiture of     
mediaeval pictures1 but in a language   
perhaps not more true and adequate in   
itself but less boisterous and more     
comprehensible to our self-conscious and
 introspective moods4 ,father ,faber's  
treatment of these last things1 hell and
 heaven1 would furnish matter for       
instruction not beyond the understanding
 of those in their last years at school1
 and of a kind which if understood must 
leave a mark upon the mind for life4 #a 

,see ,appendix ,i4  #e4 ,eight views of 
,jesus ,christ and ,his mother4 ,for    
,catholic children this relationship is 
not a thing far off1 but the faith which
 teaches them of ,god ,incarnate bids   
them also understand that ,he is their  
own ,god who gives joy to their         
youth--and that ,his mother is also     
theirs4 ,there are many incomprehensible
 things in which children are taught to 
affirm their belief1 and the acts of    
faith in which they recite these truths 
are far beyond their understanding4 ,but
 they can and do understand if we take  
pains to teach them that they are loved 
by ,our ,lord each one alone1 intimately
 and personally1 and asked to love in   
return4 ,suffer the little children to  
come unto ,me1 and forbid them not1 is  
not for them a distant echo of what was 
heard long ago in the ,holy ,land1 it is
 no story1 but a living reality of to   
day4 ,they are themselves the children  
who are invited to come to ,him1 better 
off indeed than those first called1     

since they are not now rebuked or kept  
off by the ,apostles but brought to the 
front and given the first places1       
invited by order of ,his ,vicar from    
their earliest years to receive the     
,bread of ,heaven1 and giving delight to
 ,his representatives on earth by       
accepting the invitation4  ,it is the   
reality as contrasted with the story    
that is the prerogative of the ,catholic
 child4 ,jesus and ,mary are real1 and  
are its own closest kin1 all but        
visible1 at moments intensely felt as   
present4 ,they are there in joy and in  
trouble1 when every one else fails in   
understanding or looks displeased there 
is this refuge1 there is this love which
 always forgives1 and sets things right1
 and to whom nothing is unimportant or  
without interest4 ,companionship in     
loneliness1 comfort in trouble1 relief  
in distress1 endurance in pain are all  
to be found in them4 ,with ,jesus and   
,mary what is there in the whole world  
of which a ,catholic child should be    

afraid4 ,and this glorious strength of  
theirs made perfect in child-martyrs in 
many ages will make them again          
child-martyrs now if need be1 or        
confessors of the holy faith as they are
 not seldom called upon1 even now1 to   
show themselves4  ,there is a strange   
indomitable courage in children which   
has its deep springs in these ,divine   
things2 the strength which they find in 
,holy ,communion and in their love for  
,jesus and ,mary is enough to overcome  
in them all weakness and fear4  #f4     
,eight thoughts of the faith and        
practice of ,christian life4 ,and here  
it is necessary to guard against what is
 childish1 visionary1 and exuberant1    
against things that only feed the fancy 
or excite the imagination1 against      
practices which are adapted to other    
races than ours1 but with us are liable 
to become unreal and irreverent1 against
 too vivid sense impressions and        
especially against attaching too much   
importance to them1 against grotesque   

and puerile forms of piety1 which drag  
down the beautiful devotions to the     
saints until they are treated as        
inhabitants of a superior kind of doll's
 house1 rewarded and punished1 scolded  
and praised1 endowed with pet names1 and
 treated so as to become objects of     
ridicule to those who do not realize    
that these extravagances may be in other
 countries natural forms of peasant     
piety when the grace of intimacy with   
the saints has run wild4 ,in northern   
countries a greater sobriety of devotion
 is required if it is to have any       
permanent influence on life4  ,but      
again1 on the other hand1 the more      
restrained devotion must not lose its   
spontaneity2 so long as it is the true  
expression of faith it can hardly be too
 simple1 it can never be too intimate a 
part of common life4 ,noble friendships 
with the saints in glory are one of the 
most effectual means of learning        
heavenly-mindedness1 and friendships    
formed in childhood will last through a 

lifetime4 ,to find a character like     
one's own which has fought the same     
fight and been crowned1 is an           
encouragement which obtains great       
victories1 and to enter into the        
thoughts of the saints is to qualify    
oneself here below for intercourse with 
the citizens of heaven4  ,to be well    
grounded in the elements of faith1 and  
to have been so taught that the practice
 of religion has become the atmosphere  
of a happy life1 to have the habit of   
sanctifying daily duties1 joys1 and     
trials by the thought of ,god1 and a    
firm resolve that nothing shall be      
allowed to draw the soul away from ,him1
 such is1 broadly speaking1 the aim we  
may set before ourselves for the end of 
the years of childhood1 after which must
 follow the more difficult years of the 
training of youth4  ,the time has gone  
by when the faith of childhood might be 
carried through life and be assailed by 
no questionings from without4 ,a faith  
that is not armed and ready for conflict

 stands a poor chance of passing        
victoriously through its trials1 it     
cannot hope to escape from being tried4 
,we have laboured successfully1 wrote a 
leading ,jewish ,freemason in ,rome     
addressing his ,brotherhood1 in the     
great cities and among the young men2 it
 remains for us to carry out the work in
 the country districts and amongst the  
women4 ,words could not be plainer to   
show what awaits the faith of children  
when they come out into the world2 and  
even in countries where the aim is not  
so clearly set forth the current of     
opinion mostly sets against the faith1  
the current of the world invariably does
 so4 ,for faith to hold on its course   
against all that tends to carry it away1
 it is needful that it should not be    
found unprepared4 ,the minds of the     
young cannot expect to be carried along 
by a ,catholic public opinion1 there    
will be few to help them1 and they must 
learn to stand by themselves1 to answer 
for themselves1 to be challenged and not

 afraid to speak out for their faith1 to
 be able to give first aid to unsettled 
minds and not allow their own to be     
unsettled by what they hear4 ,they must 
learn that1 as ,father ,dalgairns points
 out1 their position in the world is far
 more akin to that of ,christians in the
 first centuries of the ,church than to 
the life that was lived in the middle   
ages when the ,church visibly ruled over
 public opinion4 ,now1 as in the        
earliest ages1 the faithful stand in    
small assemblies or as individuals amid 
cold or hostile surroundings1 and       
individual faith and sanctity are the   
chief means of extending the kingdom of 
,god on earth4  ,but this apostleship   
needs preparation and training4 ,the    
early teaching requires to be seasoned  
and hardened to withstand the influences
 which tend to dissolve faith and piety2
 by this seasoning faith must be        
enlightened1 and piety become serene and
 grave1 sedate1 as ,st4 ,francis of     
,sales would say with beautiful         

commentary4 ,in the last years of school
 or school-room life the mind has to be 
gradually inured to the harder life1 to 
the duty of defending as well as        
adorning the faith1 and to gain at least
 some idea of the enemies against which 
defence must be made4 ,it is something  
even to know what is in the air and what
 may be expected that the first surprise
 may not disturb the balance of the     
mind4 ,to know that in the ,church there
 have been sorrows and scandals1 without
 the promises of ,christ having failed1 
and even that it had to be so1          
fulfilling ,his word1 it must needs be  
that scandals come 7,st4 ,matthew       
,,xviii4 #g71 that they are therefore   
rather a confirmation than a            
stumbling-block to our faith1 this is a 
necessary safeguard4 ,to have some      
unpretentious knowledge of what is said 
and thought concerning ,holy ,scripture1
 to know at least something about       
,modernism and other phases of current  
opinion is necessary1 without making a  

study of their subtilties1 for the most 
insecure attitude of mind for girls is  
to think they know1 in these difficult  
questions1 and the best safeguard both  
of their faith and good sense is        
intellectual modesty4 ,without making   
acquaintance in detail with the         
phenomena of spiritualism and kindred   
arts or sciences1 it is needful to know 
in a plain and general way why they are 
forbidden by the ,church1 and also to   
know how those who have lost their      
balance and peace of mind in these      
pursuits would willingly draw back1 but 
find it next to impossible to free      
themselves from the servitude in which  
they are entangled4 ,it is hard for some
 minds to resist the restless temptation
 to feel1 to see1 to test and handle all
 that life can offer of strange and     
mysterious experiences1 and next to the 
curb of duty comes the safeguard of     
greatly valuing freedom of mind4        
,curiosity concerning evil or dangerous 
knowledge is more impetuous when a      

sudden emancipation of mind sweeps the  
old landmarks and restraints out of     
sight1 and nothing has been foreseen    
which can serve as a guide4 ,then is the
 time when weak places in education show
 themselves1 when the least insincerity 
in the presentment of truth brings its  
own punishment1 and a faith not pillared
 and grounded in all honesty is in      
danger of failing4 ,the best security is
 to have nothing to unlearn1 to know    
that what one knows is a very small part
 of what can be known1 but that as far  
as it goes it is true and genuine1 and  
cannot be outgrown1 that it will stand  
both the wear of time and the test of   
growing power of thought1 and that those
 who have taught these beliefs will     
never have to retract or be ashamed of  
them1 or own that they were passed off1 
though inadequate1 upon the minds of    
children4  ,it is not unusual to meet   
girls who are troubled with doubts as to
 faith and difficulties which alarm both
 them and their friends4 ,sometimes when

 these doubts are put into words they   
turn out to be mere difficulties1 and it
 has not been understood that ten       
thousand difficulties do not make a     
doubt4 ,sometimes the difficulties are  
scarcely real1 and come simply from     
catching up objections which they do not
 know how to answer1 and think          
unanswerable4 ,sometimes a spirit of    
contradiction has been aroused1 and a   
captious tendency1 or a love of         
excitement and sensationalism1 with a   
wish to see the other side4 ,sometimes  
imperfect teaching has led them to      
expect the realization of things as     
seen1 which are only to be assented to  
as believed1 so that there is a hopeless
 effort to imagine1 to feel1 and to feel
 sure1 to lean in some way upon what the
 senses can verify1 and the             
acquiescence1 assent1 and assurance of  
faith seems all insufficient to give    
security4 ,sometimes there is genuine   
ignorance of what is to be believed1 and
 of what it is to believe4 ,sometimes it

 is merely a question of nerves1 a want 
of tone in the mind1 insufficient       
occupation and training which has thrown
 the mind back upon itself to its own   
confusion4 ,sometimes they come from    
want of understanding that there must be
 mysteries in faith1 and a multitude of 
questions that do not admit of complete 
answers1 that ,god would not be ,god if 
the measure of our minds could compass  
,his1 that the course of ,his           
,providence must transcend our          
experience and judgment1 and that if the
 truths of faith forced the assent of   
our minds all the value of that assent  
would be taken away4 ,if these causes   
and a few others were removed one may   
ask oneself how many doubts and         
difficulties would remain in the        
ordinary walks of ,catholic life4  ,it  
seems to be according to the mind of the
 ,church in our days to turn the minds  
of her children to the devotional study 
of ,scripture1 and if this is begun1 as 
it may be1 in the early years of        

education it gains an influence which is
 astonishing4 ,the charm of the         
narrative in the very words of          
,scripture1 and the jewels of prayer and
 devotion which may be gathered in the  
,sacred ,books1 are within the reach of 
children1 and they prepare a treasure of
 knowledge and love which will grow in  
value during a lifetime4 ,arms are      
there1 too1 against many difficulties   
and temptations2 and a better           
understanding of the ,church's teaching 
and of the liturgy which is the best    
standard of devotion for the faithful4  
,the blight of ,scriptural knowledge is 
to make it a subject for examinations1  
running in a parallel track with        
,algebra and ,geography1 earning its    
measure of marks and submitted to the   
tests of non-,catholic examining bodies1
 to whom it speaks in another tongue    
than ours4 ,it must be a very robust    
devotion to the word of ,god that is not
 chilled by such treatment1 and can keep
 an early ,christian glow in its        

readings of the ,gospels and ,epistles  
whether they have proved a failure or a 
success in the examination4 ,in general1
 ,catholic candidates acquit themselves 
well in this subject1 and perhaps it may
 give some edification to non-,catholic 
examiners when they see these results4  
,but it is questionable whether the risk
 of drying up the affection of children 
for what must become to them a text-book
 is worth this measure of success4 ,let 
experience speak for those who know if  
it is not so2 it would seem in the      
nature of things that so it must be4    
,when it is given over to voluntary     
study 7beyond the diocesan requirements 
which are a stimulus and not a blight7  
it catches1 not like wild fire1 but like
 blessed fire1 even among young         
children1 and is woven imperceptibly    
into the texture of life4  ,lastly1 what
 may be asked of ,catholic children when
 they grow up and have to take upon     
themselves the responsibility of keeping
 their own faith alive1 and the practice

 of their religion in an atmosphere     
which may often be one of cold faith and
 slack observance8 ,neither their       
spiritual guides1 nor those who have    
educated them1 nor their own parents1   
can take this responsibility out of     
their hands4 ,st4 ,francis of ,sales    
calls science the #hth ,sacrament for a 
priest1 urging the clergy to give       
themselves earnestly to study1 and he   
says that great troubles have come upon 
us because the sacred ark of knowledge  
was found in other hands than those of  
the ,levites4 ,leo ,,xiii wrote in one  
of his great encyclicals that ,every    
minister of holy religion must bring to 
the struggle the full energy of his mind
 and all his power of endurance4 ,what  
about the laity8 ,we cannot leave all   
the battle to the clergy2 they cannot   
defend and instruct and carry us into   
the kingdom of heaven in spite of       
ourselves2 their labours call for       
response and correspondence4 ,what about
 those who are now leaving childhood    

behind and will be in the front ranks of
 the coming generation8 ,their influence
 will make or unmake the religion of    
their homes1 and what they will be for  
the whole of their life will depend very
 much upon how they take their first    
independent stand4  ,it is much that    
they should be well grounded in those   
elements of doctrine which they can     
learn in their school-days4 ,it is much 
more if they carry out with them a      
living interest in the subject and care 
to watch the current of the ,church's   
thought in the encyclicals that are     
addressed to the faithful1 the pastorals
 of ,bishops1 the works of ,catholic    
writers which1 are more and more within 
the reach of all1 in the great events of
 the ,church's life1 and in the talk of 
those who are able to speak from        
first-hand knowledge and experience4 ,it
 is most of all fundamental that they   
should have an attitude of mind that is 
worthy of their faith2 one that is not  
nervous or apologetic for the ,church1  

not anxious about the ,pope lest he     
should interfere too much1 nor          
frightened of what the world may say4   
,they should have an unperturbed        
conviction that the ,church will have   
the last word in any controversy1 and   
that she has nothing to be alarmed at1  
though all the battalions of newest     
thought should be set in array against  
her2 they should be lovingly proud of   
the ,church1 and keep their belief in   
her at all times joyous1 assured1 and   
unafraid4  ,theology is not for them1   
neither required nor obtainable1 though 
some have been found enterprising enough
 to undertake to read the ,summa1 and   
naive enough to suppose that they would 
be theologians at the end of it1 and    
even at the outset ready to exchange    
ideas with ,doctors of ,divinity on     
efficacious grace1 and to have views on 
the authorship of the ,sacred ,writings4
 ,such aspirations either come to an    
untimely end by an awakening sense of   
proportion1 or remain as monuments to   

the efforts of those less wise1 or in   
some unfortunate cases the mind loses   
its balance and is led into error4      
,thirsting to be more than mortal1 ,i   
was even less than clay4  ,let us1 if we
 can1 keep the bolder spirits on the    
level of what is congruous1 where the   
wealth that is within their reach will  
not be exhausted in their lifetime1 and 
where they may excel without offence and
 without inviting either condemnation or
 ridicule4 ,the sense of fitness is a   
saving instinct in this as in #a every  
other department of life4 ,when it is   
present1 first principles come home like
 intuitions to the mind1 where it is    
absent they seem to take no hold at all1
 and the understanding that should      
supply for the right instinct makes slow
 and laborious way if it ever enters at 
all4  ,to know the relation in which one
 stands to any department of knowledge  
is1 in that department1 the beginning of
 wisdom4 ,the great ,christian          
,basilicas furnish a parallel in the    

material order4 ,they are the house of  
,god and the home and possession of     
every member of the ,church militant    
without distinction of age or rank or   
learning4 ,but they are not the same to 
each4 ,every one brings his own         
understanding and faith and insight1 and
 the great ,church is to him what he has
 capacity to understand and to receive4 
,the great majority of worshippers could
 not draw a fine of the plans or expound
 a law of the construction1 or set a    
stone in its place1 yet the whole of it 
is theirs and for them1 and their       
reverent awe1 even if they have no      
further understanding1 adds a spiritual 
grace and a fuller dignity to the whole4
 ,the child1 the beggar1 the pilgrim1   
the penitent1 the lowly servants and    
custodians of the temple1 the clergy1   
the venerable choir1 the highest        
authorities from whom come the order and
 regulation of the ceremonies1 all have 
their parts1 all stand in their special 
relations harmoniously sharing in       

different degrees in what is for all4   
,even those long since departed1        
architects and builders and donors1 are 
not cut off from it1 their works follow 
them1 and their memory lives in the     
beauty which stands as a memorial to    
their great ideals4 ,it is all theirs1  
it is all ours1 it is all ,god's4 ,and  
so of the great basilica of theology1   
built up and ever in course of building2
 it is for all--but for each according  
to his needs---for their use1 for their 
instruction1 to surround and direct     
their worship1 to be a security and     
defence to their souls1 a great ,church 
in which the spirit is raised           
heavenwards in proportion to the faith  
and submission with which it bows down  
in adoration before the throne of ,god4 
,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,character ,i4  ,la   
vertu maitresse d'aujourd'hui est la    
spontaneite resolue1 reglee par les     
principes interieurs et les disciplines 
volontairement acceptees4--,y4 ,,le     
,,querdec4  ,the value set on character1

 even if the appreciation goes no       
further than words1 has increased very  
markedly within the last few years1 and 
in reaction against an exclusively      
mental training we hear louder and      
louder the plea for the formation and   
training of character4  ,primarily the  
word character signifies a distinctive  
mark1 cut1 engraved1 or stamped upon a  
substance1 and by analogy1 this is      
likewise character in the sense in which
 it concerns education4 ,a man of       
character is one in whom acquired       
qualities1 orderly and consistent1 stand
 out on the background of natural       
temperament1 as the result of training  
and especially of self-discipline1 and  
therefore stamped or engraved upon      
something receptive which was prepared  
for them4 ,this something receptive is  
the natural temperament1 a basis more or
 less apt to receive what training and  
habit may bring to bear upon it4 ,the   
sum of acquired habits tells upon the   
temperament1 and together with it       

produce or establish character1 as the  
arms engraved upon the stone constitute 
the seal4  ,if habits are not acquired  
by training1 and instead of them        
temperament alone has been allowed to   
have its way in the years of growth1 the
 seal bears no arms engraven on it1 and 
the result is want of character1 or a   
weak character1 without distinctive     
mark1 showing itself in the various     
situations of life inconsistent1        
variable1 unequal to strain1 acting on  
the impulse1 good or bad1 of the moment2
 its fitful strength in moods of        
obstinacy or self-will showing that it  
lacks the higher qualities of rational  
discernment and self-control4           
,character is shown by susceptibility to
 motive1 says a modern ,american1       
turning with true ,american instinct to 
the practical side in which he has made 
experiences1 and it is evidently one of 
the readiest ways of approaching the    
study of any individual character1 to   
make sure of the motives which awaken   

response4 ,but the result of habit and  
temperament working together shows      
itself in every form of spontaneous     
activity as well as in response to      
external stimulus4 ,character may be    
studied in tastes and sympathies1 in the
 manner of treating with one's fellow   
creatures1 of confronting various       
situations in life1 in the ideals aimed 
at1 in the estimate of success or       
failure1 in the relative importance     
attached to things1 in the choice of    
friends and the ultimate fate of        
friendships1 in what is expected and    
taken for granted1 as in what is        
habitually ignored1 in the instinctive  
attitude towards law and authority1     
towards custom and tradition1 towards   
order and progress4  ,character1 then1  
may stand for the sum of the qualities  
which go to make one to be thus1 and not
 otherwise2 but the basis which         
underlies and constantly reasserts      
itself is temperament4 ,it makes people 
angry to say this1 if they are          

determined to be so completely masters  
of their way in life that nothing but   
reason1 in the natural order1 shall be  
their guide2 but though heroism of soul 
has overcome the greatest drawbacks of  
an unfortunate physical organization1   
these cases are rare1 and in general it 
must be taken into account to such an   
extent that the battle against          
difficulties of temperament is the      
battle of a lifetime4 ,there are certain
 broad divisions which although they    
cannot pretend to rest upon scientific  
principles yet appeal constantly to     
experience1 and often serve as practical
 guides to forecast the lines on which  
particular characters may be developed4 
,there is a very striking division into 
assenting and dissenting temperaments1  
children of yes and children of no2 a   
division which declares itself very     
early and is maintained all along the   
lines of early development1 in mind and 
will and taste and manner1 in every     
phase of activity4 ,and though time and 

training and the schooling of life may  
modify its expression1 yet below the    
surface it would seem only to accentuate
 itself1 as the features of character   
become more marked with advancing years4
 ,where it touches the religious        
disposition one would say that some were
 born with the minds of ,catholics and1 
others of ,nonconformists1 representing 
respectively centripetal and centrifugal
 tendencies of mind2 the first apt to   
see harmony and order1 to realize the   
tenth of things that must be as they    
are1 the second born to be in opposition
 and with great labour subduing         
themselves into conformity4 ,they are   
precious aids in the service of the     
,church as controversialists when       
enlisted on the right side1 for         
controversy is their element4 ,but for  
positive doctrine1 for keen             
appreciation1 for persuasive action on  
the wills of others1 they are at a      
disadvantage1 at all events in ,england1
 where logic does not enter into the    

national religious system1 and the mind 
is apt to resent conviction as if it    
were a kind of coercion4 ,there are a   
great number of such born               
,nonconformists in ,england1 and when   
either the grace of ,catholic education 
or of conversion has been granted to    
them1 it is interesting to watch the    
efforts to subdue and attune themselves 
to submission and to faith4 ,sometimes  
the ,nonconformist temperament is the   
greatest of safeguards1 where a         
,catholic child is obliged to stand     
alone amongst uncongenial surroundings1 
then it defends itself doggedly1        
splendidly1 and comes out after years in
 a ,protestant school quite untouched in
 its faith and much strengthened in     
militant ,christianity4 ,these are      
cheerful instances of its development1  
and its advantages2 they would suggest  
that some external opposition or        
friction is necessary for such          
temperaments that their fighting        
instinct may be directed against the    

common enemy1 and not tend to arouse    
controversies and discussions in its own
 ranks or within itself4 ,in less happy 
cases the instinct of opposition is a   
cause of endless trouble1 friction in   
family life1 difficulty in working with 
others1 alarums1 excursions on all      
sides1 and worse1 the get attitude of   
distrust towards authority1 which       
undermines the foundations of faith and 
prepares the mind to break away from    
control1 to pass from instinctive       
opposition to antagonism1 from          
antagonism to contempt1 from contempt to
 rebellion and revolt4 ,arrogance of    
mind1 irreverence1 self-idolatry1       
blindness1 follow in their course1 and  
the whole nature loses its balance and  
becomes through pride a pitiful wreck4  
,the assenting mind has its own         
possibilities for good and evil1 more   
human than those of ,nonconformity1 for 
pride was not made for men 7,ecclus4 x  
#bb71 less liable to great catastrophes1
 and in general better adapted for all  

that belongs to the service of ,god and 
man4 ,it is a happy endowment1 and the  
happiness of others is closely bound up 
with its own4 ,again1 its faults being  
more human are more easily corrected1   
and fortunately for the possessor1      
punish themselves more often4 ,this     
favours truthfulness in the mind and    
humility in the soul--the spirit of the 
,confiteor4 ,its dangers are those of   
too easy assent1 of inordinate pursuit  
of particular good1 of inconstancy and  
variability1 of all the humanistic      
elements which lead back to paganism4   
,the history of the ,renaissance in     
,southern ,europe testifies to this1 as 
it illustrates in other countries the   
development of the spirit of            
,nonconformity and revolt4 ,calvinism   
and a whole group of ,protestant schools
 of thought may stand as examples of the
 spirit of denial working itself out to 
its natural consequences2 while the     
exaggerations of ,italian humanism1     
frankly pagan1 are fair illustrations of

 the spirit of assent carried beyond    
bounds4 ,and those centuries when the   
tide of life ran high for good or evil1 
furnish instances in point abounding    
with interest and instruction1 more     
easily accessible than what can be      
gathered from modern characters1 in whom
 less clearly defined temperaments and  
more complex conditions of life have    
made it harder to distinguish the       
characteristic features of the mind4 ,to
 mention only one or two--,st4 ,francis 
of ,sales and ,blessed ,thomas ,more    
were great assentors1 so were ,pico de  
,mirandola and the great ,popes of the  
,renaissance1 an example of a great     
,nonconformist is ,savonarola4  ,the old
 division of temperaments into          
phlegmatic or lymphatic1 sanguine1      
choleric1 and nervous or melancholy1 is 
a fairly good foundation for preliminary
 observation1 especially as each of the 
four subdivides itself easily into two  
types--the hard and soft--reforms itself
 easily into some cross-divisions1 and  

refuses to be blended into others4 ,thus
 a very fine type of character is seen  
when the characteristics of the sanguine
 and choleric are blended the qualities 
of one correcting the faults of the     
other1 and a very poor one if a yielding
 lymphatic temperament has also a strain
 of melancholy to increase its tendency 
towards inaction4 ,it is often easy to  
discern in a group of children the      
leading characteristics of these        
temperaments1 the phlegmatic or         
lymphatic1 hard or soft1 not easily     
stirred1 one stubborn and the other     
yielding1 both somewhat immobile1       
generally straightforward and reliable1 
law abiding1 accessible to reason1 not  
exposed to great dangers nor likely to  
reach unusual heights4 ,next the        
sanguine1 hard or soft1 as hope or      
enjoyment have the upper hand in them2  
this is the richest group in attractive 
power4 ,if hope is the stronger factor  
there is a fund of energy which1 allied 
with the power of charm and persuasion1 

with trustfulness in good1 and          
optimistic outlook on the world1 wins   
its way and succeeds in its             
undertakings1 making its appeal to the  
will rather than to the mind4 ,on the   
softer side of this type are found the  
disappointing people who ought to do    
well1 and always fail1 for whom the joie
 de vivre carries everything before it1 
who are always good natured1 always     
obliging1 always sweet-tempered1 who    
cannot say no1 especially to themselves1
 whose energy is exhausted in a very    
short burst of effort1 though ever ready
 to direct itself into some new channel 
for as brief a trial4 ,the characters   
which remain characters of great promise
 to the end of their days1 great promise
 doomed to be always unfulfilled4 ,of   
all characters1 these are perhaps the   
most disappointing2 they have so much in
 their favour1 and the one thing        
wanting1 steadiness of purpose1 renders 
useless their most beautiful gifts4     
,these two groups seem to be the most   

common among the ,teutons and ,celts of 
,northern ,europe with fair colouring   
and tall build2 perhaps the other two   
types are correspondingly more numerous 
among the ,latin races4 ,they are       
choleric1 ambitious1 or self-isolated1  
as the cast of their mind is eager or   
scornful and generally capable of       
dissimulation2 the world is not large   
enough for their ,bonapartes4 ,but if   
bitterness and sadness predominate1 they
 are carried on an ebbing tide towards  
pessimism and contemptuous weariness of 
life2 their soft type1 in so far as they
 have one1 has the softness of powder1  
dry and crushed1 rather than that of a  
living organism4 ,in children1 this     
type1 fortunately rare1 has not the     
charm or joy of childhood1 but shows a  
restless straining after some           
self-centred excellence1 and a coldness 
of affection which indicates the        
isolation towards which it is carried in
 later life4 ,lastly1 there is the      
unquiet group of nervous or melancholic 

temperaments1 their melancholy not      
weighed down by listless sadness as the 
inactive lymphatics1 but more actively  
dissatisfied with things as they        
are--untiringly but unhopefully at      
work--hard on themselves1               
anxious-minded1 assured that in spite of
 their efforts all will turn out for the
 worst1 often scrupulous1 capable of    
long-sustained efforts1 often of heroic 
devotedness and superhuman endurance1   
for which their reward is not in this   
world1 as the art of pleasing is        
singularly deficient in them4 ,here are 
found the people who are so good1 but so
 trying1 ever in a fume and fuss1 who1  
for sheer goodness1 rouse in others the 
spirit of contradiction4 ,these         
characters are at their best in         
adversity1 trouble stimulates them to   
their best efforts1 whereas in easy     
circumstances and surrounded with       
affection they are apt to drop into     
querulous and exacting habits4 ,if they 
are endowed with more than ordinary     

energy it is in the direction of        
diplomacy1 and not always frank4 ,on the
 whole this is the character whose      
features are least clearly defined1 over
 which a certain mystery hangs1 and     
strange experiences are not unfrequent  
,it is difficult to deal with its       
elusive showings and vanishings1 and    
this melting away and reappearing seems 
in some to become a habit and even a    
matter of choice1 with a determination  
not to be known4  ,taking these groups  
as a rough classification for           
observation of character1 it is possible
 to get a fair idea of the raw material 
of a class1 though it may be thankfully 
added that in the ,church no material is
 really raw1 with the grace of ,baptism 
in the soul and later on the ,sacrament 
of ,penance1 to clear its obscurities   
and explain it to itself and by degrees 
to transform its tendencies and with    
grace and guidance to give it a steady  
impulse towards the better things4      
,confirmation and ,first ,communion     

sometimes sensibly and even suddenly    
transfigure a character2 but even apart 
from such choice instances the gradual  
work of the ,sacraments brings ,catholic
 children under a discipline in which   
the habit of self-examination1 the      
constant necessity for effort1 the      
truthful avowal of being in the wrong1  
the acceptance of penance as a due1 the 
necessary submissions and               
self-renunciations of obedience to the  
,church1 give a training of their own4  
,so a practicing ,catholic child is     
educated unconsciously by a thousand    
influences1 each of which1 supernatural 
in itself1 tells beyond the supernatural
 sphere and raises the natural          
qualities1 by self-knowledge1 by truth1 
by the safeguard of religion against    
hardness and isolation and the blindness
 of pride1 even if the minimum of       
educational facilities have been at work
 to take advantage of these openings for
 good4 ,a ,catholic child is a child1   
and keeps a childlike spirit for life1  

unless the early training is completely 
shipwrecked1 and even then there are    
memories which are means of recovery1   
and the way home to the ,father's house 
is known4 ,it may be hoped that very    
many never leave it1 and never lose the 
sense of being one of the great family1 
of the household of faith4 ,they enjoy  
the freedom of the house1 the rights of 
children1 the ministries of all the     
graces which belong to the household1   
the power of being at home in every     
place because the ,church is there with 
its priesthood and its ,sacraments1     
responsible for its children1 and able  
to supply the wants of their souls4 ,it 
is scarcely possible to find among      
,catholic children the inaccessible     
little bits of flint who are not brought
 up1 but bring up their own souls       
outside the ,church--proud in their     
isolation1 most proud of never yielding 
inward obedience or owning themselves in
 the wrong1 and of being sufficient for 
themselves4 ,when the grace of ,q-od    

reaches them and they are admitted into 
the ,church1 one of the most            
overwhelming experiences is that of     
becoming one of a family1 for whom there
 is some one responsible1 the ,father of
 the family whose authority and love    
pass through their appointed channels1  
down to the least child4  ,there is no  
such thing as an orphan child within the
 ,church1 there are possibilities of    
training and development which belong to
 those who have to educate the young    
which must appeal particularly to       
,catholic teachers1 for they know more  
than others the priceless value of the  
children with whom they have to do4     
,children1 souls1 freighted for their   
voyage through life1 vessels so frail   
and bound for such a port are worthy of 
the devoted care of those who have      
necessarily a lifelong influence over   
them1 and the means of using that       
influence for their lifelong good ought 
to be a matter of most earnest study4   
,knowledge must come before action1 and 

first-hand knowledge1 acquired by       
observation1 is worth more than         
theoretic acquirements2 the first may   
supply for the second1 but not the      
second for the first4 ,there are two    
types of educators of early childhood   
which no theory could produce1 and      
indeed no theory could tell how they are
 produced1 but they stand               
unrivalled--one is the ,english nurse   
and the other the ,irish4 ,the ,english 
nurse is a being apart1 with a profound 
sense of fitness in all things1 herself 
the slave of duty2 and having certain   
ideals transmitted1 who can tell how1 by
 an unwritten traditional code1 as to   
what ought to be1 and a gift of         
authority by which she secures that     
these things shall be1 reverence for    
,god1 reverence in prayer1 reverence for
 parents1 consideration of brothers for 
sisters1 unselfishness1 manners1 etc41  
her views on all these things are like  
the laws of the ,medes and ,persians    
which do not alter --and they are also  

holy and wholesome4 ,the ,irish nurse   
rules by the heart1 and by sympathy1 by 
a power of self-devotion that can only  
be found where the love of ,god is the  
deepest love of the heart2 she has no   
views1 but--she knows4 ,she does not    
need to observe--she sees' she has      
instincts1 she never lays down a law1   
but she wins by tact and affection1     
lifting up the mind to ,god and subduing
 the will to obedience1 while appearing 
to do nothing but love and wait4 ,the   
stamp that she leaves on the earliest   
years of training is never entirely     
effaced2 it remains as some instinct of 
faith1 a habit of resignation to the    
will of ,god1 and habitual recourse to  
prayer4 ,both these types of educators  
rule by their gift from ,god1 and it is 
hard to believe that the most finished  
training in the art of nursery          
management can produce anything like    
them1 for they govern by those things   
that lectures and handbooks cannot      
teach--faith1 love1 and common sense4   

,those who take up the training of the  
next stage have usually to learn by     
their own experience1 and study what is 
given to very few as a natural          
endowment--the art of so managing the   
wills of children that without provoking
 resistance1 yet without yielding to    
every fancy1 they may be led by degrees 
to self-control and to become a law to  
themselves4 ,it must be recognized from 
the beginning that the work is slow2 if 
it is forced on too fast either a       
breaking point comes and the child1 too 
much teased into perfection1 turns in   
reaction and becomes self-willed and    
rebellious2 or if1 unhappily1 the       
forcing process succeeds1 a little      
paragon is produced like ,wordsworth's  
model child3--  ,full early trained to  
worship seemliness1 ,this model of a    
child is never known ,to mix in         
quarrels2 that were far beneath ,its    
dignity2 with gifts he bubbles o'er ,as 
generous as a fountain2 selfishness ,may
 not come near him1 nor the little      

throng ,of flitting pleasures tempt him 
from his path2 ,the wandering beggars   
propagate his name4 ,dumb creatures find
 him tender as a nun1 ,and natural or   
supernatural fear1 ,unless it leap upon 
him in a dream1 ,touches him not4 ,to   
enhance the wonder1 see ,how arch his   
notices1 how nice his sense ,of the     
ridiculous2 not blind is he ,to the     
broad follies of the licensed world1    
,yet innocent himself withal1 though    
shrewd1 ,and can read lectures upon     
innocence2 ,a miracle of scientific     
lore1 ,ships he can guide across the    
pathless sea1 ,and tell you all their   
cunning2 he can read ,the inside of the 
earth1 and spell the stars2 ,he knows   
the policies of foreign lands2 ,can     
string you names of districts1 cities1  
towns1 ,the whole world over1 tight as  
beads of dew ,upon a gossamer thread2 he
 sifts1 he weighs2 ,all things are put  
to question2 he must live ,knowing that 
he grows wiser every day ,or else not   
live at all1 and seeing too ,each little

 drop of wisdom as it falls ,into the   
dimpling cistern of his heart3 ,for this
 unnatural growth the trainer blame1    
,pity the tree1--      ,the ,prelude1   
,bk4 ,v1 lines #bih-cbi4  ,on the other 
hand if those who have to bring up      
children1 fear too much to cross their  
inclinations1 and so seek always the    
line of least resistance1 teaching      
lessons in play1 and smoothing over     
every rough peace of the road1 the      
result is a weak1 slack will1 a mind    
without power of concentration1 and in  
later life very little resourcefulness  
in emergency or power of bearing up     
under difficulties or privations4 ,we   
are at present more inclined to produce 
these soft characters than to develop   
paragons4 ,but such movements go in     
waves and the wave-lengths are growing  
shorter2 we seem now to be reaching the 
end of a period when1 as it has been    
expressed1 the teacher learns the       
lessons and says them to the child4 ,we 
are beginning to outgrow too fervid     

belief in methods1 and pattern lessons1 
and coming back to value more highly the
 habit of effort1 individual work1 and  
even the saving discipline of drudgery4 
,we are beginning1 that is those who    
really care for children1 and for       
character1 and for life2 it takes the   
,state and its departments a long time  
to come up with the experience of those 
who actually know living children--a    
generation is not too much to allow for 
its coming to this knowledge1 as we may 
see at present1 when the drawbacks of   
the system of #ahgj are becoming        
apparent at last in the eyes of the     
official world1 having been evident for 
years to those whose sympathies were    
with the children and not with codes4   
,america1 open-minded ,america1 is aware
 of all this1 and is making generous    
educational experiments with the buoyant
 idealism of a young nation1 an idealism
 that is sometimes outstripping its     
practical sense1 quite able to face its 
disappointments if they come1 as        

undoubtedly they will1 and to begin     
again4 ,in one point it is far ahead of 
us--in the understanding that a large   
measure of freedom is necessary for     
teachers4 ,whereas we are1 let us hope1 
at the most acute stage of ,state       
interference in details4  ,but in spite 
of the systems the children live1 and   
come up year after year1 to give us     
fresh opportunities2 and in spite of the
 systems something can be done with them
 if we take the advice of ,archbishop   
,ullathorne--trust in ,god and begin as 
you can4  ,let us begin by learning to  
know them1 and the knowledge of their   
characters is more easily gained if some
 cardinal points are marked1 by which   
the unknown country may be mapped out4  
,the selection of these cardinal points 
depends in part on the mind of the      
observer1 which has more or less insight
 into the various manifestations of     
possibility and quality which may occur4
 ,it is well to observe without seeming 
to do so1 for as shy wild creatures fly 

off before a too observant eye1 but may 
be studied by a naturalist who does not 
appear to look at them1 so the real     
child takes to flight if it is too      
narrowly watched1 and leaves a self     
conscious little person to take its     
place1 making off with its true self    
into the backwoods of some dreamland1   
and growing more and more reticent about
 its real thoughts as it gets accustomed
 to talk to an appreciative audience4   
,with weighing and measuring1 inspecting
 and reporting1 exercising and rapid    
forcing1 and comparing1 applauding and  
tabulating results1 it is difficult to  
see how children can escape             
self-consciousness and artificiality1   
and the enthusiasts for child study are 
in danger of making the specimen of the 
real child more and more rare and       
difficult to find1 as destructive       
sportsmen in a new country exterminate  
the choice species of wild animals4     
,too many questions put children on     
their guard or make them unreal2 they   

cannot give an account of what they     
think and what they mean and how far    
they have understood1 and the greater   
the anxiety shown to get at their real  
mind the less are they either able or   
willing to make it known2 so it is the  
quieter and less active observers who   
see the most1 and those who observe most
 are best aware how little can be known4
  ,yet there are some things which may  
serve as points of the compass1         
especially in the transitional years    
when the features both of face and      
character begin to accentuate           
themselves4 ,one of these is the level  
of friendships4 ,there are some who look
 by instinct for the friendship of those
 above them1 and others habitually seek 
a lower level1 where there is no call to
 self-restraint4 ,boys who hang about   
the stables1 girls who like the         
conversation of servants2 boys and girls
 who make friends in sets at school1    
among the less desirable1 generally do  
so from a love of ease and dislike of   

that restraint and effort which every   
higher friendship calls for2 they can be
 somebody at a very cheap cost where the
 standard of talk is not exacting1      
whereas to be with those who are        
striving for the best in any station    
makes demands which call for exertion1  
and the taste for this higher level1 the
 willingness to respond to its claims1  
give good promise that those who have it
 will in their turn draw others to the  
things that are best4  ,the attitude of 
a child towards books is also indicative
 of the whole background of a mind2 the 
very way in which a book is handled is  
often a sign in itself of whether a     
child is a citizen born1 or an alien1 in
 the world for which books stand4 ,taste
 in reading1 both as to quality and     
quantity1 is so obviously a guiding line
 that it need scarcely be mentioned4    
,play is another line in which character
 shows itself1 and reveals another      
background against which the scenes of  
life in the future will stand out1 and  

in school life the keenest and best     
spirits will generally divide into these
 two groups1 the readers and the        
players1 with a few1 rarely gifted1 who 
seem to excel in both4 ,from the readers
 will come those who are to influence   
the minds of others here1 if they do not
 let themselves be carried out too far  
to keep in touch with real life4 ,from  
the players will come those whose gift  
is readiness and decision in action1 if 
they on their side do not remain mere   
players when life calls for something   
more4  ,there are other groups1 the born
 artists with their responsive minds1   
the home children for whom everything   
centres in their own home-world1 and who
 have in them the making of another one 
in the future2 the critics1 standing    
aloof1 a little peevish and very        
self-conscious1 hardly capable of deep  
friendship and fastidiously dissatisfied
 with people and things in general2 the 
cheerful and helpful souls who have no  
interests of their own but can devote   

themselves to help anyone2 the opposite 
class whose life is in their own moods  
and feelings4 ,many others might be     
added1 each observer's experience can   
supply them1 and will probably close the
 list with the same little group1 the   
very few1 that stand a little apart1 but
 not aloof1 children of privilege1 with 
heaven in their eyes and a little air of
 mystery about them1 meditative and     
quiet1 friends of ,god1 friends of all1 
loved and loving1 and asking very little
 from the outer world1 because they have
 more than enough within4 ,they are     
classed as the dreamers1 but they are   
really the seers4 ,they do not ask much 
and they do not need much beyond a      
reverent guardianship1 and to be let    
alone and allowed to grow2 they will    
find their way for they are taught of   
,god4  ,it is impossible to do more than
 to throw out suggestions which any     
child-naturalist might multiply or      
improve upon4 ,the next consideration   
for all concerned is what to do with the

 acquired knowledge1 and how to bring up
 in the later stages of childhood and   
early youth4  ,what do we want to bring 
up8 ,not good nonentities1 who are      
merely good because they are not bad4   
,there are too many of them already1 no 
trouble to anyone1 only disappointing1  
so good that they ought to be so much   
better1 if only they would4 ,but who can
 make them will to be something more1 to
 become1 as ,montalembert said1 a fact1 
instead of remaining but a shadow1 an   
echo1 or a ruin8 ,those who have to     
educate them to something higher must   
themselves have an idea of what they    
want2 they must believe in the          
possibility of every mind and character 
to be lifted up to something better than
 it has already attained2 they must     
themselves be striving for some higher  
excellence1 and must believe and care   
deeply for the things they teach4 ,for  
no one can be educated by maxim and     
precept2 it is the life lived1 and the  
things loved and the ideals believed in1

 by which we tell1 one upon another4 ,if
 we care for energy we call it out2 if  
we believe in possibilities of          
development we almost seem to create    
them4 ,if we want integrity of          
character1 steadiness1 reliability1     
courage1 thoroughness1 all the harder   
qualities that serve as a backbone1 we1 
at least1 make others want them also1   
and strive for them by the power of     
example that is not set as deliberate   
good example1 for that is as tame as a  
precept1 but the example of the life    
that is lived1 and the truths that are  
honestly believed in4  ,the gentler     
qualities which are to adorn the harder 
virtues may be more explicitly taught4  
,it is always more easy to tone down    
than to brace up2 there must fist be    
something to moderate1 before moderation
 can be a virtue2 there must be strength
 before gentleness can be taught1 as    
there must be some hardness in material 
things to make them capable of polish4  
,and these are qualities which are      

specially needed in our unsteady times1 
when rapid emancipation of unknown      
forces makes each one more personally   
responsible than in the past4 ,it is an 
impatient age3 we must learn patience2  
it is an age of sudden social changes3  
we have to make ready for adversity2 it 
is an age of lawlessness3 each one must 
stand upon his own guard and be his own 
defence2 it is a selfish age1 and never 
was unselfishness more urgently needed2 
love of home and love of country seem to
 be cooling1 one as rapidly as the      
other3 never was it more necessary to   
learn the spirit of self-sacrifice both 
for family life and the love and honour 
due to one's country which is also piety
 in its true sense4  ,all these things  
come with our ,catholic faith and       
practice if it is rightly understood4   
,catholic family life1 ,catholic        
citizenship1 ,catholic patriotism are   
the truest1 the only really true1       
because the only types of these virtues 
that are founded on truth4 ,but they do 

not come of themselves4 ,many will let  
themselves be carried to heaven1 as they
 hope1 in the long-suffering arms of the
 ,church without either defending or    
adorning her by their virtues1 and we   
shall but add to their number if we do  
not kindle in the minds of children the 
ambition to do something more1 to devote
 themselves to the great ,cause1 by     
self-sacrifice to be in some sort       
initiated into its spirit1 and          
identified with it1 and thus to make it 
worth while for others as well as for   
themselves that they have lived their   
life on earth4 ,there is a price to be  
paid for this1 and they must face it2 a 
good life cannot be a soft life1 and a  
great deal1 even of innocent pleasure1  
has to be given up1 voluntarily1 to make
 life worth living1 if it were only as a
 training in doing without4             
,independence is a primary need for     
character1 and independence can only be 
learnt by doing without pleasant things1
 even unnecessarily4 ,simplicity of life

 is an essential for greatness of life1 
and the very meaning of the simple life 
is the laying aside of many things which
 tend to grow by habit into necessities4
 ,the habit of work is another necessity
 in any life worth living1 and this is  
only learnt by refraining again and     
again from what is pleasant for the sake
 of what is precious4 ,patience and     
thoroughness are requirements whose     
worth and value never come home to the  
average mind until they are seen in     
startling excellence1 and it is apparent
 what a price must have been paid to    
acquire their adamant perfection1 a     
lesson which might be the study of a    
lifetime4 ,the value of time is another 
necessary lesson of the better life1 a  
hard lesson1 but one that makes an      
incalculable difference between the     
expert and the untried4 ,we are apt to  
be always in a hurry now1 for obvious   
reasons which hasten the movement of    
life1 but not many really know how to   
use time to the full4 ,our tendency is  

to alternate periods of extreme activity
 with intervals of complete prostration 
for recovery4 ,perhaps our grandparents 
knew better in a slower age the use of  
time4 ,the old ,marquise de ,gramont1   
aged #ic1 after receiving ,extreme      
,unction1 asked for her knitting1 for   
the poor4 ,mais ,madame la ,marquise a  
ete administree1 elle va mourir6 said   
the maid1 who thought the occupation of 
dying sufficient for a lady of her age4 
,ma chere1 ce n'est pas une raison pour 
perdre son temps1 answered the          
indomitable ,marquise4 ,it is told of   
her also that when one of her children  
asked for some water in summer1 between 
meals1 she replied3 ,mon enfant1 vous ne
 serez jamais qu'un etre manque1 une    
pygmee1 si vous prenez ces habitudes-la1
 pensez1 mon petit coeur1 au fiel de    
,notre ,seigneur ,jesus ,christ1 et vous
 aurez le courage d'attendre le diner4  
,she had learned for herself the        
strength of going without4  ,one more   
lesson must be mentioned1 the hardest of

 all to be learnt--perfect sincerity4   
,it is so hard not to pose1 for all but 
the very truest and simplest natures--to
 pose as independent1 being eaten up    
with human respect2 to pose as          
indifferent though aching with the wish 
to be understood2 to pose as flippant   
while longing to be in earnest2 to hide 
an attraction to higher things under a  
little air of something like            
irreverence4 ,it is strange that this   
kind of pose is considered as less      
insincere than the opposite class1 which
 is rather out of fashion for this very 
reason1 yet to be untrue to one's better
 self is surely an unworthier           
insincerity than to be ashamed of the   
worst4 ,perhaps the best evidence of    
this is the costliness of the effort to 
overcome it1 and the more observation   
and reflection we spend on this point   
the more shall we be convinced that it  
is very hard to learn to be quite true1 
and that it entails more personal       
self-sacrifice than almost any other    

virtue4  ,in conclusion1 the means for  
training character may be grouped under 
the following headings3--  #a4 ,contact 
with those who have themselves attained 
to higher levels1 either parent1 or     
teacher1 or friend4 ,perhaps at present 
the influence of a friend is greater    
than that of any power officially set   
over us1 so jealous are we of control4  
,so much the better chance for those who
 have the gift even in mature age of    
winning the friendship of children1 and 
those who have just outgrown childhood4 
,in these friendships the great power of
 influence is hopefulness1 to believe in
 possibilities of good1 and to expect   
the best4  #b4 ,vigilance1 not the      
nervous vigilance1 unquiet and anxious1 
which rouses to mischief the sporting   
instinct of children and stings the     
rebellious to revolt1 but the vigilance 
which1 open and confident itself1 gives 
confidence1 nurtures fearlessness1 and  
brings a steady pressure to be at one's 
best4 ,vigilance over children is no    

insult to their honour1 it is rather the
 right of their royalty1 for they are of
 the blood royal of ,christianity1 and  
deserve the guard of honour which for   
the sake of their royalty does not lose 
sight of them4  #c4 ,criticism and      
correction4 ,to be used with infinite   
care1 but never to be neglected without 
grave injustice4 ,it is not an easy     
thing to reprove in the right time1 in  
the right tone1 without exasperation1   
without impatience1 without leaving a   
sting behind2 to dare to give pain for  
the sake of greater good2 to love the   
truth and have courage to tell it2 to   
change reproof as time goes on to the   
frank criticism of friendship that is   
ambitious for its friend4 ,to accept    
criticism is one of the greatest lessons
 to be learnt in life4 ,to give it well 
is an art which requires more study and 
more self-denial than either the habit  
of being easily satisfied and requiring 
little1 or the querulous habit of       
scolding which is admirably described by

 ,bishop ,hedley as the resonance of the
 empty intelligence and of the hollow   
heart of the man who has nothing to     
give1 nothing to propose1 nothing to    
impart4  #d4 ,discipline and obedience4 
,if these are to be means of training   
they must be living and not dead powers1
 and they must lead up to gradual       
self-government1 not to sudden          
emancipation4 ,obedience must be first  
of all to persons1 prompt and           
unquestioning1 then to laws1 a          
reasonable service1 then to the wider   
law which each one must enforce from    
within--the law of love which is the law
 of liberty of the kingdom of ,god4     
,these are the means which in her own   
way1 and through various channels of    
authority1 the ,church makes use of1 and
 the ,church is the great ,mother who   
educates us all4 ,she takes us into her 
confidence1 as we make ourselves worthy 
of it1 and shows us out of her treasures
 things new and old4 ,she sets the      
better things always before us1 prays   

for us1 prays with us1 teaches us to    
pray1 and so lifts up our minds to      
heavenly desires4 ,she watches over us  
with un anxious1 but untiring vigilance1
 setting her ,bishops and pastors to    
keep watch over the flock1 collectively 
and individually1 with that most perfect
 care that ,st4 ,francis of ,sales      
describes as that which approaches the  
nearest to the care ,god has of us1     
which is a care full of tranquillity and
 quietness1 and which1 in its highest   
activity1 has still no emotion1 and     
being only one1 yet condescends to make 
itself all to all things4  ,criticism   
and correction1 discipline and          
obedience--these things are administered
 by the ,church our ,mother1 gently but 
without weakness1 so careful is she in  
her warnings1 so slow in her            
punishments1 so unswervingly true to    
what is of principle1 and asking so     
persuasively not for the sullen         
obedience of slaves1 but for the free   
and loving submission of sons and       

daughters4     ,,chapter ,,iii4         
,,character ,,ii4   ,the ,parts and     
,signes of ,goodnesse are many4 ,if a   
,man be ,gracious and ,curteous to      
,strangers1 it shewes he is a ,citizen  
of the ,world1 ,and that his ,heart is  
no ,island cut off from other ,lands1   
but a ,continent that joynes to them4   
,if he be ,compassionate towards the    
,afflictions of others1 it shewes that  
his ,heart is like the noble ,tree1 that
 is wounded to selfe when it gives      
,balme4 ,if he easily ,pardons and      
,remits ,offences1 it shewes that his   
minde is planted above ,injuries1 ,so   
that he cannot be shot4 ,if he be       
,thankfull for small ,benefits1 it      
shewes that he weighes ,men's ,mindes1  
and not their ,trash4 ,but above all1 if
 he have ,st4 ,paul's ,perfection1 that 
he would wish to be an ,anathema from   
,christ1 for the ,salvation of his      
,brethren1 it shewes much of a ,divine  
,nature1 and a kinde of ,conformity with
 ,christ himselfe4--,,bacon1 ,of        

,goodnesse4  ,no one who has the good of
 children at heart1 and the training of 
their characters1 can leave the subject 
without some grave thoughts on the      
formation of their own character1 which 
is first in order of importance1 and in 
order of time must go before1 and       
accompany their work to the very end4   
,what is developed to perfection can    
make other things like unto itself4 ,so 
saints develop sanctity in others1 and  
truth and confidence beget truth and    
confidence1 and the spirit of enterprise
 calls out the spirit of enterprise1 and
 constancy trains to endurance and      
perseverance1 and wise kindness makes   
others kind1 and courage makes them     
courageous1 and in its degree each good 
quality tends to reproduce itself in    
others4 ,children are very delicately   
sensitive to these influences1 they     
respond unconsciously to what is        
expected of them1 and instinctively they
 imitate the models set before them4    
,they catch a tone1 a gesture1 a trick  

of manner with a quickness that is      
startling4 ,the influence of mind and   
thought on mind and thought cannot be so
 quickly recognized1 but tells with as  
much certainty1 and enters more deeply  
into the character for life4 ,the       
consideration of this is a great        
incentive to the acquirement of         
self-knowledge and self-discipline by   
those who have to do with children4 ,the
 old codes of conventionality in        
education1 which stood for a certain    
system in their time1 are disappearing1 
and the worth of the individual becomes 
of greater importance4 ,this is true of 
those who educate and of those whom they
 bring up4 ,as the methods of modern    
warfare call for more individual        
resourcefulness1 so do the methods of   
the spiritual warfare1 now that we are  
not supported by big battalions1 but    
each one is thrown back on conscience   
and personal responsibility4 ,girls as  
well as boys have to be trained to take 
care of themselves and be responsible   

for themselves1 and if they are not so  
trained1 no one can now be responsible  
for them or protect them in spite of    
themselves4 ,therefore1 the first duty  
of those who are bringing up ,catholic  
girls is to be themselves such as       
,catholic girls must be later on4 ,this 
example is a discourse in the vulgar    
tongue which cannot be misunderstood1   
and example is not resented unless it   
seems self-conscious and presented of   
set purpose4 ,the one thing necessary is
 to be that which we ought to be1 and   
that is to say1 in other words1 that the
 fundamental virtue in teaching children
 is a great and resolute sincerity4     
,sincerity is a difficult virtue to     
practise and is too easily taken for    
granted4 ,it has more enemies than      
appear at first sight4 ,inertness of    
mind1 the desire to do things cheaply1  
dislike of mental effort1 the tendency  
to be satisfied with appearances1 the   
wish to shine1 impatience for results1  
all foster intellectual insincerity2    

just as1 in conduct1 the wish to please1
 the spirit of accommodation and        
expediency1 the fear of blame1 the      
instinct of concealment1 which is inborn
 in many girls1 destroy frankness of    
character and make people untrue who    
would not willingly be untruthful4 ,yet 
even truthfulness is not such a matter  
of course as many would be willing to   
assume4 ,to be inaccurate through       
thoughtless laziness in the use of words
 is extremely common1 to exaggerate     
according to the mood of the moment1 to 
say more than one means and cover one's 
retreat with ,i didn't mean it1 to pull 
facts into shape to suit particular     
ends1 are demoralizing forms of         
untruthfulness1 common1 but often       
unrecognized4 ,if a teacher could only  
excel in one high quality for training  
girls1 probably the best in which she   
could excel would be a great sincerity1 
which would train them in frankness1 and
 in the knowledge that to be entirely   
frank means to lay down a great price   

for that costly attainment1 a perfectly 
honourable and fearless life4 #a--;,a   
woman1 if it be once known that she is  
deficient in truth1 has no resource4    
,have1 by a misuse of language1 injured 
or lost her only means of persuasion1   
nothing can preserve her from falling   
into contempt of nonentity4 ,when she is
 no longer to be believed no on will    
take the trouble to listen to her444no  
one can depend on her1 no on rests any  
hope on her1 the words of which she     
makes use have no meaning4 --,madame    
,necker de ,saussure1 ,progressive      
,education4  ,it sometimes happens that 
the realization of this truth comes     
comparatively late in life to those who 
ought to have recognized it years       
before4 ,thinking along the surface of  
things1 and in particular repeating     
catchwords and platitudes and trite     
maxims on the subject of sincerity1 is  
apt to make us believe that we possess  
the quality we talk about1 and as it is 
impossible to have anything to do with  

the education of children without       
treating of sincerity and truthfulness1 
it is comparatively easy to slip into   
the happy assumption that one is        
truthful1 because one would not         
deliberately be otherwise4 ,but it takes
 far more than this to acquire real     
sincerity of life in the complexity and 
artificiality of the conditions in which
 we live4  ,and we have been on many    
thousand lines1 ,and we have shown1 on  
each1 spirit and power2 ,but hardly have
 we1 for one little hour1 ,been on our  
own line1 have we been ourselves4       
99     99     99     99  ,our hidden    
self1 and what we say and do ,is        
eloquent1 is well--but 'tis not true6   
,,matthew ,,arnold1 ,the ,buried ,life4 
,sincerity requires the recognition that
 to be honestly oneself is more         
impressive for good than to be a very   
superior person by imitation4 ,it       
requires the renunciation of some claims
 to consideration and esteem1 and the   
acceptance of limitations 7a different  

thing from acquiescence in them1 for it 
means the acceptance of a lifelong      
effort to be what we aspire to be1 with 
a knowledge that we shall never fully   
attain it74 ,it requires that we should 
bear the confusion of defeat without    
desisting from the struggle1 that we    
should accept the progressive           
illumination of what is still           
unaccomplished1 and keep the habitual   
lowliness of a beginner with the        
unconquerable hopefulness which comes of
 a fixed resolution to win what is worth
 winning4 ,let those who have tried say 
whether this is easy4  ,but in guiding  
children along this difficult way it is 
not wise to call direct attention to it1
 lest their inexperience and            
sensitiveness should turn to            
scrupulosity and their spontaneity be   
paralysed4 ,it is both more acceptable  
and healthier to present it as a feat of
 courage1 a habit of fearlessness to be 
acquired1 of hardihood and strength of  
character4 ,the more subtle forms of    

self-knowledge belong to a later period 
in life4  ,another quality to be desired
 in those who have to do with children  
is what may--for want of a better       
word--be called vitality1 not the       
fatiguing artificial animation which is 
sometimes assumed professionally by     
teachers1 but the keenness which shows  
forth a settled conviction that life is 
worth living4 ,the expression of this is
 not self asserting or controversial1   
for it is not like a garment put on1 but
 a living grace of soul1 coming from    
within1 born of straight thinking and   
resolution1 and so strongly confirmed by
 faith and hope that nothing can        
discourage it or make it let go4 ,it is 
a bulwark against the faults which sink 
below the normal line of life1 dullness1
 depression1 timidity1 procrastination1 
sloth and sadness1 moodiness1           
unsociability--all these it tends to    
dispel1 by its quiet and confident gift 
of encouragement4 ,and though so        
contrary to the spirit of childhood1    

these faults are found in               
children--often in delicate children who
 have lost confidence in themselves from
 being habitually outdone by stronger   
brothers and sisters1 or in slow minds  
which seem stupid to others and to      
themselves1 or in natures too sensitive 
to risk themselves in the melee4 ,to    
these1 one who brings the gift of       
encouragement comes as a deliverer and  
often changes the course of their life1 
leading them to believe in themselves   
and their own good endowments1 making   
them taste success which rouses them to 
better efforts1 giving them the strong  
comfort of knowing that something is    
expected of them1 and that if they will 
only try1 in one way if not in another1 
they need not be behind the best4 ,at   
some stage in life1 and especially in   
the years of rapid growth1 we all need  
encouragement1 and often characters that
 seem to require only repression are    
merely singing out of tune from the     
effort to hold out against blank        

discouragement at their failures to be  
good1 or to divert their mind forcibly  
from their fits of depression4 ,to be   
scolded accentuates their trouble and   
tends to harden them2 to grow a shell of
 hardness seems for the moment their    
only defence2 but if some one will meet 
their efforts half-way1 believing in    
them with a tranquil conviction that    
they will live through these            
difficulties and find themselves in due 
time1 they can be saved from much       
unhappiness of their own making1 though 
not of their own fault1 and their growth
 will not be arrested behind an         
unnatural shell of defence4  ,the strong
 vitality and gift of encouragement     
which can give this help are also of    
value in saving from the morbid and     
exaggerated friendships which sometimes 
spoil the best years of a girl's        
education4 ,if the character of those   
who teach them has force enough not only
 to inspire admiration but to call out  
effort1 it may rouse the mind and will  

to a higher plane and make the things of
 which it disapproves seem worthless4   
,there are moments when the leading mind
 must have strength enough for two1 but 
this must not last4 ,its glory is to    
raise the mind of the learner to        
equality with itself1 not to keep it in 
leading strings1 but to make it grow so 
that1 as the master has often been      
outstripped by the scholar1 the efforts 
of the younger may even stimulate the   
achievements of the elder1 and thus a   
noble friendship be formed in the       
pursuit of what is best4  ,educators of 
youth are exposed to certain            
professional dangers1 which lie very    
close to professional excellences of    
character4 ,there is the danger of      
remaining young for the sake of         
children1 so that something of mature   
development will be lacking4 ,if there  
is not a stimulus from outside1 and it  
is not supplied for by an inward        
determination to grow1 the mental       
development may be arrested and         

contented-ness at a low level be        
mistaken for the limit of capacity4 ,a  
great many people are mentally lazy1 and
 only too ready to believe that they can
 do no more4  ,many teachers are yoked  
to an examination programme sufficiently
 loaded to call for a great deal of     
pressure along a low level1 and they may
 easily mistake this harassing activity 
for real mental work1 and either be     
indeed hindered1 or consider themselves 
absolved from anything more4 ,the       
penalty of it is a gradual decline of   
the unused powers1 growing difficulty of
 sustained attention1 dislike for what  
requires effort of mind1 loss of wider  
interests1 restlessness and             
superficiality in reading1 and other    
indications of diminution of power in   
the years when it ought to be on the    
increase4 ,is this the fault of those   
who so decline in power8 ,it would be   
hard to say that it is so universally1  
for some no doubt are pressed through   
necessity to the very limits of their   

time and of their endurance4 ,yet       
experience goes to prove that if a      
mental awakening really takes place the 
most unfavourable circumstances will not
 hinder a rapid development of power4   
,abundance of books and leisure and     
fostering conditions are helps but not  
essentials for mental growth4 ,if few   
books can be had1 but these are of the  
best1 they will do more for the mind by 
continued reading than abundance for    
those who have not yet learned to use   
it4 ,if there is little leisure the     
value of the hardly-spared moments is   
enhanced2 we may convince ourselves of  
this in the lives of those who have     
reached eminence in learning1 through   
circumstances apparently hopeless4 ,if  
the conditions of life are unfavourable1
 it is generally possible to find one   
like-minded friend who will double our  
power by quickening enthusiasm or by    
setting the pace at which we must       
travel1 and leading the way4 ,there may 
be side by side in the same calling in  

life persons doing similar work in like 
circumstances1 with like resources1 of  
whom one is contentedly stagnating1     
feeling satisfied all the time that duty
 is done and nothing neglected--and this
 may be true up to a certain            
point--while the other is haunted by a  
blessed dissatisfaction1 urged from     
within to seek always something better1 
and compelling circumstances to minister
 to the growth of the mind4 ,one who    
would meet these two again after the    
interval of a few months would be       
astonished at the distance which has    
been left between them by the stagnation
 of one and the advance of the other4   
,another danger is that of becoming     
dogmatic and dictatorial from the habit 
of dealing with less mature             
intelligences1 from the absence of      
contradiction and friction among equals1
 and the want of that most perfect      
discipline of the mind--intercourse with
 intellectual superiors4 ,of course it  
is a mark of ignorance to become        

oracular and self-assured1 but it needs 
watchfulness to guard against the       
tendency if one is always obliged to    
take the lead4 ,teaching likewise       
exposes to faults perhaps less in       
themselves but far reaching in their    
effect upon children2 a little          
observation will show how the smallest  
peculiarities tell upon them1 either by 
affecting their dispositions or being   
caught by them and reproduced4 ,to take 
one example among many1 the pitch and   
intonation of the voice often impress   
more than the words4 ,a nurse with a    
querulous tone has a restless nursery2  
she makes the high-spirited             
contradictory and the delicate fretful4 
,in teaching1 a high-pitched voice is   
exciting and wearing to children2       
certain cadences that end on a high note
 rouse opposition1 a monotonous         
intonation wearies1 deeper and more     
ample tones are quieting and reassuring1
 but if their solemnity becomes         
exaggerated they provoke a reaction4    

,most people have a certain cadence     
which constantly recurs in their        
speaking and is characteristic of them1 
and the satisfaction of listening to    
them depends largely upon this          
characteristic cadence4 ,it is also a   
help in the understanding of their      
characters4 ,much trouble of mind is    
saved by recognizing that a certain     
cadence which sounds indignant is only  
intended to be convincing1 and that     
another which sounds defiant is only    
giving to itself the signal for retreat4
 ,again1 for the teacher's own sake1 it 
is good to observe that there are tones 
which dispose towards obedience1 and    
others which provoke remonstrance and1  
as ,mme4 ,necker de ,saussure remarks3  
,it is of great consequence to prevent  
remonstrances and not allow girls to    
form a habit of contradicting and       
cavilling1 or to prolong useless        
opposition which annoys others and      
disturbs their own peace of mind4       
,there are teacher's manners in many    

varieties1 often spoiling admirable     
gifts and qualities1 for the            
professional touch in this is not a     
grace but puts both children and        
grown-ups on the defensive4 ,there is   
the head mistress's manner which is a   
signal to proceed with caution1 the     
modern form mistress's or class         
mistress's manner1 with an off-hand tone
 destined to reassure by showing that   
there is nothing to be afraid of1 the   
science mistress's manner with a studied
 quietness and determination that the   
knife-edge of the balance shall be the  
standard of truthfulness1 the           
professionally encouraging manner1 the  
stimulating manner1 the manner of those 
whose ambition is to be an earnest      
teacher1 the strained tone of one whose 
ideal is to to be overworked1 the       
kindergarten manner1 scientifically     
awakening1 giving the call of the       
decoy-duck1 confidentially inviting co  
operation and revealing secrets--these  
are types1 but there are many others4   

,such mannerisms would seem to be       
developed by reliance on books of       
method1 by professional training        
imparted to those who have not enough   
originality to break through the mould1 
and instead of following out principles 
as lines for personal experiment and    
discovery1 deaden them into rules and   
abide by them4 ,the teacher's manner is 
much more noticeable among those who    
have been trained than among the now    
vanishing class of those who have had to
 stand or fall by their own merits1 and 
find out their own methods4 ,the        
advantage is not always with the trained
 teacher even now1 and the question of  
manner is not one of minor importance4  
,the true instinct of children and the  
sensitiveness of youth detect very      
quickly and resent a professional tone2 
a child looks for freedom and           
simplicity1 and feels cramped if it     
meets with something even a little      
artificial4 ,children like to find real 
people1 not anxiously careful to improve

 them1 but able to take life with a     
certain spontaneity as they like to take
 it themselves4 ,they are frightened by 
those who take themselves too seriously1
 who are too acute1 too convincing or   
too brilliant2 they do not like people  
who appear to be always on the alert1   
nor those of extreme temperatures1 very 
ardent or very frigid4 ,the people whom 
they like and trust are usually quiet1  
simple people1 who have not startling   
ways1 and do not manifest those         
strenuous ideals which destroy all sense
 of leisure in life4  ,not only little  
children but those who are growing up   
resent these mannerisms and professional
 ways4 ,they1 too1 ask for a certain    
spontaneity and like to find a real     
person whom they can understand4        
,abstract principles do not appeal to   
them1 but they can understand and       
appreciate character1 not in one type   
and pattern alone1 for every character  
that has life and truth commands their  
respect and is acceptable in one way if 

not in another4 ,it is not the bright   
colours of character alone which attract
 them1 they often keep a lifelong       
remembrance of those whose qualities are
 anything but showy4 ,they look for     
fairness in those who govern them1 but  
if they find this they can accept a good
 measure of severity4 ,they respect     
unflinching uprightness and are quick to
 detect the least deviation from it4    
,they prefer to be taken seriously on   
their own ground2 things in general are 
so incomprehensible that it only makes  
matters worse to be approached with     
playful methods and facetious           
invitations into the unknown1 for who   
can tell what educational ambush for    
their improvement may be concealed      
behind these demonstrations4 ,they give 
their confidence more readily to grave  
and quiet people who do not show too    
rapturous delight in their performances1
 or surprise at their opinions1         
or--especially--distress at their       
ignorance4 ,they admire with lasting    

admiration those who are hard on        
themselves and take their troubles      
without comment or complaint4 ,they     
admire courage1 and they can appreciate 
patience if it does not seem to be      
conscious of itself4 ,but they do not   
look up to a character in which mildness
 so predominates that it cannot be      
roused to indignation and even anger in 
a good cause4 ,a power of being roused  
is felt as a force in reserve1 and the  
knowledge that it is there is often     
enough to maintain peace and order      
without any need for interference or    
remonstrance4 ,they are offended by a   
patience which looks like weariness1    
determined if it were at the last gasp  
to improve the occasion and say         
something of educational profit4 ,to    
improve the occasion really destroys the
 opportunity2 it is like a too expansive
 invitation to birds to come and feed1  
which drives them off in a nutter4      
,birds come most willingly when crumbs  
are thrown as it were by accident while 

the benefactor looks another way2 and   
young minds pick up gratefully a        
suggestion which seems to fall by the   
way1 a mere hint that things are        
understood and cared about1 that there  
is safety beyond the thin ice if one    
trusts and believes1 that all shall be  
well if people will be true to their    
best thoughts4 ,they can understand     
these assurances and accept them when   
something more explicit would drive them
 back to bar the door against intruders4
 ,all these are truisms to those who    
have observed children4 ,the misfortune 
is that in spite of the prominence given
 to training of teachers1 of the new    
name of ,child ,study and its manuals1  
there are many who teach children       
without reaching their real selves4 ,if 
the children could combine the result of
 their observations and bring out a     
manual of ,teacher ,study we should have
 strange revelations as to how it looks 
from the other side4 ,we should be      
astonished at the shrewdness of the     

small juries that deliberate1 and the   
insight of the judges that pronounce    
sentence upon us1 and we should be      
convinced that to obtain a favourable   
verdict we needed very little subtlety1 
and not too much theory1 but as much as 
possible of the very things we look for 
as the result and crown of our work4 ,we
 labour to produce character1 we must   
have it4 ,we look for courage and       
uprightness1 we must bring them with us4
 ,we want honest work1 we have to give  
proof of it ourselves4 ,and so with the 
,christian qualities which we hope to   
build on these foundations4 ,we care for
 the faith of the children1 it must     
abound in us4 ,we care for the innocence
 of their life1 we must ourselves be    
heavenly minded1 we want them to be     
unworldly and ready to make sacrifices  
for their religion1 they must understand
 that it is more than all the world to  
us4 ,we want to secure them as they grow
 up against the spirit of pessimism1 our
 own imperturbable hope in ,god and     

confidence in the ,church will be more  
convincing than our arguments4 ,we want 
them to grow into the fulness of        
charity1 we must make charity the most  
lovable and lovely thing in the world to
 them4  ,the ,church possesses the      
secrets of these things2 she is the     
great teacher of all nations and brings 
out of her treasury things new and old  
for the training of her children4 ,a    
succession of teaching orders of        
religious1 representing different       
patterns of education1 has gone forth   
with her blessing to supply the needs of
 succeeding generations in each class of
 the ,christian community4 ,when        
children cannot be brought up in their  
own homes1 religious seem to be         
designated as their natural guardians1  
independent as they are by their        
profession from the claims of personal  
interest and self-advancement1 and      
therefore free to give their full       
sympathy and devotion to the children   
under their charge4 ,they have also the 

independence of their corporate life1 a 
great power behind the service of the   
schoolroom in which they find mutual    
support1 an ,upper ,boom to which they  
can withdraw and build up again in      
prayer and intercourse with one another 
their ideals of life and duty in an     
atmosphere which gives a more spiritual 
re-renewal of energy than a holiday of  
entire forgetfulness4  ,it is striking  
to observe that while the so-called     
,catholic countries are banishing       
religious from their schools1 there is  
more and more inclination among         
non-,catholic parents who have had      
experience of other systems to place    
their children under the care of        
religious4 ,and it was strange to hear  
one of ,his ,majesty's ,inspectors      
express his conviction that it would be 
ideal if all ,england could be taught by
 nuns6 ,thus indirect testimony comes   
from friendly or hostile sources to the 
fact that the ,church holds the secret  
of education1 and every ,catholic       

teacher may gain courage from the       
knowledge of having that which is beyond
 all price in the education of children1
 that which all the world is seeking    
for1 and which the ,church alone knows  
that she possesses in its fulness4      
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,the ,,elements ,,of  
,,catholic ,,philosophy4  ,e quosto ti  
sia sempre piombo ai piedi1   ,per farti
 mover lento1 com' uom lasso1   ,ed al  
si ed al no1 che tu non vedi2 ,che      
quegli e tra gli stolti bene abbasso1   
,che senza disfcinzion afferma o nega1  
,nell' un cosi come nell' altro passo2  
,perch' egl' incontra che piu volte     
piega   ,l' opinion corrente in falsa   
parte1   ,e poi l' affetto lo intelletto
 lega4 ,vie piu che indarno da riva si  
parte1   ,perche non toma tal qual ei si
 move1   ,chi pesca per lo vero e noil  
ha l' arte4           ,,dante1          
,paradiso1 ,canto ,,xiii4  ,the elements
 of ,catholic philosophy may no longer  
be looked upon as out of place in the   
education of our girls1 or as being     

reserved for the use of learned women   
and girlish oddities4 ,they belong to   
every well-grounded ,catholic education1
 and the need for them will be felt more
 and more4 ,they are wanted to balance  
on the one hand the unthinking impulse  
of living for the day1 which asks no    
questions so long as the fun holds out1 
and on the other to meet the urgency of 
problems which press upon the minds of  
the more thoughtful as they grow up4    
,when this teaching has been long       
established as part of an educational   
plan it has been found to give          
steadiness and unity to the whole2      
something to aim at from the beginning1 
and in the later years of a girl's      
education something which will serve as 
foundation for all branches of future   
study1 so that each will find its place 
among the first principles1 not isolated
 from the others but as part of a whole4
 ,the value of these elements for the   
practical guidance of life is likewise  
very great4 ,a hold is given in the mind

 to the teaching of religion and conduct
 which welds into one defence the best  
wisdom of this world and of the next4   
,for instance1 the connexion between    
reason and faith being once established1
 the fear of permanent disagreement     
between the two1 which causes so much   
panic and disturbance of mind1 is set at
 rest4  ,there is a certain risk at the 
outset of these studies that girls will 
take the pose of philosophical students1
 and talk logic and metaphysics1 to the 
confusion of their friends and of their 
own feelings later on1 when they come to
 years of discretion and realize the    
absurdity of these lively sallies1 as   
they would have been called in early    
,victorian times--the name alone might  
serve as a warning to the incautious6   
,they may perhaps go through an         
argumentative period and trample        
severely upon the opinions of those who 
are not ready to have their majors      
distinguished and their minors conceded1
 and1 especially1 their conclusions     

denied4 ,but these phases will be       
outlived and the hot-and-cold           
remembrance of them will be sufficient  
expiation1 with the realization that    
they did not know much when they had    
taken in the beggarly elements which    
dazzled them for a moment4 ,the more    
thoughtful minds will escape the painful
 phase altogether4  ,there are three    
special classes among girls whose       
difficulties of mind call for attention4
 ,there are those who frisk playfully   
along1 taking the good things of life as
 they come--the more the better--whom1  
as children1 it is hard to call to      
account4 ,they are lightly impressed and
 only for a moment by the things they   
feel1 and scarcely moved at all by the  
things they understand4 ,the only side  
which seems troublesome in their early  
life is that there is so little hold    
upon it4 ,they are unembarrassed and    
quite candid about their choice2 it is  
the enjoyable good1 life on its         
pleasantest side4 ,and this disposition 

is in the mind as well as in the will2  
they cannot see it in any other way4    
,restraint galls them1 and their        
inclination is not to resist but to     
evade it4 ,these are kitten-like        
children in the beginning1 and they     
appear charming4 ,but when the kitten in
 them is overgrown1 its playful         
evasiveness takes an ugly contour and   
shows itself as want of principle4 ,the 
tendency to snatch at enjoyment hardens 
into a grasping sense of market values1 
and conscience1 instead of growing      
inexorable1 learns to be pliant to      
circumstances4 ,debts weigh lightly1 and
 duties scarcely weigh at all4          
,concealment and un-truthfulness come in
 very easily to save the situation in a 
difficulty1 and once the conduct of life
 is on the down-grade it slides quickly 
and far1 for the sense of responsibility
 is lacking and these natures own no    
bond of obligation4 ,they have their    
touch of piety in childhood1 but it soon
 wears off1 and in its best days cannot 

stand the demands made upon it by duty2 
it fails of its hold upon the soul1 like
 a religion without a sacrifice4 ,in    
these minds some notions of ethics leave
 a barbed arrow of remorse which        
penetrates further than piety4 ,they may
 soothe themselves with the thought that
 ,god will easily forgive1 later on1 but
 they cannot quite lose consciousness of
 the law which does not forgive1 of the 
responsibility of human acts and the    
inevitable punishment of wrong-doing    
which works itself out1 till it calls   
for payment of the last farthing4 ,and  
by this rough way of remorse they may   
come back to ,god4 ,pope ,leo ,,xiii    
spoke of it as their best hope1 an      
almost certain means of return4 ,the    
beautiful also may make its appeal to   
these natures on their best side1 and   
save them preventively from themselves1 
but only if the time of study is        
prolonged enough for the laws of order  
and beauty to be made comprehensible to 
them1 so that if they admire the best1  

remorse may have another hold and       
reproach them with a lowered ideal4  ,in
 opposition to these are the minds to   
which1 as soon as they become able to   
think for themselves1 all life is a     
puzzle1 and on every side1 wherever they
 turn1 they are baffled by unanswerable 
questions4 ,these questions are often   
more insistent and more troublesome     
because they cannot be asked1 they have 
not even taken shape in the mind4 ,but  
they haunt and perplex it4 ,are they the
 only ones who do not know8 ,is it clear
 to every one else8 ,this doubt makes it
 difficult even to hint at the          
perplexity4 ,these are often naturally  
religious minds1 and outside the        
guidance of the ,catholic ,church1 in   
search of truth1 they easily fall under 
the influence of different schools of   
thought which take them out of their    
depth1 and lead them further and further
 from the reasonable certainty about    
first principles which they are in      
search of4 ,within the ,church1 of      

course1 they can never stray so far1 and
 the truths of faith supply their       
deepest needs4 ,but if they want to know
 more1 to know something of themselves1 
and to have at least some rational      
knowledge of the universe1 then to give 
them a hold on the elements of          
philosophical knowledge is indeed a     
mental if not a spiritual work of mercy1
 for it enables them to set their ideas 
in order by the light of a few first    
principles1 it shows them on what plane 
their questions lie1 it enables them to 
see how all knowledge and new experience
 have connexions with what has gone     
before1 and belong to a whole with a    
certain fitness and proportion4 ,they   
learn also thus to take themselves in   
hand in a reasonable way2 they gain some
 power of attributing effects to their  
true causes1 so as neither to be unduly 
alarmed nor elated at the various       
experiences through which they will     
pass4  ,between these two divisions lies
 a large group1 that of the average     

person1 not specially flighty and not   
particularly thoughtful4 ,but the       
average person is of very great         
importance4 ,the greatest share in the  
work of the world is probably done by   
average people1 not only for the obvious
 reason that there are more of them1 but
 also because they are more accessible1 
more reliable1 and more available for   
all kinds of responsibility than those  
who have made themselves useless by want
 of principle1 or those whose genius    
carries them away from the ordinary     
line4 ,they are accessible because their
 fellow-creatures are not afraid of     
them2 they are not too fine for ordinary
 wear1 nor too original to be able to   
follow a line laid down for them1 and if
 they take a line of their own it is    
usually intelligible to others4  ,to    
these valuable average persons the      
importance of some study of the elements
 of philosophy is very great4 ,they can 
hardly go through an elementary course  
of mental science without wishing to    

learn more1 and being lifted to a higher
 plane4 ,the weak point in the average  
person is a tendency to sink into the   
commonplace1 because the consciousness  
of not being brilliant induces timidity1
 and timidity leads to giving up effort 
and accepting a fancied impossibility of
 development which from being supposed1 
assumed1 and not disturbed1 becomes in  
the end real4  ,on the other hand the   
strong point of the average person is   
very often common sense1 that singular1 
priceless gift which gives a touch of   
likeness among those who possess it in  
all classes1 high or low--in the        
sovereign1 the judge1 the ploughman1 or 
the washerwoman1 a likeness that is     
somewhat like a common language among   
them and makes them almost like a class 
apart4 ,minds endowed with common sense 
are an aristocracy among the average1   
and if this quality of theirs is lifted 
above the ordinary round of business and
 trained in the domain of thought it    
becomes a sound and wide practical      

judgment4 ,it will observe a great      
sobriety in its dealings with the       
abstract2 the concrete is its kingdom1  
but it will rule the better for having  
its ideas systematized1 and its critical
 power developed4 ,self-diffidence tends
 to check this unduly1 and it has to be 
strengthened in reasonably supporting   
its own opinion which is often          
instinctively true1 but fails to find   
utterance4 ,it is a help to such persons
 if they can learn to follow the        
workings of their own mind and gain     
confidence in their power to understand1
 and find some intellectual interest in 
the drudgery which in every order of    
things1 high or low1 is so willingly    
handed over to their good management4   
,these results may not be showy1 but it 
is a great thing to strengthen an       
average person1 and the reward of doing 
so is sometimes the satisfaction of     
seeing that average mind rise in later  
years quite above the average and become
 a tower of steady reflection2 while to 

itself it is a new life to gain a view  
of things as a whole1 to find that      
nothing stands alone1 but that the      
details which it grasps in so masterly a
 manner have their place and meaning in 
the scheme of the universe4  ,it is     
evident that even this elementary       
knowledge cannot be given in the        
earliest years of the education of      
girls1 and that it is only possible to  
attempt it in schools and school-rooms  
where they can be kept on for a longer  
time of study4 ,every year that can be  
added to the usual course is of better  
value1 and more appreciated1 except by  
those who are restless to come out as   
soon as possible4 ,no reference is made 
here to those exceptional cases in which
 girls are allowed to begin a course of 
study at a time when the majority have  
been obliged to finish their school     
life4  ,as the elements of philosophy   
are not ordinarily found in the         
curriculum of girls' schools or         
schoolroom plans1 it may not be out of  

place to say a few words on the method  
of bringing the subject within their    
reach4  ,in the first place it should be
 kept in view from the beginning1 and   
some preparation be made for it even in 
teaching the elements of subjects which 
are most elementary4 ,thus the study of 
any grammar may serve remotely as an    
introduction to logic1 even ,english    
grammar which1 beyond a few rudiments1  
is a most disinterested study1 valuable 
for its by-products more than for its   
actual worth4 ,but the practice of      
grammatical analysis is certainly a     
preparation for logic1 as logic is a    
preparation for the various branches of 
philosophy4 ,again some preliminary     
exercises in definition1 and any work of
 the like kind which gives precision in 
the use of language1 or clear ideas of  
the meanings of words1 is preparatory   
work which trains the mind in the right 
direction4 ,in the same way the elements
 of natural science may at least set the
 thoughts and inquiries of children on  

the right track for what will later on  
be shown to them as the disciplines of  
cosmology and pyschology4  ,to make     
preparatory subjects serve such a       
purpose it is obviously required that   
the teachers of even young children     
should have been themselves trained in  
these studies1 so far at least as to    
know what they are aiming at1 to be able
 to lay foundations which will not      
require to be reconstructed4 ,it is not 
the matter so much as the habits of mind
 and work that are remotely prepared in 
the early stages1 but without some      
knowledge of what is coming afterwards  
this preparation cannot be made4 ,in    
order of arrangement it is not possible 
for the different branches to be taught 
to girls according to their normal      
sequence2 they have to be adapted to the
 capacity of the minds and their degree 
of development4 ,some branches cannot   
even be attempted during the school-room
 years1 except so far as to prepare the 
mind incidentally during the study of   

other branches4 ,the explanation of     
certain terms and fundamental notions   
will serve as points of departure when  
opportunities for development are       
accessible later on1 as architects set  
toothings at the angles of buildings    
that they may be bonded into later      
constructions4 ,by this means the names 
of the more abstruse branches are kept  
out of sight1 and it is emphasized that 
the barest elements alone are within    
reach at present1 so that the permanent 
impression may be--not how much ,i have 
learned1 but how little ,i know and how 
much there is to learn4 ,this secures at
 least a fitting attitude of mind in    
those who will never go further1 and    
increases the thirst of those who really
 want more4  ,the most valuable parts of
 philosophy in the education of girls   
are3--  #a4 ,those which belong to the  
practical side--logic1 for thought2     
ethics1 for conduct2 aesthetics1 for the
 study of the arts4  #b4 ,in speculative
 philosophy the disciplines which are   

most accessible and most necessary are  
psychology1 and natural theology which  
is the very crown of all that they are  
able to learn4  ,general metaphysics and
 cosmology1 and in pyschology the       
subordinate treatises of criteriology   
and idealogy are beyond their scope4    
,logic1 as a science1 is not a suitable 
introduction1 though some general       
notions on the subject are necessary as 
preliminary instructions4 ,cardinal     
,mercier presents these under           
propaedeutics1 even for his grown-up    
scholars1 placing logic properly so     
called in its own rank as the complement
 of the other treatises of speculative  
philosophy1 seen in retrospect1 a       
science of rational order amongst       
sciences4  ,the notions of logic with   
which he introduces the other branches  
are1 says the ,cardinal1 so plain that  
it is almost superfluous to enumerate   
them1 tant elles sont de simple bon     
sens1 #a--,traite ,elfementaire de      
,philosophie1 ,vol4 ,i1 ,introduction4  

and he disposes of them in two pages of 
his textbook4 ,obviously this is not so 
simple when it comes to preparing the   
fallow ground of a girl's mind2 but it  
gives some idea of the proportion to be 
observed in the use of this instrument  
at the outset1 and may save both the    
teacher and the child from beguiling    
themselves to little purpose among the  
moods and figures of the syllogism4 ,the
 preliminary notions of logic must be   
developed1 extended1 and supplemented   
through the whole course as necessity   
arises1 just as they have been already  
anticipated through the preparatory work
 done in every elementary subject4 ,this
 method is not strictly scientific nor  
in accordance with the full-grown course
 of philosophy2 it only claims to have  
le simple bon sens in its favour1 and   
the testimony of experience to prove    
that it is of use4 ,and it cannot be    
said to be wholly out of rational order 
if it follows the normal development of 
a growing mind1 and answers questions as

 they arise and call for solution4 ,it  
may be a rustic way of learning the     
elements of philosophy1 but it answers  
its purpose1 and does not interfere with
 more scientific and complete methods   
which may come later in order of time4  
,the importance of the discipline of    
psychology can scarcely be              
over-estimated4 ,with that of ethics it 
gives to the minds of women that which  
they most need for the happy attainment 
of their destiny in any sphere of life  
and for the fulfilment of its           
obligations4 ,they must know themselves 
and their own powers in order to        
exercise control and direction on the   
current of their lives4 ,the complaint  
made of many women is that they are     
wanting in self-control1 creatures of   
impulse1 erratic1 irresponsible1 at the 
mercy of chance influences that assume  
control of their lives for the moment1  
subject to nerves1 carried away by      
emotional enthusiasm beyond all bounds1 
and using a blind tenacity of will to   

land themselves with the cause they have
 embraced in a dead-lock of absurdity4  
,such is the complaint4 ,it would seem  
more pardonable if this tendency to     
extremes and impulsiveness were owned to
 as a defect4 ,but to be erratic is     
almost assumed as a pose4 ,it is taken  
up as if self-discipline were dull1 and 
control reduced vitality and killed the 
interest of life4 ,the phase may not    
last1 stronger counsels may prevail     
again4 ,in a few years it may be hoped  
that this school of impressionism in    
conduct will be out of vogue1 but for   
the moment it would seem as if its      
weakness and mobility1 and restlessness 
were rather admired4 ,it has created a  
kind of automobilism--if the word may be
 allowed--of mind and manners1 an       
inclination to be perpetually on the    
move1 too much pressed for time to do   
anything at all1 permanently unsettled1 
in fact to be unsettled is its habitual 
condition if not its recognized plan of 
life4  ,it is not contended that        

psychology and ethics would of          
themselves cure this tendency1 but they 
would undoubtedly aid in doing so1 for  
the confusion of wanting to do better   
and yet not knowing what to do is a most
 pathetic form of helplessness4 ,a      
little knowledge of psychology would at 
least give an idea of the resources     
which the human soul has at its command 
when it seeks to take itself in hand4   
,it would allow of some response to a   
reasonable appeal from outside4 ,and all
 the time the first principles of ethics
 would refuse to be killed in the mind1 
and would continue to bear witness      
against the waste of existence and the  
diversion of life from its true end4    
,rational principles of aesthetics      
belong very intimately to the education 
of women4 ,their ideas of beauty1 their 
taste in art1 influence very powerfully 
their own lives and those of others1 and
 may transfigure many things which are  
otherwise liable to fall into the       
commonplace and the vulgar4 ,if woman's 

taste is trained to choose the best1 it 
upholds a standard which may save a     
generation from decadence4 ,this        
concerns the beautiful and the fitting  
in all things where the power of art    
makes itself felt as the expression of  
an ideal in a concrete work capable of  
producing an impression and attaching   
the beholder to that ideal which it     
presents for admiration4 #a--;,cardinal 
,mercier1 ,general ,metaphysics1 ,part  
iv41 ,ch4 iv4 ,it touches on all        
questions of taste1 not only in the fine
 arts but in fiction1 and furniture1 and
 dress1 and all the minor arts of life  
and adaptation of human skill to the    
external conditions of living4 ,the     
importance of all these in their effect 
on the happiness and goodness of a whole
 people is a plea for not leaving out   
the principles of aesthetics1 as well as
 the practice of some form of art from  
the education of girls4  ,the last and  
most glorious treatise in philosophy of 
which some knowledge can be given at the

 end of a school course is that of      
natural theology4 ,if it is true1 as    
they say1 that ,st4 ,thomas ,aquinas at 
the age of five years used to go round  
to the monks of ,monte ,cassino pulling 
them down by the sleeve to whisper his  
inquiry1 quid est ,deus8 it may be hoped
 that older children are not incapable  
of appreciating some of the first       
notions that may be drawn from reason   
about the ,creator1 those truths        
concerning the existence of ,god which  
are the supreme conclusion and crown of 
the department of physics1 and those    
concerning ,his nature which apply the  
truths of general metaphysics to a      
determinate being1 the ,absolutely      
,perfect4 #a--;,cardinal ,mercier1      
,natural ,theology1 ,introduction4 ,it  
is in the domain of natural theology    
that they will often find a safeguard   
against difficulties which may occur    
later in life1 when they meet inquirers 
whose questions about ,god are not so   
ingenuous as that of the infant ,st4    

,thomas4 ,the armour of their faith will
 not be so easily pierced by chance     
shots as if they were without           
preparation1 and at the same time they  
will know enough of the greatness of the
 subject not to challenge any unbeliever
 to single combat1 and undertake to     
prove against all opponents the         
existence and perfections of ,god4  ,for
 instruction as well as for defence the 
relation of philosophy to revealed truth
 should be explained4 ,it is necessary  
to point out that while science has its 
own sphere within which it is           
independent1 having its own principles  
and methods and means of certitude1     
#a--;,de ,bonald and others were        
condemned and reproved by ,gregory ,,xvi
 for teaching that reason drew its first
 principles and grounds of certitude    
from revelation4 yet the ,church as the 
guardian of revealed truth is obliged to
 prosecute for trespass those who in    
teaching any science encroach by        
affirmation or contradiction on the     

domain of revelation4  ,to sum up1      
therefore1 logic can train the students 
to discriminate between good and bad    
arguments1 which few ordinary readers   
can do1 and not even every writer4      
,ethics teaches the rational basis of   
morals which it is useful for all to    
know1 and psychology can teach to       
discriminate between the acts of        
intellect and will on the one hand and  
imagination and emotion on the other1   
and so furnish the key to many a puzzle 
of thought that has led to false and    
dangerous theorizing4  ,the method of   
giving instruction in the different     
branches of philosophy will depend so   
much on the preparation of the          
particular pupils1 and also on the cast 
of mind of the teachers1 that it is     
difficult to offer suggestions1 except  
to point out this very fact that each   
mind needs to be met just where it      
is--with its own mental images1         
vocabulary1 habit of thought and        
attention1 all calling for consideration

 and adaptation of the subject to their 
particular case4 ,it depends on the     
degree of preparation of the teachers to
 decide whether the form of a lecture is
 safest1 or whether they can risk       
themselves in the arena of question and 
answer1 the most useful in itself but   
requiring a far more complete training  
in preparation4 ,if it can be obtained  
that the pupils state their own         
questions and difficulties in writing1 a
 great deal will have been gained1 for a
 good statement of a question is        
half-way to the right solution4 ,if1    
after hearing a lecture or oral lesson1 
they can answer in writing ,borne simple
 questions carefully stated1 it will be 
a further advance4 ,it is something to  
grasp accurately the scope of a         
question4 ,the plague of girls' answers 
is usually irrelevancy from want of     
thought as to the scope of questions or 
even from inattention to their wording4 
,if they can be patient in face of      
unanswered difficulties1 and wait for   

the solution to come later on in its    
natural course1 then at least one small 
fruit of their studies will have been   
brought to maturity2 and if at the end  
of their elementary course they are     
convinced of their own ignorance1 and   
want to know more1 it may be said that  
the course has not been unsuccessful4   
,it is not1 however1 complete unless    
they know something of the history of   
philosophy1 the great schools1 and the  
names which have been held in honour    
from the beginning down to our own days4
 ,they will realize that it is good to  
have been born in their own time1 and to
 learn such lessons now that the revival
 of scholastic philosophy under ,leo    
,,xiii and the development of the       
neo-scholastic teaching have brought    
fresh life into the philosophy of       
tradition1 which although it appears to 
put new wine into old bottles1 seems    
able to preserve the wine and the       
bottles together4     ,,chapter ,v4     
,,the ,,realities ,,of ,,life4  ,he     

fixed thee mid this dance ,of plastic   
circumstance1 ,this ,present1 thou1     
forsooth1 wouldst fain arrest3          
,machinery just meant ,to give thy soul 
its bent1 ,try thee and turn thee forth1
 sufficiently impressed4                
,,browning1 ,rabbi ,ben ,ezra4 ,eh1     
,dieu6 nous marchons trop en            
enfants--cela me fache6                 
,,st4 ,,jane ,,frances ,,de ,,chantal4  
,one of the problems which beset school 
education1 and especially education in  
boarding schools1 is the difficulty of  
combining the good things it can give   
with the best preparation for after     
life4 ,this preparation has to be made  
under circumstances which necessarily   
keep children away from many of the     
realities that have to be faced in the  
future4  ,to be a small member of a     
large organization has an excellent     
effect upon the mind4 ,from the presence
 of numbers a certain dignity gathers   
round many things that would in         
themselves be insignificant4 ,ideas of  

corporate life with its obligations and 
responsibilities are gained4 ,honoured  
traditions and ideals are handed down if
 the school has a history and spirit of 
its own4 ,there are impressive and      
solemn moments in the life of a large   
school which remain in the memory as    
something beautiful and great4 ,the     
close of a year1 with its retrospect and
 anticipation1 its restrained emotion   
from the pathos which attends all       
endings and beginnings in life1 fills   
even the younger children with some     
transient realization of the meaning of 
it all1 and lifts them up to a dim sense
 of the significance of existence1 while
 for the elder ones such days leave     
engraven upon the mind thoughts which   
can never be effaced4 ,these deep       
impressions belong especially to        
old-established schools1 and are bound  
up with their past1 with their          
traditional tone1 and the aims that are 
specially theirs4 ,in this they cannot  
be rivalled4 ,the school-room at home is

 always the school-room1 it has no      
higher moods1 no sentiment of its own4  
,there are diversities of gifts for     
school and for home education2 for      
impressiveness a large school has the   
advantage4 ,it is also1 in general1     
better off in the quality of its        
teachers1 and it can turn their rifts to
 better account4 ,a modern governess    
would require to be a host in herself to
 supply the varied demands of a girl's  
education1 in the subjects to be taught1
 in companionship and personal          
influence1 in the training of character1
 in watching over physical development1 
and even if she should possess in       
herself all that would be needed1 there 
is the risk of incompatibility of       
temperament which makes a tete-a-tete   
life in the school-room trying on both  
sides4 ,school has the advantage of     
bringing the influence of many minds to 
bear1 so that it is rare that a child   
should pass through a school course     
without coming in contact with some who 

awaken and understand and influence her 
for good4 ,it offers too the chance of  
making friends1 and though sets and     
cliques1 plagues of school life1 may    
give trouble and unsettle the weaker    
minds from time to time1 yet if the     
current of the school is healthy it will
 set against them1 and on the other hand
 the choicest and best friendships often
 begin and grow to maturity in the      
common life of school4 ,the sodalities  
and congregations in ,catholic schools  
are training grounds within the general 
system of training1 in which higher     
ideals are aimed at1 the obligation of  
using influence for good is pressed     
home1 and the instincts of leadership   
turned to account for the common good4  
,lastly1 among the advantages of school 
may be counted a general purpose and    
plan in the curriculum1 and better      
appliances for methodical teaching than 
are usually available in private        
school-rooms1 and where out-door games  
are in honour they add a great zest to  

school life4  ,but1 as in all human     
things1 there are drawbacks to school   
education1 and because it is in the     
power of those who direct its           
organization to counteract some of these
 drawbacks1 it is worth while to examine
 them and consider the possible         
remedies4  ,in the first place it will  
probably be agreed that boarding-school 
life is not desirable for very young    
children1 as their well-being requires  
more elasticity in rule and occupations 
than is possible if they are together in
 numbers4 ,little children1 out of      
control and excited1 are a misery to    
themselves and to each other1 and if    
they are kept in hand enough to protect 
the weaker ones from the exuberant      
energy of the stronger1 then the        
strictness chafes them all1 and         
spontaneity is too much checked4 ,the   
informal play which is possible at home1
 with the opportunities for quiet and   
even solitude1 are much better for young
 children than the atmosphere of school1

 though a day-school1 with the hours of 
home life in between1 is sometimes      
successfully adapted to their wants4    
,but the special cases which justify    
parents in sending young children to    
boarding schools are numerous1 now that 
established home life is growing more   
rare1 and they have to be counted with  
in any large school4 ,it can only be    
said that the yoke ought to be made as  
light as possible--short lessons1 long  
sleep1 very short intervals of real     
application of mind1 as much open air as
 possible1 bright rooms1 and a mental   
atmosphere that tends to calm rather    
than to excite them4 ,they should be    
saved from the petting of the elder     
girls1 in whom this apparent kindness is
 often a selfish pleasure1 bad on both  
sides4  ,for older children the         
difficulties are not quite the same1 and
 instead of forcing them on too fast1   
school life may even keep them back4    
,when children are assembled together in
 considerable numbers the intellectual  

level is that of the middle class of    
mind and does not favour the best1 the  
outlook and conversation are those of   
the average1 the language and vocabulary
 are on the same level1 with a tendency 
to sink rather than to rise1 and though 
emulation may urge on the leading       
spirits and keep them at racing speed1  
this does not quicken the interest in   
knowledge for its own sake1 and the work
 is apt to slacken when the stimulus is 
withdrawn4 ,and all the time there is   
comfort to the easy-going average in the
 consciousness of how many there are    
behind them4  ,the necessity for        
organization and foresight in detail    
among large numbers is also unfavourable
 to individual development4 ,for        
children to find everything prepared for
 them1 to feel no friction in the       
working of the machinery1 so that all   
happens as it ought to1 without effort  
and personal trouble on their part1 to  
be told what to do1 and only have to    
follow the bells for the ordering of    

their time--all this tends to diminish  
their resourcefulness and their patience
 with the unforeseen checks and         
cross-purposes and mistakes that they   
will have to put up with on leaving     
school4 ,as a matter of fact the more   
perfect the school machinery1 the       
smoother its working1 the less does it  
prepare for the rutty road afterwards1  
and in this there is some consolation   
when school machinery jars from time to 
time in the working2 if it teaches      
patience it is not altogether           
regrettable1 and the little trouble     
which may arise in the material order is
 perhaps more educating than the        
regularity which has been disturbed4    
,we are beginning to believe what has   
never ceased to be said1 that lessons in
 lesson-books are not the whole of      
education4 ,the whole system of teaching
 in the elementary schools has been     
thrown off its balance by too many      
lesson-books1 but it is righting itself 
again1 and some of the memoranda on     

teaching1 issued by the ,board of       
,education within the last few years1   
are quite admirable in their practical  
suggestions for promoting a more        
efficient preparation for life4 ,the    
,board now insists on the teaching of   
handicrafts1 training of the senses in  
observation1 development of knowledge1  
taste1 and skill in various departments 
which are useful for life1 and for girls
 especially on things which make the    
home4 ,the same thing is wanted in      
middle-class education1 though parents  
of the middle-class still look a little 
askance at household employments for    
their daughters4 ,but children of the   
wealthier and upper classes take to them
 as a birthright1 with the cordial      
assent of their parents and the applause
 of the doctors4 ,it is for these       
children1 so well-disposed for a        
practical education1 and able to carry  
its influence so far1 that we may       
consider what can be done in school     
life4  ,we ourselves who have to do with

 children must first appreciate the     
realities of life before we can         
communicate this understanding to others
 or give the right spirit to those we   
teach4 ,and the realities of life may   
stand as a name for all those things    
which have to be learned in order to    
live1 and which lesson-books do not     
teach4 ,the realities of life are not   
material things1 but they are very      
deeply wrought in with material things4 
,there are things to be done1 and things
 to be made1 and things to be ordered   
and controlled1 belonging to the        
primitive wants of human life1 and to   
all those fundamental cares which have  
to support it4 ,they are best learned in
 the actual doing from those who know   
how to do them2 for although manuals and
 treatises exist for every possible     
department of skill and activity1 yet   
the human voice and hand go much further
 in making knowledge acceptable than the
 textbook with diagrams4 ,the dignity of
 manual labour comes home from seeing it

 well done1 it is shown to be worth     
doing and deserving of honour4          
,something which cannot be shown to     
children1 but it will come to them later
 on as an inheritance1 is the effect of 
manual work upon their whole being4     
,manual work gives balance and harmony  
in the development of the growing       
creature4 ,a child does not attain its  
full power unless every faculty is      
exercised in turn1 and to think that    
hard mental work alternated with hard   
physical exercise will give it full and 
wholesome development is to ignore whole
 provinces of its possessions4          
,generally speaking1 children have to   
take the value of their mental work on  
the faith of our word4 ,they must go    
through a great deal in mastering the   
rudiments of1 say1 ,latin grammar 7for  
the honey is not yet spread so thickly  
over this as it is now over the elements
 of modern languages74 ,they must wonder
 why grown-ups have such an infatuation 
for things that seem out of place and   

inappropriate in life as they consider  
it worth living4 ,probably it is on this
 account that so many artificial rewards
 and inducements have had to be brought 
in to sustain their efforts4 ,physical  
exercise is a joy to healthy children1  
but it leaves nothing behind as a       
result4 ,children are proud of what they
 have done and made themselves4 ,they   
lean upon the concrete1 and to see as   
the result of their efforts something   
which lasts1 especially something       
useful1 as a witness to their power and 
skill1 this is a reward in itself and   
needs no artificial stimulus1 though to 
measure their own work in comparative   
excellence with that of others adds an  
element that quickens the desire to do  
well4 ,children will go quietly back    
again and again to look1 without saying 
anything1 at something they have made   
with their own hands1 their eyes telling
 all that it means to them1 beyond what 
they can express4  ,with its power of   
ministering to harmonious development of

 the faculties manual work has a direct 
influence on fitness for home and social
 life4 ,it greatly develops good sense  
and aptitude for dealing with ordinary  
difficulties as they arise4 ,in common  
emergencies it is the handy member of   
the household whose judgment and help   
are called upon1 not the brilliant      
person or one who has specialized in any
 branch1 but the one who can do common  
things and can invent resources when    
experience fails4 ,when the specialist  
is at fault and the artist waits for    
inspiration1 the handy person conies in 
and saves the situation1                
unprofessionally1 like the bone-setter1 
without much credit1 but to the great   
comfort of every one concerned4  ,manual
 work likewise saves from eccentricity  
or helps to correct it4 ,eccentricity   
may appear harmless and even            
interesting1 but in practice it is found
 to be a drawback1 enfeebling some sides
 of a character1 throwing the judgment  
at least on some points out of focus4   

,in children it ought to be recognized  
as a defect to be counteracted4 ,when   
people have an overmastering genius     
which of itself marks out for them a    
special way of excellence1 some degree  
of eccentricity is easily pardoned1 and 
almost allowable4 ,but eccentricity     
unaccompanied by genius is mere         
uncorrected selfishness1 or want of     
mental balance4 ,it is selfishness if it
 could be corrected and is not1 because 
it makes exactions from others without  
return4 ,it will not adapt itself to    
them but insists on being taken as it   
is1 whether acceptable or not4 ,at best1
 eccentricity is a morbid tendency      
liable to run into extremes when its    
habits are undisturbed4 ,an excuse      
sometimes made for eccentricity is that 
it is a security against any further    
mental aberration1 perhaps on the same  
principle that inoculation producing a  
mild form of diseases is sometimes a    
safeguard against their attacks4 ,but if
 the mind and habits of life can be     

brought under control1 so as to take    
part in ordinary affairs without        
attracting attention or having          
exemptions and allowance made for them1 
a result of a far higher order will have
 been attained4 ,to recognize           
eccentricity as selfishness is a first  
step to its cure1 and to make oneself   
serviceable to others is the simplest   
corrective4 ,whatever else they may be1 
eccentrics are not generally            
serviceable4  ,children of vivid        
imagination1 nervously excitable and    
fragile in constitution1 rather easily  
fall into little eccentric ways which   
grow very rapidly and are hard to       
overcome4 ,one of the commonest of these
 is talking to themselves4 ,sitting     
still1 making efforts to apply their    
minds to lessons for more than a short  
time1 accentuates the tendency by nerve 
fatigue4 ,in reaction against fatigue   
the mind falls into a vacant state and  
that is the best condition for the      
growth of eccentricities and other      

mental troubles4 ,if their attention is 
diverted from themselves1 and yet fixed 
with the less exhausting concentration  
which belongs to manual work1 this      
diversion into another channel1 with its
 accompany bodily movement1 will restore
 the normal balance1 and the little     
eccentric pose will be forgotten2 this  
is better than being noticed and laughed
 at and formally corrected4  ,manual    
employments1 especially if varied1 and  
household occupations afford a great    
variety1 give to children a sense of    
power in knowing what to do in a number 
of circumstances2 they take pleasure in 
this1 for it is a thing which they      
admire in others4 ,domestic occupations 
also form in them a habit of decision1  
from the necessity of getting through   
things which will not wait4 ,for        
domestic duties do not allow of waiting 
for a moment of inspiration or delaying 
until a mood of depression or           
indifference has passed4 ,they have a   
quiet1 imperious way of commanding1 and 

an automatic system of punishing when   
they are neglected1 which are more      
convincing that exhortations4 ,perhaps  
in this particular point lies their     
saving influence against nerves and     
moodiness and the demoralization of     
giving way4 ,those who have no          
obligations1 whose work will wait for   
their convenience1 and who can if they  
please let everything go for a time1 are
 more easily broken down by trouble than
 those whose household duties still have
 to be done1 in the midst of sorrow and 
trial4 ,there is something in homely    
material duties which heals and calms   
the mind and gives it power to come back
 to itself4 ,and in sudden calamities   
those who know how to make use of their 
hands do not helplessly wring them1 or  
make trouble worse by clinging to others
 for support4  ,again1 circumstances    
sometimes arise in school life which    
make light household duties an untold   
boon for particular children4           
,accidental causes1 troubles of         

eyesight1 or too rapid growth1 etc41 may
 make regular study for a time          
impossible to them4 ,these children     
become exempt persons1 and even if they 
are able to take some part in the class 
work the time of preparation is heavy on
 their hands4 ,exempt persons easily    
develop undesirable qualities1 and their
 apparent privileges are liable to      
unsettle others4 ,as a matter of fact   
those who are able to keep the common   
life have the best of it1 but they are  
apt to look upon the exemption of others
 as enviable1 as they long for gipsy    
life when a caravan passes by4 ,with the
 resource of household employment to    
give occupation it becomes apparent that
 exemption does not mean holiday1 but   
the substitution of one duty or lesson  
for another1 and this is a principle    
which holds good in after life--that    
except in case of real illness no one is
 justified in having nothing to do4     
,lastly1 the work of the body is good   
for the soul1 it drives out silliness as

 effectually as the rod1 since that     
which was of old considered as the      
instrument for exterminating the folly  
bound up in the heart of a child1 has   
been laid aside in the education of     
girls4 ,it is a great weapon against the
 seven devils of whom one is ,sloth and 
another ,pride1 and it prepares a sane  
mind in a sound body for the discipline 
of after life4  ,experience bears its   
own testimony to the failure of an      
education which is out of touch with the
 material requirements of life4 ,it     
leaves an incomplete power of           
expression1 and some dead points in the 
mind from which no response can be      
awakened4 ,to taste of many experiences 
seems to be necessary for complete      
development4 ,when on the material side 
all is provided without forethought1 and
 people are exempt from all care and    
obligation1 a whole side of development 
is wanting1 and on that side the mind   
remains childish1 inexperienced1 and    
unreal4 ,the best mental development is 

accomplished under the stress of many   
demands4 ,one claim balances the other2 
a touch of hardness and privation gives 
strength of mind and makes self-denial a
 reality2 a little anxiety teaches      
foresight and draws out resourcefulness1
 and the tendency to fret about trifles 
is corrected by the contact of the      
realities of life4  ,to come to         
practice--,what can be done for girls   
during their years at school8  ,in the  
first place the teaching of the         
fundamental handicraft of women1        
needlework1 deserves a place of honour4 
,in many schools it has almost perished 
by neglect1 or the thorns of the        
examination programme have grown up and 
choked it4 ,this misfortune has been    
fairly common where the ,english        
,university ,locals and the ,irish      
,intermediate held sway4 ,there         
literally was not time for it1 and the  
loss became so general that it was taken
 as a matter of course1 scarcely        
regretted2 to the children themselves1  

so easily carried off by vogue1 it      
became almost a matter for              
self-complacency1 not to be able to hold
 a needle was accepted as an indication 
of something superior in attainments4   
,and it must be owned that there were   
certain antiquated methods of teaching  
the art which made it quite excusable to
 hate needlework4 ,one went through so  
much to learn so little2 and the results
 depending so often upon help from      
others to bring them to any conclusion1 
there was no sense of personal          
achievement in a work accomplished4     
,others planned1 cut out and prepared   
the work1 and the child came in as an   
unwilling and imperfect sewing machine  
merely to put in the stitches4 ,the     
sense of mastery over material was not  
developed1 yet that is the only way in  
which a child's attainment of skill can 
be linked on to the future4 ,what cannot
 be done without help always at hand    
drops out of life1 and likewise that    
which calls for no application of mind4 

,to reach independence in the practical 
arts of life is an aim that will awaken 
interests and keep up efforts1 and      
teachers have only a right to be        
satisfied when their pupils can do      
without them4 ,this is not the finishing
 point of a course of teaching1 it is a 
whole system1 beginning in the first    
steps and continuing progressively to   
the end4 ,it entails upon teachers much 
labour1 much thought1 and the sacrifice 
of showy results4 ,the first look of    
finish depends more upon the help of the
 teacher than upon the efforts of       
children4 ,their results must be waited 
for1 and they will in the early years   
have a humbler1 more rough-hewn look    
than those in which expert help has been
 given4 ,but the educational advantages 
are not to be compared4  ,a four years' 
course1 two hours per week1 gives a     
thorough   grounding in plain           
needlework1 and girls are then capable  
of beginning dressmaking1 in they can   
reach a very reasonable proficiency when

 they leave school4 ,whether they turn  
this to practical account in their own  
homes1 or make use of it in ,clothing   
,societies and ,needlework ,guilds for  
the poor1 the knowledge is of real      
value4 ,if fortune deals hardly with    
them1 and they are thrown on their own  
resources later in life1 it is evident  
that to make their own clothes is a form
 of independence for which they will be 
very thankful4 ,another branch of       
needlework that ought to form part of   
every ,catholic girl's education is that
 of work for the ,church in which there 
is room for every capacity1 from the    
hemming of the humblest lavabo towel to 
priceless works of art embroidered by   
queens for the popes and bishops of     
their time4  ,first aid1 and a few      
practical principles of nursing1 can    
sometimes be profitably taught in       
school1 if time is made for a few       
lessons1 perhaps during one term4 ,the  
difficulty of finding time even adds to 
the educational value1 since the        

conditions of life outside do not admit 
of uniform intervals between two bells4 
,enough can be taught to make girls able
 to take their share helpfully in cases 
of illness in their homes1 and it is a  
branch of usefulness in which a few     
sensible notions go a long way4         
,general self-help is difficult to      
define or describe1 but it can be taught
 at school more than would appear at    
first sight1 if only those engaged in   
the education of children will bear in  
mind that the triumph of their          
devotedness is to enable children to do 
without them4 ,this is much more        
laborious than to do things efficiently 
and admirably for them1 but it is real  
education4 ,they can be taught as       
mothers would teach them at home1 to    
mend and keep their things in order1 to 
prepare for journeys1 pack their own    
boxes1 be responsible for their labels  
and keys1 write orders to shops1 to make
 their own beds1 dust their private     
rooms1 and many other things which will 

readily occur to those who have seen the
 pitiful sight of girls unable to do    
them4  ,finally1 simple and elementary  
cooking comes well within the scope of  
the education of elder girls at school4 
,but it must be taught seriously to make
 it worth while1 and as in the teaching 
of needlework1 the foundations must be  
plain4 ,to begin by fancy-work in one   
case and bonbons in the other turns the 
whole instruction into a farce4 ,in this
 subject especially1 the satisfaction of
 producing good work1 well done1 without
 help1 is a result which justifies all  
the trouble that may be spent upon it4  
,when girls have1 by themselves1 brought
 to a happy conclusion the preparation  
of a complete meal1 their very faces    
bear witness to the educational value of
 the success4 ,they are not elated nor  
excited1 but wear the look of quiet     
contentment which seems to come from    
contact with primitive things4 ,this    
look alone on a girl's face gives a     
beauty of its own1 something becoming1  

and fitting1 and full of promise4 ,no   
expression is equal to it in the truest 
charm1 for quiet contentment is the     
atmosphere which in the future1 whatever
 may be her lot1 ought to be diffused by
 her presence1 an atmosphere of security
 and rest4  ,perhaps at first sight it  
seems an exaggeration to link so closely
 together the highest natural graces of 
a woman with those lowliest occupations1
 but let the effects be compared by     
those who have examined other systems of
 instruction4 ,if they have considered  
the outcome of an exclusively           
intellectual education for girls1       
especially one loaded with subjects in  
sections to be got up for purposes of   
examination1 and compared it with one   
into which the practical has largely    
entered1 they can hardly fail to agree  
that the latter is the best preparation 
for life1 not only physically and       
morally but mentally4 ,during the stress
 of examinations lined foreheads1 tired 
eyes1 shallow breathing1 angular        

movements tell their own story of       
strain1 and when it is over a want of   
resourcefulness in finding occupation   
shows that a whole side has remained    
undeveloped4 ,the possibility of turning
 to some household employments would    
give rest without idleness2 it would    
save from two excesses in a time of     
reaction1 from the exceeding weariness  
of having nothing to do1 the real misery
 of an idle life1 and on the other hand 
from craving for excitement and constant
 change through fear of this unoccupied 
vacancy4  ,one other point is worth     
consideration4 ,the servant question is 
one which looms larger and larger as a  
household difficulty4 ,there are stories
 of great and even royal households     
being left in critical moments at the   
mercy of servants' tempers1 of head     
cooks on strike or negligent personal   
attendants4 ,and from these down to the 
humblest employers of a general servant 
the complaint is the same--servants so  
independent1 so exacting1 good servants 

not to be had1 so difficult to get      
things properly done1 etc4 ,these       
complaints give very strong warning that
 helpless dependence on servants is too 
great a risk to be accepted1 and that   
every one in ordinary stations of life  
should be at least able to be           
independent of personal service4 ,the   
expansion of colonial life points in the
 same direction4 ,the simple life is    
talked of at home1 but it is really     
lived in the colonies4 ,those who brace 
themselves to its hardness find a vigour
 and resourcefulness within them which  
they had never suspected1 and the pride 
of personal achievement in making a home
 brings out possibilities which in      
softer circumstances might have remained
 for ever dormant1 with their treasure  
of happiness and hardy virtues4 ,it is  
possible1 no doubt1 in that severe and  
plain life to lose many things which are
 not replaced by its self-reliance and  
hardihood4 ,it is possible to drop into 
merely material preoccupation in the    

struggle for existence4 ,but it is also 
possible not to do so1 and the          
difference lies in having an ideal4  ,to
 ,catholics even work in the wilderness 
and life in the backwoods are not       
dissociated from the most spiritual     
ideals4 ,the pioneers of the ,church1   
,st4 ,benedict's monks1 have gone before
 in the very same labour of civilization
 when ,europe was to a great extent     
still in backwoods4 ,and1 when they     
sanctified their days in prayer and hard
 labour1 poetry did not forsake them1   
and learning even took refuge with them 
in their solitude to wait for better    
times4 ,it was religion which attracted 
both4 ,without their daily service of   
prayer1 the ,opus ,dei1 and the         
assiduous copying of books1 and the     
desire to build worthy churches for the 
worship of ,god1 arts and learning would
 not have followed the monks into the   
wilderness1 but their life would have   
dropped to the dead level of the        
squatter's existence4 ,in the same way  

family life1 if toilsome1 either at home
 or in a new country1 may be inspired by
 the example of the ,holy ,family in    
,nazareth2 and in lonely and hard       
conditions1 as well as in the stress of 
our crowded ways of living1 the         
influence of that ideal reaches down to 
the foundations and transfigures the    
very humblest service of the household4 
,these primitive services which are at  
the foundation of all home life are in  
themselves the same in all places and   
times4 ,there is in them something      
almost sacred2 they are sane1 wholesome1
 stable1 amid the weary perpetual change
 of artificial additions which add much 
to the cares but little to the joys of  
life4 ,there is a long distance between 
the labours of ,benedictine monks and   
the domestic work possible for school   
girls1 but the principles fundamental to
 both are the same--happiness in willing
 work1 honour to manual labour1 service 
of ,god in humble offices4 ,the work of 
lay-sisters in some religious houses1   

where they understand the happiness of  
their lot1 links the two extremes       
together across the centuries4 ,the     
jubilant onset of their company in some 
laborious work is like an anthem rising 
to ,god1 bearing witness to the         
happiness of labour where it is part of 
,his service4 ,they are the envy of the 
choir religious1 and in the precincts of
 such religious houses children         
unconsciously learn the dignity of      
manual labour1 and feel themselves      
honoured by having any share in it4     
,such labour can be had for love1 but   
not for money4  ,one word must be added 
before leaving the subject of the       
realities of life4 ,worn time to time a 
rather emphatic school lifts up its     
voice in the name of plain speaking and 
asks for something beyond reality--for  
realism1 for anticipated instruction on 
the duties and especially on the dangers
 of grown-up life4 ,it will be          
sufficient to suggest three points for  
consideration in this matter3 7#a7 ,that

 these demands are not made by fathers  
and mothers1 but appear to come from    
those whose interest in children is     
indirect and not immediately or         
personally responsible4 ,this may be    
supposed from the fact that they find   
fault with what is omitted1 but do not  
give their personal experience of how   
the want may be supplied4 7#b7 ,those   
priests who have made a special study of
 children do not seem to favour the     
view1 or to urge that any change should 
be made in the direction of plain       
speaking4 7#c7 ,the answer given by a   
great educational authority1 ,miss      
,dorothea ,beale1 the late ,principal of
 ,cheltenham ,college1 may appeal to    
those who are struck by the theory if   
they do not advocate it in practice4    
,when this difficulty was laid before   
her she was not in favour of departing  
from the usual course1 or insisting on  
the knowledge of grown-up life before   
its time1 and she pointed out that in   
case of accidents or surgical operations

 it was not the doctors nor the nurses  
actively engaged who turned faint and   
sick1 but those who had nothing to do1  
and in the same way she thought that    
such instruction1 cut off from the      
duties and needs of the present1 was not
 likely to be of any real benefit1 but  
rather to be harmful4 ,considering how  
wide was her experience of educational  
work this opinion carries great weight4 
,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,lessons ,,and ,,play4
     ,what think we of thy soul8        
99     99     99     99  ,born of full  
stature1 lineal to control2    ,and yet 
a pigmy's yoke must undergo4 ,yet must  
keep pace and tarry1 patient1 kind1     
,with its unwilling scholar1 the dull1  
tardy mind2 ,must be obsequious to the  
body's powers1 ,whose low hands mete its
 paths1 set ope and close its ways1     
,must do obeisance to the days1 ,and    
wait the little pleasure of the hours2  
,yea1 ripe for kingship1 yet must be    
,captive in statuted minority6          
,sister ,songs1 by ,,francis ,,thompson4

  ,lessons and play used to be as       
clearly marked off one from the other as
 land and water on the older maps4 ,now 
we see some contour maps in which the   
land below so many feet and the sea     
within so many fathoms' depth are       
represented by the same marking1 or left
 blank4 ,in the same way the tendency in
 education at present is almost to      
obliterate the line of demarcation1 at  
least for younger children1 so that     
lessons become a particular form of     
play1 with a purpose1 and play becomes a
 sublimated form of lessons1 as the     
druggists used to say1 an elegant       
preparation of something bitter4 ,if the
 ,board of ,education were to name a    
commission composed of children1 and    
require it to look into the system1 it  
is doubtful whether they would give a   
completely satisfactory report4 ,they   
would probably judge it to be too       
uniform in tone1 poor in colour and     
contrast1 deficient in sparkle4 ,they   
like the exhilaration of bright colour1 

and the crispness of contrast4 ,of      
course they would judge it from the     
standpoint of play1 not of lessons4 ,but
 play which is not quite play1 coming   
after something which has been not quite
 lessons1 loses the tingling delight of 
contrast4 ,the funereal tolling of a    
bell for real lessons made a dark       
background against which the rapture of 
release for real play shone out with a  
brilliancy which more than made up for  
it4 ,at home1 the system of ten minutes'
 lessons at short intervals seems to    
answer well for young children2 it      
exerts just enough pressure to give     
rebound in the intervals of play4 ,of   
course this is not possible at school4  
,but the illusion that lessons are play 
cannot be indefinitely kept up1 or if   
the illusion remains it is fraught with 
trouble4 ,duty and endurance1 the power 
to go through drudgery1 the strength of 
mind to persist in taking trouble1 even 
where no interest is felt1 the          
satisfaction of holding on to the end in

 doing something arduous1 these things  
must be learned at some time during the 
years of education4 ,if they are not    
learned then1 in all probability they   
will never be acquired at all2 examples 
to prove the contrary are rare4 ,the    
question is how--and when4 ,if pressed  
too soon with obligations of lessons1   
especially with prolonged attention1    
little anxious faces and round shoulders
 protest4 ,if too long delayed the      
discovery comes as a shock1 and the less
 energetic fall out at once and declare 
that they can't learn--never could4     
,perhaps in one way the elementary      
schools with their large classes have a 
certain advantage in this1 because the  
pressure is more self-adjusting than in 
higher class education1 where the       
smaller numbers give to each child a    
greater share in the general work1 for  
better or for worse4 ,in home education 
this share becomes even greater when    
sometimes one child alone enjoys or     
endures the undivided attention of the  

governess4 ,in that case the pressure   
does not relax4 ,but out of large       
classes of infants in elementary schools
 it is easy to see on many vacant       
restful faces that after a short        
exertion in qualifying to their teacher 
they are taking their well-earned rest4 
,they do not allow themselves to be     
strung up to the highest pitch of       
attention all through the lesson1 but   
take and leave as they will or as they  
can1 and so they are carried through a  
fairly long period of lessons without   
distress4 ,as they grow older and more  
independent in their work the same cause
 operates in a different way4 ,they can 
go on by themselves and to a certain    
extent they must do so1 as o n account  
of the numbers teachers can give less   
time and less individual help to each1  
and the habit of self-reliance is       
gradually acquired1 with a certain      
amount of drudgery1 leading to results  
proportionate to the teacher's personal 
power of stimulating work4 ,the old race

 of ,scottish schoolmaster in the rural 
schools produced--perhaps still         
produces--good types of such            
self-reliant scholars1 urged on by his  
personal enthusiasm for knowledge4      
,having no assistant1 his own           
personality was the soul of the school1 
both boys and girls responding in a     
spirit which was worthy of it4 ,but the 
boys had the best of it2 lassies were   
not deemed worthy to touch the classics1
 and the classics were everything to    
him4 ,in ,america it is reported that   
the best specimens of university        
students often come from remote schools 
in which no external advantages have    
been available2 but the tough unyielding
 habit of study has been developed in   
grappling with difficulties without much
 support from a teacher4  ,with those   
who are more gently brought up the      
problem is how to obtain this habit of  
independent work1 that is               
practically--how to get the will to act4
 ,there is drudgery to be gone through1 

however it may be disguised1 and as a   
permanent acquisition the power of going
 through it is one of the most lasting  
educational results that can be looked  
for4 ,drudgery is labour with toil and  
fatigue4 ,it is the long penitential    
exercise of the whole human race1 not   
limited to one class or occupation1 but 
accompanying every work of man from the 
lowest mechanical factory hand or       
domestic drudge up to the ,sovereign    
,pontiff1 who has to spend so many hours
 in merely receiving1 encouraging1      
blessing1 and dismissing the unending   
processions of his people as they pass  
before him1 imparting to them graces of 
which he can never see the fruit1 and   
then returning to longer hours of       
listening to complaints and hearing of  
troubles which often admit of no remedy3
 truly a life of labour with toil and   
fatigue1 in comparison with which most  
lives are easy1 though each has to bear 
in its measure the same stamp4 ,pius ,x 
has borne the yoke of labour from his   

youth4 ,his predecessor took it up with 
an enthusiasm that burned within him1   
and accepted training in a service where
 the drudgery is as severe though       
generally kept out of sight4 ,the       
acceptance of it is the great matter1   
whatever may be the form it takes4      
,spurs and bait1 punishment and reward1 
have been used from time immemorial to  
set the will in motion1 and the results 
have been variable--no one has appeared 
to be thoroughly satisfied with either1 
or even with a combination of the two4  
,some authorities have stood on an      
eminence1 and said that neither         
punishment nor reward should be used1   
that knowledge should be loved for its  
own sake4 ,but if it was not loved1     
after many invitations1 the problem     
remained4 ,as usual the real solution   
seems to be attainable only by one who  
really loves both knowledge and         
children1 or one who loves knowledge and
 can love children1 as ,vittorino da    
,feltre loved them both1 and also       

,blessed ,thomas ,more4 ,these two      
affections mingled together produce     
great educators--great in the proportion
 in which the two are possessed--as     
either one or the other declines the    
educational power diminishes1 till it   
dwindles down to offer trained          
substitutes and presentable mediocrities
 for living teachers4 ,the fundamental  
principle reasserts itself1 that love   
feels no labour1 or if it does it loves 
the labour4  ,here is one of our        
,catholic secrets of strength4 ,we have 
received so much1 we have so much to    
give1 we know so well what we want to   
obtain4 ,we have the ,church1 the great 
teacher of the world1 as our prototype1 
and by some instinct a certain          
unconscious imitation of her finds its  
way into the mind and heart of ,catholic
 teachers1 so that1 though often out of 
poorer material1 we can produce teachers
 who excel in personal hold over        
children1 and influence for good by     
their great affection and the value     

which they set on souls4 ,their power of
 obtaining work is proportioned to their
 own love of knowledge1 and here--let it
 be owned--we more often fail4 ,various 
theories are offered in explanation of  
this2 people take one or other according
 to their personal point of view4 ,some 
say we feel so sure of the other world  
that our hold on this is slack4 ,some   
that in these countries we have not yet 
made up for the check of three centuries
 when education was made almost         
impossible for us4 ,and others say it is
 not true at all4 ,perhaps they know    
best4  ,next to the personal power of   
the teacher to influence children in    
learning lessons comes an essential     
condition to make it possible1 and that 
is a simple life with quiet regular     
hours and unexciting pleasures4 ,amid a 
round of amusements lessons must go to  
the wall1 no child can stand the demands
 of both at a time4 ,all that can be    
asked of them is that they should live  
through the excitement without too much 

weariness or serious damage4 ,the place 
to consider this is in ,london at the   
children's hour for riding in the park1 
contrasting the prime condition of the  
ponies with the illustrious pallor of so
 many of their riders4 ,they have       
courage enough left to sit up straight  
in their saddles1 but it would take a   
heart of stone to think of lesson books4
 ,this extreme of artificial life is of 
course the portion of the few4 ,those   
few1 however1 are very important people1
 influential in the future for good or  
evil1 but a protest from a distance     
would not reach their schoolrooms1 any  
more than legislation for the protection
 of children2 they may be protected from
 work1 but not from amusement4 ,the     
conditions of simple living which are   
favourable for children have been so    
often enumerated that it is unnecessary 
to go over them again2 they may even be 
procured in tabular form or graphical   
representation for those to whom these  
figures and curves carry conviction4    

,but a point that is of more practical  
interest to children and teachers1      
struggling together in the business of  
education1 and one that is often        
overlooked1 is that children do not know
 how to learn lessons when the books are
 before them1 and that there is a great 
waste of good power1 and a great deal of
 unnecessary weariness from this cause4 
,if the cause of imperfectly learned    
lessons is examined it will usually be  
found there1 and also the cause of so   
much dislike to the work of preparation4
 ,children do not know by instinct how  
to set about learning a lesson from a   
book1 nor do they spontaneously         
recognize that there are different ways 
of learning1 adapted to different       
lessons4 ,it is a help to them to know  
that there is one way for the           
multiplication table and another for    
history and another for poetry1 as the  
end of the lesson is different4 ,they   
can understand this if it is put before 
them that one is learnt most quickly by 

mere repetition1 until it becomes a     
sing-song in the memory that cannot go  
wrong1 and that afterwards in practice  
it will allow itself to be taken to     
pieces2 they will see that they can     
grasp a chapter of history more         
intelligently if they prepare for       
themselves questions upon it which might
 be asked of another1 than in trying by 
mechanical devices of memory to         
associate facts with something to hold  
them by2 that poetry is different from  
both1 having a body and a soul1 each of 
which has to be taken account of in     
learning it1 one of them being the song 
and the other the singer4 ,obviously    
there is not one only way for each of   
these or for other matters which have to
 be learnt1 but one of the greatest     
difficulties is removed when it is      
understood that there is something      
intelligible to be done in the learning 
of lessons beyond reading them over and 
over with the hope that they will go in4
  ,the hearing of lessons is a subject  

that deserves a great deal of           
consideration4 ,it is an old formal name
 for what has been often an antiquated  
mechanical exercise4 ,a great deal more 
trouble is expended now on the manner of
 questioning and hearing the lessons2   
but even yet it may be done too         
formally1 as a mere function1 or in a   
way that kills the interest1 or in a    
manner that alarms--with a mysterious   
face as if setting traps1 or with       
questions that are easy and obvious to  
ask1 but for children almost impossible 
to answer4 ,children do not usually give
 direct answers to simple questions4    
,experience seems to have taught them   
that appearances are deceptive in this  
matter1 and they look about for the     
spring by which the trap works before   
they will touch the bait4 ,it is a pity 
to set traps1 because it destroys       
confidence1 and children's confidence in
 such matters as lessons is hard to win4
  ,the question of aids to study by     
stimulants is a difficult one4 ,on the  

one hand it seems to some educators a   
fundamental law that reward should      
follow right-doing and effort1 and so no
 doubt it is2 but the reward within     
one's own mind and soul is one thing and
 the calf-bound book is                 
another--scarcely even a symbol of the  
first1 because they are not always      
obtained by the same students4 ,this is 
a fruitful subject for discourse or     
reflection at distributions of prizes4  
,those who are behind the scenes know   
that the race is not to the swift nor   
the battle to the strong1 and the       
children know it themselves1 and        
prize-winners often become the object of
 the word in season1 pointing out how   
rarely they will be found to distinguish
 themselves in after life2 while the    
steady advance of the plodding and slow 
mind is dwelt upon1 and those who have  
failed through idleness drink up the    
encouragement which was not intended for
 them1 and feel that they are the hope  
of the future because they have won no  

prizes4 ,it is difficult on those       
occasions to make the conflicting       
conclusions clear to everybody4  ,yet   
the system of prize distributions is    
time honoured and traditional1 and every
 country is not yet so disinterested in 
study as to be able to do without it2   
under its sway a great deal of honest   
effort is put out1 and the taste of     
success which is the great stimulant of 
youth is first experienced4  ,there is  
also the system of certificates1 which  
has the advantage of being open to many 
instead of to one4 ,it is likewise a    
less material testimonial1 approaching  
more nearly to the merited word of      
approval which is in itself the highest 
human reward1 and the one nearest to the
 heart of things1 because it is the one 
which belongs to home4 ,for if the home 
authorities interest themselves in      
lessons at all1 their grown-up standard 
and the paramount weight of their       
opinion gives to one word of their      
praise a dignity and worth which goes   

beyond all prizes4 ,beyond this there is
 no natural satisfaction to equal the   
inner consciousness of having done one's
 best1 a very intimate prize            
distribution in which we ourselves make 
the discourse1 and deliver the          
certificate to ourselves4 ,this is the  
culminating point at which educators    
aim2 they are all agreed that prizes in 
the end are meant to lead up to it1 but 
the way is long between them4 ,and both 
one and the other are good in so far as 
they lead us on to the highest judgment 
that is day by day passed on our work4  
,when prizes1 and even the honour of    
well-deserved praise1 fail to attract1  
the thought of ,god the witness of our  
efforts1 and of the value in ,his sight 
of striving which is never destined to  
meet with success1 is a support that    
keeps up endurance1 and seals with an   
evident mark of privilege the lives of  
many who have made those dutiful efforts
 not for themselves but in the sight of 
,god4  ,the subject of play has to be   

considered from two points of view1 that
 of the children and ours4 ,theirs is   
concerned chiefly with the present and  
ours with the future1 far although we do
 not want every play-hour to be haunted 
with a spectral presence that speaks of 
improvement and advancement1 yet we     
cannot lose sight of the fact that every
 hour of play is telling on the future1 
deepening the mark of the character1    
strengthening the habits1 and guiding   
the lines of after life into this or    
that channel4  ,looking at it from this 
point of view of the future1 there seems
 to be something radically wrong at     
present with the play provided for      
children of nursery age4 ,in a very few 
years we shall surely look back and     
wonder how we could have endured1 for   
the children1 the perverse reign of the 
,golliwog dynasty and the despotism of  
,teddy-bears4 ,more than that1 it is    
pitiful to hear of nurseries for        
,catholic children sometimes without    
shrine or altar or picture of the       

,mother of ,god1 and with one of these  
monsters on every chair4 ,something even
 deeper than the artistic sense must    
revolt before long against this         
barbarous rule4 ,the ,teddy-bear1 if he 
has anything to impart1 suggests his own
 methods of life and defence1 and the   
,golliwog1 far worse--limp1 hideous1    
without one characteristic grace1 or    
spark of humour--suggests the last      
extremity of what is embodied in the    
expression letting oneself go4 ,and     
these things are loved6 ,pity the       
beautiful soul of the child1 made for   
beautiful things4 ,,ii y a toujours en  
nous quelque chose qui veut ramper1 said
 ,pere de ,ravignan1 and to this the    
,golliwog makes strong appeal4 ,it is   
only too easy to let go1 and the        
,golliwog playfellow says that it is    
quite right to do so--he does it        
himself4 ,it takes a great deal to make 
him able to sit up at all--only in the  
most comfortable chair can it be        
accomplished--if the least obstacle is  

encountered he can only give way4 ,and  
yet this pitiable being makes no appeal 
to the spirit of helpfulness4 ,do what  
you can for him it is impossible to     
raise him up1 the only thing is to go   
down with him to his own level and stay 
there4 ,the ,golliwog is at heart a     
pessimist4  ,in contrast with this the  
presence of an altar or nursery shrine1 
though not a plaything1 gives a         
different tone to play--a tone of joy   
and heavenliness that go down into the  
soul and take root there to grow into   
something lasting and beautiful4 ,there 
are flowers to be brought1 and lights1  
and small processions1 and evening      
recollection with quietness of devotion1
 with security in the sense of heavenly 
protection1 with the realization of the 
great cloud of witnesses who are around 
to make play safe and holy1 and there is
 through it all the gracious call to    
things higher1 to be strong1 to be      
unselfish1 to be self-controlled1 to be 
worthy of these protectors and friends  

in heaven4  ,there is another side also 
to the question of nursery play1 and    
that is what may be called the          
play-values of the things provided4     
,mechanical toys are wonderful1 but     
beyond an artificial interest which     
comes mostly from the elders1 there is  
very little lasting delight in them for 
children4 ,they belong to the system of 
over-indulgence and over-stimulation    
which measures the value of things by   
their price4 ,their worst fault is that 
they do all there is to be done1 while  
the child looks on and has nothing to   
do4 ,the train or motor rushes round and
 round1 the doll struts about and bleats
 papa1 mama1 the ,teddy-bear growls and 
dances1 and the owner has but to wind   
them up1 which is very poor amusement4  
,probably they are better after they    
have been over-wound and the mechanical 
part has given way1 and they have come  
to the hard use that belongs to their   
proper position as playthings4 ,if a    
distinction may be drawn between toys   

and playthings1 toys are of very little 
play-value1 they stand for fancy play1  
to be fiddled with2 while playthings    
stand as symbols of real life1 the      
harder and more primitive side of life  
taking the highest rank1 and all that   
they do is really done by the child4    
,this is the real play-value4 ,even     
things that are not playthings at all1  
sticks and stones and shells1 have this 
possibility in them4 ,things which have 
been found have a history of their own1 
which gives them precedence over what   
comes from a shop2 but the highest value
 of all belongs to the things which     
children have made entirely             
themselves--bows and arrows1 catapults1 
clay marbles1 though imperfectly round1 
home-made boats and kites4 ,the         
play-value grows in direct proportion to
 the amount of personal share which     
children have in the making and in the  
use of their playthings4 ,and in this we
 ought cordially to agree with them4    
,after the nursery age1 in the school or

 school-room1 play divides into two     
lines--organized games1 of which we hear
 a great deal in school at present1 and 
home play4 ,they are not at all the same
 thing4 ,both have something in their   
favour4 ,so much has been written of    
late about the value of organized games1
 how they bring out unselfishness1      
prompt and unquestioning obedience1     
playing for one's side and not for      
oneself1 etc41 that it seems as if all  
has been said better than it could be   
said again1 except perhaps to point out 
that there is little relaxation in the  
battle of life for children who do their
 best at books indoors and at games out 
of doors--so that in self-defence a good
 many choose an elective course between 
the two lines of advantages that school 
offers1 and do not attempt to serve two 
masters2 they will do well at books or  
games1 but not at both4 ,if the interest
 in games is keen1 they require a great 
deal of will-energy1 as well as physical
 activity1 a great deal of self-control 

and subordination of personal interest  
to the good of the whole4 ,in return for
 these requirements they give a great   
deal1 this or that1 more or less1       
according to the character of the game2 
they give physical control of movement1 
quickness of eye and hand1 promptitude  
in decision1 observance of right        
moments1 command of temper1 and many    
other things4 ,in fact1 for some games  
the only adverse criticism to offer is  
that they are more of a discipline than 
real play1 and that certainly for       
younger children who have no other form 
of recreation than play1 something more 
restful to the mind and less definite in
 purpose is desirable4  ,for these      
during playtime some semblance of       
solitude is exceedingly desirable at    
school where the great want is to be    
sometimes alone4 ,it is good for them   
not to be always under the pressure of  
competition--going along a made road to 
a definite end--but to have their little
 moments of even comparative solitude1  

little times of silence and complete    
freedom1 if they cannot be by           
themselves4 ,hoops and skipping-ropes   
without races or counted competitions   
will give this1 with the possibility of 
a moment or two to do nothing but live  
and breathe and rejoice in air and      
sunshine4 ,without these moments of rest
 the conditions of life at present and  
the constitutions for which the new word
 nervy has had to be invented1 will give
 us tempers and temperaments incapable  
of repose and solitude4 ,a child alone  
in a swing1 kicking itself backwards and
 forwards1 is at rest2 alone in its     
little garden it has complete rest of   
mind with the joy of seeing its own     
plants grow2 alone in a field picking   
wild flowers it is as near to the heart 
of primitive existence as it is possible
 to be4 ,although these joys of solitude
 are only attainable in their perfection
 by children at home1 yet if their value
 is understood1 those who have charge of
 them at school can do something to give

 them breathing spaces free from the    
pressure of corporate life1 and will    
probably find them much calmer and more 
manageable than if they have nothing but
 organized play4  ,there are plenty of  
indoor occupations too for little girls 
which may give the same taste of        
solitude and silence1 approaching to    
those simpler forms of home play which  
have no definite aim1 no beginning and  
ending1 no rules4 ,the fighting instinct
 is very near the surface in ambitious  
and energetic children1 and in the      
play-grounds it asserts itself all the  
more in reaction after indoor           
discipline1 then excitement grows1 and  
the weaker suffer1 and the stronger are 
exasperated by friction4 ,if unselfish1 
they feel the effort to control         
themselves2 if selfish1 they exhaust    
themselves and others in the battle to  
impose their own will4 ,in these moods  
solitude and silence1 with a hoop or    
skipping-rope1 are a saving system1 and 
restore calmness of mind4 ,all that is  

wanted is freedom1 fresh air1 and       
spontaneous movement4 ,this is more     
evident in the case of younger children1
 but if it can be obtained for elder    
girls it is just as great a relief4     
,they have usually acquired more        
self-control1 and the need does not     
assert itself so loudly1 but it is      
perhaps all the greater2 and in whatever
 way it can best be ministered to1 it   
will repay attention and the provision  
that may be made for it4  ,one word may 
be merely suggested for consideration   
concerning games in girls' schools1 and 
that is the comparative value of them as
 to physical development4 ,the influence
 of the game in vogue in each country   
will always be felt1 but it is worth    
attention that some games1 as hockey1   
conduce to all the attitudes and        
movements which are least to be desired1
 and that others1 as basket-ball1 on the
 contrary tend--if played with strict   
regard to rules--to attitudes which are 
in themselves beautiful and tending to  

grace of movement4 ,this word belongs to
 our side of the question1 not that of  
the children4 ,it belongs to our side   
also to see that hoops are large1 and   
driven with a stick1 not a hook1 for the
 sake of straight backs1 which are so   
easily bent crooked in driving a small  
hoop with a hook4  ,in connexion with   
movement comes the question of dancing4 
,dancing comes1 officially1 under the   
heading of lessons1 most earnest lessons
 if the professor has profound          
convictions of its significance4 ,but   
dancing belongs afterwards to the       
playtime of life4 ,we have outlived the 
grim puritanical prejudice which        
condemned it as wrong1 and it is        
generally agreed that there is almost a 
natural need for dancing as the         
expression of something very deep in    
human nature1 which seems to be         
demonstrated by its appearance in one   
form or another1 amongst all races of   
mankind4 ,there is something in         
co-ordinated rhythmical movement1 in the

 grace of steps1 in the buoyancy of     
beautiful dancing which seems to make it
 a very perfect exercise for children   
and young people4 ,but there are dances 
and dances1 steps and steps1 and about  
the really beautiful there is always a  
touch of the severe1 and a hint of the  
ideal4 ,without these1 dancing drops at 
once to the level of the commonplace and
 below it4 ,in general1 dances which    
embody some characteristics of a        
national life have more beauty than     
cosmopolitan dances1 but they are only  
seen in their perfection when performed 
by dancers of the race to whom their    
spirit belongs1 or by the class for whom
 they are intended3 which is meant as a 
suggestion that little girls should not 
dance the hornpipe4  ,in conclusion1 the
 question of play1 and playtime and     
recreation is absorbing more and more   
attention in grown-up life4 ,we have    
heard it said over and over again of    
late years that we tire a nation at     
play1 and that the athletic craze has   

gone beyond all bounds4 ,many facts are 
brought forward in support of this      
criticism from schools1 from newspapers1
 from general surveys of our national   
life at present4 ,and those who study   
more closely the ,catholic body say that
 we too are sharing in this extreme1 and
 that the ,catholic body though small in
 number is more responsible and more    
deserving of reproof if it falls from   
its ideals1 for it has ideals4 ,it is   
only ,catholic girls who concern us     
here1 but our girls among other girls1  
and ,catholic women among other women   
have the privilege as well as the duty  
of upholding what is highest4 ,we belong
 by right to the graver side of the     
human race1 for those who know must be  
in an emergency graver1 less reckless on
 the one hand1 less panic-stricken on   
the other1 than those who do not know4  
,we can never be entirely at play4 ,and 
if some of us should be for a time      
carried away by the current1 and        
momentarily completely at play1 it must 

be in a wave of reaction from the long  
grinding of endurance under the penal   
times4 ,cardinal ,newman's reminiscences
 of the life and ways of the ,roman     
,catholics in his youth showy the temper
 of mind against which our present      
excess of play is a reaction4  ,a few   
adherents of the ,old ,religion1 moving 
silently and sorrowfully about1 as      
memorials of what had been4 ',the ,roman
 ,catholics'--not a sect1 not even an   
interest1 as men conceived of it--not a 
body1 however small1 representative of  
the ,great ,communion abroad1 but a mere
 handful of individuals1 who might be   
counted1 like the pebbles and detritus  
of the great deluge1 and who1 forsooth1 
merely happened to retain a creed which1
 in its day indeed1 was the profession  
of a ,church4 ,here a set of poor       
,irishmen1 coining and going at harvest 
time1 or a colony of them lodged in a   
miserable quarter of the vast           
metropolis4 ,there1 perhaps1 an elderly 
person1 seen walking in the streets1    

grave and solitary1 and strange1 though 
noble in bearing1 and said to be of good
 family1 and 'a ,roman ,catholic4' ,an  
old-fashioned house of gloomy           
appearance1 closed in with high walls1  
with an iron gate1 and yews1 and the    
report attaching to it that ',roman     
,catholics' lived there2 but who they   
were1 or what they did1 or what was     
meant by calling them ,roman ,catholics1
 no one could tell1 though it had an    
unpleasant sound1 and told of form and  
superstition4 ,and then1 perhaps1 as we 
went to and fro1 looking with a boy's   
curious eyes through the great city1 we 
might come to-day upon some ,moravian   
chapel1 or ,quaker's meeting-house1 and 
to-morrow on a chapel of the ',roman    
,catholics'3 but nothing was to be      
gathered from it1 except that there were
 lights burning there1 and some boys in 
white1 swinging censers3 and what it all
 meant could only be learned from books1
 from ,protestant histories and sermons2
 but they did not report well of the    

',roman ,catholics1' but1 on the        
contrary1 deposed that they had once had
 power and had abused it4 444 ,such were
 the ,catholics in ,england1 found in   
corners1 and alleys1 and cellars1 and   
the housetops1 or in the recesses of the
 country2 cut off from the populous     
world around them1 and dimly seen1 as if
 through a mist or in twilight1 as      
ghosts flitting to and fro1 by the high 
,protestants1 the lords of the earth4   
7,the ,second ,spring47  ,this it is    
from which we are keeping holiday2 but  
for us it can be only a half holiday1   
the sifting process is always at work1  
the opposition of the world to the      
,church only sleeps for a moment1 and   
there are many who tell us that the     
signs of the times point to new forms of
 older conflicts likely to recur1 and   
that we may have to go1 as they went on 
the day of ,waterloo1 straight from the 
dance to the battlefield4     ,,chapter 
,,vii4  ,,mathematics1 ,,natural        
,,science1 ,,and ,,nature ,,study4      

,the ,arab told me that the stone 7,to  
give it in the language of the dream7   
,was ,euclid's ,elements2 and ,this1    
said he1 ,is something of more worth2   
and at the word ,stretched forth the    
shell1 so beautiful in shape1 ,in colour
 so resplendent1 with command ,that ,i  
should hold it to my ear4 ,i did so1    
,and heard that instant in an unknown   
tongue1 ,which yet ,i understood1       
articulate sounds1 ,a loud prophetic    
blast of harmony4                       
,,wordsworth1 ,the ,prelude1 ,bk4 ,v4   
,mathematics1 natural science1 and      
nature study may be conveniently grouped
 together1 because in a study of        
educational aims1 in so far as they     
concern ,catholic girls1 there is not   
much that is distinctive which          
practically affects these branches2     
during the years of school life they    
stand1 more or less1 on common ground   
with others4 ,more advanced studies of  
natural science open up burning         
questions1 and as to these1 it is the   

last counsel of wisdom for girls leaving
 school or school-room to remember that 
they have no right to have any opinion  
at all4 ,it is well to make them        
understand that after years of          
specialized study the really great men  
of science1 in very gentle tones and    
with careful utterance1 give to the     
world their formed opinions1 keeping    
them ever open to readjustment as the   
results of fresh observations come in   
year after year1 and new discoveries    
call for correction and rearrangement of
 what has been previously taught4 ,it is
 also well that they should know that by
 the time the newest theory reaches the 
school-room and textbook it may be      
already antiquated and perhaps          
superseded in the observatory and       
laboratory1 so that in scientific       
matters the school-room must always be a
 little behind the times4     ,and      
likewise that when scientific teaching  
has to be brought within the compass of 
a text-book for young students1 it is   

mere baby talk1 as much like the        
original theory as a toy engine is like 
an express locomotive4 ,from which they 
may conclude that it is wiser to be     
listeners or to ask deferential         
questions than to have light-hearted    
opinions of their own on burning        
questions such as we sometimes hear3 ,do
 you believe in evolution8--,i do4 ,no1 
,i don't1 ,i think there is very little 
evidence for it4 ,and that if they are  
introduced to a man of science it is    
better not to ask his opinion about the 
latest skeleton that has been           
discovered1 or let him see that they are
 alarmed lest there might be something  
wrong with our pedigree after all1 or   
with the book of ,genesis4 ,one would be
 glad1 however1 that they should know   
the names and something of the works and
 reputation of the ,catholic men of     
science1 as ,ampere1 ,pasteur1 and      
,wassmann1 etc41 ,i ,who have been or   
are ,european authorities in special    
aches of study1 so that they may at     

least be ready with an answer to the    
frequent assertion that ,catholics have 
done nothing for science4  ,but in      
connexion with these three subjects1 not
 as to the teaching of them but as to   
their place in the education of girls1  
some points regarding education in      
general are worth considering3--  #a4   
,mathematics in the curriculum of girls'
 schools has been the subject of much   
debate4 ,cool and colourless as         
mathematics are in themselves1 they have
 produced in discussion a good deal of  
heat1 being put forward to bear the     
brunt of the controversy as to whether  
girls were equal to boys in             
understanding and capable of following  
the same course of study1 and to enter  
into competition with them in all       
departments of learning4 ,even taking   
into consideration many brilliant       
achievements and an immense amount of   
creditable1 and even distinguished work1
 the answer of those who have no        
personal bias in the matter for the sake

 of a ,cause--is generally that they are
 not4 ,facts would seem to speak for    
themselves if only on the ground that   
the strain of equal studies is too great
 for the weaker physical organization4  
,girls are willing workers1 exceedingly 
intense when their heart is set upon    
success2 but their staying power is not 
equal to their eagerness1 and the       
demands made upon them sometimes leave a
 mortgage on  their mental and physical 
estate which cannot be paid off in the  
course of a whole lifetime4 ,in support 
of this1 reference may be made to the #a
 ,appendix to ,final ,report of the     
,commissioners 7,irish ,intermediate    
,education71 ,pt4 ,i1 #ahii4 report of a
 commission of ,dublin physicians on the
 effects of the ,intermediate ,education
 system in ,ireland1 which has broken   
down many more girls than boys4  ,apart 
from the question of over-pressure it is
 generally recognized--let it be said   
again1 by those who have not a position 
to defend or a theory to advance in the 

matter--that the aptitude of girls for  
mathematical work is generally less than
 that of boys1 and unless one has some  
particular view or plan at stake in the 
matter there is no grievance in         
recognizing this4 ,there is more to be  
gained in recognizing diversities of    
gifts than in striving to establish a   
level of uniformity1 and life is richer1
 not poorer for the setting forth of    
varied types of excellence4 ,competition
 destroys cooperation1 and in striving  
to prove ability to reach an equal      
standard in competition1 the wider and  
more lasting interests which are at     
stake may be lost sight of1 and in the  
end sacrificed to limited temporary     
success4  ,the success of girls in the  
field of mathematics is1 in general1    
temporary and limited1 it means much    
less in their after life than in that of
 boys4 ,for the few whose calling in    
life is teaching1 mathematics have some 
after use2 for those1 still fewer1 who  
take a real interest in them1 they keep 

a place in later life2 but for the many 
into whose life-work they do not enter1 
beyond the mental discipline which is   
sometimes evaded1 very little remains4  
,the end of school means for them the   
end of mathematical study1 and the      
,complete forgetfulness in which the    
whole subject is soon buried gives the  
impression that too much may have been  
sacrificed to it4 ,from the point of    
view of practical value it proves of    
little use1 and as mental discipline    
something of more permanent worth might 
have taken its place to strengthen the  
reasoning powers4 ,the mathematical     
teacher of girls has generally to seek  
consolation in very rare success for    
much habitual disappointment4  ,the     
whole controversy about equality in     
education involves less bitterness to   
,catholics than to others1 for this     
reason1 that we have less difficulty    
than those of other persuasions in      
accepting a fundamental difference of   
ideals for girls and boys4 ,our ideals  

of family life1 of spheres of action    
which co-operate and complete each      
other1 without interference or          
competition1 our masculine and feminine 
types of holiness amongst canonized     
saints1 give a calmer outlook upon the  
questions involved in the discussion4   
,the ,church puts equality and          
inequality upon such a different footing
 that the result is harmony without     
clash of interests1 and if in some      
countries we are drawn into the arena   
now1 and forced into competition1 the   
very slackness of interest which is     
sometimes complained of is an indirect  
testimony to the truth that we know of  
better things4 ,and as those who know of
 better things are more injured by      
following the less good than those who  
know them not1 so our ,catholic girls   
seem to be either more indifferent about
 their work or more damaged by the      
spirit of competition if they enter into
 it1 than those who consider it from a  
different plane4  #b4 ,natural science  

has of late years assumed a title to    
which it has no claim1 and calls itself 
simply ,science--presumably for short1  
but to the great confusion of young     
minds1 or rather with the effect of     
contracting their range of vision within
 very narrow limits1 as if theology and 
,biblical study1 and mental and moral1  
and historical and political science1   
had no place of mention in the rational 
order where things are studied in their 
causes4  ,inquiry was made in several   
schools where natural science was taught
 according to the syllabuses of the     
,board of ,education4 ,the question was 
asked1 ,what is science8--and without   
exception the answers indicated that    
science was understood to mean the study
 of the phenomena of the physical world 
in their causes4 ,the name ,science used
 by itself has been the cause of this1  
and has led to the usual consequences of
 the assumption of unauthorized titles4 
,things had been working up in ,england 
during the last few years towards this  

misconception in the schools4 ,on the   
one hand there was the great impetus    
given to physical research and          
experimental science in recent years1 so
 that its discoveries absorbed more and 
more attention1 and this filtered down  
to the school books4  ,on the other     
hand1 especially since the ,south       
,african war1 there had been a great    
stir in reaction against mere lessons   
from books1 and it was seen that we     
wanted more personal initiative and     
thought1 and resourcefulness1 and       
self-reliance1 and many other qualities 
which our education had not tended to   
develop4 ,it was seen that we were      
unpractical in our ,instruction1 that   
minds passed under the discipline of    
school and came out again1 still        
slovenly1 unobservant1 unscientific in  
temper1 impatient1 flippant1 inaccurate1
 tending to guess and to jump at        
conclusions1 to generalize hastily1 etc4
 ,it was observed that many unskilful   
hands came out of the schools1 clumsy   

ringers1 wanting in neatness1 untidy in 
work1 inept in measuring and weighing1  
incapable of handling things            
intelligently4 ,there had come an       
awakening from the dreams of #ahgj1 when
 we felt so certain that all ,england   
was to be made good and happy through   
books4 ,a remedy was sought in natural  
science1 and the next educational wave  
which was to roll over us began to rise4
 ,it was thought that the temper of the 
really scientific man1 so patient in    
research1 so accurate and conscientious1
 so slow to dogmatize1 so deferential to
 others1 might be fostered by           
experimental science in the schools1    
acquiring knowledge at first hand1      
making experiments1 looking with great  
respect at balances1 weighing and       
measuring1 and giving an account of     
results4 ,so laboratories were fitted up
 at great expense1 and teachers with    
university degrees in science were      
sought after4 ,the height of the tide   
seemed to be reached in #aijd and       

#aije--to judge by the tone of          
,regulations for the ,curricula of      
,secondary ,schools issued by the ,board
 of ,education--for in these years it is
 most insistent and exacting for girls  
as well as boys1 as to time and scope of
 the syllabus in this branch4 ,then     
disillusion seems to have set in and the
 tide began to ebb4 ,it appeared that   
the results were small and poor in      
proportion to expectation and to the    
outlay on laboratories4 ,the desirable  
qualities did not seem to develop as had
 been hoped1 the temper of mind fostered
 was not entirely what had been desired4
 ,the conscientious accuracy that was to
 come of measuring a millimetre and     
weighing a milligramme was              
disappointing1 and also the fluent      
readiness to give an account of         
observations made1 the desired accuracy 
of expression1 the caution in drawing   
inferences4 ,the links between this     
teaching and after life did not seem to 
be satisfactorily established4 ,the     

,board of ,education showed the first   
signs of a change of outlook by the     
readjustment in the curriculum giving an
 alternative syllabus for girls1 and the
 latitude in this direction is widening 
by degrees4 ,it begins to be whispered  
that even in some boys' schools the     
laboratory is only used under compulsion
 or by exceptional students1 and the    
wave seems likely to go down as rapidly 
as it rose4  ,probably for girls the    
strongest argument against experimental 
science taught in laboratories is that  
it has so little connexion with after   
life4 ,as a discipline the remedy did   
not go deeply enough into the realities 
of life to reach the mental defects of  
girls2 it was artificial1 and they laid 
it aside as a part of school life when  
they went home4 ,latitude is now given  
by the ,board of ,education for an      
approved course in a combination of the 
following subjects3 needlework1 cooking1
 laundry-work1 housekeeping1 and        
household hygiene for girls over fifteen

 years of age1 to be substituted        
partially or wholly for science and for 
mathematics other than arithmetic4      
,comparing this with the regulations of 
five or six years ago when the only     
alternative for girls was a biological  
subject instead of physics1 and         
elementary hygiene as a substitute for  
chemistry1 it would seem as if the      
,board of ,education had had reason to  
be dissatisfied with the science        
teaching for girls1 and was determined  
to seek a more practical system4  ,this 
practical aspect of things is           
penetrating into every department1 and  
when it is combined with some study of  
first principles nothing better can be  
desired4 ,for instance1 in the teaching 
of geography1 of botany1 etc41 there is 
a growing inclination to follow the line
 of reality1 the middle course between  
the book alone and the laboratory alone1
 so that these subjects gather living   
interest from their many points of      
contact with human life1 and give more  

play to the powers of children4 ,as the 
text-book of geography is more and more 
superseded by the use of the atlas      
alone1 and the botanical chart by the   
children's own drawings1 and by the     
beautiful illustrations in books        
prepared especially for them1 the way is
 opened before them to worlds of beauty 
and wonder which they may have for their
 own possession by the use of their eyes
 and ears and thoughts and reasonings4  
#c4 ,but better than all new apparatus  
and books of delight is the informal    
study of the world around us which has  
grown up by the side of organized       
teaching of natural science4 ,the name  
of nature study is the least attractive 
point about it2 the reality escapes from
 all conventionalities of instruction1  
and looks and listens and learns without
 the rules and boundaries which belong  
to real lessons4 ,its range is not      
restricted within formal limits2 it is  
neither botany1 nor natural history1 nor
 physics2 neither instruction on light  

nor heat nor sound1 but it wanders on a 
voyage of discovery into all these      
domains4 ,and in so far as it does this1
 it appeals very strongly to children4  
,children usually delight in flowers and
 dislike botany1 are fond of animals and
 rather indifferent to natural history4 
,life is what awakens their interest2   
they love the living thing as a whole   
and do not care much for analysis or    
classification2 these interests grow up 
later4  ,the object of informal nature  
study is to put children directly in    
touch with the beautiful and wonderful  
things which are within their reach4    
,its lesson-book is everywhere1 its time
 is every time1 its spirit is wonder and
 delight4 ,this is for the children4    
,those who teach it have to look beyond1
 and it is not so easy to teach as it is
 to learn4 ,it cannot1 properly         
speaking1 be learned by teachers out of 
books1 though books can do a great deal4
 ,but a long-used quiet habit of        
observation gives it life and the       

stored-up sweetness of years--the old is
 better4 ,the most charming books on    
nature study necessarily give a         
second-hand tone to the teaching4 ,but  
the point of it all is knowledge at     
first-hand2 yet1 for children knowledge 
at first-hand is so limited that some   
one to refer to1 and some one to guide  
them is a necessity1 some one who will  
say at the right moment look and listen1
 and who has looked and listened for    
years4 ,perhaps the requirement of      
knowledge at firsthand for children has 
sometimes been pushed a little too far1 
with a deadening effect1 for the        
progress of such knowledge is very slow 
and laborious4 ,how little we should    
know if we only admitted first-hand     
knowledge1 but the stories of wonder    
from those who have seen urge us on to  
see for ourselves2 and so we swing      
backwards and forwards1 from the world  
outside to the books1 to find out more1 
from the books to the world outside to  
see for ourselves4 ,and a good teacher1 

who is an evergreen learner1 goes       
backwards and forwards1 too1 sharing the
 work and heightening the delight4 ,all 
the stages come in turn1 over and over  
again1 observation1 experiment1 inquiry 
from others whether orally or in books1 
and in this subject books abound more   
fascinating than fairy tales1 and their 
latest charm is that they are laying    
aside the pose of a fairy tale and tell 
the simple truth4  ,the love of nature1 
awakened early1 is a great estate with  
which to endow a child1 but it needs    
education1 that the proprietor of the   
estate may know how to manage it1 and   
not--with the manners of a parvenu--miss
 either the inner spirit or the outward 
behaviour belonging to the property4    
,this right manner and spirit of        
possession is what the informal nature  
study aims at2 it is a point of view4   
,now the point of view as to the outside
 world means a great deal in life4      
,countrymen do not love nature as       
townsmen love it4 ,their affection is   

deeper but less emotional1 like old     
friendships1 undemonstrative but        
everlasting4 ,countrymen see without    
looking1 and say very little about it4  
,townsmen in the country look long and  
say what they have seen1 but they miss  
many things4 ,a farmer stands stolidly  
among the graces of his frisky lambs and
 seems to miss their meaning1 but this  
is because the manners cultivated in his
 calling do not allow the expression of 
feeling4 ,it is all in his soul         
somewhere1 deeply at home1 but          
impossible to utter4 ,the townsman looks
 eagerly1 expresses a great deal1       
expresses it well1 but misses the spirit
 from want of a background to his       
picture4 ,one must know the whole round 
of the year in the country to catch the 
spirit of any season and perceive whence
 it comes and whither it goes4  ,on the 
other hand1 the countryman in town      
thinks that there is no beauty of the   
world left for him to see1 because the  
spirit there is a spirit of the hour and

 not of the season1 and natural beauty  
has to be caught in evanescent          
appearances--a florist's window full of 
orchids in place of his woodlands--and  
his mind is too slow to catch these4    
,this too quick or too slow habit of    
seeing belongs to minds as well as to   
callings2 and when children are learning
 to look around them at the world       
outside1 it has to be taken into        
account4 ,some will see without looking 
and be satisfied slowly to drink in     
impressions1 and they are really glad to
 learn to express what they see4        
,others1 the quick1 so-called clever    
children1 look1 and judge1 and comment1 
and overshoot the mark many times before
 they really see4 ,these may learn      
patience in waiting for their garden    
seeds1 and quietness from watching birds
 and beasts1 and deliberation1 to a     
certain extent1 from their constant     
mistakes4 ,to have the care of plants   
may teach them a good deal of           
watchfulness and patience2 it is of     

greater value to a child to have grown  
one perfect flower than to have pulled  
many to pieces to examine their         
structure4 ,and the care of animals may 
teach a great deal more if it learns to 
keep the balance between silly idolatry 
of pets and cruel negligence--the hot   
and cold extremes of selfishness4       
,little gardens of their own are perhaps
 the best gifts which can be given to   
children4 ,to work in them stores up not
 only health but joy4 ,every flower in  
their garden stands for so much         
happiness1 and with that happiness an   
instinct for home life and simple       
pleasures will strike deep roots4 ,from 
growing the humblest annual out of a    
seed-packet to grafting roses there is  
work for every age1 and even in the dead
 season of the year the interest of a   
garden never dies4  ,in new countries   
gardens take new aspects4 ,a literal    
version of a garden party in the        
,transvaal suggests possibilities of    
emancipation from the conventionalities 

which weary the older forms of          
entertainment with us4 ,its object was  
not to play in a garden1 but to plant   
one4 ,guests came from afar1 each one   
bringing a contribution of plants4 ,the 
afternoon was spent in laying out the   
beds and planting the offerings1 in     
hard1 honest1 dirty work4 ,and all the  
guests went home feeling that they had  
really lived a day that was worth       
living1 for a garden had been made1 in  
the rough1 it is true2 but even in the  
rough in such a new country a garden is 
a great possession4  ,the outcome of    
these considerations is that the love of
 nature is a great source of happiness  
for children1 happiness of the best kind
 in taking possession of a world that   
seems to be in many ways designed       
especially for them4 ,it brings their   
minds to a place where many ways meet2  
to the confines of science1 for they    
want to know the reasons of things2 to  
the confines of art1 for what they can  
understand they will strive to interpret

 and express2 to the confines of        
worship1 for a child's soul1 hushed in  
wonder1 is very near to ,god4           
,,chapter ,,viii4  ,,english4    ,if    
,chaucer1 as has been said1 is ,spring1 
it is a modern1 premature ,spring1      
followed by an interval of doubtful     
weather4 ,sidney is the very            
,spring--the later ,may4 ,and in prose  
he is the authentic1 only ,spring4 ,it  
is a prose full of young joy1 and young 
power1 and young inexperience1 and young
 melancholy1 which is the wilfulness of 
joy2 4 4 4    ,sidney's prose is        
treasureable1 not only for its absolute 
merits1 but as the bud from which       
,english prose1 that gorgeous and varied
 flower1 has unfolded4--,,francis       
,,thompson1 ,the ,prose of ,poets4  ,the
 study of one's own language is the very
 heart of a modern education2 to the    
study of ,english1 therefore1 belongs a 
central place in the education of       
,english-speaking girls4 ,it has two    
functions3 one is to become the         

instrument by which almost all the other
 subjects are apprehended2 the other1   
more characteristically its own1 is to  
give that particular tone to the mind   
which distinguishes it from others4     
,this is a function that is always in   
process of further development2 for the 
mind of a nation elaborates its         
language1 and the language gives tone to
 the mind of the new generation4 ,the   
influences at work upon the ,english    
language at present are very complex1   
and play on it with great force1 so that
 the changes are startling in their     
rapidity4 ,english is not only the      
language of a nation or of a race1 not  
even of an empire2 and the inflowing    
elements affirm this4 ,we have kindred  
beyond the empire1 and their speech is  
more and more impressing ours1 forging  
from the common stock1 which they had   
from us1 whole armouries full of        
expressive words1 words with edge and   
point and keen directness which never   
miss the mark4 ,some are unquestionably 

an acquisition1 those which come from   
,states where the language is honoured  
and studied with a carefulness that puts
 to shame all except our very best4     
,they have kept some gracious and rare  
expressions1 now quaint to our ear1     
preserved out of ,elizabethan ,english  
in the current speech of to-day4 ,these 
have a fragrance of the olden time1 but 
we cannot absorb them again into our own
 spoken language4 ,then they have their 
incisive modern expressions so perfectly
 adapted for their end that they are    
irresistible even to those who cling by 
tradition to the more stable element in 
,english4 ,these also come from ,states 
in which language is conscious of itself
 and looks carefully to literary use1   
and they do us good rather than harm4   
,other importations from younger ,states
 are too evidently unauthorized to be in
 any way beautiful1 and are blamed on   
both sides of the ocean as debasing the 
coinage4 ,but these1 too1 are making    
their way1 so cheap and convenient are  

they1 and so expressive4  ,it is needful
 in educating children to remember that 
this strong inflowing current must be   
taken into account1 and also to remember
 that it does not belong to them4 ,they 
must first be trained in the use of the 
more lasting elements of ,english2 later
 on they may use their discretion in    
catching the new words which are afloat 
in the air1 but the foundations must be 
laid otherwise4 ,it takes the bloom off 
the freshness of young writers if they  
are determined to exhibit the last new  
words that are in1 or out of season4    
,new words have a doubtful position at  
first4 ,they float here and there like  
thistle-down1 and their future depends  
upon where they settle4 ,but until they 
are established and accepted they are   
out of place for children's use4 ,they  
are contrary to the perfect manner for  
children4 ,we ask that their ,english   
should be simple and unaffected1 not    
that it should glitter with the newest  
importations1 brilliant as they may be4 

,it is from the more permanent element  
in the language that they will acquire  
what they ought to have1 the            
characteristic traits of thought and    
manner which belong to it4 ,it is not   
too much to look for such things in     
children's writing and speaking4 ,the   
first shoots and leaves may come up     
early though the full growth and flower 
may be long waited for4 ,these          
characteristics are often better put    
into words by foreign critics than by   
ourselves1 for we are inclined to take  
them as a whole and to take them for    
granted2 hence the trouble experienced  
by educated foreigners in catching the  
characteristics of ,english style1 and  
their surprise in finding that we have  
no authentic guides to ,english         
composition1 fend that the court of     
final appeal is only the standard ,of   
the best use4 ,the words of a ,german   
critic on a ,collection of ,english     
portraits in ,berlin are very happily   
pointed and might be as aptly applied to

 writing as to painting4  ,english1     
utterly ,english6 ,nothing on ,god's    
earth could be more ,english than this  
whole collection4 ,the personality of   
the artist 7it happened that he was an  
,irishman71 the countenances of the     
subjects1 their dress1 the discreetly   
suggestive backgrounds1 all have the    
characteristic touch of ,british        
culture1 very refined1 very high-bred1  
very quiet1 very much clarified1 very   
confident1 very neat1 very              
well-appointed1 a little dreamy and just
 a little wearisome--the precise        
qualities which at the same time impress
 and annoy us in the ,english4  ,this is
 exactly what might be said of ,pater's 
writing1 but that is full-grown         
,english4 ,pater is not a model for     
children1 they would find him more than 
just a little wearisome4 ,if anyone     
could put into words what ,sir ,joshua  
,reynolds' portraits of children        
express1 that would be exactly what we  
want for the model of their ,english4   

,they can write and they can speak in a 
beautiful way of their own if they are  
allowed a little liberty to grow wild1  
and trained a little to climb4 ,their   
charm is candour1 as it is the charm of 
,sir ,joshua's portraits1 with a quiet  
confidence that all is well in the world
 they know1 and that everyone is kind2  
this gives the look of trustful         
innocence and unconcern4 ,their writing 
and talking have this charm1 as long as 
nothing has happened to make them       
conscious of themselves4 ,but these     
first blossoms drop off1 and there is   
generally an intermediate stage in which
 they can neither speak nor write1 but  
keep their thoughts close1 and will not 
give themselves away4 ,only when that   
stage is past do they really and with   
full consciousness seek to express      
themselves1 and pay some attention to   
the self-expression of others4 ,this    
third stage has its ,may-day1 when the  
things which have become hackneyed to   
our minds from long use come to them    

with the full force of revelations1 and 
they astonish us by their exuberant     
delight4 ,but they have a right to their
 ,may-day and it ought not to be cut    
short2 the sun will go down of itself1  
and then ,june will come in its own time
 and ripen the green wood1 and after    
that will come pruning time1 in another 
season1 and then the phase of severity  
and fastidiousness1 and after that--if  
they continue to write--they will be    
truly themselves4  ,in every stage we   
have our duty to do1 encouraging and    
pruning by turns1 and1 as in everything 
else1 we must begin with ourselves and  
go on with ourselves that there may be  
always something living to give1 and    
some growth2 for in this we need never  
cease to grow1 in knowledge1 in taste1  
and in critical power4 ,the means are   
not far to seek2 if we really care about
 these things1 the means are everywhere1
 in reading the best things1 in taking  
notes1 in criticising independently and 
comparing with the best criticism1 in   

forming our own views and yet keeping a 
willingness to modify them1 in an       
attitude of mind that is always         
learning1 always striving1 always       
raising its standard1 never impatient   
but permanently dissatisfied4  ,we have 
three spheres of action in the use of   
the language--there is ,english to      
speak1 ,english to write1 ,and the wide 
field of ,english to read1 and there are
 vital interests bound up in each for   
the after life of children4 ,as they    
speak1 so will be the tone of their     
intercourse2 as they write1 so will be  
the standard of their habits of thought2
 and as they read so will be the        
atmosphere of their life1 and the       
preparation of their judgment for those 
critical moments of choice which are the
 pivots upon which its whole action     
moves4  ,if practice alone would develop
 it to perfection1 speaking ought to be 
easy to learn1 but it does not prove so1
 and especially when children are       
together in schools the weeds grow      

faster than the crop1 and the crop is   
apt to be thin4 ,the language of the    
majority holds its own2 children among  
children can express with a very small  
vocabulary what they want to say to each
 other1 whereas an only child who lives 
with its elders has usually a larger    
vocabulary than it can manage1 which    
makes the sayings of only children      
quaint and almost weird1 as the         
perfection of the instrument persuades  
us that there is a full-grown thought   
within it1 and a child's fancy suddenly 
laughs at us from under the disguise4   
,there is general lamentation at present
 because the art of conversation has    
fallen to a very low ebb2 there is1 in  
particular1 much complaint of the       
conversation of girls whose education is
 supposed to have been careful4 ,the    
subjects they care to talk of are found 
to be few and poor1 their power of      
expressing themselves very imperfect1   
the scanty words at their command worked
 to death in supplying for all kinds of 

things to which they are not            
appropriate4 ,we know that we have a    
great deal of minted gold in the        
,english language1 but little of it     
finds its way into our general          
conversation1 most of our intercourse is
 carried on with small change1 a good   
deal of it even in coppers1 and the     
worst trouble of all is that so few seem
 to care or to regret it4 ,perhaps the  
young generation will do so later in    
life1 but unless something is done for  
them during the years of their education
 it does not seem probable1 except in   
the case of the few who are driven by   
their professional work to think of it1 
or drawn to it by some influence that   
compels them to exert themselves in     
earnest4  ,listening to the conversation
 of girls whose thoughts and language   
are still in a fluid state1 say from the
 age of #ag to #be1 gives a great deal  
of matter for thought to those who are  
interested in education1 and this point 
of language is of particular interest4  

,there are the new catch-words of each  
year2 they had probably a great piquancy
 in the mouth of the originator but they
 very soon become flat by repetition1   
then they grow jaded1 are more and more 
neglected and pass away altogether4     
,from their rising to their setting the 
arc is very short--about five years     
seems to be the limit of their          
existence1 and no one regrets them4 ,we 
do not seem to be in a happy vein of    
development at present as to the use of 
words1 and these short-lived catch-words
 are generally poor in quality4 ,our    
girl talkers are neither rich nor       
independent in their language1 they lay 
themselves under obligations to anyone  
who will furnish a new catch-word1 and  
especially to boys from whom they take  
rather than accept contributions of a   
different kind4 ,it is an old-fashioned 
regret that girls should copy boys      
instead of developing themselves        
independently in language and manners2  
but though old-fashioned1 it will never 

cease to be true that what was made to  
be beautiful on its own line is dwarfed 
and crippled by straining it into       
imitation of something else which it can
 never be4  ,what can be done for the   
girls to give them first more           
independence in their language and then 
more power to express themselves8       
,probably the best cure1 food and tonic 
in one1 is reading2 a taste for the best
 reading alters the whole condition of  
mental life1 and without being directly 
attacked the defects in conversation    
will correct themselves4 ,but we could  
do more than is often done for the      
younger children1 not by talking        
directly about these things1 but by     
being a little harder to please1 and    
giving when it is possible the cordial  
commendation which makes them feel that 
what they have done was worth working   
for4  ,recitation and reading aloud1    
besides all their other uses1 have this 
use that they accustom children to the  
sound of their own voices uttering      

beautiful words1 which takes away the   
odd shyness which some of them feel in  
going beyond their usual round of       
expressions and extending their         
vocabulary4 ,we owe it to our language  
as well as to each individual child to  
make recitation and reading aloud as    
beautiful as possible4 ,perhaps one of  
the causes of our conversational        
slovenliness is the neglect of these2   
critics of an older generation have not 
ceased to lament their decay1 but it    
seems as if better times were coming    
again1 and that as the fundamentals of  
breathing and voice-production are      
taught1 we shall increase the scope of  
the power acquired and give it more     
importance4 ,there is a great deal      
underlying all this1 beyond the         
acquirement of voice and pronunciation4 
,if recitation is cultivated there is an
 inducement to learn by heart2 this in  
its turn ministers to the love of       
reading and to the formation of literary
 taste1 and enriches the whole life of  

the mind4 ,there is an indirect but     
far-reaching gain of self-possession1   
from the need for outward composure and 
inward concentration of mind in reciting
 before others4 ,but it is a matter of  
importance to choose recitations so that
 nothing should be learnt which must be 
thrown away1 nothing which is not worth 
remembering for life4 ,it is a pity to  
make children acquire what they will    
soon despise when they might learn      
something that they will grow up to and 
prize as long as they live4 ,there are  
beautiful things that they can          
understand1 if something is wanted for  
to-day1 which have at the same time a   
life that will never be outgrown4 ,there
 are poems with two aspects1 one of     
which is acceptable to a child and the  
other to the grown-up mind2 these1 one  
is glad to find in anthologies for      
children4 ,but there are many poems     
about children of which the interest is 
so subtle as to be quite unsuitable for 
their collection4 ,such a poem is ,we   

are seven4 ,children can be taught to   
say it1 even with feeling1 but their own
 genuine impression of it seems to be   
that the little girl was rather weak in 
intellect for eight years old1 or a     
little perverse4 ,whereas ,browning's   
,an incident of the ,french camp appeals
 to them by pride of courage as it does 
to us by pathos4 ,it may not be a gem1  
poetically speaking1 but it lives4 ,as  
children grow older it is only fair to  
allow them some choice in what they     
learn and recite1 to give room for their
 taste to follow its own bent2 there are
 a few things which it is well that     
every one should know by heart1 but     
beyond these the field is practically   
without limits4  ,perfect recitation or 
reading aloud is very rare and difficult
 to acquire4 ,for a few years there was 
a tendency to over-emphasis in both1    
and1 in recitation1 to teach gesture1   
for which as a nation we are singularly 
inapt4 ,this is happily disappearing1   
simplicity and restraint are regaining  

their own1 at least in the best teaching
 for girls4 ,as to reading aloud to     
children it begins to be recognized that
 it should not be too explicit1 nor too 
emphatic1 nor too pointed2 that it must 
leave something for the natural grace of
 the listener's intelligence to supply  
and to feel4 ,there is a didactic tone  
in reading which says1 you are most     
unintelligent1 but listen to ,,me and   
there may yet be hope that you will     
understand4 ,this leaves the poor       
creatures of the class still unmoved and
 unenlightened2 the child is not        
awakened1 while the more sensitive minds
 are irritated2 they can feel it as an  
impertinence without quite knowing why  
they are hurt4 ,it is a question of     
manners and consideration which is      
perceptible to them1 for they like what 
is best--sympathy and suggestiveness    
rather than hammering in4 ,they can help
 each other by their simple insight into
 these things when they read aloud1 and 
if a reading lesson in class is         

conducted as an exercise in criticism it
 is full of interest4 ,the frank        
good-nature and gravity of              
twelve-year-old critics makes their     
operations quite painless1 and they are 
accepted with equal good humour and     
gravity1 no one wasting any emotion and 
a great deal of good sense being        
exchanged4  ,conversation1 as           
conversation1 is hard to teach1 we can  
only lead the way and lay down a few    
principles which keep it in the right   
path4 ,these commonplaces of warning1 as
 old as civilization itself1 belong to  
manners and to fundamental              
unselfishness1 but obvious as they are  
they have to be said and to be repeated 
and enforced until they become matters  
of course4 ,not to seem bored1 not to   
interrupt1 not to contradict1 not to    
make personal remarks1 not to talk of   
oneself 7some one was naive enough to   
say then what is there to talk of71 not 
to get heated and not to look cold1 not 
to do all the talking and not to be     

silent1 not to advance if the ground    
seems uncertain1 and to be sensitively  
attentive to what jars--all these and   
other things are troublesome to obtain1 
but exceedingly necessary4 ,and even    
observing them all we may be just as far
 from conversation as before2 how often 
among ,english people1 through shyness  
or otherwise1 it simply faints from     
inanition4 ,we can at least teach that a
 first essential is to have something to
 say1 and that the best preparation of  
mind is thought and reading and         
observation1 to be interested in many   
things1 and to give enough personal     
application to a few things as to have  
something worth saying about them4  ,by 
testing in writing every step of an     
educational course a great deal of      
command over all acquired materials may 
be secured4 ,as our girls grow older1   
essay-writing becomes the most powerful 
means for fashioning their minds and    
bringing out their individual           
characteristics4  ,it is customary now  

to begin with oral composition1--quite  
rightly1 for one difficulty at a time is
 enough4 ,but when children have to     
write for themselves the most natural   
beginning is by letters4 ,a great       
difference in thought and power is      
observable in their first attempts1 but 
in the main the structure of their      
letters is similar1 like the houses and 
the moonfaced persons which they draw in
 the same symbolic way4 ,perhaps both   
are accepted conventions to which they  
conform--handed down through generations
 of the nursery tradition--though       
students of children are inclined to    
believe that these symbolical drawings  
represent their real mind in the        
representation of material things4      
,their communications move in little    
bounds1 a succession of happy thoughts1 
the kind of things which birds in       
conversation might impart to one        
another1 turning their heads quickly    
from side to side and catching sight of 
many things unrelated amongst           

themselves4 ,it is a pity that this     
manner is often allowed to last too     
long1 for in these stages of mental     
training it is better to be on the      
stretch to reach the full stature of    
one's age rather than to linger behind  
it1 and early promise in composition    
means a great deal4  ,to write of the   
things which belong to one's age in a   
manner that is fully up to their worth  
or even a little beyond it1 is better   
than to strain after something to say in
 a subject that is beyond the mental    
grasp4 ,the first thing to learn is how 
to write pleasantly about the most      
simple and ordinary things4 ,but a      
common fault in children's writing is to
 wait for an event1 something to write  
about1 and to dispose of it in three or 
four sentences like telegrams4  ,the    
influences which determine these early  
steps are1 first1 the natural habit of  
mind1 for thoughtful children see most  
interesting and strange things in their 
surroundings2 secondly1 the tone of     

their ordinary conversation1 but        
especially a disposition that is        
unselfish and affectionate4             
,warm-hearted children who are gifted   
with sympathy have an intuition of what 
will give pleasure1 and that is one of  
the great secrets of letter-writing4    
,but the letters they write will always 
depend in a great measure on the letters
 they receive1 and a family gift for    
letter-writing is generally the outcome 
of a happy home-life in which all the   
members are of interest to each other   
and their doings of importance4  ,what  
sympathy gives to letter-writing1       
imagination gives to the first essays of
 children in longer compositions4       
,imagination puts them in sympathy with 
all the world1 with things as well as   
persons1 as affection keeps them in     
touch with every detail of the home     
world4 ,but its work is not so simple4  
,home affection is true and is a law to 
itself2 if it is present it holds all   
the little child's world in a right     

proportion1 because all heavenly        
affection is bound up with it4 ,but the 
awakening and the rapid development of  
imagination as girls grow up needs a    
great deal of guidance and training4    
,fancy may overgrow itself1 and take an 
undue predominance1 so that life is     
tuned to the pitch of imagination and   
not imagination to the pitch of life4   
,it is hardly possible and hardly to be 
desired that it should never overflow   
the limits of perfect moderation2 if it 
is to be controlled1 there must be      
something to control1 in pruning there  
must be some strong shoots to cut back1 
and in toning down there must be some   
over-gaudy colours to subdue4 ,it is    
better that there should be too much    
life than too little1 and better that   
criticism should find something vigorous
 enough to lay hold of1 rather than     
something which cannot be felt at all4  
,this is the time to teach children to  
begin their essays without preamble1 by 
something that they really want to say1 

and to finish them leaving something    
still unsaid that they would like to    
have expressed1 so as not to pour out to
 the last drop their mind or their fancy
 on any subject4 ,this discipline of    
promptitude in beginning and restraint  
at the end will tell for good upon the  
quality of their writing4  ,but the work
 of the imagination may also betray     
something unreal and morbid--this is a  
more serious fault and means trouble    
coming4 ,it generally points to a want  
of focus in the mind2 because self      
predominates in the affections feeling  
and interest are self-centred4 ,then the
 whole development of mind comes to a   
disappointing check--the mental power   
remains on the level of unstable sixteen
 years old1 and the selfish side        
develops either emotionally or          
frivolously--according to taste1 faster 
than it can be controlled4  ,there are  
cross-roads at about sixteen in a girl's
 life4 ,after two or three troublesome  
years she is going to make her choice1  

not always consciously and deliberately1
 but those who are alive to what is     
going on may expect to hear about this  
time her speech from the throne1        
announcing what the direction of her    
life is going to be4 ,it is not         
necessarily the choice of a vocation in 
life1 that belongs to an order of things
 that has neither day nor hour          
determined for it1 but it is when the   
mental outlook takes a direction of its 
own1 literary1 or artistic1 or          
philosophical1 or worldly1 or turning   
towards home2 it may sometimes be the   
moment of decisive vocation to leave all
 things for ,god1 or1 as has so often   
happened in the lives of the ,saints1   
the time when a child's first desire1   
forgotten for a while1 asserts itself   
again4 ,in any case it is generally a   
period of new awakenings1 and if things 
are as they ought to be1 generally a    
time of deep happiness--the ideal hour  
in the day of our early youth4 ,all this
 is faithfully rendered in the essays of

 that time2 we unsuspectingly give      
ourselves away4  ,after this1 for those 
who are going to write at all1 comes the
 viewy stage1 and this is full of       
interest4 ,we are so dogmatic1 so       
defiant1 so secure in our persuasions4  
,it is impossible to believe that they  
will ever alter4 ,yet who has lived     
through this phase of abounding activity
 and has not found that1 at first with  
the shock of disappointment1 and        
afterwards without regret1 a memorial   
cross had to be set by our wayside1 here
 and there1 marking the place of rest   
for our most enthusiastic convictions4  
,in the end one comes to be glad of it1 
for if it means anything it means a     
growth in the truth4  ,the criticism of 
essays is one of the choice             
opportunities which education offers1   
for then the contact of mind with mind  
is so close that truth can be told under
 form of criticism1 which as exhortation
 would have been less easily accepted4  
,it is evident that increasing freedom  

must be allowed as the years go on1 and 
that girls have a right to their own    
taste and manner--and within the limits 
of their knowledge to form their own    
opinions2 but it is in this period of   
their development that they are most    
sensitive to the mental influence of    
those who are training them1 and their  
quick responsiveness to the best is a   
constant stimulus to go on for their    
sakes1 discovering and tasting and      
training one's discernment in what is   
most excellent4  ,from this point we may
 pass to what is first in the order of  
things--but first and last in this      
department of an ,english education--and
 that is reading1 with the great field  
of literature before us1 and the duty of
 making the precious inheritance all    
that it ought to be to this young       
generation of ours--heiresses to all its
 best4  ,english literature will be to  
children as they grow up1 what we have  
made it to them in the beginning4 ,there
 will always be the exceptional few1    

privileged ones1 who seem to have       
received the key to it as a personal    
gift4 ,they will find their way without 
us1 but if we have the honour of        
rendering them service we may do a great
 deal even for them in showing where the
 best things lie1 and the way to make   
them one's own4 ,but the greater number 
have to be taken through the first steps
 with much thought and discernment1 for 
taste in literature is not always easy  
to develop1 and may be spoiled by bad   
management at the beginning4 ,we are not
 very teachable as a nation in this     
matter--our young taste is wayward1 and 
sometimes contradictory1 it will not    
give account of itself1 very likely it  
cannot4 ,we have inarticulate           
convictions that this is right1 and     
suits us1 and something else is wrong as
 far as our taste is concerned1 and that
 we have rights to like what we like and
 condemn what we do not like1 and we    
have gone a considerable way along the  
road before we can stop and look about  

us and see the reason of our choice4    
,english literature itself fosters this 
independent spirit of criticism by its  
extraordinary abundance1 its own wide   
liberty of spirit1 its surpassing       
truthfulness4 ,our greatest poets and   
our truest do not sing to an audience   
but to their ,maker and to ,his world1  
and let anyone who can understand it    
catch the song1 and sing it after them4 
,no doubt many have fallen from the     
truth and piped an artificial tune1 and 
they have had their following4 ,but love
 for the real and true is very deep and 
in the end it prevails1 and as far as we
 can obtain it with children it must    
prevail4  ,their first acquaintance with
 beautiful things is best established by
 reading aloud to them1 and this need   
not be limited entirely to what they can
 understand at the time4 ,even if we    
read something that is beyond them1 they
 have listened to the cadences1 they    
have heard the song without the words1  
the words will come to them later4 ,if  

there is good ground for the seed to    
fall upon1 and we sow good seed1 it will
 come up with its thirtyfold or more1 as
 seed sown in the mind seems always to  
come up1 whether it be good or bad1 and 
even if it has lain dormant for years4  
,there are good moments laid up in store
 for the future when the words1 which   
have been familiar for years1 suddenly  
awake to life1 and their meaning1       
full-grown1 at the moment when we need  
it1 or at the moment when we are able to
 understand its value1 dawns upon the   
mind4 ,then we are grateful to those who
 invested these revenues for us though  
we knew it not4 ,we are not grateful to 
those who give us the less good though  
pleasant and easy to enjoy4 ,a little   
severity and fastidiousness render us   
better service4 ,and this is especially 
true for girls1 since for them it is    
above all important that there should be
 a touch of the severe in their taste1  
and that they should be a little        
exacting1 for if they once let          

themselves go to what is too            
light-heartedly popular they do not know
 where to draw the line and they go very
 far1 with great loss to themselves and 
others4  ,one of the beautiful things of
 to-day in ,england is the wealth of    
children's literature4 ,it is a peculiar
 grace of our time that we are all      
trying to give the best to the children1
 and this is most of all remarkable in  
the books published for them4 ,we had   
rather a silly moment in which we kept  
them babies too long and thought that   
rhymes without reason would please them1
 and another moment when we were just a 
little morbid about them2 but now we    
have struck a very happy vein1 free from
 all morbidness1 very innocent and very 
happy1 abounding in life and in no way  
unfitting for the experiences that have 
to be lived through afterwards4 ,no one 
thinks it waste of time to write and    
illustrate books for children1 and to do
 their very best in both1 and the result
 of historical research and the most    

critical care of texts is put within the
 children's reach with a real           
understanding of what they can care for4
 ,a true appreciation of the ,english   
classics must result from this1 and the 
mere reading of what is choice is an    
early safeguard against the less good4  
,reading1 without commentary1 is what is
 best accepted2 we are beginning to come
 back to this belief4 ,it is agreed     
almost generally that there has been too
 much comment and especially too much   
analysis in our teaching of literature1 
and that the majesty or the loveliness  
of our great writers' works have not    
been allowed to speak for themselves4   
,we have not trusted them enough1 and we
 have not trusted the children so much  
as they deserved4 ,the little boy who   
said he could understand if only they   
would not explain has become historical1
 and his word of warning1 though it may 
not have sounded quite respectful1 has  
been taken into account4 ,we have now   
fewer of the literary ,baedeker's guides

 who stopped us at particular points1 to
 look back for the view1 and gave the   
history and date of the work with its   
surrounding circumstances1 and the      
meaning of every word1 while they took  
away the soul of the poem1 and robbed us
 of our whole impression4 ,we realize   
now that by reading and reading again1  
until they have mastered the music1 and 
the meaning dawns of itself1 children   
gain more than the best annotations can 
give them2 these will be wanted later   
on1 but in the beginning they set the   
attitude of mind completely wrong for   
early literary study in which reverence 
and receptiveness and delight are of    
more account than criticism4 ,the memory
 of these things is so much to us in    
after life1 and if the living forms of  
beautiful poems have been torn to pieces
 to show us the structure within1 and   
the matter has been shaken out into     
ungainly paraphrase and pursued with    
relentless analysis until it has given  
up the last secret of its meaning1 the  

remembrance of this destructive process 
will remain and the spirit will never be
 the same again4 ,the best hope for     
beautiful memories is in perfect reading
 aloud1 with that reverence of mind and 
reticence of feeling which keeps itself 
in the background1 not imposing a marked
 per-,bonal interpretation1 but holding 
up the poem with enough support to make 
it speak for itself and no more4 ,there 
is a vexed question about the reading   
allowed to girls which cannot be        
entirely passed over4 ,it is a point on 
which authorities differ widely among   
themselves1 according to the standard of
 their family1 the whole early training 
which has given their mind a particular 
bent1 the quality of their own taste and
 their degree of sensitiveness and      
insight1 the views which they hold about
 the character of girls1 their ideas of 
the world and the probable future       
surroundings of those whom they advise1 
as well as many other considerations4   
,it is quite impossible to arrive at a  

uniform standard1 or at particular      
precepts or at lists of books or authors
 which should or should not be allowed4 
,even if these could be drawn up1 it    
would be more and more difficult to     
enforce them or to keep the rules       
abreast of the requirements of each     
publishing season4 ,in reading1 as in   
conduct1 each one must bear more and    
more of their own personal              
responsibility1 and unless the law is   
within themselves there is no           
possibility of enforcing it4  ,the      
present ,cardinal ,archbishop of        
,westminster1 when rector of ,st4       
,john's ,seminary1 ,wonersh1 used to lay
 down the following rules for his       
students1 and on condition of their     
adhering to these rules he allowed them 
great freedom in their reading1 but if  
they were disregarded1 it was understood
 that the rector took no responsibility 
about the books they read3--  #a4 ,be   
perfectly conscientious1 and if you find
 a book is doing you harm stop reading  

it at once4 ,if you know you cannot stop
 you must be most careful not to read   
anything you don't know about4  #b4 ,be 
perfectly frank with your confessor and 
other superiors4 ,don't keep anything   
hidden from them4  #c4 ,don't recommend 
books to others which1 although they may
 do no harm to you1 might do harm to    
them4  ,these rules are very short but  
they call for a great deal of           
self-control1 frankness1 and discretion4
 ,they set up an inward standard for the
 conscience1 and1 if honestly followed1 
they answer in practice any difficulty  
that is likely to arise as to choice of 
reading4 #a--;,in the ,appendix will be 
found a pastoral letter by ,cardinal    
,bourne1 ,archbishop of ,westminster1   
then ,bishop of ,southwark1 bearing on  
this subject and full of instruction for
 all who have to deal with it4  ,but the
 application of these rules presupposes 
a degree of judgment and self-restraint 
which are hardly to be found in girls of
 school-room years1 and before they can 

adjust themselves to the relative       
standard and use the curb for           
themselves1 it is necessary to set      
before them some fixed rules by which to
 judge4 ,while life is young and        
character plastic and personal          
valuations still in formation1 the      
difficulty is to know what is harmful4  
,how am ,i to know1 such a one may ask1 
whether what seems harmful to me may not
 be really a gain1 giving me a richer   
life1 a greater expansion of spirit1 a  
more independent and human character8   
,may not this effect which ,i take to be
 harm1 be no more than necessary growing
 pains2 may it not be bringing me into  
truer relation with life as it is1 and  
as a whole8  ,there will always be on   
one side timid and mediocre minds1      
satisfied to shut themselves up and     
safeguard what they already have2 and on
 the other more daring and able spirits 
who are tempted beyond the line of      
safety in a thirst for discovery and    
adventure1 and are thus swept out beyond

 their own immature control4 ,books that
 foster the spirit of rebellion1 of     
doubt and discontent concerning the     
essentials and inevitable elements of   
human life1 that tend to sap the sense  
of personal responsibility1 and to      
disparage the cardinal virtues and the  
duty of self-restraint as against       
impulse1 are emphatically bad4 ,they are
 particularly bad for girls with their  
impressionable minds and tendency to    
imitation1 and inclination to be led on 
by the glamour of the old temptation2   
,your eyes shall be opened2 you shall be
 as gods1 knowing good and evil4  ,to   
follow a doubt or a lie or a by-way of  
conduct with the curiosity to see what  
comes of it in the end1 is to prepare   
their own minds for similar lines of    
thought and action1 and in the crises of
 life1 when they have to choose for     
themselves1 often unadvised and without 
time to deliberate1 they are more likely
 to fall by the doubt or the lie or the 
spirit of revolt which has become       

familiar to them in thought and         
sympathy4     ,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,modern 
,,languages4  ,all nations have their   
message from on high1 ,each the messiah 
of some central thought1 ,for the       
fulfilment and delight of ,man3 ,one has
 to teach that ,labour is divine2       
,another ,freedom and another ,mind2    
,and all1 that ,god is open-eyed and    
just1 ,the happy centre and calm heart  
of all4              ,,james ,,russell  
,,lowell4  ,we cannot have a perfect    
knowledge even of our own language      
without some acquaintance with more than
 one other1 either classical or modern4 
,this is especially true of ,english    
because it has drawn its strength and   
wealth from so many sources1 and        
absorbed them into itself4 ,but this    
value is usually taken indirectly1 by   
the way1 and the understanding of it    
only comes to us after years as an      
appreciable good4 ,it is1 however1      
recognized that no education            
corresponding to the needs of our own   

time can be perfected or even adequately
 completed in one language alone4 ,not  
only do the actual conditions of life   
make it imperative to have more than one
 tongue at our command from the rapid   
extension of facilities for travelling1 
and increased intercourse with other    
nations2 but in proportion to the       
cooling down of our extreme ardour for  
experimental science in the school-room 
we are returning to recognize in        
language a means of education more      
adapted to prepare children for life1 by
 fitting them for intercourse with their
 fellow-creatures and giving them some  
appreciative understanding of the works 
of man's mind4 ,thus languages1 and     
especially modern languages1 are        
assuming more and more importance in the
 education of children1 not only with   
us1 but in most other countries of      
,europe4 ,in some of them the methods   
are distinctly in advance of ours4      
,much has been written of late years in 
the course of educational discussions as

 to the value of classical studies in   
education4 ,as the best authorities are 
not yet in agreement among themselves it
 would be obviously out of place to add 
anything here on the subject4 ,but the  
controversy principally belongs to      
classics in boys' schools2 as to the    
study of ,latin by girls1 and in        
particular to its position in ,catholic 
schools1 there is perhaps something yet 
to be said4  ,in non-,catholic schools  
for girls ,latin has not1 even now1 a   
great hold4 ,it is studied for certain  
examinations1 but except for the few    
students whose life takes a professional
 turn it scarcely outlives the          
school-room4 ,girl students at          
universities cannot compete on equal    
terms with men in a classical course1   
and the fact is very generally          
acknowledged by their choosing another4 
,except in the rarest instances--let us 
not be afraid to own it--our ,latin is  
that of amateurs1 brilliant amateurs    
perhaps1 but unmistakable4 ,latin1 for  

girls1 is a source of delight1 a        
beautiful enrichment of their mental    
life1 most precious in itself and in its
 influence1 but it is not a living      
power1 nor a familiar instrument1 nor a 
great discipline2 it is deficient in    
hardness and closeness of grain1 so that
 it cannot take polish2 it is apt to    
betray by unexpected transgressions the 
want of that long1 detailed1 severe     
training which alone can make classical 
scholarship4 ,it is usually a little    
tremulous1 not quite sure of itself1 and
 indeed its best adornment is generally 
the sobriety induced by an overshadowing
 sense of paternal correction and       
solicitude always present to check      
rashness and desultoriness1 and make it 
at least gang warily with a finger on   
its lip2 and their attainments in ,latin
 are1 at the best1 receptively rather   
than actively of value4  ,in ,catholic  
girls' schools1 however1 the elements of
 ,latin are almost necessity4 ,it is    
wanting in courtesy1 it is almost       

uncouth for us to grow up without any   
knowledge of the language of ,holy      
,church4 ,it is almost impossible for   
educated ,catholics to have right taste 
in devotion1 the love and relish of the 
most excellent things1 without some     
knowledge of our great liturgical       
prayers and hymns in the original4 ,we  
never can really know them if we only   
hear them halting and plunging and      
splashing through translations1 wasting 
their strength in many words as they    
must unavoidably do in ,english1 and at 
best only reaching an approximation to  
the sense4 ,the use of them in the      
original is discipline and devotion in  
one1 and it strengthens the ,catholic   
historical hold on the past1 with a     
sense of nearness1 when we dwell with   
some understanding on the very words    
which have been sung in the ,church     
subsisting in all ages and teaching all 
nations4 ,this is our birthright1 but it
 is not truly ours unless we can in some
 degree make use of what we own4  ,it   

has often been pointed out that even to 
the most uneducated amongst our people  
,latin is never a dead language to      
,catholics1 and that the familiar       
prayers at ,mass and public devotions   
make them at home in the furthest       
countries of the earth as soon as they  
are within the church doors4 ,so far as 
this1 it is a universal language for us1
 and even if it went no further than the
 world-wide home feeling of the poor in 
our churches it would make us grateful  
for every word of ,latin that has a     
familiar sound to them1 and this alone  
might make us anxious to teach ,catholic
 children at school1 for the use of     
prayer and devotion1 as much ,latin as  
they can learn even if they never touch 
a classic4  ,our attitude towards the   
study of modern languages has had its   
high and low tides within the last      
century4 ,we have had our submissive and
 our obstinate moods2 at present we are 
rather well and affably disposed4       
,french used to be acknowledged without 

a rival as the universal language2 it   
was a necessity1 and in general the     
older generation learned it carefully   
and spoke it well4 ,at that time        
,italian was learned from taste and     
,german was exceptional4 ,queen         
,victoria's ,german marriage and all the
 close connexion that followed from it  
pressed the study of ,german to the     
front2 the influence of ,carlyle told in
 the same direction1 and the study of   
,italian declined4 ,then in our         
enthusiasm for physical sciences for a  
time we read more ,german1 but not      
,german of the best quality1 and in     
another line we were influenced by      
,german literary criticism4 ,now1 the   
balance of things has altered again4    
,for scholarship and criticism ,german  
is in great request2 in commercial      
education it is being outrun by         
,spanish2 for the intercourse of        
ordinary life ,germans are learning     
,english much more eagerly than we are  
learning ,german4 ,we have had a fit    

of--let us call it--shyness1 but we are 
trying to do better4 ,we recognize that 
these fits of shyness are not altogether
 to our credit1 not wholly reasonable1  
and that we are not incapable of        
learning foreign languages well4 ,we    
know the story of the little boy        
reprimanded by the magistrate for his   
folly in running away from home because 
he was obliged to learn ,french1 and his
 haughty reply that if foreigners wished
 to speak to him they might learn his   
language4 ,but our children have        
outgrown him1 as to his declaration if  
not as to his want of diligence1 and we 
are in general reforming our methods of 
teaching so much that it will soon be   
inexcusable not to speak one or two     
languages well1 besides our own4  ,the  
question of pronunciation and accent has
 been haunted by curious prejudices4 ,an
 ,english accent in a foreign tongue has
 been for some speakers a refuge for    
their shyness1 and for others a         
stronghold of their patriotism4 ,the    

first of these feared that they would   
not be truly themselves unless their    
personality could take shelter beneath  
an accent that was unmistakably from    
,england1 and the others felt that it   
was like hauling down the ,british flag 
to renounce the long-drawn ,english     
,a-o-o4 ,and1 curiously1 at the other   
extreme1 the slightest tinge of an      
,english accent is rather liked in      
,paris1 perhaps only among those touched
 with ,anglomania4 ,but now we ought to 
be able to acquire whatever accent we   
choose1 even when living far away from  
every instructor1 having the gramophone 
to repeat to us untiringly the true     
,spanish manana and the ,french ennui4  
,and the study of phonetics1 so much    
developed within the last few years1    
makes it unpardonable for teachers of   
modern languages to let the old ,english
 faults prevail4  ,we have had our      
succession of methods too4 ,the old     
method of learning ,french1 with a bonne
 in the nursery first1 and then a       

severely academic governess or tutor1   
produced ,french of unsurpassed         
quality-,but it belonged to home        
education1 it required a great deal of  
leisure1 it did not adapt itself to     
school curricula in which each child1 to
 use the expressive ,american phrase1   
carries so many subjects that the hours 
and minutes for each have to be         
jealously counted out4 ,there have been 
a series of methods succeeding one      
another which can scarcely be called    
more than quack methods of learning     
languages1 claiming to be the natural   
method1 the maternal method1 the only   
rational method1 etc4 ,educational      
advertisements of these have been       
magnificent in their promise1 but       
opinions are not entirely at one as to  
the results4  ,the conclusions which    
suggest themselves after seeing several 
of these methods at work are3--  #a4    
,that good teachers can make use of     
almost any method with excellent results
 but that they generally evolve one of  

their own4  #b4 ,that if the teachers   
and the children take a great deal of   
trouble the progress will be very       
remarkable1 whatever method is employed1
 and that without this both the         
classical and the natural methods can   
accomplish very little4  #c4 ,that      
teachers with fixed ideas about children
 and about methods arrest development4  
#d4 ,that the self-instruction courses  
which work out at a penny a lesson 7the 
lesson lasts ten minutes and is         
especially recommended for use in       
trams71 and the gramophone with the most
 elaborate records1 still bear witness  
to the old doctrine that there is no    
royal road to the learning of languages1
 and that it is not cheap in the end4   
,in proportion to the value we set upon 
perfect acquirement of them will be our 
willingness to spend much labour upon   
foundations4 ,by this road we arrive    
again at the fundamentals of an         
educator's calling1 love and labour4    
,the value to the mind of acquiring     

languages is so great that all our      
trouble is repaid4 ,it is not           
utilitarian value3 what is merely for   
usefulness can be easily acquired1 it   
has very little beauty4 ,it is not for  
the sake of that commonplace usefulness 
that we should care to spend trouble    
upon permanent foundations in any       
tongue4 ,the mind is satisfied only by  
the genius of the language1 its choicest
 forms1 its characteristic movement1    
and1 most of all1 the possession of its 
literature from within1 that is to say  
of the spirit as it speaks to its own1  
and in which the language is most       
completely itself4  ,the special fitness
 of modern languages in a girl's        
education does not appear on the        
surface1 and it requires more than a    
superficial1 conversational knowledge to
 reap the fruit of their study4 ,the    
social1 and at present the commercial   
values are obvious to every one1 and of 
these the commercial value is growing   
very loud in its assertions1 and appears

 very exacting in its demands4 ,for this
 the quack methods promise the short and
 easy way1 and perhaps they are         
sufficient for it4 ,a knowledge         
sufficient for business correspondence  
is not what belongs to a liberal        
education2 it has a very limited range1 
hard1 plain1 brief communications1      
supported on cast-iron frames1 inelastic
 forms and crudest courtesies1 a mere   
formula for each particular case1 and a 
small vocabulary suited to the dealings 
of every branch of business4 ,we know   
the parallel forms of correspondence in 
,english1 which give a means of         
communication but not properly a        
language4 ,even the social values of    
languages are less than they used to be1
 as the finer art of conversation has   
declined4 ,a little goes a long way2 the
 rush of the motor has cut it short2    
there is not time to exchange more than 
a few commonplaces1 and for these a very
 limited number of words is enough4     
,but let our girls give themselves time1

 or let time be allowed them1 to give a 
year or two to the real study of        
languages1 not in the threadbare phrases
 of the tourist and motorist1 nor to    
mere drawing-room small talk2 not with  
matriculation standard as an object1 but
 to read the best that has been written1
 and try to speak according to the best 
that can be said now1 and to write      
according to the standard of what is    
really excellent to-day2 then the study 
of modern languages is lifted quite on  
to another plane4 ,the particular       
advantage of this plane is that there is
 a view from it1 wider in proportion to 
the number of languages known and to the
 grasp that is acquired of each1 and the
 particular educational gift to be found
 there is width of sympathy and         
understanding4 ,defective sympathies1   
national and racial prejudices thrive   
upon a lower level4 ,the elect of all   
nations understand one another1 and are 
strangely alike2 the lower we go down in
 the various grades of each nation the  

more is the divergency accentuated      
between one and another4 ,corresponding 
to this is mutual understanding through 
language2 the better we possess the     
language of any nation the closer touch 
we can acquire with all that is theirs1 
with their best4  ,a superficial        
knowledge of languages rather           
accentuates than removes limitations1   
multiplies mistakes and embitters them4 
,with a half-knowledge we misunderstand 
each other's ideals1 we lose the point  
of the best things that are said1 we    
fail to catch the aroma of the spices   
and the spirit of the living word2 in   
fact1 we are mere tourists in each      
other's mental world1 and what word     
could better express the attitude of    
mind of one who is a stranger1 but not a
 pilgrim1 a tramp of a rather more      
civilized kind1 having neither ties nor 
sympathies nor obligations1 nothing to  
give1 and more inclined to take than to 
receive4 ,to create ties1 sympathies1   
and obligations in the mental life1 is a

 grace belonging to the study of        
languages1 and makes it possible to give
 and receive hospitality on the best    
terms with the minds of those of other  
nations than our own4 ,this is          
particularly a gift for the education of
 girls1 since all graces of hospitality 
ought to be peculiarly theirs4 ,to lift 
them above prejudices1 to make them love
 other beauties than those of their own 
mental kindred1 to afford them a wider  
possibility of giving happiness to      
others1 and of making themselves at home
 in many countries1 is to give them a   
power over the conditions of life which 
reaches very far into their own mental  
well-being and that of others1 and makes
 them in the best meaning of the word   
cosmopolitan4  ,the choice of languages 
to be learnt must depend upon many      
considerations1 but the widest good for 
,english girls1 though not the most easy
 to attain1 is to give them perfect     
,french4 ,german is easier to learn from
 its kinship with our own language1 but 

its grammar is of less educational value
 than ,french1 and it does not help as  
,french does to the acquirement of the  
most attractive of other ,european      
languages4  ,as a second language1      
however1 and for a great deal that is   
not otherwise attainable1 ,german is in 
general the best that can be chosen4    
,italian and ,spanish have their special
 claims1 but at present in ,england     
their appeal is not to the many4 ,german
 gives the feeling of kindred minds near
 to us1 ourselves yet not ourselves2    
with primitive ,teutonic strength and   
directness1 with a sweet freshness of   
spring in its more delicate poetry1 and 
both of these elements blended at times 
in an atmosphere as of ,german forests  
in ,june4 ,in some writers the flicker  
of ,french brilliancy illumines the     
depth of these ,teutonic woods1         
producing a ,german which1 in spite of  
the condemnation of the ,emperor1 we    
should like to write ourselves if the   
choice were offered to us4  ,but1       

notwithstanding the depth and strength  
of ,german1 it is generally agreed that 
as an instrument of thought ,french     
prose in a master-hand is unrivalled1 by
 its subtlety and precision1 and its    
epigrammatic force4 ,every one knows and
 laments the decadent style which is    
eating into it2 and every one knows that
 the deplorable tone of much of its     
contemporary literature makes           
discernment in ,french reading a matter 
not only of education but of conscience 
and sanity2 but this does not make the  
danger to be inherent in the ,french    
language2 obliging translators are ready
 to furnish us1 in our own language and 
according to taste1 with the very worst 
taken1 from everywhere4 ,and these      
faults do not affect the beauty of the  
instrument1 nor its marvellous aptitude 
for training the mind to precision of   
expression4 ,the logical bent of the    
,french mind1 its love of rule1 the     
elaborateness of its conventions in     
literature1 its ceremonial observances  

dating from by-gone times1 the custom of
 giving account of everything1 of       
letting no nuance pass unchallenged or  
uncommented1 have given it a power of   
expression and definiteness which holds 
together as a complete code of written  
and unwritten laws1 and makes a perfect 
instrument of its kind4 ,but the very   
completeness of it has seemed to some   
writers a fetter1 and when they revolt  
against and break through it1 their     
extravagance passes beyond all ordinary 
bounds4 ,french represents the two      
extremes1 unheard-of goodness1          
unequalled perfection1 or indescribable 
badness and unrestraint4 ,unfortunately 
the unrestraint is making its way1 and  
as with ourselves in ,england1 the      
magazine literature in ,france grows    
more and more undesirable4  ,yet there  
is unlimited room for reading1 and for  
,catholics a great choice of what is    
excellent4 ,the modern manner of writing
 the lives of the ,saints has been very 
successfully cultivated of late years in

 ,france1 making them living human      
beings interesting as fiction1 to use an
 accepted standard of measurement1 more 
appealingly credible and more imitable  
than those older works in which they    
walked remote from the life of to-day1  
angelic rather than human4 ,there are   
studies in criticism1 too1 and essays in
 practical psychology and social        
science1 which bring within the scope of
 ordinary readers a great deal which    
with us can only be reached over rough  
roads and by-ways4 ,no doubt each method
 has its advantages2 the laboriously    
acquired knowledge becomes more         
completely a part of ourselves1 but     
along the metalled way it is obvious    
that we cover more ground4  ,the        
comparison of these values leads to the 
practical question of translations4 ,the
 ,italian saying which identifies the   
translator with the traitor ought to    
give way to a more grateful and hopeful 
modern recognition of the services done 
by conscientious translations4 ,we have 

undoubtedly suffered in ,england in the 
past by well-meaning but incompetent    
translators1 especially of spiritual    
books1 who have given us such           
impressions as to mislead us about the  
minds of the writers or even turned us  
against them altogether1 to our own     
great loss4 ,but at present more care is
 exercised1 and conscientious critical  
exactitude in translating important     
spiritual works has given us ,english   
versions that are not unworthy of their 
originals4 #a--;,an example of this is  
the late ,canon ,mackey's edition of the
 complete works of ,st4 ,francis of     
,sales1 which has1 unfortunately1 to be 
completed without him4  ,there is good  
service to be done to the ,church in    
,england by this work of translation1   
and it is one in which grown-up girls1  
if they have been sufficiently trained1 
might give valuable help4 ,it must be   
borne in mind that not every book which 
is beautiful or useful in its own       
language1 is desirable to translate4    

,some depend so much upon the genius of 
the language and the mentality of their 
native country that they simply         
evaporate in translation2 others appeal 
so markedly to national points of view  
that they seem anomalous in other       
languages1 as a good deal of our        
present-day ,english writing would      
appear in ,french4 ,it has also to be   
impressed on translators that their     
responsibility is great2 that it takes  
laborious persistence to make a really  
good translation1 doing justice to both 
sides1 giving the spirit of the author  
as well as his literal meaning1 and not 
straining the language of the           
translation into unnatural forms to make
 it carry a sense that it does not      
easily bear4  ,the beauty of a          
translator's work is in the perfect     
accord of conscience and freedom1 and   
this is not attained without unwearied  
search for the right word1 the only     
right word which will give the true     
meaning and the true expression of any  

idea4 ,to believe that this right word  
exists is one of the delights of        
translating2 to be a lover of choice and
 beautiful words is an attraction in    
itself1 leading to the love of things   
more beautiful still1 the love of truth1
 and fitness1 and transparency2 the     
exercise of thought1 and discrimination1
 and balance1 and especially of a       
quality most rare and precious in       
women--mental patience4 ,it is said that
 we excel in moral patience1 but that   
when we approach anything intellectual  
this enduring virtue disappears1 and we 
must reach the goal in a bound or never 
arrive there at all4 ,the sustained     
search for the perfect word would do    
much to correct this impatience1 and if 
the search is aided by a knowledge of   
several modern languages so that        
comparative meanings and uses may be    
balanced against one another1 it will be
 found not only to open rich veins of   
thought1 but to give an ever-increasing 
power of working the mines and          

extracting the gold4     ,,chapter ,x4  
,,history4  ,we have heard1 ,o ,god1    
with our ears3 our fathers have declared
 to us1 ',the work thou hast wrought in 
their days1 and in the days of          
old4'--,psalm ,,xliii4  ,thus           
independent of times and places1 the    
,popes have never found any difficulty1 
when the proper moment came1 of         
following out a new and daring line of  
policy 7as their astonished foes have   
called it71 of leaving the old world to 
shift for itself and to disappear from  
the scene in its due season1 and of     
fastening on and establishing themselves
 in the new4  ,i am led to this line of 
thought by ,st4 ,gregory's behaviour to 
the ,anglo-,saxon race1 on the break-up 
of the old civilisation4--,cardinal     
,newman1 ,historical ,sketches1 ,,iii1  
,a ,characteristic of the ,popes4  ,of  
the so-called secular subjects history  
is the one which depends most for its   
value upon the honour in which it is    
held and upon the standpoint from which 

it is taught4 ,not that history can be  
truly a secular subject if it is taught 
as a whole--isolated periods #ja        
subdivisions may be separated from the  
rest and studied in a purely secular    
spirit1 or with no spirit at all--for   
the animating principle is not in the   
subdivided parts but in the whole1 and  
only if it is taught as a whole can it  
receive the honour which belongs to it  
as the study of kings1 the school of    
experience and judgment1 and one of the 
greatest teachers of truth4  ,in modern 
times1 since the fall of the ,western   
,empire1 ,european history has centred1 
whether for love or for hatred1 round   
the ,church2 and it is thus that        
,catholic education comes to its own in 
this study1 and the ,catholic mind is   
more at home among the phenomena and    
problems of history than other minds for
 whom the ages of faith are only vaults 
of superstition1 or periods of mental   
servitude1 or at best1 ages of high     
romance4 ,without the ,church what are  

the ideals of the ,crusades1 of the     
,holy ,roman ,empire1 of the religious  
spirit of chivalry1 or the struggle     
concerning ,investitures1 the temporal  
power of the ,popes and their temporal  
sovereignty1 the misery of the          
,babylonian ,captivity1 the development 
of the religious orders--in contemporary
 history--the ,italian question during  
the last fifty years1 or the present    
position of the ,church in ,france8     
,these are incomprehensible phenomena   
without the ,church to give the key to  
the controversies and meaning to the    
ideals4 ,without knowing the ,catholic  
,church from within1 it is impossible to
 conceive of all these things as        
realities affecting conscience and the  
purpose and direction of life2 their    
significance is lost if they have to be 
explained as the mere human struggle for
 supremacy of persons or classes1 mere  
ecclesiastical disputes1 or dreams of   
imperialism in ,church matters4 ,take   
away the ,church and try to draw up a   

course of lessons satisfactory to the   
minds even of girls under eighteen1 and 
at every turn a thoughtful question may 
be critical1 and the explanations in the
 hands of a non-,catholic teacher       
scarcely less futile than the efforts of
 old ,kaspar to satisfy young ,peterkin 
about the battle of ,blenheim4  ,what   
about ,investitures8       ,now tell us 
all about the war1      ,and what they  
fought each other for8  ,what about     
,canossa8       ,what they fought each  
other for1      ,i could not well make  
out4      ,but everybody said quoth he1 
,that 'twas a famous victory4  ,what    
about ,mentana or ,castel-,fidardo8     
,what good came of it at last8          
,quoth little ,peterkin4      ,why that 
,i cannot tell1 said he1      ,but 'twas
 a famous victory4  ,the difficulty is  
tacitly acknowledged by the rare        
appearance of ,european history in the  
curriculum for non-,catholic girls'     
schools4 ,but in any school where the   
studies are set to meet the requirements

 of examinations1 the teaching of       
history is of necessity dethroned from  
the place which belongs to it by right4 
,history deserves a position that is    
central and commanding1 a scheme that is
 impressive when seen as a whole in     
retrospect1 it deserves to be taught    
from a point of view which has not to be
 reconsidered in later years1 and this  
is to be found with all the stability   
possible1 and with every facility for   
later extension in the natural          
arrangement of all modern history round 
the history of the ,church4  ,during the
 great development which has taken place
 in the study of history within the last
 century1 and especially within the last
 fifty years1 the mass of materials has 
grown so enormous and the list of       
authors of eminence so imposing that one
 might almost despair of adapting the   
subject in any way to a child's world if
 it were not for this central point of  
view1 in which the ,incarnation and the 
,church are the controlling facts       

dominating all others and giving them   
their due place and proportion4 ,on this
 commanding point of observation the    
child and the historian may stand side  
by side1 each seeing truth according to 
their capacity1 and if the child should 
grow into a historian it would be with  
an unbroken development--there would not
 be anything to unlearn4 ,the method of 
concentric teaching against which there 
is so much to be said when applied to   
national history or to other branches of
 teaching is entirely appropriate here1 
because no wider vision of the world can
 be attained than from the point whence 
the ,church views it1 in her warfare to 
make the kingdoms of the world become   
the kingdom of ,god and ,his ,christ    
that ,he may reign for ever and ever4   
,the ,church beholds the rational not   
the sensible horizon of history1 and    
standing at her point of view1 the great
 ones and the little ones of the earth1 
historians and children1 can look at the
 same heavens1 one with the scientific  

instruments of his observatory1 the     
other with the naked eye of a child's   
faith and understanding4  ,but the      
teaching of history as it has been      
carried on for some years1 would have to
 travel a long way to arrive at this    
central point of view4 ,as an           
educational subject a great deal has    
been done to destroy its value1 by what 
was intended to give it assistance and  
stimulus4 ,the history syllabus and     
requirements for ,university ,local and 
other examinations have produced        
specially adapted text-books1 in which  
facts and summaries have been arranged  
in order with wonderful care and        
forethought1 to meet all requirements2  
but the kind intention with which every 
possible need has been foreseen between 
the covers of one text-book has defeated
 its own purpose1 the living thing is no
 longer there--its skeleton remains1 and
 after handling the dry bones and       
putting them in order and giving an     
account of them to the examining body1  

the children escape with relief to      
something more real1 to the people of   
fiction who1 however impossible to      
believe in1 are at least flesh and      
blood1 and have some points of contact  
with their own lives4 ,of course as we  
go up for examinations here1 wrote a    
child from a new school1 we only learn  
the summaries and genealogies of history
 and other subjects4 ,a sidelight on the
 fruit of such a plan is often cast in  
the appreciations of its pupils4 ,did   
you like history8 ,no ,i hated it1 ,i   
can't bear names and dates4 ,what did   
you think of so and so8 ,he wasn't in my
 period4 ,so history has become names   
and dates1 genealogies and summaries1   
hard pebbles instead of bread4 ,it is   
unfair to children thus to prejudice    
them against a subject which thrills    
with human interest1 and touches human  
life at every turn1 it is unfair to     
history to present it thus1 it is       
misleading to give development to a     
particular period without any general   

scheme against which it may show in due 
proportion1 as misleading as the old    
picture-books for children in which the 
bat on one page and the man on the other
 were of the same size4  ,there must    
necessarily be a principle of selection1
 but one of the elements to be          
considered in making choice ought always
 to be that of proportion and of fitness
 in adaptation to a general scheme4 ,it 
was pointed out by ,sir ,joshua ,fitch  
in his ,lessons on ,teaching 7an        
old-fashioned book now1 since it was    
published before the deluge of          
,pedagogics1 but still valuable7 that an
 ideal plan of teaching history to      
children might be found in the          
historical books of ,holy ,scripture1   
and in practice the idea is useful1     
suggesting that one aim should be kept  
in view1 that at times the guiding line 
should contract to a mere clue of       
direction1 and at others expand into    
very full and vivid narrative chiefly in
 biographical form4 ,the principle may  

be applied in the teaching of any       
history that may be given to children1  
that is to say1 in general1 to ,sacred  
history which has its own place in      
connexion with religious teaching1 to   
ancient history within very small       
limits1 to ,greek and ,roman history in 
such proportion as the years of         
education may allow1 and to the two most
 prominent and most necessary for       
children1 the history of their own      
country and that of modern ,europe      
directed along the lines of the history 
of the ,church4  ,there are periods and 
degrees of development in the minds of  
children to which correspond different  
manners of teaching and even different  
objects1 as we make appeal to one or    
other of the growing faculties4 ,the    
first stage is imaginative1 the second  
calls not only upon the imagination and 
memory but upon the understanding1 and  
the third1 which is the beginning of a  
period of fruition1 begins to exercise  
the judgment1 and to give some ideas    

concerning principles of research and   
criticism4  ,the first is the period of 
romance1 when by means of the best myths
 of many nations1 from their heroic     
legends and later stories1 the minds of 
children are turned to what is high and 
beautiful in the traditions of the past1
 and they learn those truths concerning 
human life and destiny which transcend  
the more limited truths of literal      
records of fact4 ,in the beginning they 
are1 to children1 only stories1 but we  
know ourselves that we can never exhaust
 the value of what came to us through   
the story of the wanderings of ,ulysses1
 or the mysterious beauty of the        
,northern and ,western myths1 as the    
story of ,balder or the children of     
,lir4 ,the art of telling stories is    
beginning to be taught with wonderful   
power and beauty1 the storyteller is    
turning into the pioneer of the         
historian1 coming in advance to occupy  
the land1 so that history may have      
staked out a claim before the examining 

bodies can arrive1 in the dry season1 to
 tread down the young growth4  ,the     
second period makes appeal to the       
intelligence1 as well as to the         
imagination1 and to this stage belongs  
particularly the study of the national  
history1 the history of their own race  
and country2 for ,english girls the     
history of ,england1 not yet            
constitutional history1 but the history 
of the ,constitution with that of the   
kings and people1 and further the       
history of the ,empire4 ,to this period 
of education belong the great lessons of
 loyalty and patriotism1 that piety     
towards our own country which is so much
 on the decline as the home tie grows   
feebler4 ,we do not want to teach the   
narrow patriotism which only finds      
expression in antagonism to and         
disparagement of other countries1 but   
that which is shown by self-denial and  
self-sacrifice for the good of our own4 
,the time to teach it is in that        
unsettled middle age of childhood when  

its exuberant feeling is in search of an
 ideal1 when large moral effects can be 
appreciated1 when there is some opening 
understanding of the value of character4
  ,if the first period of childhood     
delights in what is strange1 this second
 period gives its allegiance to what is 
strong1 by preference to primitive and  
simple strength1 to uncomplex aims and  
marked characters2 it appreciates       
courage and endurance1 and can bear to  
hear of sufferings which daunt the      
fastidiousness of those who are a few   
years older2 perhaps it can endure so   
much because it realizes so little1 but 
the fact remains true4 ,this age exults 
in the sufferings of the martyrs and    
cannot bear the suggestion that plain   
duties may be heroic before ,god4 ,there
 is a great deal that may be done for   
minds in this period of development by  
the teaching of history if it is not    
crippled in its programme4 ,to make     
concrete their ideals of greatness in   
the right personalities--a work which is

 as easily spoiled by a word out of     
season as a fine porcelain vase is      
cracked in a furnace--to direct their   
ideas of the aims of life towards worthy
 and unselfish ends1 to foster true     
loyalty because of ,god from whom all   
authority comes--and this lesson has its
 pathetic poignancy for us in the       
history of our ,english martyrs--to show
 the claims that our country has upon   
the devotion of its sons and daughters1 
and to inspire some feeling of          
responsibility for its honour1          
especially to show the supreme worth of 
character and self-sacrifice1 all these 
things may and must be taught in this   
middle period of children's education if
 they are to have any strong hold upon  
them in after life4 ,it is a stubborn   
age in which teaching has to be on      
strong lines and deep ones2 when the    
evolution of character is in the        
critical period that is to make or mar  
its future1 it needs a strong hand over 
it1 with power both to control and to   

support1 a strong mind to command its   
respect1 strong convictions to impress  
it1 and strong principles on which to   
test its own young strength2 and all    
those who have the privilege of teaching
 history to children of this age have an
 incomparable opportunity of training   
mind and character4 ,the strength of our
 own convictions1 the brightness of our 
own ideals1 the fibre of our patriotism 
and loyalty will tell in the measure of 
two endowments1 our own spirit of       
self-sacrifice and our tact4 ,children  
will detect the least false note if     
self-sacrifice is preached without      
experimental knowledge2 and as it is the
 most contradictory of all ages1 it     
takes every resource of tact to pilot it
 through channels for which there is no 
chart4 ,the masterpieces of educators   
are wrought in this difficult but most  
interesting material4  ,those who come  
after them will see what they have done1
 they cannot see it themselves4 ,with   
less difficulty perhaps1 because reason 

is more developed and the hot-headed and
 irritable phase of character is passing
 away1 they will be able to apply the   
principles which have been laid down4   
,with less difficulty1 that is to say   
against less resistance1 but not with   
less responsibility or even with less   
anxiety4 ,for the nearer the work       
approaches to its completion and the    
more perfectly it has been begun1 the   
more deeply must anyone approaching to  
lay hand upon it feel the need for great
 reverence1 and self-restraint1 and     
patience1 and vigilance1 not to spoil by
 careless interference that which is    
ready to receive and to give all that is
 best in youth1 not to be unworthy of   
the confidence which a young mind is    
willing to place in its guidance4  ,for 
although so much stress is laid upon the
 impressionability of first childhood   
and the ineffaceable marks that are     
engraven on it1 yet as to all that      
belongs to the mind and judgment this   
third period1 in the early years of     

adolescence1 is more sensitive still1   
because real criticism is just beginning
 to be possible and appreciation is in  
its spring-tide1 now for the first time 
fully alive and awake4 ,a transition    
line has been passed1 and the study of  
history1 like everything else1 enters   
upon a new phase4 ,the elementary       
teaching which has been sufficient up to
 this1 which has in fact been the only  
possible teaching1 must widen out in the
 third period1 and the relative         
importance of aims is the line on which 
the change to more advanced teaching is 
felt4  ,the exercise of judgment becomes
 the chief object1 and to direct this   
aright is the principal duty of those   
who teach at this age4 ,it is not easy  
to give a right discernment and true    
views4 ,to begin with one must have them
 oneself1 and be able to support them   
with facts and arguments1 they must have
 the weight of patient work behind them1
 and have settled themselves deeply in  
the mind2 opinions freshly gathered that

 very day from an article or an essay   
are attractive and interesting and they 
appeal very strongly to young minds     
looking out for theories and clues1 but 
they only give superficial help2 in     
general1 essay-writers and journalists  
do not expect to be taken too seriously1
 they intend to be suggestive rather    
than convincing1 and it is a great      
matter to have the principle understood 
by girls1 that it is not to the         
journalists that they must look for the 
last word in a controversy1 nor for a   
permanent presentment of contemporary   
history4 ,again1 it is necessary to     
remember the waywardness of girls'      
minds1 and that it is conviction1 not   
submission of views that we must aim at4
 ,a show of authority is out of place1  
the tone that you must think as ,i do1  
tends without any bad will on the part  
of children to exasperate them and rouse
 the spirit of opposition1 whereas a    
patient and even deferential hearing of 
their views and admission of their      

difficulties ensures at least a mind    
free from irritation and impatience1 to 
listen and to take into account what we 
have to say4 ,they are not to be blamed 
for having difficulties in accepting    
what we put before them2 on the contrary
 we must welcome their independent      
thought even if it seems aggressive and 
conceited2 their positive assurance that
 they see to the end of things is       
characteristic of their age1 but it is  
better that they should show themselves 
thus1 than through want of thought or   
courage fall in with everything that is 
set before them1 or1 worse still1 take  
that pose of impartiality which allows  
no views at all1 and in the end         
obliterates the line between right and  
wrong4 ,the too submissive minds which  
give no trouble now1 are laying it all  
up for the future4 ,they accept what we 
tell them without opposition1 others    
will come later on1 telling them        
something different1 and they will      
accept it in the same way1 and correct  

their views day by day to the readings  
of the daily paper1 or of the vogue of  
their own particular set4 ,these are the
 minds which in the end are absorbed by 
the world3 the ,church receives neither 
love nor service from them4  ,judgment  
may be passed upon actions as right or  
wrong in themselves1 or as practically  
adapting means to end2 the first is of  
great interest even to young children1  
but for them it is all black or white1  
and characters are to them entirely good
 or entirely bad1 deserving of unmixed  
admiration or of their most excellent   
hatred1 which they pour out simply and  
vehemently1 rejoicing without qualms of 
pity when punishment overtakes the      
wrongdoer and retributive justice is    
done to the wicked4 ,this is perhaps    
what makes them seem bloodthirsty in    
their vengeance2 they feel that so it   
ought to be1 and that the affirmation of
 principle is of more account than the  
individual4 ,they detest half-measures  
and compromise4 ,for the elder girls it 

is not so simple1 and the nearer they   
come to our own times the more necessary
 is it to put before them that good is  
not always unaccompanied by evil nor    
evil by good4  ,in the last two or three
 years of a girl's education all the    
time that can be spared may be most     
profitably spent on the study of modern 
history1 since it is there that the more
 complex problems are found1 and there  
also that they will understand how      
contemporary questions have their       
springs in the past1 and see the rise of
 the forces which are at work now1      
disintegrating the nations of ,europe   
and shaking the foundations of every    
government4 ,there are grave lessons to 
be learnt1 not in gloomy or threatening 
forecasts but in showing the direction  
of cause and effect and the renewal of  
the same struggle which has been from   
the beginning1 in ever fresh phases4    
,the outcome of historical teaching to  
,catholics can never be discouragement  
or depression1 whatever the forecast4   

,the past gives confidence1 and1 when   
the glories of bygone ages are weighed  
against their troubles1 and the         
,church's troubles now against her      
inward strength and her new horizons of 
hope1 there is great reason for         
gratitude that we live in our own       
much-abused time4 ,in every age the     
,church has1 with her roots in the past1
 some buds and blossoms in the present  
and some fruit coming on for the future4
 ,hailstorms may cut off both blossoms  
and fruit1 but all will not be lost4 ,we
 can always hold up our heads2 there are
 buds on the fig-tree and we know in    
whom we have believed4  ,in bringing    
home to children these grounds for      
thankfulness1 the quality of one's own  
mind and views tells very strongly1 and 
this leads to the consideration of what 
is chiefly required in teaching history 
to children1 and to girls growing up4   
,the first and most essential point is  
that we ourselves should care about what
 we teach1 not that we should merely    

like history as a school subject1 but   
that it should be real to us1 that we   
should feel something about it1 joy or  
triumph or indignation1 things which are
 not found in text-books1 and we should 
believe that it all matters very much to
 the children and to ourselves4 ,lessons
 of the text-book type1 facts1 dates1   
summaries1 and synopses matter very     
little to children1 but people are of   
great importance1 and if they grasp what
 often they only half believe1 that what
 they are repeating as a mere lesson    
really took place among people who saw  
and felt it as vividly as they would    
themselves1 then their sympathies and   
understanding are carried beyond the    
bounds of their school-rooms and respond
 to the touch of the great doings and   
sufferings of the race4  ,it is above   
all in the history of the ,church that  
this sympathetic understanding becomes  
real4 ,the interest of olden times in   
secular history is more dramatic and    
picturesque than real to children2 but  

in the history of the ,church and       
especially of the personalities of the  
popes the continuity of her life is very
 keenly felt2 the popes are all of      
to-day1 they transcend the boundaries of
 their times because in a number of ways
 they did and had to do and bear the    
very same things that are done and have 
to be borne by the popes of our own day4
 ,if we give to girls some vivid        
realization1 say1 of the troubled       
,pontificate of ,boniface ,,viii1 with  
the violence and tragedy and pathos in  
which it ended1 after the dust and      
jarring and weariness of battle in which
 it was spent2 if they have entered into
 something of the anguish of ,pius      
,,vii1 they will more fully understand  
and feel deeper love and sympathy for   
the living1 suffering successor now in  
the same chair1 in another phase of the 
same conflict1 with the ,gentiles and   
peoples of the rising democracies taking
 counsel together against him1 as kings 
and rulers did in the past1 all         

imagining the same vain thing1 that they
 can overcome ,christ and ,his ,vicar4  
,besides this living sympathy with what 
we teach1 we must be able to speak truth
 without being afraid of its            
consequences4 ,there was at one time a  
fear in the minds of ,catholic teachers 
that by admitting that any of the popes 
had been unworthy of their charge1 or   
that there had ever been abuses which   
called for reforms among clergy and     
religious and ,catholic laity1 they     
would be giving away the case for the   
,church and imperilling the faith and   
loyalty of children2 that it was better 
they should only hear these things      
later1 with the hope that they would    
never hear them at all4 ,the real peril 
is in the course thus adopted4          
,surrounded as we are by non-,catholics1
 and in a time when no ,catholic escapes
 from questions and attacks1 open or    
covert1 upon what we believe1 the       
greatest injustice to the girls         
themselves1 and to the honour of the    

faith1 was to send them out unarmed     
against what they must necessarily meet4
 ,the first challenge would be met with 
a flat denial of facts1 loyal-heartedly 
and confidently given2 then would come a
 suspicion that there might be something
 in it1 the inquiry which would show    
that this was really the case2 then a   
certain right indignation1 ,why was ,i  
not told the truth8 and a sense of      
insecurity vaguely disturbing the       
foundations which ought to be on        
immovable bed-rock4 ,at the best1 such  
an experience produces what builders    
call a settlement1 not dangerous to the 
fabric but unsightly in its             
consequences2 it may1 however1 go much  
further1 first to shake and then to     
loosen the whole spiritual building by  
the insinuation of doubt everywhere4 ,it
 is impossible to forewarn children     
against all the charges which they may  
hear against the ,church1 but two points
 well established in their minds will   
give them confidence4  #a4 ,that the    

evidence which is brought to light year 
after year from access to ,state papers 
and documents tells on the side of the  
,church1 as we say in ,england1 of the  
old religion1 and not against it4 ,books
 by non-,catholics are more convincing  
than others in this matter1 since they  
are free from the suspicion of          
partisanship2 for instance1 ,gairdner's 
,lollardy and the ,reformation which    
disposes of many mythical monsters of   
,protestant history4  #b4 ,that even if 
the facts were still more authentic to  
justify personal attacks on some of the 
popes1 even if the abuses in the ,church
 had not been grossly exaggerated1 even 
putting facts at their worst1 granting  
all that is assumed1 it tends to        
strengthen faith rather than to         
undermine it1 for the existence of the  
,church and the ,papacy as they are     
to-day is a wonder only enhanced by     
every proof that it ought to have       
perished long ago according to all human
 probability4 ,with that confidence and 

assurance even our little girls may hold
 their heads high1 with their faith and 
trust in the ,church quite unabashed1   
and wait for an answer if they cannot   
give it to others or to themselves at   
the moment4 ,we have no occasion to     
answer thee concerning this matter1 said
 the three holy children to             
,nabuchodonosor1 and so may our own     
children say if they are hard pressed1  
your charges do but confirm our faith1  
we have no occasion to answer4  ,it is  
impossible to leave so great a subject  
as history without saying a word on the 
manner of teaching it 7for in this a    
manner is needed rather than a method71 
when it is emancipated from the fetters 
of prescribed periods and programmes    
which attach it entirely to text-books4 
,text-books are not useless but they are
 very hard to find1 and many ,catholic  
text-books1 much to be desired1 are     
still unwritten1 especially in ,england4
 ,america has made more effort in this  
direction than we4 ,but the strength of 

historical teaching for children and    
girls at school lies in oral lessons1   
and of these it would seem that the most
 effective form is not the              
conversational lesson which is so       
valuable in other subjects1 nor the     
formal lesson with steps1 but the form  
of a story for little ones2 for older   
children the narrative leading up to a  
point of view1 with conversational      
intervals1 and encouragement for        
thoughtful questions1 especially at the 
end of the lesson2 and in the last years
 an informal kind of lecture1 a         
transition from school-room methods to  
the style of formal lectures which maybe
 attended later4  ,lessons in history   
are often spoiled by futile questions   
put in as it were for conscience' sake1 
to satisfy the obligation of            
questioning1 or to rouse the flagging   
attention of a child1 but this is too   
great a sacrifice4 ,it is artistically a
 fault to jar the whole movement of a   
good narrative for the sake of running  

after one truant mind4 ,it is also      
artistically wrong and jarring to go    
abruptly from the climax of a story1 or 
narrative1 or lecture which has stirred 
some deep thought or emotion1 and call  
with a sudden change of tone for        
recapitulation1 or summary1 or          
discussion4 ,silence is best2 the       
greater lessons of history ought to     
transcend the limits of mere lessons1   
they are part of life1 and they tell    
more upon the mind if they are          
dissociated from the harness and        
trappings of school work4 ,written      
papers for younger students and essays  
for seniors are the best means of       
calling for their results1 and of       
guiding the line of reading by which all
 oral teaching of history and study of  
text-books must be supplemented4  ,when 
school-room education is finished what  
we may look for is that girls should be 
ready and inclined to take up some      
further study of history1 by private    
reading or following lectures with      

intelligence1 and that they should be   
able to express themselves clearly in   
writing1 either in the form of notes1   
papers1 or essays1 so as to give an     
account of their work and their opinions
 to those who may direct these later    
studies4 ,we may hope that what they    
have learned of ,european history will  
enable them to travel with understanding
 and appreciation1 that places with a   
history will mean something to them1 and
 that the great impression of a living  
past may set a deep mark upon them with 
its discipline of proportion that makes 
them personally so small and yet so     
great1 small in proportion to all that  
has been1 great in their inheritance    
from the whole past and in expectation  
of all that is yet to be4     ,,chapter 
,,xi4  ,,art4    ,give honour unto ,luke
 ,evangelist3    ,for he it was 7the    
aged legends say7    ,who first taught  
,art to fold her hands and pray4        
,scarcely at once she dared to rend the 
mist ,of devious symbols3 but soon      

having wist    ,how sky-breadth and     
field-silence and this day    ,are      
symbols also in some deeper way1 ,she   
looked through these to ,god1 and was   
,god's priest4  ,and if1 past noon1 her 
toil began to irk1 ,and she sought      
talismans1 and turned in vain    ,to    
soulless self-reflections of man's      
skill1    ,yet now1 in this the         
twilight1 she might still ,kneel in the 
latter grass to pray again1 ,ere the    
night cometh and she may not work4      
,,dante ,,gabriel ,,rossetti4  ,when we 
consider how much of the direction of   
life depends upon the quality of our    
taste1 upon right discernment in what we
 like and dislike1 it is evident that   
few things can be more important in     
education than to direct this directing 
force1 and both to learn and teach the  
taste for what is best as far as        
possible in all things4 ,for in the     
matter of taste nothing is unimportant4 
,taste influences us in every department
 of life1 as our tastes are1 so are we4 

,the whole quality of our inner and     
outer life takes its tone from the      
things in which we find pleasure1 from  
our standard of taste4 ,if we are severe
 in our requirements1 hard to please1   
and at least honest with ourselves1 it  
will mean that a spur of continual      
dissatisfaction pricks us1 in all we do1
 into habitual striving for an          
excellence which remains beyond our     
reach4 ,but on the other hand we shall  
have to guard against that peevish      
fastidiousness which narrows itself down
 until it can see nothing but defects   
and faults1 and loses the power of      
humbly and genuinely admiring4 ,this    
passive dissatisfaction which attempts  
nothing of its own1 and only finds fault
 with what is done by others1 grows very
 fast if it is allowed to take hold1 and
 produces a mental habit of merely      
destructive criticism or perpetual      
scolding4 ,safe in attempting nothing   
itself1 unassailable and self-righteous 
as a ,pharisee1 this spirit can only    

pull down but not build up again4 ,in   
children it is often the outcome of a   
little jealousy and want of personal    
courage2 they can be helped to overcome 
it1 but if it is allowed to grow up1    
dissatisfaction allied to pusillanimity 
are very difficult to correct4  ,on the 
other hand1 if we are amiably and       
cheerfully inclined to admire things in 
general in a popular way1 easily pleased
 and not exacting1 we shall both receive
 and give a great deal of pleasure1 but 
it will be all in a second and third and
 fourth-rate order of delight1 and      
although this comfortable turn of mind  
is saved from much that is painful and  
jarring1 it is not exempt from the      
danger of itself jarring continually    
upon the feelings of others1 of         
pandering to the downward tendency in   
what is popular1 and1 in education1 of  
debasing the standard of taste and      
discrimination for children4 ,to be     
swayed by popularity in matters of taste
 is to accept mediocrity wholesale4 ,we 

have left too far behind the ages when  
the taste of the people could give sound
 and true judgment in matters of art2 we
 have left them at a distance which can 
be measured by what lies between the    
greatest ,greek tragedies and           
contemporary popular plays4             
,consternation is frequently expressed  
at seeing how theatres of every grade   
are crowded with children of all classes
 in life1 so it is from these popular   
plays that they must be learning the    
first lessons of dramatic criticism4    
,there are only rare instances of taste 
which is instinctively true1 and the    
process of educational pressure tends to
 level down original thought in         
children1 as the excess of magazine and 
newspaper reading works in the same     
direction for older minds1 so that true1
 independent taste becomes more rare2   
the result does not seem favourable to  
the development of the best discernment 
in those who ought to sway the taste of 
their generation4 ,if taste in art is   

entirely guided by that of others1 and  
especially by fashion1 it cannot attain 
to the possession of an independent     
point of view2 yet this in a modest     
degree every one with some training     
might aspire to4 ,but under the sway of 
fashion taste is cowed2 it becomes      
conventional1 and falls under the       
dominion of the current price of works  
of art4 ,on the other hand it is more   
unfortunate to be self-taught in matters
 of taste than in any other order of    
things4 ,in this point taste ranks with 
manners1 which are1 after all1 a        
department of the same region of right  
feeling and discernment4 ,if taste is   
untaught and spontaneous1 it is         
generally unreliable and without        
consistency4 ,if self-taught it can     
hardly help becoming dogmatic and       
oracular1 as some highly gifted minds   
have become1 making themselves the      
supreme court of appeal for their own   
day4  ,but trained taste is grounded in 
reverence and discipleship1 a lowly and 

firm basis for departure1 from which it 
may1 if it has the power to do or to    
discern1 rise in its strength1 and leave
 behind those who have shown the way1 or
 soar in great flights beyond their     
view4 ,so it has often been seen in the 
history of art1 and such is the right   
order of growth4 ,it needs the living   
voice and the attentive mind1 the       
influence of trained and experienced    
judgment to guide us in the beginning1  
but the guide must let us go at last and
 we must rely upon ourselves4  ,the bad 
effect of being either self-taught or   
conventional is exclusiveness2 in one   
case the personal bias is too marked1 in
 the other the temporary aspect appeals 
too strongly4 ,in the education of taste
 it is needful that the child should eat
 butter and honey1 not only so as to    
refuse the evil and choose the good1 but
 also to judge between good and good1   
and to know butter from honey and honey 
from butter4 ,this is the principal end 
of the study of art in early education4 

,the doing is very elementary1 but the  
principles of discernment are something 
for life1 feeding the springs of choice 
and delight1 and making sure that they  
shall run clear and untroubled4         
,teaching concerning art which can be   
given to girls has to be approached with
 a sense of responsibility from         
conviction of the importance of its     
bearing on character as a whole4 ,let   
anyone who has tried it pass in review a
 number of girls as they grow up1 and   
judge whether their instinct in art does
 not give a key to their character1     
always supposing that they have some    
inclination to reflect on matters of    
beauty1 for there are some who are      
candidly indifferent to beauty if they  
can have excitement4 ,they have probably
 been spoiled as children and find it   
hard to recover4 ,excitement has worn   
the senses so that their report grows   
dull and feeble4 ,imagination runs on   
other lines and requires stimulants2    
there is no stillness of mind in which  

the perception of beauty and harmony and
 fitness can grow up4  ,there are       
others--may they be few--in whose minds 
there is little room for anything but   
success4 ,utilitarians in social life1  
their determination is to get on1 and   
this spirit pervades all they do2 it has
 the making of the hardest-grained      
worldliness3 to these art has nothing to
 say4 ,but there are others to whom it  
has a definite message1 and their       
response to it corresponds to various   
schools or stages of art4 ,there are    
some who are daring and explicit in     
their taste2 they resent the curb1 and  
rush into what is extravagant with a    
very feeble protest against it from     
within themselves4 ,beside them are     
simpler minds1 merely exuberant1 for    
whom there can never be enough light or 
colour in their picture of life4 ,if    
they are gifted with enough intelligence
 to steady their joyful constitution of 
mind1 these will often develop a taste  
that is fine and true4 ,in the          

background of the group are generally a 
few silent members of sensitive         
temperament and deeper intuition1 who   
see with marvellous quickness1 but see  
too much to be happy and content1 almost
 too much to be true4 ,they incline     
towards another extreme1 an ideal so    
high-pitched as to become unreal1 and it
 meets with the penalty of unreality in 
over-balancing itself4 ,children nearly 
always pull to one side or the other2 it
 is a work of long patience even to make
 them accept that there should be a     
golden mean4 ,did they ever need it so  
much as they do now8 ,probably each     
generation in turn1 from ,solomon's time
 onward1 has asked the same question4   
,but in the modern world there can      
hardly have been a time in which the    
principle of moderation needed to be    
more sustained1 for there has never been
 a time when circumstances made man more
 daring in face of the forces of nature1
 and this same daring in other          
directions1 less beautiful1 is apt to   

become defiant and unashamed of excess4 
,it asserts itself most loudly in modern
 ,french art1 but we are following close
 behind1 less logical and with more     
remaining traditions of correctness1 but
 influenced beyond what we like to own4 
,in the education of girls1 which is    
subject to so many limitations1 very    
often short in itself1 always too short 
for what would be desirable to attain1  
the best way to harmonize aesthetic     
teaching is not to treat it in different
 departments1 but to centre all round   
the general history of art4 ,this leaves
 in every stage the possibility of      
taking up particular branches of art    
study1 whether historical1 or technical1
 or practical1 and these will find their
 right place1 not dissociated from their
 antecedents and causes1 not paramount  
but subordinate1 and thus rightly       
proportioned and true in their relation 
to the whole progress of mankind in     
striving after beauty and the expression
 of it4  ,the history of art in         

connexion with the general history of   
the human race is a complement to it1   
ministering to the understanding of what
 is most intimate1 stamping the         
expression of the dominant emotion on   
the countenance of every succeeding age4
 ,this is what its art has left to us1 a
 more confidential record than its      
annals and chronicles1 and more         
accessible to the young1 who can often  
understand feelings before they can take
 account of facts in their historical   
importance4 ,in any case the facts are  
clothed in living forms there where     
belief and aspiration and feeling have  
expressed themselves in works of art4   
,if we value for children the whole     
impression of the centuries1 especially 
in ,european history1 more than the mere
 record of changes1 the history of art  
will allow them to apprehend it almost  
as the biographies of great persons who 
have set their signature upon the age in
 which they lived4  ,as each of the fine
 arts has its own history which moves   

along divergent or parallel lines in    
different countries and periods1 and as 
each development or check is bound up   
with the history of the country or      
period and bears its impress1 the       
interpretation of one is assisted and   
enriched by the other1 and both are     
linked together to illuminate the truth4
 ,it is only necessary to consider the  
position of ,christian art in the       
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries1 and
 the changes wrought by the             
,renaissance1 to estimate the value of  
some knowledge of it in giving to       
children a right understanding of those 
times and of what they have left to the 
world4 ,again1 the inferences to be     
drawn from the varied developments of   
,gothic architecture in ,france1 ,spain1
 and ,england are roads indicated to    
what is possible to explore in later    
studies1 both in history and in art4    
,and so the schools of painting studied 
in their history make ready the way for 
closer study in after years4 ,pugin's   

,book of ,contrasts is an illustration  
full of suggestive power as to the      
service which may be rendered in        
teaching by comparing the art of one    
century with that of another1 as        
expressive of the spirit of each period1
 and a means of reading below the       
surface4  ,without ,pugin's bitterness  
the same method of contrast has been    
used most effectively to put before     
children by means of lantern slides and 
lectures the manner in which art renders
 truth according to the various ideals  
and convictions of the artists4 ,it is a
 lesson in itself1 a lesson in faith1 in
 devotion1 as well as in art and in the 
history of man's mind1 to show in       
succession1 or even side by side1 though
 the shock is painful1 works of art in  
which the ,christian mysteries are      
rendered in an age of faith or in one of
 unbelief4 ,they can see in the great   
works of ,catholic art how faith exults 
in setting them forth1 with undoubting  
assurance1 with a theological grasp of  

their bearings and conclusions1 with    
plenitude of conviction and devotion    
that has no afterthoughts2 and in       
contrasting with these the strained     
efforts to represent the same subjects  
without the illumination of theology    
they will learn to measure the distance 
downwards in art from faith to unbelief4
  ,the conclusions may carry them       
further1 to judge from the most modern  
paintings of the tone of mind of their  
own time1 of its impatience and         
restlessness and want of hope4 ,let them
 compare the patient finish1 the        
complete thought given to every detail  
in the works of the greatest painters1  
the accumulated light and depth1 the    
abounding life1 with the hasty1 jagged1 
contemporary manner of painting1        
straining into harshness from want of   
patience1 tense and angular from want of
 real vitality1 exhausted from the      
absence of inward repose4 ,they will    
comment for themselves upon the         
pessimism to which so many surrender    

themselves1 taking with them their      
religious art1 with its feeble ,madonnas
 and haggard saints1 without hope or    
courage or help1 painted out of the     
abundance of their own heart's sadness4 
,this contrast carries much teaching to 
the children of to-day if they can      
understand it1 for each one who sets    
value upon faith and hope and resolution
 and courage in art is a unit adding    
strength to the line of defence against 
the invasions of sadness and dejection  
of spirit4  ,these considerations belong
 to the moral and spiritual value of the
 study of art1 in the early years of an 
education intended to be general4 ,they 
are of primary importance although in   
themselves only indirect results of the 
study4 ,as to its direct results1 it may
 be said in general that two things must
 be aimed at during the years of school 
life1 appreciation of the beautiful in  
the whole realm of art1 and some very   
elementary execution in one or other    
branch1 some doing or making according  

to the gift of each one4  ,the work on  
both sides is and can be only           
preparation1 only the establishment of  
principles and the laying of            
foundations2 if anything further is     
attempted during school life it is apt  
to throw the rest of the education out  
of proportion1 for in nothing whatever  
can a girl leaving the school-room be   
looked upon as having finished4 ,it is a
 great deal if she is well-grounded and 
ready to begin4 ,even the very branches 
of study to which a disproportioned     
space has been allowed will suffer the  
penalty of it later on1 for the narrow  
basis of incomplete foundations tends to
 make an ill-balanced superstructure    
which cannot bear the stress of effort  
required for perfection without falling 
into eccentricity or wearing itself out4
 ,both misfortunes have been seen before
 now when infant prodigies have been    
allowed to grow on one side only4       
,restraint and control and general      
building up tend to strengthen even the 

talent which has apparently to be       
checked1 by giving it space and         
equilibrium and the power of repose4    
,even if art should be their profession 
or their life-work in any form1 the     
sacrifices made for general education   
will be compensated in the mental and   
moral balance of their work4  ,if       
general principles of art have been kept
 before the minds of children1 and the  
history of art has given them some true 
ideas of its evolution1 they are ready  
to learn the technique and practice of  
any branch to which they may be         
attracted4 ,but as music and painting   
are more within their reach than other  
arts1 it is reasonable that they should 
be provided for in the education of     
every child1 so that each should have at
 least the offer and invitation of an   
entrance into those worlds1 and latent  
talents be given the opportunity of     
declaring themselves4 ,poetry has its   
place apart1 or rather it has two       
places1 its own in the field of         

literature1 and another1 as an          
inspiration pervading all the domain of 
the fine arts1 allied with music by a   
natural affinity1 connected with        
painting on the side of imagination1    
related in one way or another to all    
that is expressive of the beautiful4    
,children will feel its influence before
 they can account for it1 and it is well
 that they should do so--to feel it is  
in the direction of refusing the evil   
and choosing the good4  ,music is coming
 into a more important place among      
educational influences now that the old 
superstition of making every child play 
the piano is passing away4 ,it was an   
injustice both to the right reason of a 
child and to the honour of music when it
 was forced upon those who were         
unwilling and unfit to attain any degree
 of excellence in it4 ,we are renouncing
 these superstitions and turning to     
something more widely possible--to      
cultivate the audience and teach them to
 listen with intelligence to that which 

without instruction is scarcely more    
than pleasant noise1 or at best the     
expression of emotion4 ,the intellectual
 aspect of music is beginning to be     
brought forward in teaching children1   
and with this awakening the whole effect
 of music in education is indefinitely  
raised4 ,it has scarcely had time to    
tell yet1 but as it extends more widely 
and makes its way through the whole of  
our educational system it may be hoped  
that the old complaints1 too well       
founded1 against the indifference and   
carelessness of ,english audiences1 will
 be heard no more4 ,we shall never      
attain to the kind of religious awe     
which falls upon a ,german audience1 or 
to its moods of emotion1 but we may     
reach some means of expression which the
 national character does not forbid1    
showing at least that we understand1    
even though we must not admit that we   
feel4  ,it is impossible to suggest what
 may be attained by girls of exceptional
 talent1 but in practice if the average 

child-students1 with fair musical       
ability1 can at the end of their school 
course read and sing at sight fairly    
easy music1 and have a good beginning of
 intelligent playing on one or two      
instruments1 they will have brought     
their foundations in musical practice up
 to the level of their general          
education4 ,if with some help they can  
understand the structure of a great     
musical work1 and perhaps by themselves 
analyse an easy sonata1 they will be in 
a position to appreciate the best of    
what they will hear afterwards1 and if  
they have learnt something of the       
history of music and of the works of the
 great composers1 their musical         
education will have gone as far as      
proportion allows before they are grown 
up4 ,some notions of harmony1 enough to 
harmonize by the most elementary methods
 a simple melody1 will be of the        
greatest service to those whose music   
has any future in it4  ,catholic girls  
have a right and even a duty to learn   

something of the ,church's own music2   
and in this also there are two things to
 be learnt--appreciation and execution4 
,and amongst the practical applications 
of the art of music to life there is    
nothing more honourable than the        
acquired knowledge of ecclesiastical    
music to be used in the service of the  
,church4 ,when the love and             
understanding of its spirit are acquired
 the diffusion of a right tone in       
,church music is a means of doing good1 
as true and as much within the reach of 
many girls as the spread of good        
literature2 and in a small and indirect 
way it allows them the privilege of     
ministering to the beauty of ,catholic  
worship and devotion4  ,the scope of    
drawing and painting in early education 
has been most ably treated of in many   
general and special works1 and does not 
concern us here except in so far as it  
is connected with the training of taste 
in art which is of more importance to   
,catholics than to others1 as has been  

considered above1 in its relation to the
 springs of spiritual life1 to faith and
 devotion1 and also in so far as taste  
in art serves to strengthen or to       
undermine the principles on which       
conduct is based4 ,we have to brace our 
children's wills to face restraint1 to  
know that they cannot cast themselves at
 random and adrift in the pursuit of    
art1 that their ideals must be more     
severe than those of others1 and that   
they have less excuse than others if    
they allow these ideals to be debased4  
,they ought to learn to be proud of this
 restraint1 not to believe themselves   
thwarted or feel themselves galled by   
it1 but to understand that it stands for
 a higher freedom by the side of which  
ease and unrestraint are more like      
servitude than liberty2 it stands for   
the power to refuse the evil and choose 
the good2 it stands for intellectual and
 moral freedom of choice1 holding in    
check the impulse and inclination that  
are prompted from within and invited    

from without to escape from control4    
,the best teaching in this is to show   
what is best1 and to give the principles
 by which it is to be judged4 ,to talk  
of what is bad1 or less good1 even by   
way of warning1 is less persuasive and  
calculated even to do harm to girls     
whose temper of mind is often quite     
contrary4 ,warnings are wearisome to    
them1 and when they refer to remote     
dangers1 partly guessed at1 mostly      
unknown1 they even excite the spirit of 
adventure to go and find out for        
themselves1 just as in childhood        
repeated warnings and threats of the    
nursery-maids and maiden aunts are the  
very things which set the spirit of     
enterprise off on the voyage of         
discovery1 a fact which the head nurse  
and the mother have found out long ago1 
and so have learnt to refrain from these
 attractive advertisements of danger4   
,so it is with teachers4 ,we learn by   
experience that a trumpet blast of      
warning wakes the echoes at first and   

rouses all that is to be roused1 but    
also that if it is often repeated it    
dulls the ear and calls forth no        
response at all4 ,quiet positive        
teaching convinces children2 to show    
them the best things attracts them1 and 
once their true allegiance is given to  
the best1 they have more security within
 themselves than in many danger signals 
set up for their safety4 ,what is most  
persuasive of all is a whole-hearted    
love for real truth and beauty in those 
who teach them4 ,their own glow of      
enthusiasm is caught1 light from light1 
and taste from taste1 and ideal from    
ideal2 warning may be lost sight of1 but
 this is living spirit and will last4   
,what children can accomplish by the    
excellent methods of teaching drawing   
and painting which are coming into use  
now1 it is difficult to say4 ,talent as 
well as circumstances and conditions of 
education differ very widely in this4   
,but as preparation for intelligent     
appreciation they should acquire some   

elementary principles of criticism1 and 
some knowledge of the history and of the
 different schools of painting1         
indications of what to look for here and
 there in ,europe and likewise of how to
 look at it2 this is what they can take 
with them as a foundation1 and in some  
degree all can acquire enough to        
continue their own education according  
to their opportunities4 ,matter-of-fact 
minds can learn enough not to be        
intolerable1 the average enough to guide
 and safeguard their taste4 ,they are   
important1 for they will be in general  
the multitude1 the public1 whose        
judgment is of consequence by its weight
 of numbers2 they will by their demand  
make art go upwards or downwards        
according to their pleasure4 ,for the   
few1 the precious few who are chosen and
 gifted to have a more definite         
influence1 all the love they can acquire
 in their early years for the best in   
art will attach them for life to what is
 sane and true and lovely and of good   

fame4  ,the foundations of all this lie 
very deep in human nature1 and taste    
will be consistent with itself          
throughout the whole of life4 ,it       
manifests itself in early sensitiveness 
and responsiveness to artistic beauty4  
,it determines the choice in what to    
love as well as what to like4 ,it will  
assert itself in friendship1 and        
estrangement in matters of taste is     
often the first indication of a         
divergence in ideals which continues and
 grows more marked until at some        
crossroads one takes the higher path and
 the other the lower and their ways     
never meet again4 ,that higher path1 the
 disinterested love of beauty1 calls for
 much sacrifice2 it must seek its       
pleasure on ly in the highest1 and not  
look for a first taste of delight1 but a
 second1 when the power of criticism has
 been schooled by a kind of asceticism  
to detect the choice from the vulgar and
 the true from the insincere4 ,this     
spirit of sacrifice must enter into     

every form of training for life1 but    
above all into the training of the      
,catholic mind4 ,it has a wide range and
 asks much of its disciples1 a certain  
renunciation and self-restraint in all  
things which never completely lets      
itself go4 ,catholic art bears witness  
to this3 ,where a man seeks himself     
there he falls from love1 says a        
,kempis1 and this is proved not only in 
the love of ,god1 but in what makes the 
glory of ,christian art1 the love of    
beauty and truth in the service of      
faith4     ,,chapter ,,xii4  ,,manners4 
,manners are the happy ways of doing    
things2 each--once--a stroke of genius  
or of love1 now repeated and hardened   
into usage4--,,emerson4  ,the late      
,queen ,victoria had a profound sense of
 the importance of manners and of       
certain conventionalities1 and the      
singular gift of common sense1 which    
stood for so much in her1 stands also   
for the significance of those things on 
which she laid so much stress4          

,conventionality has a bad name at      
present1 and manners are on the decline1
 this is a fact quite undisputed4 ,as to
 conventionalities it is assumed that   
they represent an artificial and hollow 
code1 from the pressure of which all1   
and especially the young1 should be     
emancipated4 ,and it may well be that   
there is something to be said in favour 
of modifying them--in fact it must be   
so1 for all human things need at times  
to be revised and readapted to special  
and local conditions4 ,to attempt to    
enforce the same code of conventions on 
human society in different countries1 or
 at different stages of development1 is 
necessarily artificial1 and if pressed  
too far it provokes reaction1 and in    
reaction we almost inevitably go to     
extreme lengths4 ,so in reaction against
 too rigid conventionalities and a      
social ritual which was perhaps         
over-exacting1 we are swinging out      
beyond control in the direction of      
complete spontaneity4 ,and yet there is 

need for a code of conventions--for some
 established defence against the        
instincts of selfishness which find     
their way back by a short cut to        
barbarism if they are not kept in check4
  ,civilized selfishness leads to a     
worse kind of barbarism than that of    
rude and primitive states of society1   
because it has more resources at its    
command1 as cruelty with refinement has 
more resources for inflicting pain than 
cruelty which can only strike hard4     
,civilized selfishness is worse also in 
that it has let go of better things2 it 
is not in progress towards a higher     
plane of life1 but has turned its back  
upon ideals and is slipping on the      
down-grade without a check4 ,we can see 
the complete expression of life without 
conventions in the unrestraint of       
hooliganism with us1 and its equivalents
 in other countries4 ,in this we observe
 the characteristic product of bringing 
up without either religion1 or          
conventions1 or teaching in good manners

 which are inseparable from religion4   
,we see the demoralization of the very  
forces which make both the strength and 
the weakness of youth and a great part  
of its charm1 the impetuosity1 the      
fearlessness of consequence1 the        
lightheartedness1 the exuberance which  
would have been so strong for good if   
rightly turned1 become through want of  
this right impetus and control not      
strong but violent1 uncontrollable and  
reckless to a degree which terrifies the
 very authorities who are responsible   
for them1 in that system which is       
bringing up children with nothing to    
hold by1 and nothing to which they can  
appeal4 ,girls are inclined to go even  
further than boys in this unrestraint   
through their greater excitability and  
recklessness1 and their having less     
instinct of self-preservation4 ,it is a 
problem for the local authorities4      
,their lavish expenditure upon          
sanitation1 adornment1 and--to use the  
favourite word--equipment of their      

schools does not seem to touch it2 in   
fact it cannot reach the real           
difficulty1 for it makes appeal to the  
senses and neglects the soul1 and the   
souls of children are hungry for faith  
and love and something higher to look   
for1 beyond the well-being of to-day in 
the schools1 and the struggle for life1 
in the streets1 to-morrow4  ,it is not  
only in the elementary schools that such
 types of formidable selfishness are    
produced4 ,in any class of life1 in     
school or home1 wherever a child is     
growing up without control and handling1
 without the discipline of religion and 
manners1 without the yoke of obligations
 enforcing respect and consideration for
 others1 there a rough is being brought 
up1 not so loud-voiced or so uncouth as 
the street-rough1 but as much out of    
tune with goodness and honour1 with as  
little to hold by and appeal to1 as     
troublesome and dangerous either at home
 or in society1 as uncertain and        
unreliable in a party or a ministry1 and

 in any association that makes demand   
upon self-control in the name of duty4  
,this is very generally recognized and  
deplored1 but except within the ,church1
 which has kept the key to these        
questions1 the remedy is hard to find4  
,inspectors of elementary schools have  
been heard to say that1 even in         
districts where the ,catholic school was
 composed of the poorest and roughest   
elements1 the manners were better than  
those of the well-to-do children in the 
neighbouring ,council schools4 ,they    
could not account for it1 but we can2   
the precious hour of religious teaching 
for which we have had to fight so hard1 
influences the whole day and helps to   
create the ,catholic atmosphere which in
 its own way tells perhaps more widely  
than the teaching4 ,faith tells of the  
presence of ,god and this underlies the 
rest1 while the sense of friendly       
protection1 the love of ,our ,lady1 the 
angels1 and saints1 the love of the     
priest who administers all that         

,catholic children most value1 who      
blesses and absolves them in ,god's     
name1 all these carry them out of what  
is wretched and depressing in their     
surroundings to a different world in    
which they give and receive love and    
respect as children of ,god4 ,no wonder 
their manners are gentler and their     
intercourse more disposed to            
friendliness1 there is something to     
appeal to and uphold1 something to love4
  ,the ,protestant ,reformation breaking
 up these relations and all the         
ceremonial observance in which they     
found expression1 necessarily produced  
deterioration of manners4 ,as soon as   
anyone1 especially a child1 becomes--not
 rightly but aggressively--independent1 
argumentatively preoccupied in asserting
 that ,i am as good as you are1 and ,i  
can do without you--he falls from the   
right proportion of things1 becomes less
 instead of greater1 because he stands  
alone1 and from this to warfare against 
all order and control the step is short4

 ,so it has proved4 ,the principles of  
,protestantism worked out to the        
principles of the ,revolution1 and to   
their natural outcome1 seen at its worst
 in the ,reign of ,terror and the       
,commune of #ahga in ,paris4  ,again the
 influence of the ,church on manners was
 dominant in the age of chivalry4 ,at   
that time religion and manners were     
known to be inseparable1 and it was the 
,church that handled the rough vigour of
 her sons to make them gentle as        
knights4 ,this is so well known that it 
needs no more than calling to mind1 and1
 turning attention to the fact that all 
the handling was fundamental1 it is     
handling that makes manners4 ,even the  
derivation of the word does not let us  
forget this--manners from manieres1 from
 manier1 from main1 from manus1 the     
touch of the human hand upon the art of 
living worthily in human society1       
without offence and without contention1 
with the gentleness of a race1 the gens1
 that owns a common origin1 the urbanity

 of those who have learned to dwell in a
 city compact together1 the respect of  
those who have some one to look to for  
approval and control1 either above them 
in dignity1 or beneath them in strength1
 and therefore to be considered with due
 reverence4  ,the handling began early  
in days of chivalry1 no time was lost1  
because there would necessarily be      
checks on the way4 ,knighthood was far  
off1 but it could not be caught sight of
 too early as an ideal1 and it was      
characteristic of the consideration of  
the ,church that1 in the scheme of      
manners over which she held sway1 the   
first training of her knights was       
intrusted to women4 ,for women set the  
standard of manners in every age1 if a  
child has not learnt by seven years old 
how to behave towards them it is        
scarcely possible for him to learn it at
 all1 and it is by women only that it   
can be taught4 ,the little damoiseaux   
would have perfect and accomplished     
manners for their age when they left the

 apartments of the ladies at seven years
 old2 it was a matter of course that    
they would fall off a good deal in their
 next stage4 ,they would become pert1 as
 pages were supposed to be1 and         
diffident as esquires1 but as knights   
they would come back of themselves to   
the perfect ways of their childhood with
 a grace that became well the strength  
and self-possession of their knighthood4
 ,we have no longer the same formal and 
ceremonial training2 it is not possible 
in our own times under the altered      
conditions of life1 yet it commands     
attention for those who have at heart   
the future well-being of the boys and   
girls of to-day4 ,the fundamental facts 
upon which manners are grounded remain  
the same4 ,these are1 some of them1     
worth consideration3--  #a4 ,that       
manners represent a great deal more than
 mere social observances2 they stand as 
the outward expression of some of the   
deepest springs of conduct1 and none of 
the modern magic of philanthropy--      

altruism1 culture1 the freedom and      
good-fellowship of democracy1 replaces  
them1 because1 in their spirit1 manners 
belong to religion4  #b4 ,that manners  
are a matter of individual training1 so 
that they could never be learnt from a  
book4 ,they can scarcely be taught1     
except in their simplest elements1 to a 
class or school as a whole1 but the     
authority which stands nearest in       
responsibility to each child1 either in 
the home circle or at school1 has to    
make a special study of it in order to  
teach it manners4 ,the reason of this is
 evident4 ,in each nature selfishness   
crops out on one side rather than       
another1 and it is this which has to be 
studied1 that the forward may be        
repressed1 the shy or indolent          
stimulated1 the dreamy quickened into   
attention1 and all the other defective  
sides recognized and taken1 literally1  
in hand1 to be modelled to a better     
form4  #c4 ,that training in manners is 
not a short course but a long course of 

study1 a work of patience on both sides1
 of gentle and most insistent handling  
on one side and of long endurance on the
 other4 ,there are a very few exquisite 
natures with whom the grace of manners  
seems to be inborn4 ,they are not very  
vigorous1 not physically robust2 their  
own sensitiveness serves as a private   
tutor or monitor to tell them at the    
right moment what others feel1 and what 
they should say or do4 ,they have a     
great gift1 but they lay down their     
price for it1 and suffer for others as  
well as in themselves more than their   
share4 ,but in general1 the average boy 
and girl needs a daily exercise which in
 most cases amounts to nagging1 and in  
the best hands is only saved from       
nagging by its absence of peevishness1  
and the patience with which it reminds  
and urges and teases into perfect       
observance4 ,the teasing thing1 and yet 
the most necessary one1 is the constant 
check upon the preoccupying interests of
 children1 so that in presence of their 

elders they can never completely let    
themselves go1 but have to be attentive 
to every service of consideration or    
mark of respect that occasion calls for4
 ,it is very wearisome1 but when it has 
been acquired through laborious         
years--there it is1 like a special sense
 superadded to the ordinary endowments  
of nature1 giving presence of mind and  
self-possession1 arming the whole being 
against surprise or awkwardness or      
indiscretion1 and controlling what has  
so long appeared to exercise control    
over it--the conditions of social       
intercourse4  ,how shall we persuade the
 children of to-day that manners and    
conventions have not come to an end as  
part of the old regime which appears to 
them an elaborate unreality ,v ,it is   
exceedingly difficult to do so1 at      
school especially1 as in many cases     
their whole family consents to regard   
them as extinct1 and only when startled 
at the over-growth of their girls'      
unmannerly roughness and self-assertion 

they send them to school to have their  
manners attended to2 but then it is too 
late4 ,the only way to form manners is  
to teach them from the beginning as a   
part of religion1 as indeed they are4   
,devotion to ,our ,lady will give to the
 manners both of boys and girls         
something which stamps them as          
,christian and ,catholic1 something     
above the world's level4 ,and1 as has   
been so often pointed out1 the ,church's
 ritual is the court ceremonial of the  
most perfect manners1 in which every    
least detail has its significance1 and  
applies some principle of inward faith  
and devotion to outward service4  ,if we
 could get to the root of all that the  
older codes of manners required1 and    
even the conventionalities of modern    
life--these remnants1 in so far as they 
are based on the older codes--it would  
be found that1 as in the ,church's      
ceremonial1 not one of them was without 
its meaning1 but that all represented   
some principle of ,christian conduct1   

even if they have developed into        
expressions which seem trivial4 ,human  
things tend to exaggeration and to      
sport1 as gardeners say1 from their type
 into strange varieties1 and so the     
manners which were the outcome of       
chivalry--exquisite1 idealized1 and     
restrained in their best period1 grew   
artificial in later times and elaborated
 themselves into an etiquette which grew
 tyrannical and even ridiculous1 and    
added violence to the inevitable        
reaction which followed4 ,but if we look
 beyond the outward form to the spirit  
of such prescriptions as are left in    
force1 there is something noble in their
 origin1 either the laws of hospitality 
regulating all the relations of host and
 guest1 or reverence for innocence and  
weakness which surrounded the dignity of
 both with lines of chivalrous defence1 
or the sensitiveness of personal honour1
 the instinct of what was due to        
oneself1 an inward law that compelled a 
line of conduct that was unselfish and  

honourable4 ,so the relics of these     
lofty conventions are deserving of all  
respect1 and they cannot be disregarded 
without tampering with foundations which
 it is not safe to touch4 ,they are     
falling into disrepute1 but for the love
 of the children let us maintain them as
 far as we can4 ,the experience of past 
ages has laid up lessons for us1 and if 
we can take them in let us do so1 if    
only as a training for children in      
self-control1 for which they will find  
other uses a few years hence4  ,but in  
doing this we must take account of all  
that has changed4 ,there are some       
antique forms1 beautiful and full of    
dignity1 which it is useless to attempt 
to revive2 they cannot live again1 they 
are too massive for our mobile manner of
 life to-day4 ,and on the other hand    
there are some which are too            
high-pitched1 or too delicate4 ,we are  
living in a democratic age1 and must be 
able to stand against its stress4 ,so in
 the education of girls a greater       

measure of independence must necessarily
 be given to them1 and they must learn  
to use it1 to become self-reliant and   
self-protecting4 ,they have to grow more
 conscious1 less trustful1 a little     
harder in outline2 one kind of young    
dignity has to be exchanged for another1
 an attitude of self-defence is         
necessary4 ,there is perhaps a certain  
loss in it1 but it is inevitable4 ,the  
real misfortune is that the first line  
of defence is often surrendered before  
the second is ready1 and a sudden       
relaxation of control tends to yield too
 much2 in fact girls are apt to lose    
their heads and abandon their           
self-control further than they are able 
to resume it4 ,once they have let       
themselves go--it is the favourite      
phrase1 and for once a phrase that      
completely conveys its meaning--it is   
exceedingly difficult for them to stop  
themselves1 impossible for others to    
stop them by force1 for the daring ones 
are quite ready to break with their     

friends1 and the others can elude       
control with very little difficulty4    
,the only security is a complete armour 
of self-control based on faith1 and a   
home tie which is a guarantee for       
happiness4 ,girls who are not happy in  
their own homes live in an atmosphere of
 temptation which they can scarcely     
resist1 and the happiness of home is    
dependent in a great measure upon the   
manners of home1 there is no surer      
dissolvant of home affections than      
discourtesy4 #a--;,d4 ,urquhart4 ,it is 
useless to insist on this1 it is known  
and admitted by almost all1 but the     
remedy or the preventive is hard to     
apply1 demanding such constant          
self-sacrifice on the part of parents   
that all are not ready to practise it2  
it is so much easier and it looks at    
first sight so kind to let children have
 their way4 ,so kind at first1 so       
unselfish in appearance1 the parents    
giving way1 abdicating their authority1 
while the young democracy in the nursery

 or school-room takes the reins in hand 
so willingly1 makes the laws1 or rather 
rules without them1 by its sovereign    
moods1 and then outgrows the            
establishment altogether1 requires more 
scope1 snaps the link with home1        
scarcely regretting1 and goes off on its
 own account to elbow its way in the    
world4 ,it is obviously necessary and   
perhaps desirable that many girls should
 have to make their own way in the world
 who would formerly have lived at home1 
but often the way in which it is done is
 all wrong1 and leaves behind on both   
sides recollections with a touch of     
soreness4  ,for those who are           
practically concerned with the education
 of girls the question is how to attain 
what we want for them1 while the force  
of the current is set so strongly       
against us4 ,we have to make up our     
minds as to what conventions can survive
 and fix in some way the high and       
low-water marks1 for there must be both1
 the highest that we can attain1 and the

 lowest that we can accept4 ,all        
material is not alike2 some cannot take 
polish at all4 ,it is well if it can be 
made tolerable2 if it does not fall     
below that level of manners which are at
 least the safeguard of conduct2 if it  
can impose upon itself and accept at    
least so much restraint as to make it   
inoffensive1 not aggressively selfish4  
,perhaps the low-water mark might be    
fixed at the remembrance that other     
people have rights and the observance of
 their claims4 ,this would secure at    
least the common marks of respect and   
the necessary conventionalities of      
intercourse4 ,for ordinary use the      
high-water mark might attain to the     
remembrance that other people have      
feelings1 and to taking them into       
account1 and as an ordinary guide of    
conduct this includes a great deal and  
requires training and watchfulness to   
establish it1 even where there is no    
exceptional selfishness or bluntness of 
sense to be overcome4 ,the nature of an 

ordinary healthy energetic child1       
high-spirited and boisterous1 full of a 
hundred interests of its own1 finds the 
mere attention to these things a heavy  
yoke1 and the constant self-denial      
needed to carry them out is a laborious 
work indeed4  ,the slow process of      
polishing marble has more than one point
 of resemblance with the training of    
manners2 it is satisfactory to think    
that the resemblance goes further than  
the process1 that as only by polishing  
can the concealed beauties of the marble
 be brought out1 so only in the         
perfecting of manners will the finer    
grain of character and feeling be       
revealed4 ,polishing is a process which 
may reach different degrees of          
brilliancy according to the material on 
which it is performed2 and so in the    
teaching of manners a great deal depends
 upon the quality of the nature1 and the
 amount of expression which it is       
capable of acquiring4 ,it is useless to 
press for what cannot be given1 at the  

same time it is unfair not to exact the 
best that every one is able to give4 ,as
 in all that has to do with character1  
example is better than precept4  ,but in
 the matter of manners example alone is 
by no means enough2 precept is formally 
necessary1 and precept has to be        
enforced by exercise4 ,it is necessary  
because the origin of established       
conventionalities is remote2 they do not
 speak for themselves1 they are the     
outcome of a general habit of thought1  
they have come into being through a long
 succession of precedents4 ,we cannot   
explain them fully to children2 they can
 only have the summary and results of   
them1 and these are dry and grinding1   
opposed to the unpremeditated           
spontaneous ways of acting in which they
 delight4 ,manners are almost fatally   
opposed to the sudden happy thoughts of 
doing something original1 which occur to
 children's minds4 ,no wonder they      
dislike them2 we must be prepared for   
this4 ,they are almost grown up before  

they can understand the value of what   
they have gone through in acquiring     
these habits of unselfishness1 but      
unlike many other subjects to which they
 are obliged to give time and labour1   
they will not leave this behind in the  
schoolroom4 ,it is then that they will  
begin to exercise with ease and         
precision of long practice the art of   
the best and most expressive conduct in 
every situation which their             
circumstances may create4  ,in connexion
 with this question of circumstances in 
life and the situations which arise out 
of them1 there is one thing which ought 
to be taught to children as a           
fundamental principle1 and that is the  
relation of manners to class of life1   
and what is meant by vulgarity4 ,for    
vulgarity is not--what it is too often  
assumed to be--a matter of class1 but in
 itself a matter of insincerity1 the    
effort to appear or to be something that
 one is not4 ,the contrary of vulgarity1
 by the word1 is preciousness or        

distinction1 and in conduct or act it is
 the perfect preciousness and           
distinction of truthfulness4            
,truthfulness in manners gives          
distinction and dignity in all classes  
of society2 truthfulness gives that     
simplicity of manners which is one of   
the special graces of royalty1 and also 
of an unspoiled and especially a        
,catholic peasantry4 ,vulgarity has an  
element of restless unreality and       
pretentious striving1 an affectation or 
assumption of ways which do not belong  
to it1 and in particular an             
unwillingness to serve1 and a dread of  
owning any obligation of service4 ,yet  
service perfects manners and dignity1   
from the highest to the lowest1 and the 
manners of perfect servants either      
public or private are models of dignity 
and fitness4 ,the manners of the best   
servants often put to shame those of    
their employers1 for their              
self-possession and complete knowledge  
of what they are and ought to be raises 

them above the unquietness of those who 
have a suspicion that they are not quite
 what might be expected of them4 ,it is 
on this uncertain ground that all the   
blunders of manners occur2 when         
simplicity is lost disaster follows1    
with loss of dignity and self-respect1  
and pretentiousness forces its way      
through to claim the respect which it is
 conscious of not deserving4  ,truth1   
then1 is the foundation of distinction  
in manners for every class1 and the     
manners of children are beautiful and   
perfect when simplicity bears witness to
 inward truthfulness and consideration  
for others1 when it expresses modesty as
 to themselves and kindness of heart    
towards every one4 ,it does not require 
much display or much ceremonial for     
their manners to be perfect according to
 the requirements of life at present2   
the ritual of society is a variable     
thing1 sometimes very exacting1 at      
others disposed to every concession1 but
 these things do not vary--truth1       

modesty1 reverence1 kindness are of all 
times1 and these are the bases of our   
teaching4  ,the personal contribution of
 those who teach1 the influence of their
 companionship is that which establishes
 the standard1 their patience is the    
measure which determines the limits of  
attainment1 for it is only patience     
which makes a perfect work1 whether the 
attainment be high or low4 ,it takes    
more patience to bring poor material up 
to a presentable standard than to direct
 the quick intuitions of those who are  
more responsive2 in one case efforts    
meet with resistance1 in the other1     
generally with correspondence4 ,but our 
own practice is for ourselves the       
important thing1 for the inward standard
 is the point of departure1 and our own 
sincerity is a light as well as a rule1 
or rather it is a rule because it is a  
light2 it prevents the standard of      
manners from being double1 one for use  
and one for ornament2 it imposes respect
 to be observed with children as well as

 exacted from them1 and it keeps up the 
consciousness that manners represent    
faith and1 in a sense1 duty to ,god     
rather than to one's neighbour4  ,this1 
too1 belongs not to the fleeting things 
of social observance but to the deep    
springs of conduct1 and its teaching may
 be summed up in one question4 ,is not  
well-instructed devotion to ,our ,lady  
and the understanding of the ,church's  
ceremonies a school of manners in which 
we may learn how human intercourse may  
be carried on with the most perfect     
external expressiveness8 ,is not all    
inattention of mind to the courtesies of
 life1 all roughness and slovenliness1  
all crude unconventionality which is    
proud of its self-assertion1 a falling  
from love in seeking self8 ,will not the
 instinct of devotion and imitation     
teach within1 all those things which    
must otherwise be learned by painful    
reiteration from without2 the perpetual 
give up1 give way1 give thanks1 make a  
fitting answer1 pause1 think of others1 

don't get excited1 wait1 serve1 which   
require watchfulness and self-sacrifice8
  ,perhaps in the last year or two of   
education1 when our best opportunities  
occur1 some insight will be gained into 
the deeper meaning of all these things4 
,it may then be understood that they are
 something more than arbitrary rules2   
there may come the understanding of what
 is beautiful in human intercourse1 of  
the excellence of self-restraint1 the   
loveliness of perfect service4 ,if this 
can be seen it will tone down all that  
is too uncontrolled and make            
self-restraint acceptable1 and will deal
 with the conventions of life as with   
symbols1 poor and inarticulate indeed1  
but profoundly significant1 of things as
 they ought to be4     ,,chapter ,,xiii4
  ,,higher ,,education ,,op ,,women4    
,in die ,erd' isi's aufgenommen1        
,glucklich ist die ,form gefullt2       
,wird's auch schon zu ,tage kommen1     
,dass es ,fleiss und ,kunst vergilt8    
,wenn der ,guss misslang8   ,wenn die   

,form zersprang8 ,ach1 vielleicht1 indem
 wir hoffen1 ,hat uns ,unheil schon     
getroffen4       ,,schiller1 ,das ,lied 
von der ,gloeke4  ,so far in these pages
 the education of girls has only been   
considered up to the age of eighteen or 
so1 that is to the end of the ordinary  
school-room course4 ,at eighteen1 some  
say that it is just time to go to       
school1 and others consider that it is  
more than time to leave it4 ,they look  
at life from different points of view4  
,some are eager to experience everything
 for themselves1 and as early as        
possible to snatch at this good thing1  
life1 which is theirs1 and make what    
they can of it1 believing that its only 
interest is in what lies beyond the     
bounds of childhood and a life of       
regulated studies2 they want to begin to
 live4 ,others feel that life is such a 
good thing that every year of longer    
preparation fits them better to make the
 most of its opportunities1 and others  
again are anxious--for a particular     

purpose1 sometimes1 and very rarely for 
the disinterested love of it--to        
undertake a course of more advanced     
studies and take active part in the     
movement for the higher education of    
women4 ,the first will advance as far as
 possible the date of their coming out2 
the second will delay it as long as they
 are allowed1 to give themselves in     
quiet to the studies and thought which  
grow in value to them month by month2   
the third1 energetic and decided1 buckle
 on their armour and enter themselves at
 universities for degrees or            
certificates according to the facilities
 offered4  ,there can be no doubt that  
important changes were necessary in the 
education of women4 ,about the middle of
 the last century it had reached a      
condition of stagnation from the passing
 away of the old system of instruction  
before anything was ready to take its   
place4 ,with very few exceptions1 and   
those depended entirely on the families 
from which they carae1 girls were       

scarcely educated at all4 ,the old      
system had given them few things but    
these were of value2 manners1 languages1
 a little music and domestic training   
would include it all1 with perhaps a few
 notions of the use of the globes and   
arithmetic4 ,but when it dwindled into a
 book called ,hangnail's ,questions1 and
 manners declined into primness1 and    
domestic training lost its vigour1 then 
artificiality laid hold of it and       
lethargy followed1 and there was no more
 education for young ladies4  ,in a     
characteristically ,english way it was  
individual effort which came to change  
the face of things1 and honour is due to
 the pioneers who went first1 facing    
opposition and believing in the         
possibilities of better things4 ,in some
 other countries the ,state would have  
taken the initiative and has done so1   
but we have our own ways of working out 
things1 l'aveugle et tatonnante         
infaillibilite de l',angleterre1 as some
 one has called it1 in which the        

individual goes first1 and makes trial  
of the land1 and often experiences      
failure in the first attempts4 ,from the
 closing years of the eighteenth        
century1 when the ,vindication of the   
,rights of ,women was published by ,mary
 ,wollstonecraft1 the question has been 
more or less in agitation4 ,but in      
#ahdh1 with the opening of ,queen's     
,college in ,london1 it took its first  
decided step forward in the direction of
 provision for the higher education of  
women1 and in literature it was much in 
the air4 ,tennyson's ,princess came in  
#ahdg1 and ,aurora ,leigh from          
,elizabeth ,barrett ,browning in #ahea1 
and things moved onward with increasing 
rapidity until at one moment it seemed  
like a rush to new goldfields4 ,one     
university after another has granted    
degrees to women or degree certificates 
in place of the degrees which were      
refused2 women are resident students at 
some universities and at others present 
themselves on equal terms with men for  

examination4 ,the way has been opened to
 them in some professions and in many   
spheres of activity from which they had 
been formerly excluded4  ,one advantage 
of the ,english mode of proceeding in   
these great questions is that the       
situation can be reconsidered from time 
to time without the discordant          
contentions which surround any          
proclamation of non-success in ,state   
concerns4 ,we feel our way and try this 
and that1 and readjust ourselves1 and a 
great deal of experimental knowledge has
 been gained before any great interests 
or the prestige of the ,state have been 
involved4 ,these questions which affect 
a whole people directly or indirectly   
require1 for us at least1 a great deal  
of experimenting before we know what    
suits us4 ,we are not very amenable to  
systems1 or theories1 or ready-made     
schemes4 ,and the phenomenon of tides is
 very marked in all that we undertake4  
,there is a period of advance and then a
 pause and a period of decline1 and     

after another pause the tide rises      
again4 ,it may perhaps be accounted for 
in part by the very fact that we do so  
much for ourselves in ,england1 and look
 askance at anything which curtails the 
freedom of our movements1 when we are in
 earnest about a question2 but this     
independence is rapidly diminishing     
under the more elaborate administration 
of recent years1 and the increase of    
,state control in education4 ,whatever  
may be the effect of this in the future1
 it seems as if there were at present a 
moment of reconsideration as to whether 
we have been quite on the right track in
 the pursuit of higher education for    
women1 and a certain discontent with    
what has been achieved so far4 ,there   
are at all events not many who are      
cordially pleased with the results4     
,some dissatisfaction is felt as to the 
position of the girl students in        
residence at the universities4 ,they    
cannot share in any true sense in the   
life of the universities1 but only exist

 on their outskirts1 outside the        
tradition of the past1 a modern growth  
tolerated rather than fostered or valued
 by the authorities4 ,this creates a    
position scarcely enviable in itself1 or
 likely to communicate that particular  
tone which is the gift of the oldest    
,english universities to their sons4    
,some girl students have undoubtedly    
distinguished themselves1 especially at 
,cambridge2 in the line of studies they 
attained what they sought1 but that     
particular gift of the university they  
could not attain4 ,it is lamented that  
the number of really disinterested      
students attending ,girton and ,newnham 
is small2 the same complaint is heard   
from the ,halls for women at ,oxford2   
there is a certain want of confidence as
 to the future and what it is all       
leading to4 ,to women with a            
professional career before them the     
degree certificates are of value1 but   
the course of studies itself and its    
mental effect is conceded by many to be 

disappointing4 ,one reason may be that  
the characteristics of girls' work      
affect in a way the whole movement4     
,they are very eager and impetuous      
students1 but in general the staying    
power is short2 an excessive energy is  
put out in one direction1 then it flags1
 and a new beginning is made towards    
another quarter4 ,so in this general    
movement there have been successive     
stages of activity4  ,the higher        
education movement has gone on its own  
course4 ,the first pioneers had clear   
and noble ideals2 ,bedford ,college1 the
 growth of ,cheltenham1 the beginnings  
of ,newnham and ,girton ,colleges1 the  
,north of ,england ,ladies' ,council of 
,education represented them4 ,now that  
the movement has left the port and gone 
beyond what they foresaw1 it has met the
 difficulties of the open sea4  ,nursing
 was another sphere opened about the    
same time1 to meet the urgent needs felt
 during the ,crimean ,war2 it was       
admirably planned out by ,florence      

,nightingale1 again a pioneer with      
loftiest ideals4 ,there followed a rush 
for that opening2 it has continued1 and 
now the same complaint is made that it  
is an outlet for those whose lives are  
not to their liking at home1 rather than
 those who are conscious of a special   
fitness for it or recognized as having  
the particular qualities which it calls 
for4 ,and then came the development of a
 new variety among the unemployed of the
 wealthier classes1 the athletic girl4  
,not every one could aspire to be an    
athletic girl1 it requires some means1  
and much time2 but it is there1 and it  
is part of the emancipation movement4   
,the latest in the field are the        
movements towards organization of       
effort1 association on the lines of the 
,german ,frauenbund1 and the ,french    
,mouvement ,feministe1 and beside them1 
around them1 with or without them1 the  
,women's ,suffrage ,movement1 militant  
or non-militant4 ,these are of the      
rising tide1 and each tide makes a      

difference to our coast-line1 in some   
places the sea gains1 in others the     
land1 and so the thinkers1 for and      
against1 register their victories and   
defeats1 and the face of things         
continues to change more and more       
rapidly4  ,it seems an ungracious task1 
unfair--perhaps it seems above all      
retrograde and ignorant--to express     
doubt and not to think hopefully of a   
cause in which so many lives have been  
spent with singular disinterestedness   
and self-devotion4 ,yet these adverse   
thoughts are in the air1 not only       
amongst those who are unable to win in  
the race1 but amongst those who have    
won1 and also amongst those who look out
 upon it all with undistracted and      
unbiassed interest2 older men1 who look 
to the end and outcome of things1 to the
 ultimate direction when the forces have
 adjusted themselves4 ,those who think  
of the next generation are not quite    
satisfied with what is being done for   
our girls or by them4  ,catholics have  

been spurred hotly into the movement by 
those who are keenly anxious that we    
should not be left behind1 but should   
show ourselves able to be with the best 
in all these things4 ,perhaps at the    
stage which has been reached we have    
more reason than others to be           
dissatisfied with the results of        
success1 since we are more beset than   
others by the haunting question--what   
then8 ,for those who have to devote     
themselves to the cause of ,catholic    
education it is often and increasingly  
necessary to win degrees or their       
equivalents1 not altogether for their   
own value1 but as the key that fits the 
lock1 for the gates to the domain of    
education are kept locked by the ,state4
 ,and so in other spheres of ,catholic  
usefulness the key may become more and  
more necessary4 ,but--may it be         
suggested--in their own education1 a    
degree for a man and a degree for a girl
 mean very different things1 even if the
 degree is the same4 ,for a girl it is  

the certificate of a course of studies4 
,for a man an ,oxford or ,cambridge     
degree means atmosphere unique in       
character1 immemorial tradition1        
association1 all kinds of interests and 
subtle influences out of the past1 the  
impressiveness of numbers1 among which  
the individual shows in very modest     
proportions indeed whatever may be his  
gifts4 ,the difference is that of two   
worlds4 ,bat even at other universities 
the degree means more to a man if it is 
anything beyond a mere gate-key4 ,it is 
his initial effort1 after which comes   
the full stress of his life's work4 ,for
 a girl1 except in the rarest cases1 it 
is either a gate-key or a final effort1 
either her life's work takes a different
 turn1 or she thinks she has had enough4
 ,the line of common studies is adapted 
for man's work and programme of life4   
,it has been made to fit woman's        
professional work1 but the fit is not   
perfect4 ,it has a marked unfitness in  
its adaptation for women to the real end

 of higher education1 or university     
education1 which is the perfecting of   
the individual mind1 according to its   
kind1 in surroundings favourable to its 
complete development4  ,atmosphere is a 
most important element at all periods of
 education1 and in the education of     
girls all-important1 and an atmosphere  
for the higher education of girls has   
not yet been created in the             
universities4 ,the girl students are    
few1 their position is not unassailable1
 their aims not very well defined1 and  
the thing which is above all required   
for the intellectual development of     
girls--quiet of mind--is not assured4   
,it is obvious that there can never be  
great tradition and a past to look back 
to1 unless there is a present1 and a    
beginning1 and a long period of growth4 
,but everything for the future consists 
in having a noble beginning1 however    
lowly1 true foundations and clear aims1 
and this we have not yet secured4 ,it   
seems almost as if we had begun at the  

wrong end1 that the foundations of      
character were not made strong enough1  
before the intellectual superstructure  
began to be raised--and that this gives 
the sense of insecurity4 ,an unusual    
strength of character would be required 
to lead the way in living worthily under
 such difficult circumstances as have   
been created1 a great self-restraint to 
walk without swerving or losing the     
track1 without the controlling machinery
 of university rules and traditions1    
without experience1 at the most         
adventurous age of life1 and except in  
preparation for professional work       
without the steadying power of definite 
duties and obligations4 ,a few could do 
it1 but not many1 and those chosen few  
would have found their way in any case4 
,the past bears witness to this4  ,but  
the past as a whole bears other         
testimony which is worth considering    
here4 ,through every vicissitude of     
women's education there have always been
 the few who were exceptional in mental 

and moral strength1 and they have held  
on their way1 and achieved a great deal1
 and left behind them names deserving of
 honour4 ,such were ,maria ,gaetana     
,agnesi1 who was invited by the ,pope   
and the university to lecture in        
mathematics at ,bologna 7and declined   
the invitation to give herself to the   
service of the poor71 and ,lucretia     
,helena ,gomaro ,piscopia1 who taught   
philosophy and theology6 and ,laura     
,bassi who lectured in physics1 and     
,clara von ,schur-man who became        
proficient in ,greek1 ,hebrew1 ,syriac1 
and ,chaldaic in order to study         
,scripture with greater independence and
 judgment1 and the ,pirk-heimer family  
of ,nuremberg1 ,caritas and ,clara and  
others1 whose attainments were          
conspicuous in their day4 ,but there is 
something unfamiliar about all these    
names2 they do not belong so much to the
 history of the world as to the         
curiosities of literature and learning4 
,the world has not felt their touch upon

 it2 we should scarcely miss them in the
 galleries of history if their portraits
 were taken down4  ,the women who have  
been really great1 whom we could not    
spare out of their place in history1    
have not been the student women or the  
remarkably learned4 ,the greatest women 
have taken their place in the life of   
the world1 not in its libraries2 their  
strength has been in their character1   
their mission civilization in its widest
 and loftiest sense4 ,they have ruled   
not with the ,divine right of kings1 but
 with the ,divine right of queens1 which
 is quite a different title1 undisputed 
and secure to them1 if they do not      
abdicate it of themselves or drag it    
into the field of controversy to be     
matched and measured against the ,divine
 or human rights of kings4 ,the heaven  
of heavens is the ,lord's1 but the earth
 ,he has given to the children of men1  
and to woman ,he seems to have assigned 
the borderland between the two1 to fit  
the one for the other and weld the      

links4 ,hers are the first steps in     
training the souls of children1 the     
nurseries of the kingdom of heaven 7the 
mothers of saints would fill a portrait 
gallery of their own72 hers the special 
missions of peace and reconciliation and
 encouragement1 the hidden germs of such
 great enterprises as the ,propagation  
of the ,faith1 and the trust of such    
great devotions as that of the ,blessed 
,sacrament and the ,sacred ,heart to be 
brought within the reach of the         
faithful4 ,the names of ,matilda of     
,tuscany1 of ,st4 ,catherine of ,siena1 
of ,blessed ,joan of ,arc1 of ,isabella 
the ,catholic1 of ,st4 ,theresa are     
representative1 amongst others1 of women
 who have fulfilled public missions for 
the service of the ,church1 and of      
,christian people1 and for the          
realization of religious ideals3 true   
queens of the borderland between both   
worlds4 ,others have reigned in their   
own spheres1 in families or solitudes1  
or cloistered enclosures--as the two    

,saints ,elizabeth1 ,paula and          
,eustochium and all their group of      
friends1 the great ,abbesses            
,hildegarde1 ,hilda1 ,gertrude and      
others1 and the chosen line of          
foundresses of religious orders--these  
too have ruled the borderland1 and their
 influence1 direct or indirect1 has all 
been in the same direction1 for         
pacification and not for strife1 for    
high aspiration and heavenly-mindedness1
 for faith and hope and love and        
self-devotion1 and all those things for 
want of which the world is sick to      
death4  ,but the kingdom of woman is on 
that borderland1 and if she comes down  
to earth to claim its lowland provinces 
she exposes herself to lose both worlds1
 not securing real freedom or permanent 
equality in one1 and losing hold of some
 of the highest prerogatives of the     
other4 ,these may seem to be cloudy and 
visionary views1 and this does not in   
any sense pretend to be a controversial 
defence of them1 but only a suggestion  

that both history and present experience
 have something to say on this side of  
the question1 a suggestion also that    
there are two spheres of influence1     
requiring different qualities for their 
perfect use1 as there are two forces in 
a planetary system4 ,if these forces    
attempted to work on one line the result
 would be the wreck of the whole1 but in
 their balance one against the other1   
apparently contrary1 in reality at one1 
the equilibrium of the whole is secured4
 ,one is for motor force and the other  
for central control2 both working in    
concert establish the harmony of        
planetary motion and give permanent     
conditions of unity4 ,here1 as          
elsewhere1 uniformity tends to ultimate 
loosening of unity2 diversity           
establishes that balance which combines 
freedom with stability4  ,once more it  
must be said that only the ,catholic    
,church can give perfect adjustment to  
the two forces1 as she holds up on both 
sides ideals which make for unity4 ,and 

when the higher education of women has  
flowered under ,catholic influence1 it  
has had a strong basis of moral worth1  
of discipline and control to sustain the
 expansion of intellectual life2 and    
without the ,church the higher education
 of women has tended to one-sidedness1  
to nonconformity of manners1 of         
character1 and of mind1 to extremes1 to 
want of balance1 and to loss of         
equilibrium in the social order1 by     
straining after uniformity of rights and
 aims and occupations4  ,so with regard 
to the general question of women's      
higher education may it be suggested    
that the moral training1 the            
strengthening of character1 is the side 
which must have precedence and must     
accompany every step of their education1
 making them fit to bear heavier        
responsibilities1 to control their own  
larger independence1 to stand against   
the current of disintegrating influences
 that will play upon them4 ,to be fit   
for higher education calls for much     

acquired self-restraint1 and            
unfortunately it is on the contrary     
sometimes sought as an opening for      
speedier emancipation from control4     
,those who seek it in this spirit are of
 all others least fitted to receive it1 
for the aim is false1 and it gives a    
false movement to the whole being4      
,again1 when it is entirely dissociated 
from the realities of life1 it tends to 
unfit girls for any but a professional  
career in which they will have--at great
 cost to their own well-being--to       
renounce their contact with those       
primeval teachers of experience4  ,in   
some countries they have found means of 
combining both in a modified form of    
university life for girls1 and in this  
they are wiser than we4 ,buds of the    
same tree have been introduced into     
,england1 but they are nipped by want of
 appreciation4 ,we have still to look to
 our foundations1 and even to make up   
our minds as to what we want4 ,perhaps  
the next few years will make things     

clearer4 ,but in the meantime there is a
 great deal to be done2 there is one    
lesson that every one concerned with    
girls must teach them1 and induce them  
to learn1 that is the lesson of         
self-command and decision4 ,our girls   
are in danger of drifting and floating  
along the current of the hour1 passive  
in critical moments1 wanting in         
perseverance to carry out anything that 
requires steady effort4 ,they are often 
forced to walk upon slippery ground2    
temptations sometimes creep on          
insensibly1 and at others make such     
sudden attacks that the thing all others
 to be dreaded for girls is want of     
courage and decision of character4      
,those render them the best service who 
train them early to decide for          
themselves1 to say yes or no definitely1
 to make up their mind promptly1 not    
because they feel like it but for a     
reason which they know1 and to keep in  
the same mind which they have reasonably
 made up4 ,thus they may be fitted by   

higher moral education to receive higher
 mental training according to their     
gifts2 but in any case they will be     
prepared by it to take up whatever      
responsibilities life may throw upon    
them4  ,the future of girls necessarily 
remains indeterminate1 at least until   
the last years of their education1 but  
the long indeterminate time is not lost 
if it has been spent in preparatory     
training of mind1 and especially in     
giving some resistance to their pliant  
or wayward characters4 ,thus1 whether   
they devote themselves to the well-being
 of their own families1 or give         
themselves to volunteer work in any     
department1 social or particular1 or    
advance in the direction of higher      
studies1 or receive any special call    
from ,god to dedicate their gifts to    
,his particular service1 they will at   
least have something to give2 their     
education will have been higher in that 
it has raised them above the dead level 
of mediocre character and will-power1   

which is only responsive to the         
inclination or stimulus of the moment1  
but has no definite plan of life4 ,it   
may be that as far as exterior work     
goes1 or anything that has a name to it1
 no specified life-work will be offered 
to many1 but it is a pity if they regard
 their lives as a failure on that       
account4  ,there are lives whose        
occupations could not be expressed in a 
formula1 yet they are precious to their 
surroundings and precious in themselves1
 requiring more steady self-sacrifice   
than those which give the stimulus of   
something definite to do4 ,these need   
not feel themselves cut off from what is
 highest in woman's education1 if they  
realize that the mind has a life in     
itself and makes its own existence      
there1 not selfishly1 but indeed in a   
peculiarly selfless way1 because it has 
nothing to show for itself but some     
small round of unimpressive occupations2
 some perpetual call upon its sympathies
 and devotion1 not enough to fill a     

life1 but just enough to prevent it from
 turning to anything else4 ,then the    
higher life has to be almost entirely   
within itself1 and no one is there to   
see the value of it all1 least of all   
the one who lives it4 ,there is no      
stimulus1 no success1 no brilliancy2 it 
is perhaps of all lives the hardest to  
accept1 yet what perfect workmanship it 
sometimes shows4 ,its disappearance     
often reveals a whole tissue of indirect
 influences which had gone forth from   
it2 and who can tell how far this       
unregistered1 uncertificated higher     
education of a woman1 without a degree  
and with an exceedingly unassuming      
opinion of itself1 may have extended4   
,it is a life hard to accept1 difficult 
to put into words with any due          
proportion to its worth1 but good and   
beautiful to know1 surely rich in the   
sight of ,god1     ,,chapter ,,xiv4     
,,conclusion4  ,far out the strange     
ships go3    ,their broad sails flashing
 red ,as flame1 or white as snow3       

,the ships1 as ,david said4 ',winds rush
 and waters roll3    ,their strength1   
their beauty1 brings ,into mine heart   
the whole    ,magnificence of things4'  
,,lionel ,,johnson4  ,the conclusion is 
only an opportunity for repeating how   
much there is still to be said1 and even
 more to be thought of and to be done1  
in the great problem and work of        
educating girls4 ,every generation has  
to face the same problem1 and deals with
 it in a characteristic way4 ,for us it 
presents particular features of         
interest1 of hope and likewise of       
anxious concern4 ,the interest of       
education never flags2 year after year  
the material is new1 the children come  
up from the nursery to the school-room1 
with their life before them1 their      
unbounded possibilities for good1 their 
confidence and expectant hopefulness as 
to what the future will bring them4 ,we 
have our splendid opportunity and are   
greatly responsible for its use4 ,each  
precious result of education when the   

girl has grown up and leaves our hands  
is thrown into the furnace to be        
tried--fired--like glass or fine        
porcelain4 ,those who educate have1 at a
 given moment1 to let go of their       
control1 and however solicitously they  
may have foreseen and prepared for it by
 gradually obliging children to act     
without coercion and be responsible for 
themselves1 yet the critical moment must
 come at last and every man's work shall
 be manifest1 the fire shall try every  
man's work1 of what sort it is 7#a ,cor4
 ,,iii74 ,life tries the work of        
education1 of what sort it is4 ,if it   
stands the test it is more beautiful    
than before1 its colours are fixed4 ,if 
it breaks1 and some will inevitably     
break in the trial1 a ,catholic         
education has left in the soul a way to 
recovery4 ,nothing1 with us1 is         
hopelessly shattered1 we always know how
 to make things right again4 ,but if we 
can we must secure the character against
 breaking1 our effort in education must 

be to make something that will last1 and
 for this we must often sacrifice       
present success in consideration of the 
future1 we must not want to see results4
 ,a small finished building is a more   
sightly object than one which is only   
beginning to rise above its foundations1
 yet we should choose that our          
educational work should be like the     
second rather than the first1 even      
though it has reached the ugly stage1   
though it has its disappointments and   
troubles before it1 with its daily risks
 and the uncertainty of ultimate        
success4 ,but it is a truer work1 and a 
better introduction to the realities of 
life4  ,a finished education is an      
illusion or else a lasting              
disappointment2 the very word implies a 
condition of mind which is opposed to   
any further development1 a condition of 
self-satisfaction4 ,what then shall we  
call a well-educated girl1 whom we      
consider ready for the opportunities and
 responsibilities of her new life8 ,an  

equal degree of fitness cannot be       
expected from all1 the difference       
between those who have ten talents and  
those who have only two will always be  
felt4 ,those who have less will be well 
educated if they have acquired spirit   
enough not to be discontented or        
disheartened at feeling that their      
resources are small2 if we have been    
able to inspire them with hope and      
plodding patience it will be a great    
thing1 for this unconquerable spirit of 
perseverance does not fail in the end1  
it attains to something worthy of all   
honour1 it gives us people of trust     
whose character is equal to their       
responsibilities1 and that is no little 
thing in any position of life2 and1 if  
to this steadiness of will is added a   
contented mind1 it will always be       
superior to its circumstances and will  
not cease to develop in the line of its 
best qualities4  ,it is not these who   
disappoint--in fact they often give more
 than was expected of them4 ,it is those

 of great promise who are more often    
disappointing in failing to realize what
 they might do with their richer        
endowments2 they fail in strength of    
will4  ,now if we want a girl to grow to
 the best that a woman ought to be it is
 in two things that we must establish   
her fundamentally--quiet of mind and    
firmness of will4 ,quiet of mind equally
 removed from stagnation and from       
excitement4 ,in stagnation her mind is  
open to the seven evil spirits who came 
into the house that was empty and swept2
 under excitement it is carried to      
extremes in any direction which occupies
 its attention at the time4 ,the best   
minds of women are quiet1 intuitive1 and
 full of intellectual sympathies4 ,they 
are not in general made for initiation  
and creation1 but initiation and        
creation lean upon them for             
understanding and support4 ,and their   
support must be moral as well as mental1
 for this they need firmness of will4   
,support cannot be given to others      

without an inward support which does not
 fail towards itself in critical        
moments4 ,the great victories of women  
have been won by this inward support1   
this firmness and perseverance of will  
based upon faith4 ,the will of a woman  
is strong1 not in the measure of what it
 manifests without1 as of what it       
reserves within1 that is to say in the  
moderation of its own impulsiveness and 
emotional tendency1 in the              
self-discipline of perseverance1 the    
subordination of personal interest to   
the good of whatever depends upon it for
 support4 ,it is great in self-devotion1
 and in this is found its only lasting  
independence4  ,to give much and ask    
little in personal return is            
independence of the highest kind4 ,but  
faith alone can make it possible4 ,the  
,catholic ,faith gives that particular  
orientation of mind which is independent
 of this world1 knowing the account     
which it must give to ,god4 ,to some it 
is duty and the reign of conscience1 to 

others it is detachment and the reign of
 the love of ,god1 the joyful flight of 
the soul towards heavenly things4 ,the  
particular name matters little1 it has a
 centre of gravity4 ,as everlasting     
foundations upon a solid rock1 so the   
commandments of ,god in the heart of a  
holy woman4 #a--;,ecclus4 ,,xxvi4 #bd4  
,,appendix ,i4  ,,extract ,,from ,,the  
,,blessed ,,sacrament ,,by ,,father     
,,faber4  ,,book ,,iii4 ,,sec4 ,,vii4   
,let us put aside the curtain of        
vindicative fire1 and see what this pain
 of loss is like2 ,i say1 what it is    
like1 for it fortunately surpasses human
 imagination to conceive its dire       
reality4 ,suppose that we could see the 
huge planets and the ponderous stars    
whirling their terrific masses with     
awful1 and if it might be so1 clamorous 
velocity1 and thundering through the    
fields of unresisting space with furious
 gigantic momentum1 such as the mighty  
avalanche most feebly figures1 and thus 
describing with chafing eccentricities  

and frightful deflections1 their mighty 
centre-seeking and centre-flying        
circles1 we should behold in the        
nakedness of its tremendous operations  
the ,divine law of gravitation4 ,thus in
 like manner should we see the true     
relations between ,god and ourselves1   
the true meaning and worth of ,his      
beneficent presence1 if we could behold 
a lost soul at the moment of its final  
and judicial reprobation1 a few moments 
after its separation from the body and  
in all the strength of its disembodied  
vigour and the fierceness of its penal  
immortality4  ,no beast of the jungle1  
no chimera of heathen imagination1 could
 be so appalling4 ,no sooner is the     
impassable bar placed between ,god and  
itself than what theologians call the   
creature's radical love of the ,creator 
breaks out in a perfect tempest of      
undying efforts4 ,it seeks its centre   
and it cannot reach it4 ,it bounds up   
towards ,god1 and is dashed down again4 
,it thrusts and beats against the       

granite walls of its prison with such   
incredible force1 that the planet must  
be strong indeed whose equilibrium is   
not disturbed by the weight of that     
spiritual violence4 ,yet the great law  
of gravitation is stronger still1 and   
the planet swings smoothly through its  
beautiful ether4 ,nothing can madden the
 reason of the disembodied soul1 else   
the view of the desirableness of ,god   
and the inefficacious attractions of the
 glorious ,divinity would do so4  ,up   
and down its burning cage the           
many-facultied and mightily             
intelligenced spirit wastes its         
excruciating immortality in varying and 
ever varying still1 always beginning and
 monotonously completing1 like a caged  
beast upon its iron tether1 a threefold 
movement1 which is not three movements  
successively1 but one triple movement   
all at once4 ,in rage it would fain get 
at ,god to seize ,him1 dethrone ,him1   
murder ,him1 and destroy ,him2 in agony 
it would fain suffocate its own interior

 thirst for ,god1 which parches and     
burns it with all the frantic horrors of
 a perfectly self-possessed frenzy2 and 
in fury it would fain break its tight   
fetters of gnawing fire which pin down  
its radical love of the beautiful       
,sovereign ,good1 and drag it ever back 
with cruel wrench from its desperate    
propension to its uncreated ,centre4 ,in
 the mingling of these three efforts it 
lives its life of endless horrors4      
,portentous as is the vehemence with    
which it shoots forth its imprecations  
against ,god1 they fall faint and       
harmless1 far short of ,his tranquil1   
song-surrounded throne4  ,pour views of 
its own hideous state revolve around the
 lost soul1 like the pictures of some   
ghastly show4 ,one while it sees the    
million times ten million genera and    
species of pains of sense which meet and
 form a loathsome union with this vast  
central pain of loss4 ,another while all
 the multitude of graces1 the countless 
kind providences1 which it has wasted   

pass before it1 and generate that       
undying worm of remorse of which ,our   
,saviour speaks4 ,then comes a keen but 
joyless view1 a calculation1 but only a 
bankrupt's calculation1 of the          
possibility of gains for ever forfeited1
 of all the grandeur and ocean-like     
vastness of the bliss which it has lost4
 ,last of all comes before it the       
immensity of ,god1 to it so unconsoling 
and so unprofitable2 it is not a        
picture1 it is only a formless shadow1  
yet it knows instinctively that it is   
,god4 ,with a cry that should be heard  
creation through1 it rushes upon ,him1  
and it knocks itself1 spirit as it is1  
against material terrors4 ,it clasps the
 shadow of ,god1 and1 lo6 it embraces   
keen flames4 ,it runs up to ,him but it 
has encountered only fearful demons4 ,it
 leaps the length of its chain after    
,him1 but it has only dashed into an    
affrighting crowd of lost and cursed    
souls4 ,thus is it ever writhing under  
the sense of being its own executioner4 

,thus there is not an hour of our summer
 sunshine1 not a moment of our sweet    
starlight1 not a vibration of our       
moonlit groves1 not an undulation of    
odorous air from our flowerbeds1 not a  
pulse of delicious sound from music or  
song to us1 but that hapless unpitiable 
soul is ever falling sick afresh of the 
overwhelming sense that all around it is
 eternal4  ,,extract ,,from ,,the       
,,creator ,,and ,,the ,,creature4 ,,by  
,,father ,,faber4  ,,book ,,ii4 ,,ch4   
,v4  ,yet the heavenly joys of the      
illuminated understanding far transcend 
the thrills of the glorified senses4    
,the contemplation of heavenly beauty   
and of heavenly truth must indeed be    
beyond all our earthly standards of     
comparison4 ,the clearness and          
instantaneousness of all the mental     
processes1 the complete exclusion of    
error1 the unbroken serenity of the     
vision1 the facility of embracing whole 
worlds and systems in one calm1         
searching1 exhausting glance1 the       

,divine character and utter holiness of 
all the truths presented to the         
view--these are broken words which serve
 at least to show what we may even 'now 
indistinctly covet in that bright abode 
of everlasting bliss4 ,intelligent      
intercourse with the angelic choirs1 and
 the incessant transmission of the      
,divine splendours through them to our  
minds1 cannot be thought of without our 
perceiving that the keen pleasures and  
deep sensibilities of the intellectual  
world on earth are but poor1 thin1      
unsubstantial shadows of the exulting   
immortal life of our glorified minds    
above4  ,the very expansion of the      
faculties of the soul1 and the probable 
disclosure in it of many new faculties  
which have no object of exercise in this
 land of exile1 are in themselves       
pleasures which we can hardly picture to
 ourselves4 ,to be rescued from all     
narrowness1 and for ever2 to possess at 
all times a perfect consciousness of our
 whole undying selves1 and to possess   

and retain that self-consciousness in   
the bright light of ,god2 to feel the   
supernatural corroborations of the light
 of glory1 securing to us powers of     
contemplation such as the highest       
mystical theology can only faintly and  
feebly imitate2 to expatiate in ,god1   
delivered from the monotony of human    
things2 to be securely poised in the    
highest flights of our immense          
capacities1 without any sense of        
weariness1 or any chance of a reaction2 
who can think out for himself the       
realities of a life like this8  ,yet    
what is all this compared with one hour1
 one of earth's short hours1 of the     
magnificences of celestial love8 ,oh to 
turn our whole souls upon ,god1 and     
souls thus expanded and thus glorified2 
to have our affections multiplied and   
magnified a thousandfold1 and then      
girded up and strengthened by           
immortality to bear the beauty of ,god  
to be unveiled before us2 and even so   
strengthened1 to be rapt by it into a   

sublime amazement which has no          
similitude on earth2 to be carried away 
by the inebriating torrents of love1 and
 yet be firm in the most steadfast      
adoration2 to have passionate desire1   
yet without tumult or disturbance2 to   
have the most bewildering intensity     
along with an unearthly calmness2 to    
lose ourselves in ,god1 and then find   
ourselves there more our own than ever2 
to love rapturously and to be loved     
again still more rapturously1 and then  
for our love to grow more rapturous     
still1 and again the return of our love 
to be still outstripping what we gave1  
and then for us to love even yet more   
and more and more rapturously1 and      
again1 and again1 and again to have it  
so returned1 and still the great waters 
of ,god's love to flow over us and      
overwhelm us until the vehemence of our 
impassioned peace and the daring vigour 
of our yearning adoration reach beyond  
the sight of our most venturous         
imagining2 what is all this but for our 

souls to live a life of the most        
intelligent entrancing ecstasy1 and yet 
not be shivered by the fiery heat8      
,there have been times on earth when we 
have caught our own hearts loving ,god1 
and there was a flash of light1 and then
 a tear1 and after that we lay down to  
rest4 ,o happy that we were6 ,worlds    
could not purchase from us even the     
memory of those moments4 ,and yet when  
we think of heaven1 we may own that we  
know not yet what manner of thing it is 
to love the ,lord ,our ,god4            
,,appendix ,,ii  ,from a ,pastoral      
,letter of ,his ,eminence ,cardinal     
,bourne1 ,archbishop of ,westminster1   
written when ,bishop of ,southwark4     
,quinquagesima ,sunday1 #aija4          
444,every age has its own difficulties  
and dangers4 ,at the present day we are 
exposed to temptations which at the     
beginning of the last century were of   
comparatively small account4 ,it will be
 so always4 ,every new development of   
human activity1 every invention of human

 ingenuity1 is meant by ,god to serve to
 ,his honour1 and to the good of ,his   
creatures4 ,we must accept them all     
gratefully as the results of the        
intelligence which ,he has been pleased 
to bestow upon us4 ,at the same time the
 experience of every age teaches us that
 the weakness and perversity of many    
wrest to evil purposes these gifts1     
which in the ,divine intention should   
serve only for good4 ,it is against the 
perverted use of two of ,god's gifts    
that we would very earnestly warn you   
to-day4  ,during the last century the   
power that men have of conveying their  
thoughts to others has been multiplied  
incredibly by the facility of the       
printed word4 ,thoughts uttered in      
speech or sermon were given but to a few
 hundreds who came within the reach of  
the human voice4 ,even when they were   
communicated to manuscript they came to 
the knowledge of very few4 ,what a      
complete change has now been wrought4   
,in the shortest space of time men's    

ideas are conveyed all over the world1  
and they may become at once a power for 
good or for evil in every place1 and    
millions who have never seen or heard   
him whose thoughts they read1 are       
brought to some extent under his        
influence4  ,again1 at the present day  
all men read1 more or less4 ,the number 
of those who are unable to do so is     
rapidly diminishing1 and a man who      
cannot read will soon be practically    
unknown4 ,as a matter of fact men read a
 great deal1 and they are very largely  
influenced by what they read4  ,thus the
 multiplicity of printed matter1 and the
 widespread power of reading have       
created a situation fraught with immense
 possibilities for good1 but no less    
exposed to distinct occasions of evil   
and of sin4 ,it is to such occasions of 
sin1 dear children in ,jesus ,christ1   
that we desire to direct your attention 
this ,lent4  ,every gift of ,god brings 
with it responsibility on our part in   
the use that we make of it4 ,the supreme

 gift of intelligence and free-will are 
powers to enable us to love and serve   
,god1 but we are able to use them to    
dishonour and outrage ,him4 ,so with all
 the other faculties that flow from     
these two great gifts4 ,beading and     
books have brought many souls nearer to 
their ,creator4 ,many souls1 on the     
other hand1 have been ruined eternally  
by the books which they have read4 ,it  
is dearly1 therefore1 of importance to  
us to know how to use wisely these gifts
 that we possess4  ,the ,holy ,catholic 
,church1 the ,guardian of ,god's ,truth1
 and the unflinching upholder of the    
moral law1 has been always alive to her 
duty in this matter1 and from the       
earliest times has claimed and exercised
 the right of pointing out to her       
children books that are dangerous to    
faith or virtue4 ,this is one of the    
duties of bishops1 and1 in a most       
special manner1 of the ,sacred          
,congregation of the ,index4 ,and1      
though at the present day1 owing to the 

decay of religious belief1 this         
authority cannot be exercised in the    
same way as of old1 it is on that very  
account all the more necessary for us to
 bear well in mind1 and to carry out    
fully in practice1 the great unchanging 
principles on which the legislation of  
the ,church in this matter has been ever
 based4  ,you are bound1 dear children  
in ,jesus ,christ1 to guard yourselves  
against all those things which may be a 
source of danger to your faith or purity
 of heart4 ,you have no right to tamper 
with the one or the other4 ,therefore1  
in the first place1 it is the duty of   
,catholics to abstain from reading all  
such books as are written directly with 
the object of attacking the ,christian  
,faith1 or undermining the foundations  
of morality4 ,if men of learning and    
position are called upon to read such   
works in order to refute them1 they must
 do so with the fear of ,god before     
their eyes4 ,they must fortify          
themselves by prayer and spiritual      

reading1 even as men protect themselves 
from contagion1 where they have to enter
 a poisonous atmosphere4 ,mere          
curiosity1 still less the desire to pass
 as well informed in every newest       
theory1 will not suffice to justify us  
in exposing ourselves to so grave a     
risk4  ,again1 there are many books1    
especially works of fiction1 in which   
false principles are often indirectly   
conveyed1 and by which the imagination  
may be dangerously excited4 ,with regard
 to such reading1 it is very hard to    
give one definite rule1 for its effect  
on different characters varies so much4 
,a book most dangerous to one may be    
almost without harm to another1 on      
account of the latter's want of vivid   
imagination4 ,again1 a book full of     
danger to the youth or girl may be      
absolutely without effect on one of     
maturer years4 ,the one and only rule is
 to be absolutely loyal and true to our 
conscience1 and if the voice of         
conscience is not sufficiently distinct1

 to seek guidance and advice from those 
upon whom we can rely1 and above all1   
from the director of our souls4 ,if we  
take up a book1 and we find that1       
without foolish scruple1 it is raising  
doubts in our mind or exciting our      
imagination in perilous directions1 then
 we must be brave enough to close it1   
and not open it again4 ,if our weakness 
is such that we cannot resist           
temptation1 which unforeseen may come   
upon us1 then it is our duty not to read
 any book the character of which is     
quite unknown to us4 ,if any such book  
is a source of temptation to us1 we must
 shun it1 if we wish to do our duty to  
,god4 ,if our reading makes us          
discontented with the lot in life which 
,divine ,providence has assigned to us1 
if it leads us to neglect or do ill the 
duties of our position1 if we find that 
our trust in ,god is lessening and our  
love of this world growing1 in all these
 cases we must examine ourselves with   
the greatest care1 and banish from      

ourselves any book which is having these
 evil effects upon us4  ,lastly there is
 an immense amount of literature1 mostly
 of an ephemeral character1 which almost
 of necessity enters very largely into  
our lives at the present day4 ,we cannot
 characterize it as wholly bad1 though  
its influence is not entirely good1 but 
it is hopeless to attempt to counteract 
what is harmful in it by any direct     
means4 ,the newspapers and magazines of 
the hour are often without apparent     
harm1 and yet very often their arguments
 are based on principles which are      
unsound1 and their spirit is frankly    
worldly1 and entirely opposed to the    
teaching of ,jesus ,christ and of the   
,gospel4 ,still more when the ,catholic 
,church and the ,holy ,see are in       
question1 we know full well1 and the    
most recent experience has proved it1   
that they are often consciously or      
unconsciously untruthful4 ,even when    
their misrepresentations have been      
exposed1 in spite of the boasted        

fairness of our country1 we know that we
 must not always expect a withdrawal of 
false news1 still less adequate apology4
 ,constant reading of this character    
cannot but weaken the ,catholic sense   
and instinct1 and engender in their     
place a worldly and critical spirit most
 harmful in every way1 unless we take   
means to counteract it4 ,what are these 
means8 ,a place must be found in your   
lives1 dear children in ,jesus ,christ1 
for reading of a distinctly ,catholic   
character4 ,you must endeavour to know  
the actual life and doings of the       
,catholic ,church at home and abroad by 
the reading of ,catholic periodical     
literature4 ,you must have at hand books
 of instruction in the ,catholic ,faith1
 for at least occasional reading1 so as 
to keep alive in your minds the full    
teaching of the ,church4 ,you must give 
due place to strictly spiritual reading1
 such as the ,holy ,gospels1 ,the       
,following of ,christ1 ,the             
,introduction to a ,devout ,life by ,st4

 ,francis of ,sales1 and the lives of   
the ,saints1 which are now published in 
every form and at every price4 ,it is   
not your duty to abstain from reading   
all the current literature of the day1  
but it is your duty to nourish your     
,catholic mental life by purely         
,catholic literature4 ,the more you read
 of secular works1 the more urgent is   
your duty to give a sufficient place to 
those also1 which will directly serve   
you in doing your duty to ,god and in   
saving your soul4 ,assuredly one of the 
most pressing duties at the present day 
is to recognize fully our personal and  
individual responsibility in this matter
 of reading1 and to examine our         
conscience closely to see how we are    
acquitting ourselves of it4  ,before we 
leave this subject1 we wish to ask all  
those among you dear children in ,jesus 
,christ1 who1 whether as fathers and    
mothers1 or as members of religious     
institutes1 or masters and mistresses in
 schools1 are charged with the education

 of the young1 to do all in your power  
to train those committed to you to a    
wise and full understanding of this     
matter of reading1 and to a realization 
of its enormous power for good and harm1
 and1 therefore1 to a sense of the      
extreme responsibility attaching to it4 
,make them understand that1 while all   
are able to read1 all things are not to 
be read by all2 that this power1 like   
every power1 may be abused1 and that we 
have to learn how to use it with due    
restraint4 ,while they are with you and 
gladly subject to your influence1 train 
their judgment and their taste in       
reading1 so that they may know what is  
good and true1 and know how to turn from
 what is evil and false4 ,such a trained
 and cultivated judgment is the best    
protection that you can bestow upon     
them4 ,some dangers must be overcome by 
flight1 but there are far more1         
especially at the present day1 which    
must be faced1 and then overcome4 ,it is
 part of your great vocation to prepare 

and equip these children to be brave and
 to conquer in this fight4 ,gradually1  
therefore1 accustom them to the dangers 
they may meet in reading4 ,train their  
judgment1 strengthen their wills1 make  
them loyal to conscience1 and then1     
trusting in ,god's grace1 give them to  
their work in life4     ,,index4        
,abbesses1 the great1 #bbd4 ,accent and 
pronunciation1 #aed4 ,adolescence1      
impressionability of children in1 #agc4 
,aesthetics1 #fh2 principles of1 #ga-b2 
teaching of1 #ahg4 ,agnesi1 ,maria      
,gaetana1 #bbb4 ,aids to study1 #ajc-d4 
,a ,kempls on self-seeking1 #aig4       
,america3 educational experiments in1   
#hd2 text-books in1 #ahj4 ,american view
 on character1 #bb4   --expressive      
phrases1 #abh1aee4 ,ampere1 ,catholic   
scientist1 #aae4 ,amusements and        
lessons1 #ajj4 ,animals1 care of1 in    
education of children1 #abe4 ,answers1  
irrelevancy in girls'1 #gd4 ,aquinas1   
,st4 ,thomas1 #gb4 ,architecture1       
,gothic1 inferences from1 #ahi4 ,arnold1

 ,matthew1 quoted1 #dh4 ,art1 character 
and1 #ahf-g2 ,christian1 #ahh1 #ahi1    
#aig2 for children1    #aia-b2 contrasts
 in works of1 #ahi-ij2 in education of  
girls1 #gb1 #ahg2    ,french art1 #ahg2 
history of1 #ahh-i2 study of1 #aij-a2   
aims of study in    early education1    
#ahe1 #aif4 ,assenting mind1 the1 #be4  
,assentors1 great1 #bf4 ,athletic craze1
 the1 #aaa4   --girl1 the1 #bai4        
,atmosphere in education1 #cba-b4       
,audience1 ,english and ,german1        
contrasted1 #aic4 ,aurora ,leigh1 #baf4 
,average person1 the1 #fd-f4            
,babylonian ,captivity1 the4 #afe4      
,bacon1 ,of ,goodnesse1 #de4 ,balder1   
the story of1 #agj4 ,barbarism1         
selfishness and1 #aii4 ,basilicas1 the  
,christian1 #ai-bj4 ,basket-ball for    
girls1 #aaj4 ,bassi1 ,laura1 #bbb4      
,beale1 ,dorothea1 cited1 #id4 ,bedford 
,college1 #bah4 ,benedictine monks1     
cited1 #ib-h4 ,boarding schools1 #gf2   
young children in1 #gh4 ,boniface       
,,viii1 #agg4 ,books1 attitude of child 

towards1 #cf2 wealth of children's      
literature in   ,england1 #add-e        
--reaction against mere lessons from1   
#hj1 #aai-bj4   --,sacred1 jewels of    
prayer and devotion in1 ,,is4   --to    
avoid1 #adh4 ,botany1 #abb-c4 ,british  
oulturs1 characteristics of1 #aci4      
,browning1 ,e4 ,b41 cited1 #baf4        
--,r41 quoted1 #gf2 ,an incident of the 
,french camp1 cited1 #acf4  ,calvinism1 
#d1 #bf4 ,candour1 charm of1 in         
children1 #acj4 ,carlyle1 cited1 #aec4  
,catch-words1 abuse of1 #acc4           
,catherine1 ,st41 of ,siena1 #bbc4      
,catholic--   ,art1 #ahi1 #aig4         
,atmosphere1 effect on manners1 #bja4   
,body1 at play1 #aaa2 and religious     
education1 #a4   ,characteristics3      
belong to graver side of human race1    
#aab1   ,child1 the1 characteristics of1
 #bi1 #cj2  source of courage in1 #i-aj2
    in ,protestant surroundings1 #bd2   
prerogative of1 #i1 #cj4   ,children1   
and relationship with ,jeaus and ,his   
,mother1 #h2 and religion1    #af-ah2   

under influence of ,sacraments1 #bi4    
,church1 ideals for man and woman in1   
#aah1 #bbe4   ,citizenship1 #ci4        
,disabilities1 ,newman quoted1 #aab-c4  
,education1 #bbj1 #bbe1 #bcj2 and       
character1 #ci2 and history1 #aaf4      
,faith1 gives particular orientation of 
mind1 #bcb4   ,family life1 #hi1 #ic4   
,girls1 and work for the ,church1 #hi2  
and ,church music1 #aic4   ,historical  
hold on the past1 #aeb4   ,literature1  
#bdj4   ,men of science1 #aaf4   ,mental
 life1 #bdb4   ,mind3 training of the1  
#aig2 and history1 #afe4   ,patriotism1 
#ci4   ,peasantry1 #baa4   ,philosophy1 
#fj-gf2 value of1 in education1 #fa4    
,schools3 manners in1 #bja2 sodalities  
in1 #gh4   ,secrets of strength1 #ii4   
,teachers1 #ajj2 and truth in history1  
#agh4   ,text-books1 need of1 #ahj4     
,women1 duty and privilege of1 #aab4    
,catholics and--   ,equality of         
education1 #aah2 higher education1 #bbj2
 duty ,in ing1 #bdj2    historical      
teaching1 #agf2 ,latin1 #afc2 taste in  

art1 #aid   --disabilities of1 ,newman  
quoted1 #aab-h4 ,celts of ,n4 ,europe1  
types of character among1 #ig4          
,certificates as aids to study1 #ajhd4  
,character1 #ba-c2 essentials of1 #dj-a2
 evolution of1 #fj1agi-c2 study of1     
#bb1 #bi1 #cd-i2 training of1 #bb1      
#bi-cd1 #ch-db1 #df1 #di-ea1 #eh1 #adh1 
#baj1    #bba1 #bbe-f1 #bcj2 means of   
training #db-d2 types of1 #bf-i1 #cg4   
--influence of art on1 #ahf4   --in the 
teacher1 #ch1 #df-ei4   --manners and1  
#bji4   --religion and1 #f-g1 #bi4      
--the strength of great women1 #bbh4    
--value of1 appreciated by children1    
#ef-h1 #aga4 ,characters1 modern1 #bf1  
#hc2 cardinal points in study of        
children's1    #cd-g4 ,characteristic   
cadence in speaking1 #ed4               
,characteristics1 of the age1 #ci2    of
 ,british culture1 #acj2 of ,english    
style1 #abi-cj2 of girls' work1    #bah4
 ,charges against the ,church1 #agi4    
,chaucer1 #abg4 ,cheltenham ,college1   
#id1 #bah4 ,child1 attitude of1 towards 

books1 #cf4   --martyrs1 #aj4   --study1
 #ce1 #eg4   --vocabulary of an only1   
#acb4   --,wordsworth's model child1    
#cb-c4   ,see also ,catholic ,child4    
,childhood1 friendships formed in1 #aa4 
--impressionability of1 #agc4           
,childishness in piety1 #aj4 ,childlike 
spirit of ,catholic child1 #bi4         
,children1 #cj4   --books for1 #add-f2  
attitude to books1 #cf4                 
--characteristics of1 #cf1 #ff1 #ef1    
#hb-c1 #aji-aj1 #abc2 candour1 #ahj2    
habits of mind1 #abf2 sensitive to      
influences1 #df2 as critics1 #acf2      
like real people1 #ef-f2 dislike        
compromise1 #age4   --delicate1 #i1 #ej1
 #hd1 #hf4   --development of1 #hb2     
mental development1 #adj-a1 #afi-gc4    
--eccentric ways in1 #hd4   --groups    
observable among1 #bc1 #bf-h1 #hg1      
#fb1abe4   --and lessons2 a simple life 
essential1 #ajj2 do not know how to     
learn1   #aja2 answers1 #ajb4           
--letters of1 #ahh-i4   --and love of   
nature1 #abd1abf4   --no orphans within 

the ,church1 #hj4   --and playtime      
solitude1 #ajh-i4 souls of1 #bjj4       
--training of1 #cb-c4 ,chivalry3 age of1
 #bjb2 religious spirit of1 #afe4       
,choleric temperament1 the1 #bf4        
,church1 the--   ,abuses in1            
exaggerated1 #agi4   ,ceremonial of1    
#bje-f4   ,characterised as the ,great  
,master who educates us all1 #dcd2 as   
the    ,guardian of ,truth1 #bci2 the   
,teacher of all nations1 #eh-i1 #ii4    
,example of1 as teacher1 #dc2 influence 
on ,catholic taachers1 #ii-ajj4   in    
,france1 #afe4   and history1 #afe4     
,ideals for man and woman in1 #aah1     
#bbe4   ,music of1 #aic-d4   ,needlework
 for1 #hi4   the pioneers of1 #ib4   as 
a teacher of manners1 #bjj-c1 #bje4     
testimony to1 from ,non-,catholic       
sources1 #ei1 #agh4 ,classes1 advantages
 of large1 #ig4 ,classical studies1     
#aea-b ,classics1 ,english1 for the     
young1 #ade4 ,clever children1 the      
so-called1 #abe4 ,colonial life1 #ib4   
,common sense1 #fe4 ,communion1 ,first1 

#bi4 ,composition1 oral1 #ach2 written1 
#acg1 #aci-db4 ,concentric method in    
teaching1 #afg4 ,confirmation1 #bi4     
,contentment1 #ij4 ,contrasts1 method   
of1 in teaching of art1 #ahi4 ,control  
and handling in training children1 #bjj4
 ,controversies4 ,see ,educational      
,controversies4 ,conventionality1       
#aih-i4 ,conventions1 code of1 #aii4    
,conversation1 #acb-g2 of girls1 #ahb-d2
 principles in1 #acg4 ,cooking1 #ij1    
#aba4 ,correction1 value of1 #db4       
,cosmology1 #fh4 ,countrymen and nature1
 #abd-e4 ,crimean ,war and women's work1
 #bai4 ,criticism and correction1 #db-c2
 administered by the ,church1 #dd4      
--evils of merely destructive1 #ahc2    
reading lesson as an exercise in1       
#acf2 of essays1 #adb4 ,critics1 gravity
 of children as1 #acf4 ,cross-roads in a
 girl's life1 #adj4 ,cruelty1 #aii4     
,crusades1 ideals of the1 #afe4         
,curiosity concerning evil1 #ad2 evil of
 curiosity in reading1 #adi4            
,dalgairns1 ,fr41 cited1 #ab4           

,damoiseaux1 in days of chivalry1 #bjc  
,dancing1 #aaj-aa4 ,dante1 ,paradiso1   
quoted1 #fj4 ,death1 right thoughts of1 
#g4 ,de ,bonald1 cited1 #gc4 ,de        
,ghantal1 ,st4 ,jane ,f41 quoted1 #gf4  
,de ,gramont1 ,marquise1 quoted1 #da4   
,degrees1 different significance of1 for
 man and woman1 #bbj-a4 ,democratic age1
 #e1 #bjg4 ,democracy in the nursery1   
#bjh4 ,de ,ravignan1 ,pere1 quoted1     
#aje4 ,devotion3 requirements of1 #aj2  
to our ,lady1 #bje1 #bah4 ,and see      
,self-devotion4 ,devotions of ,blessed  
,sacrament and ,sacred  ,heart entrusted
  to women1    #bbc4   --to the ,saints1
 #aj4 ,difficulties of mind1 #fa-f4     
,discipline and obedience1 #db4         
,dogmatism in teaching1 #ec4 ,domestic  
occupations1 #ha1 #he-ib1 #ic1 #aba4    
,doubts and difficulties as to faith1   
#ad4 ,dressmaking1 #hh4 ,drudgery1 need 
of1 #if1 #ih4 ,duty and endurance1 #if4 
,eccentricity1 #hc-e4 ,educated1 a      
well-educated girl1 #bca4 ,education--  
,aims in1 #hh1 #hi1 #aei1 #bcj-a4       

,board of1 #hj-a1 #ie1 #aai1 #abj1 #aba4
   and character1 #ba1 #bca4   ,demands 
of girls'1 #gg4   ,a finished1 #bcj-a4  
,higher ,education of women1 #bad-bh4   
,home education1 #gg1 #if1 #ig1 #aee4   
,intermediate1 #hg1aaf4   ,intellectual 
and practical1 contrasted1 #ia4   ,last 
years of1 #bac4   and lesson books1 #hj4
   ,life the test of1 #bcj4   and       
material requirements of life1 #hf4     
,middle class1 and practical work1 #ha4 
,mistakes in ,english1 #aai-ba4   the   
opportunity of the teacher1 #bbi1       
,practical1 #ha1 #ia2 practical aspect  
of1 #abb4   ,problems in1 #gf et seq4   
,religious1 #a-bj4   and religious      
orders1 #eh-i4   ,state control in1     
#bag4   ,system of #ahgj1 #cd1 #abj4    
,ugly stage in1 #bcj4   of women1       
changes in1 #bae4   of young children1  
#gh-i1 #if-g4 ,educational advantages of
 personal work1 #hh4 ,educational       
controversies1 #a1 #ii1 #aaf1 #aah1     
#aea1 #bah4   --experiments in ,america1
 #cd4   --pressure levels original      

thought1 #ahd4 ,educators1 qualities in 
great1 #ii2 fundamental principles of1  
#ii1 #aef4   --of early childhood1 types
 of1 #ca-b4 ,elementary schools1 #ig4   
,elizabeth1 the two ,saints1 #bbd4      
,emerson on manners1 #aih4              
,encouragement1 need of1 #ej4 ,english  
characteristics1 #ahj1 #acg1 #baf-g4    
--language1 #abh1 #aej2 study of1       
#abg-di2 mathod in study1 #aca2         
characteristics of style1 #abi-cj2      
,american influences on1 #abg-h2        
traces of ,elizabethan1 in ,america1    
#abh2 new words in1 #abi2 children's    
,english1 #abi-ca4 ,and see             
,composition1 ,conversation1            
,literature1    ,reading4   --martyrs1  
#agb4   --portraits in ,berlin1 #abi-cj4
 ,essay writing1 #ach-db4 ,ethics1 #fh1 
#gj1 #ga1 #gc4 ,european history1 #afe1 
#aff4 ,eustoohium1 ,st41 #bbd4          
,examination programme1 a professional  
danger1 #fa4 ,example1 power of1 #ch1   
#df4 ,excitement1 evil of1 #ajj1 #bca4  
,exempt persons1 #hf4  ,faber1 ,father1 

on hell and heaven1 #h1 #bcc-g4         
,fairness1 children look for1 #ef4      
,faith1 and art1 #ahi-ij1 #aid4         
--,catholic1 things which come with1    
#ci4   --child's soul hungry for1 #bjj4 
--children as confessors of1 #aj4       
--dangers to1 #aa-ad1 #agh1 #bdj4       
--difficulties and doubts as to1 #ad-ae4
   --mysteries in1 #b1 #ae4             
--philosophy1 a help and support to1    
#fa1 #gb4   --the ,propagation of the1  
#bbh4   --responsibility with regard to1
 #af-ag4   --right thoughts of1 #aj4    
--thoughts of1 inspiring life1 #f1 #ih1 
#ajd4 ,family life1 ,catholic1 #ci1 #ic4
 ,fathers and mothers1 symbols of ,god's
 love1 #c4 ,faults contrary to spirit of
 childhood1 #ej4 ,feltre1 ,vittorino da1
 #ii4 ,fighting instinct in child1 #aji4
 ,first aid1 #hi4 ,fitch1 ,sir ,j41     
,lessons on ,teaching1 cited #afi4      
,fitness1 sense of1 #ai4 ,flowers and   
children1 #aji1 #abh1 #abe-f4 ,four last
 things1 right thoughts of1 #g-h4       
,france1 literature in1 #afa4 ,francis  

of ,sales1 ,st41 cited1 #ab1ag1 #bf2 on 
care of the ,church1 #dd2    works of1  
#afb n41 #bdb4 ,frauenbund1 #bai4       
,freemason1 ,jewish1 in ,rome1 #aa4     
,french3 art1 #ahg2 language1 study of1 
#afc1 #aej1 #afi-fj2 litarature         
#afj-a2 mind1 bent of1 #afj2            
,revolution1 #bjb4 ,friend1 the         
influence of a1 #db4 ,friendship and    
character forming1 #db1 #dc4            
,friendships1 as indications of         
character1 #hf2 a safeguard against     
morbid1 #ea2 with the saints1 #aa4      
,gairdner's ,lollardy and the           
,reformation cited1 #agi4 ,games1 value 
of organized1 #gh1 #ajg-h1 #aaj4        
,gardens for children1 #abe4   --in a   
new country1 #abf4 ,genesis1 ,book of1  
#aae4 ,geography1 #abb4 ,german1        
language1 study of1 #aec-d1 #afi-fj4    
--musical audience1 #aic4 ,girl students
 at universities1 #bag-h1 #bbf4 ,girls' 
and higher moral education1 #bbf-g4     
--answers1 irrelevancy in1 #gd4         
--views of life at age of #ah1 #bad2    

mental outlook at #af1 #ada4   --work1  
characteristics of1 #bah4 ,girton1 #bah4
 ,giving way1 #he4 ,god1 child's soul   
near to1 #abf4   --duty to1 #a1 #bah1   
#bda4   --,fatherhood of1 #c1 #f4   --on
 conveying right thought of1 to         
children1 #a-h4   --truths concerning   
existence of1 #gb4 ,god's care for us1  
#dd4   --priest1 ,art1 #ahb4 ,golliwogg1
 the1 #aje-f4 ,gothic architecture1     
#ahi4 ,governess1 a modern1 #gg4        
,grammar1 #fg4 ,gramophone in language  
teaching1 #aef4 ,greek history1 #afi4   
--tragedies1 #ahd4 ,gregory ,,xvi and   
,de ,bonald1 #gc4 ,grown-up life1 on    
anticipated instruction in1 #id4  ,habit
 of work1 #dj1 #ih4 ,habits1 #ba1 #bb4  
,handicrafts1 teaching of1 #ha4         
,handling  in training in manners1      
#bjj-b4 ,handy member of family1 the1   
#hc4 ,hearing of lessons1 #aja4 ,hedley1
 ,bp41 quoted1 #dc4 ,hell and heaven1   
#h1 #bch-g4 ,hidden lives1 #bbg-h4      
,higher education of women1 #bad-h2     
atmosphere for1 non-existent #bba1 #bbf2

    and ,catholic influence1 #bbe2 false
 aims in1 #bbf2 and realities of        
life1 #bbf4   --life1 the1 #bbh4        
,historical teaching to ,catholics1     
#agf4 ,history1 #afd2 position in       
curriculum1 #aff-g2 value in education1 
#aha4   --,european1 centres round the  
,church1 #afe-g4   --study1 and the     
examination syllabus1 #aff1 #afh4       
--teaching3 and periods in development  
of children1 #agj-f2 aims in            
teaching1 #agb2 method1 #ajb1 #afg-i1   
#ahj-a2 concentric method1 #afg2        
truth in teaching1 #agh2 requirements in
 the teacher1 #agf-i4   --text-books1   
defects of1 #afh4 ,hockey1 #aaj4 ,holy  
family1 the1 #ih4   --,roman ,empire1   
#afe4 ,home education1 #gg1 #if1 #ig1   
#aee4   --happiness dependent on        
manners1 #bjh4 ,hooliganism1 #aii-bjj4  
,imagination1 #ahi-dj4 ,impressionism in
 conduct1 #gj4 ,independence1 #dj1 #ib1 
#bjg1 #bcb4 ,influence4 ,see ,example4  
,insincerity1 #dg-h2 in teaching1       
#ad1agh4 ,inspectors on teaching by     

nuns1 #ei4 ,investitures1 struggle      
concerning1 #aff4 ,irish ,intermediate  
education1 #hg1 #aaf4 ,isabella the     
,catholic1 #bbd4 ,italian humanism1 #be4
   --language1 study of1 #aec1 #aei4    
--question1 #aff4  ,jansenism1 spirit   
of1 #d4 ,jesus ,christ1 right views of1 
#h-i4 ,joan of ,arc1 ,blessed1 #bbc4    
,johnson1 ,lionel1 quoted1 xiii1 #bbi4  
,judgment1 right thoughts of1 #g-h4     
,keble1 ,j41 quoted1 #a4 ,kingdom of    
woman1 #bbd4 ,knighthood1 training for1 
#bjb-c ,knowledge3 at first hand1 #abc2 
before action1 #ca2 love of1 and        
influence    of teacher1 #ii-ajj4       
,laboratory science1 #abj-a4 ,language4 
,see ,english4 ,languages1 modern1 place
 and value in education1 #aej-a1aef-h2  
social and    commercial values of1     
#aeg-h2 evil of superficial knowledge   
of1 #aeh2    attitude towards study of1 
#aec1 #aed2 choice of1 #aei-fa2         
pronunciation1 #aed2 methods in study1  
#aee-g2  self-instruction    courses1   
#aef2 translation1 #afa-c4 ,latin1      

#afa-c2 grammar1 #hb4   --races1        
temperaments among1 #bg4 ,learning by   
heart1 #ace4   --of lessons1 #ajj-b4    
,leo ,,xiii1 #ag1 #fc1 #gd4 ,lesson     
books and education1 #hj1 #ha1 #aai4    
,lessons and play1 #hc1ie-f1ajj4        
--from history1 #agf4   --hearing of1   
#ajb2 learning of1 #ajj-b4              
,letter-writing1 #ach-i4 ,lir1 children 
of1 #agj4 ,literature1 #adb-f2 wealth of
 children's books1 #add-e4 ,logic1 #fg1 
#fh-i1 #gc2 has no place in ,english    
religious system1 #bd4 ,lowell1 ,j4     
,russell1 quoted1 #aej4 ,loyalty and    
patriotism1 #agj4  ,mackey1 ,canon1     
cited1 #afb4 ,mangnall's ,questions1    
#bae4 ,mannerisms in teachers1 #ed-f4   
,manners1 #aih-bjc1 #baj1 #bac2 codes   
of1 #bje-f2 derivation of word1 #bjb2   
acquiring of1 wearisome1 #bjd-e1 #baj2  
neglect of1 #bje-f2 effect of    neglect
 to teach1 #aii-bjj2 fundamentals of1   
#bjh-d2 high and low    watermarks in1  
#bjh-i2 standard of1 #bjc1 #bab2        
training in1 #bjd-e1    #bjg-i2 example 

not enough1 #baj2 personal element in   
training in1 #bab2    mistakes in       
training in1 #bjh2 truthfulness in1     
#baa-b4 ,manners and--   ,class of life1
 #baa2 home ties1 #bjg-h2 religion1     
#bjj-b1 #bje-f1 #baa2    service1 #baa1 
#bac2 the life of to-day1 #bjg4 ,manual 
work1 value of1 in education1 #hb-c1    
#he1 #hf2 a corrective to               
eccentricity1 #hc2 domestic occupations1
 #he-ic4 ,mathematics1 #aad1 #aaf-h1    
#aba4 ,matilda of ,tuscany1 #bbc4       
,mechanical toys1 #ajf-g4 ,melancholic  
temperament1 the1 #bf1 #bh4 ,mercier1   
,cardinal1 quoted1 #fi1 #ga1 #gb4       
,metaphysics1 #fh4 ,middle-class        
education1 #ha4 ,mind1 quiet of1 #bba1  
#bca-b2 habits of mind in children1     
#abe2 development    of1 #adj-a1        
#afi-gc4 ,minds3 the best of1 in women1 
#bca-b2 #e2 classes of1 #fa-f4          
,modernism1 #ac4 ,montalembert1 quoted1 
#hh4 ,more1 ,blessed ,thomas1 #bf1 #ii4 
,mouvement ,feministe1 #bai4 ,music1    
place of1 in education1 #aia-d2 aims of 

study in1 #aic2    intellectual aspect  
of1 #aib4 ,myths1 value in teaching     
history1 #agj4  ,nagging1 in teaching   
manners1 #bjd4 ,natural ,science1 #fg1  
#aad-f1 #aah-bb4   --,theology1 #fh1    
#gb-c4 ,nature ,study1 #aad1 #abb-f2    
aims of1 #abb2 books1 #abc-d4 ,neoker de
 ,saussure1 ,mme41 quoted1 #dg-h1 #ed4  
,needlework1 #hg-i1 #aba4 ,nervs        
fatigue1 #hd4 ,nerves1 women subject to1
 #gj4 ,newman1 ,cardinal1 quoted1 #aab1 
#afd4 ,newnham ,college1 #bah4          
,nightingale1 ,florence1 #bai4          
,non-,catholic parents1 and schools held
 by ,religious1 #ei4   --schools1 #aea1 
#aff4 ,nonconformist type of character1 
#bc-f4 ,nonentities1 good1 #ch-dj4      
,north of ,england ,ladies' ,council of 
,education1 #bah4 ,nuremberg1           
,pirkheimer family of1 #bbb4 ,nurse1 the
 ,english and the ,irish1 #ca-b4        
,nursery shrine1 the1 #aje1 #ajf4       
,nursing1 #hi1 #bah-i4  ,obedience1     
training in1 #dc4 ,observation of       
children1 #ce4   --training in1 #ha1    

#aai-bf4 ,oral composition1 #ach2 oral  
lessons1 #gd1 #ahj4 ,organization and   
development1 #hj1 #hg4 ,our ,lady1 right
 thoughts of1 #h-aj4 ,oxford and        
,cambridge ,degrees1 #bbj4   --girl     
students at1 #bah4  ,painting and       
drawing1 #aia-f4 ,parents3 and teaching 
about ,god1 #c2 and teaching of manners1
 #bjh4 ,pasteur1 #aae4 ,pater1 ,walter1 
cited1 #acj4 ,patience1 value of1 #dj1  
#bab2 mental and moral1 in women1 #afc4 
,patriotism1 #ci1 #agj-a4 ,paula1 ,st41 
#bbd4 ,peasantry1 ,catholic1 simplicity 
of manners in1 #baa4 ,penance1          
,sacrament of1 #bi4 ,people of great    
promise1 #bca4 ,personal work1          
educational advantages of1 #hh4 ,piety1 
childishness in1 #aj4 ,philosophy1      
#fj-ge2 method of study in1 #ff-gd2     
relation to revealed    truth1 #gc4     
,phonetics1 #aee4 ,physical exercise1   
#hb4 ,pico de ,mirandola1 #bf4          
,pirkheimer family of ,nuremberg1 #bbb4 
,piscopia1 ,lucretia1 #bbb4 ,pius ,,vii1
 #agg4 ,pius ,x1 life of labour of1 #ii4

 ,plants1 care of1 for chilflren1 #abf4 
,play1 #ajd-e1 #aaa1 #aab2 and          
character1 #hf1 #aje1 #ajg2 of the      
nursery1    #aje-f2 and organized games1
 #ajg-h1 #aaj2 and solitude1 #ajh-aj2   
toys    and playthings1 #ajg2 hoops1    
#aaj4 ,poetry1 #ajb2 place of1 #aib2 for
 children's recitation1 #ahf4 ,popes1   
the3 in history1 #agg1 #agh1 #agi2 of   
,renaissance1 #bf2 temporal    power of1
 #afe2 life of labour of1 #ih-i4        
,popularity in matters of taste1 #ahh-d4
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,berlin1 #abi-cj4 ,pose1 temptation to1 
#da2 of being erratic1 #gj4 ,practical  
education1 #ha4 ,pressure in education1 
#ig1 #aaf-g4 ,prize distribution1 system
 of1 #ajc-d4 ,professional dangers in   
teaching1 #fa-g4 ,pronunciation and     
accent1 #aed4 ,proportion in studies1   
#aia4 ,protestant ,reformation1 effect  
on manners1 #bja4   --school1 ,catholic 
child in1 #bd4 ,protestantism1 #be2 and 
,french ,revolution1 #bjb4 ,psychology1 
#fh1 #gj-a1 #gc4 ,pugin's ,book of      

,contrasts1 cited1 #ahi4 ,punishment1   
#ii4  ,quack methods in learning        
languages1 #aee4 ,queen ,victoria1 #aec1
 #aih4 ,queen's ,college1 ,london1      
opening of1 #baf4 ,querdeo1 ,y ,le1     
quoted1 #ba4 ,querulous tone1 in the    
nursery1 #ec4 ,question and answer      
lessons1 #ge1 #ahj4 ,questioning1 manner
 of1 #ajb2 effect of too many questions1
 #cf4 ,quiet of mind1 #bba1 #bca-b4     
,reading3  ,cardinal ,archbishop of     
,westminster on1 #adg1 #bch-dc2 and     
character1 #cf2 for girls1 #adf1 #adh2  
without commentary1 #ade2 value    of1  
in education1 #ahb-db4   --aloud1 #acd1 
#acf1 #adf2 the best introduction to    
literature1 #adc4 ,realities of life1   
#ha1 #hg et seq41 #bbf4 ,recitation1    
#acd-f2 gesture in1 #acf4 ,recreation4  
,see ,play4 ,reformation1 the           
,protestant1 #bja4 ,religion1 the       
teaching of1 #a-bj2 aims in1 #aa1       
#ag-ah2 periods in1 #h4 ,religious      
houses1 foundresses of1 #bbd2 and manual
 labour1 #ih4   --minds1 difficulties   

of1 #fc4   --orders1 development of1    
#afe4   --teaching3 qualifications for1 
#d2 and manners1 #bja4 ,renaissance1    
the1 #be2 ,popes of the1 #bf4 ,rewards1 
#ii1 #ajc1 #ajd4 ,reynolds1 ,sir        
,joshua1 cited1 #acj4 ,roman ,catholics1
 disabilities of1 #aab-c4   --history1  
#afi4 ,rossettl1 ,d4 ,g41 quoted1 #ahb4 
,sacraments1 the1 as modifying          
temperamant1 #bi4 ,sacred books1 jewels 
of prayer in1 #ae4 ,saints1 devotions to
 the1 #aj-aa4 ,savonarola1 #bf4         
,schiller1 quoted1 #bad4 ,scholastic    
philosophy1 #gd4 ,school3 and home      
education1 contrasted1 #gg-h2 and       
preparation for life1    #gf1 #hj1 #ia  
et seq12 organization and individual    
development1 #hj4   --education1        
drawbacks to1 #gh-i4   --life1          
impressiveness of1 #gf-g4 ,sohurman1    
,clara von1 #bbb4 ,science1             
experimental1 #abj-b1 #aea2 misuse of   
the term1 #aah-i4 ,scolding1 #dc1 #fj4  
,scottish schoolmasters1 old race of1   
#ig-h4 ,scriptural knowledge            

examinations1 #af4 ,scripture1          
devotional study of1 #ae4               
,self-consciousness in children1 #ce4   
,self-devotion1 #ca1 #bai1 #bbd1 #bbh4  
,self-help1 #hi-ij4 ,selfishness1       
#hd1aii-bjj4 ,servant question1 #ia4    
,servants1 manners in the best1 #baa4   
,shrines1 nursery1 #aje1 #ajf4 ,sidney1 
,sir ,philip1 #abg4 ,silliness1 driven  
out by manual work1 #hf4 ,simple life1  
the1 #dj1 #ib2 for children1 #ajj4 ,sin 
and evil1 right thoughts of1 #f-g4      
,sincerity1 #da1 #dg-i4 ,sodalities in  
,catholic schools1 #gh4 ,solitude1 value
 of1 to children1 #ajh-i4 ,south        
,african ,war1 reaction in education    
since1 #aai-bj4 ,spanish1 study of1     
#aed1 #aei4 ,spiritualism1 #ac4         
,sporting instinct in children1 #db4    
,stagnation of mind1 #bca4              
,story-telling1 #agj2 in teaching       
history1 #ahj-a4 ,strength1 ,catholic   
secrets of1 #ii4 ,study1 aids to1 #ajc4 
,suffrage movement1 women's1 #bai4      
,taste1 #ahb1 #aif-g2 and character1    

#ahb-d2 independent1 #ahd2 self-taught1 
#ahd1 #ahe2 trained1 #ahe4 ,teacher     
,study1 from child's point of view1 #eh4
 ,teacher's manners1 #ed-f4 ,teachers1 a
 large measure of freedom for1 #cd1     
,teaching1 a great stewardship1 #c-d1   
#hj2 reality in1 #abb2 qualifications   
in religious1 #d4   --orders of         
,eeligious1 #eh-i4 ,teddy ,bears1 #aje1 
#ajf4 ,temperament1 #ba-i2 difficulties 
of1 #cb2 division and classification of1
    #bc1 #bf-i2 in religion1 #bh-e4     
,tennyson1 quoted1 #baf4 ,teutons1 types
 of character among1 #ig4 ,text-books1  
#ahj4 ,theatres and children1 #ahd4     
,theology3 not for girls1 #ah2 parallel 
with a great ,basilica1 #ai-bj2         
,natural1 #gb4 ,theresa1 ,saint1 #bbd4  
,thompson1 ,francis1 quoted1 #ie1 #abg4 
,time1 value of1 #dj4 ,townsman1 the1 in
 the country1 #abd-e4 ,toys1 #ajg4      
,translation from foreign languages1    
#afa-c4 ,transvaal1 a garden party in   
the1 #abf4 ,truthfulness1 #dg1 #baa4    
,ullathorne1 ,archbishop1 quoted1 #cd4  

,ulysses1 the wanderings of1 #agj4      
,university life for girls1 #bag-h1     
#bbf4   --locals1 #hg1 #afh4 ,urquhart1 
,d41 quoted1 #bjh4 ,utilitarians in     
social life1 #ahf4  ,victoria1 ,queen1  
#aec1aih4 ,vigilance1 #db4 ,vitality in 
teacher1 #di4 ,vocabulary of children1  
#acb4 ,vocation1 choice of a1 #ada4     
,voice1 influence of tone of1 #fc2      
cadences in1 #fh-d2 production1 #ahd-j4 
,vulgarity1 #baa4  ,wassmann1 ,catholic 
scientist1 #aaf4 ,ways of learning      
lessons1 #aja-b4 ,westminster1 ,cardinal
 ,archbishop of1 on reading1 #adg1      
#ahh-dh4 ,will of a woman1  strength of1
 #bhb4 ,wisdom1 the beginning of1 #ai4  
,wollstonecraft1 ,mary1 cited1 #baf4    
,woman1 the kingdom of1 #bbd2 the       
mission of1 #bhh4 ,women1 higher        
education of1 #bad-bh2 changes ,in      
education of1 #caf4   --and manners1    
#bjc4   --direction of influence of1    
#bbd4   --mental characteristics of the 
best1 #bcb4   --tendency of1 to         
impressionism in conduct1 #gj4   --the  

really great1 #bbc2  conspicuous in     
learning1 #bbb2 conspicuous in          
religion1 #bbd4 ,women's suffrage       
movement1 #bai4 ,wordsworth1 quoted1    
#cb1 #aad1 #ace4 ,work1 habit of1 #dj1  
#ih4  ,young ladies1 education for1     
#bae4  ,aberdeen3 ,the ,university      
,press