om we can rely, and above all, from the director of
our souls. If we take up a book, and we find that, without foolish
scruple, it is raising doubts in our mind or exciting our imagination in
perilous directions, then we must be brave enough to close it, and not
open it again. If our weakness is such that we cannot resist temptation,
which unforeseen may come upon us, then it is our duty not to read any
book the character of which is quite unknown to us. If any such book is
a source of temptation to us, we must shun it, if we wish to do our duty
to God. If our reading makes us discontented with the lot in life which
Divine Providence has assigned to us, if it leads us to neglect or do
ill the duties of our position, if we find that our trust in God is
lessening and our love of this world growing, in all these cases we must
examine ourselves with the greatest care, and banish from ourselves any
book which is having these evil effects upon us.

Lastly there is an immense amount of literature, mostly of an ephemeral
character, which almost of necessity enters very largely into our lives
at the present day. We cannot characterize it as wholly bad, though its
influence is not entirely good, but it is hopeless to attempt to
counteract what is harmful in it by any direct means. The newspapers and
magazines of the hour are often without apparent harm, and yet very
often their arguments are based on principles which are unsound, and
their spirit is frankly worldly, and entirely opposed to the teaching of
Jesus Christ and of the Gospel. Still more when the Catholic Church and
the Holy See are in question, we know full well, and the most recent
experience has proved it, that they are often consciously or
unconsciously untruthful. Even when their misrepresentations have been
exposed, in spite of the boasted fairness of our country, we know that
we must not always expect a withdrawal of false news, still less
adequate apology. Constant reading of this character cannot but weaken
the Catholic sense and instinct, and engender in their place a worldly
and critical spirit most harmful in every way, unless we take means to
counteract it. What are these means? A place must be found in your
lives, dear children in Jesus Christ, for reading of a distinctly
Catholic character. You must endeavour to know the actual life and
doings of the Catholic Church at home and abroad by the reading of
Catholic periodical literature. You must have at hand