The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-02-26
JUVENILE COLUMN.

- .
peasant girl was born In The village Of Nan.
terre. . few miles from Paris. Her name
twas Genevieve. She was very poor, and
tended sheep for . farmer who lived neal
her father. She was good and gentle, and
longed to do all that she could to please
God. When she was seven years old, the
good Bishop st. German, who was travel
ing through France, stopped at tho village
Of Nanterre. The people all crowded ia
see him and receive his blessing. Gene
We've was among them, and there was such
an air of holiness about her that st. Ger
main kept his hand upon her head, and, in
spired by the Holy Ghost, asked her if she
would like to be cOnsecrated to God. This
had Been the dearest wish of her heart, and
her eyes filed with tears of joy. But be-
fore answering, she looked up to her pa
rents with hope and fear, and asked them
for their consent. Her father hesitated a
moment and then said you belonged to
God before you did to me since He calls,
obey his.voice." So st. German took her
to church, gave her the veil, and hung
around her neck q medal on which the cross
was engraved. She went home, and was
SO gentle, modest, patient, active and piOus
that abe was model to all. She was never
known to disobey. One day her mother
refused to take her to church. Genevieve
but her mother, being angry, struck her.
God immediately afflicted her with blind
ness. The child was very much grieved.
She prayed, and then went to q we'll,
that was near, and, making the sign
of the cross over it, drew some wa
Her sight was Immediately restored, and
since that time the we'll of Nanterre has
been thought to have peculiar virtue for
curing diseases of the eye. Soon after that
her parents died, and Geuevieve went to
Paris to reside with q relative. The peo-
pie of Paris were still manv of them Pa
gans, and often, when she went through
About this time powerful barbarian king,
named Attila, came with O large army and
laid eiege to Paris. The Inhabitants were
in despair, but Genevieve spoke to them
of her God, and told them to pray and fast.
She directed them to form an army, and
promised them that God would give them
victory. When Attila heard this, he was
afraid and dared not attack the city. Thus
Paris was saved through the confidence of
Genevieve in Gods mercy. She was then
only fifteen years old. Some time after
this Paris was again besieged, by Childeric,
and there was q great famine in the city.
Genevieve was never weary of taking care
of the sick and wounded, and doing all she
could for the poor, furnishing people. At
last, when it seemed as if nothing would
save them from starving, che took some
boats, and q number of men to assist her,
and, at the risk of being attacked, she sue.
ceeded in geing up the river to Troyes, and
in getting her boats we'll loaded with pro-
visions, which she brought back to Paris,
thus saving the lives of many of the peo
pie. However, the city had to surrender,
but Childeric, on account of the great vir-
tue of Genevieve, -sand at her request,
spared the city. His son Clovis, who is
considered the first King of France, asked
her for her blessing, and promised her that
he would become q Catholic, which prom
Use he afterwards fulfilled. When Gene
We've died, she was canonized and made
patroness of the city of Paris. Beautiful
churches were built in her honor, and to
this day tapers are constantly burning
around her tombS showing the honor and
in which she is held. The
beautiful city of Paris has lately been in
vested. Let us hope that God, at the in
tercession of st. Genevieve, will give to the
Inhabitants the grace to serve him better in
Catholic.
PERSEVERANCE OF A YOUNG SCoTCu
few weeks since 1T was my
duty, as University examiner, to recon-
mend q student for the high degree of Doc
tor>of Science. This graduate it's the son
of poor Highland crofter, and when
boy went OUT to herd cattle during the
summer, from March to October. His
wages for seven months were only 25s., but
they were enough to pay his fees at the
parish sch0ot during the winter. 1t Is true
that the school was six miles from his IA
theirs hut, but walk of twelve miles to
ard fro, over q bleak moorland, does not
deter promising Scotch boy from going
to school. 1t did deter, however, some of
the farmers sons in his neighborhood;
80 at fourteen my young friend took
up little adventure school to teach
these less hard lads, and in the course
of time he made enough to carry him to
the burg school at Perth, where he extend.
ed the knowledge of classicg and mathe-
matics which he had begun at the parish
school. Still working, still teaching, still
saving, he fought his way, step by step,
through bursaries and scholarships won by
him, till he became certificated teacher of
the first class under the Priyy Council,
Master of Arts, a Bachelor of Science in
the University of Edinburgh, and, as
have said, a few weeks since it was my
privilege to examine him as q Doctor in
PtdNfair.
KEEPING TO ONE THING We earnestly
entreat every young man after he has chosen
his vocation to stick to it. Don't leave it
because hard blows are to be struck, or
work performed. Those who
have worked their way uD to wealth and