hren."

Rarely, without doubt, but too often, nevertheless, we calumniate
at first secretly or with one or two friends, afterwards openly
and in public. We speak of the mistakes, shortcomings, and
defects, great and small, and sometimes transmit them as a legacy.
Sometimes we use a moderate hypocrisy by purposely letting
ourselves be questioned, and sometimes brutally attack our victim
without shame.

"Have I, then," may the religious thus attacked say, "in making my
vows renounced my honour and delivered my character to pillage?
Has my position as religious, has the majesty of the King of
Kings, of whom I have become the intimate friend, in place of
ennobling me, degraded me? You call yourselves my brethren, and
yet there are none who esteem me less! You would not steal my
money, and yet you make no scruple of stealing my character, a
thousand times more precious. You pay court to your Saviour and
persecute His child! The same tongue on which reposes the Holy of
Holies spreads poison and death! Is this to be the result of your
study and practice of virtue? Has not Jesus Christ, by so many
Communions, placed a little sweetness on your tongue and a little
charity in your heart? By eating the Lamb have you become wolves?
as St. John Chrysostom reproached the clergy of Antioch. And you,
who fly so carefully the gross vices of the world, have you no
care or anxiety about damning yourself by slander?"

XXII

THIRD PRESERVATIVE

_To guard the tongue_

THIS must be done especially in five circumstances: (1) At the
change of Superiors. Do not criticize the outgoing Superior nor
flatter the new one. (2) When you replace another religious. Never
by word or act cast any blame on him. Inexperience, or a desire to
introduce new customs, sometimes causes this to be done. (3) When
you are getting old. Because then we are apt to think--
erroneously, of course--that the young members growing up are
incapable of fulfilling duties once accomplished by ourselves. (4)
When religious come from another house do not ask questions which
they ought not to answer, and do not tell them anything which
might prejudice or disgust them with the house or anyone in it.
Lastly, in our interviews with our particular friends we must be
very cautious. There are some who, when anything goes amiss with
them, always seek the company of their confidants. These should
seriously examine before God whether it is a necessary comfort in
affliction or