The Catechism of Perseverance

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1883 edition. Excerpt: ... Suoh is, then, the grand problem of our period: to make the rising generation truly and sincerely Christian. It is a great matter; a matter of life or death. On the one hand, it is to the young that the future belongs; on the other, there are no true creeds, no pure morals, no peace in the family, no happiness in society, outside of Christianity. This is the simple fact; let him who has eyes to see, see it: no one is required to prove the existence of the sun. But, in order to fix the coming generations immovably in Christianity, despite the fickleness of their hearts, despite the storms that rage around them, even from the cradle, despite the scandals of word and deed that are everywhere to be met with, and, above all, despite the vanities of the world, so directly opposed to everything that Christians should believe, and love, and practise; what, I ask, are the transitory lessons of childhood? Superficial instructions, which the weakness and levity of young people hinder from being understood or remembered, and which, never sinking into the depths of the soul, cannot make that impression which is capable of determining their conduct in after-life. Inquire of those venerable priests who, every year, receive at the Holy Table so large a number of youthful Christians, how many persevere? They will reply in the anguish of their souls by showing you perhaps here and there a few children, sad remains left as it were by a miracle out of the general shipwreok in whioh the rest perished. They will tell you that, especially of late years, their ministry has seemed reduced to the agonising farce of enlisting victims for corruption and impiety. Formerly it was not so: the child found in the family oircle the means of perseverance. But, since...