The Irish standard., 1898-12-03

IAiA oI AO1 huOWleu6e, cApduuluS anu
growing with the growth of years.
Books are sacred things. In them come
echoing back to us the great thoughts
of all times and men. BY communion
with our books we become the associ-
ates of the great ones of all ages.
II think priest may be judged by
his library. When I go into a priests
study and see many books, and when
he can talk about them, say there is
something in him. BY taking in knowl-
edge he is able to give 1t out. When
you meet a man who talks little of
books, people may say it is humility,
but say it is vacuity. So my advice
is, cultivate passion for books; it will
give you arms for the conflict. Men
love learning, they love ideas, they love
thoughts. If you have message to
convey to the world the American peo-
pie want to hear it. In no city, village
or town in America will the people re-
fuse to listen to the truth. If you cul-
tivate a love Of study and Of books, your
library will be happiness to you. In
the many hours of solitude and loneli-
ness which every priest may experience,
we may find company and comfort in
our books.
II pity the priest who has not love
for books; I pity him from my heart.
A love of books drives away the devil;
it prevents idleness. Study brings down
upon the mind the perennial freshness
of eternal truth; it illumes the mind
with the light which Is not Of earth.
Then, love study, love it today, love
it tomorrow, love it always. II you
go forth into the world with love of
study, the seminary shall have done
its duty. Since you desire to enter the
ranks of Christ's priesthood, aim high.
A noble ambition is praiseworthy.
"There is enough of mediocrity, there
is too much of it. We want men who
are ambitious; men who may impress
and win the attention of the world. We
want men, who, with enthusiastic earn
estness, carry the banner Of Christ's
truth into the world. In other days the
church had the pomp of court and the
arm of kings to assist her; today she
stands divested of all these, with MOTH
ing but the power of truth to WIN the
souls Of men. You are called to give this
truth. You must make this truth the
very substantial form of your mind.
Reading judiciously will assist you in
Y1S.3n str 1fc
there is good deal of reading-a vast
amount of it-without any practical re-
suit. This is superficial reading. What
ever you read, endeavor to profit there
by. Think over what you read, make
it your own. Let the fruit of your
reading be changed into the very sub
stance Of your intellectual life, just as
the food of your body becomes part Of
your flesh and blood. There are many
young men who pass through the semi
nary without any personal thought. Per-
sonal, individual thought, is what we
must cultivate and strive for. Your
years spent in the seminary are not
entirely for the accumulation Of knowl-
edge-but to think. Thinking is eGuca-
tion. When subject is presented you,
examine it for yourself; do not dismiss
it from your mind until you IRE able
to say you understand it. DO not think
certain statement or proposition is
true merely because your professor says
so-know the reason Of it in your own
mind. When the subject is presented,
revolve it in your own intellect, anal
we it, create objections, make it your
own. Don't pass over any matter with
only q half knowledge. of it; hetter do
one subject we'll than pass over 20 in
a slip-shod manner. After this process,
use your pen and ink; write down your
thoughts; this will serve to preserve
them in your memory. I lately came
across passage in st. Augustine which
struck me very much. It was this:
Whatever I learned I have learned by
writing I really believe that it would
be a good thing If every student or priest
were, for a while, the editor of ,4ews-
paper. 1t would make you ready 1.en.
The priest must be ready man. Not
that would not encourage careful prep
aration on all occasions but III the life
Of every priest there will come times
when he is compelled to speak without
the opportunity of preparation, and on
these occasions our habits Of reading
and writing will serve us WELL
Remember that the mission is yours
to give the truth to the world. If you
would give out that truth in all it's
vigor you must know the language in
which you are to convey that truth.
| This does not mean mere grammatical
| knowledge; it means a Kno Wedge of
| the literature; it means the cultivation OF
style. We must have style for our
thoughts. We must present the truth
with all the beauty of diction and ele-
gance Of thought of which we are capa-
bic. Why is it that in the world today
error is rampant? It is because the
propagators of these errors have dressed
their thoughts in beautiful language
The representatives of truth have been
so engrossed with It's beauty that they
cared not for it's dress.
"In conclusion, my dear young men,
I would say, hope my few words to