Year: 1877




I erior as attractive as the contents are solid
and instructive. This is the secord work
whicn has appeared this year on the same IL
J ustrious subject-and while the frat dealt
more with the personal life of Plus TX, this
work of Mr.. Shea presents him to us in con-
nection with the great events in the history OF
the Church during his Ponti6ciate. Tne au-
thor has shown . rare skill in condensing into
fifteen chapters the chief events in the life of
him whom the world already calls Great, and
whom the Church may one day, crown with
the title of Saint


Yet the two characters, that OF greatness
and holiness are 30 graphically and eloquently
combined that the reader fnGs himself IS
much interested in the man, as edited aud in
ssraesed by the Pope and Prince. We think
the account of his voyage to South America
its difficulties, obstacles and results, more
clearly detailed here than in any previous pub
lication. The concise, aud yet well developed
sketch of the revolu tionary movement which
drove the Pope to Gsets, of the bad faith OF
Sardinia, and of the cowsrdice of Napoleon
che Third, is also we'll worthy of careful per-
usai


How often do we Fl nd virtue and merit over
looked until we suddenly learn by some out
side impulse that we have actually been stand
ing within the SD hadow of greatness and heroic
holiness.


In years 10 come, we Catholics may e1claim
80 if We had bat known Pope Pins the TX.
as We know him now, how proud We would
have been of such q Father, Pope and King"
This work will make him known to us in bis
triple greatness as intimately as the artist has
made kno un to every Catholic the sweetness
and dignity of his person. 1t teaches Cs TO
understand his patience in adversity, his IN
hinching frmpess in the face of wrong, his
sublime reliance upon the justice Of his cause,
his wonderful humility and great personal
sauctity. His life and his pontiacate are not
yet ended let American Catholics 1t least
learn to know and appreciate the heroism Of
the one and the grandeur Of the other, 30 that
the name and deeds of Pins lX may be as
familiar to their minds as that of Americas
bsst and greatest-Wasbiugton.


A word about the beautiful "getting up" of
the book, may be interesting to those vino need
8 stimulus to their faith and patriotism. We
speak of patriotism here, in the sense of every
Catholic being 9 citizen of Chrsiendom, ov er
which the Pope is Pontih and ruler. The cut
side covers are ornamented with gold medal
lion portrait, as we'll the coat of arms of his
Holiness while the text of the work is we'll
illustrated by epgrsvngs Of Rome aud its
churches. The only flaw in this part of the
pablishers labor is in the heads of the eccle-
siast;cs of the Papal Court. These have neither
expression nor grace, and are rot worthy of the
rest of the book.


AS memento Of the Jubilee year, and as a
souvenir of the grandest figure of this century,
~; fol ha in Cath
olic home and it's contents well garnered up by
every Catholic heart.


The Fifth Reader. By Right Rev. Richard Gill


mour, d. D., Bishop of Cleveland New


York. Cincinnati, and 81. Louis: epzlger


Brothers.


This volume completea the Catholic National
Series of Readers, and is a monument to Bishop
Gilmour's zeal and piety.


The learned author claims in his preface that
the Reader, next to the Catechism, is the book
which most iptuences the moral and religious
character of the pupil and should, therefore,
be eminently Catholic. At the same time these
books are not made tiresome by too many relig-
ious lessons but the beauty of truth and the
treasures of faith are so displayed that the
pupil is gradually led to admire the one and
to appreciate the other.


We admire the liberal views and enlightened
judgment of the Reverend Compiler in the inn
partial ard judicious selections of reading les
sons. These are drawn from the writings of
our best authors, AID the Protestant element
| enters largely into the whole series, but I ar
/ ticulary so in this Fifth volume. OF ninety
! four authors, from whom selections are made
at least half are not of the Fold. How
| different is the case with our Protestant Com.
| pliers. The Literary Reader by Csthcart
| which is put forward as the Ne plus ultra of in
formation, bas q list of sixty. five auttors-not
! one of whom is Catholic! And still we bear
that Catholics are illiberAl, and that they pre-
sent but side of the question to the view
Of their readers. We live and learn each day
and we know by comparison Of the works be.
fore us that Bishop Gilmour truly aimed at
the highest good of bis follow creatures when
he combined Lessons of patriotism, religion
aud virtue into this crowning volume of his
Series, while CAthcart, narrow-ninded and
blinded by prejudice, cared little for education