Sober town curés have expressed to us their belief that they have effected more good among their people by means of their libraries, than by their sermons and all the other resources of the ministry combined. But these books should be selected with great care: nevertheless, very little attention is bestowed on that point. How strange! One takes great pains about a sermon, which will be heard at most by a few hundreds of individuals, and no care is exercised in the selection of a book which will go to speak of God to the thousands who do not frequent the Church! At the yearly distribution of prizes in France, twelve hundred thousand volumes are given gratuitously to respectable schools. {299} What a vast amount of good might be done through that channel, if the books were well chosen! What a mass of profitable reading might be introduced thereby among families! But as it is, the works are taken up at random. A book receives a bishop's approval; which is deemed amply sufficient to warrant its adoption. It may be barren of ideas, tiresome, nothing more than a bad religious romance; it may even be dangerous: no matter, it is given away, notwithstanding all those defects. But what is passing strange is the fact that this is done by men who have a religious vocation, who are otherwise most distinguished, and who are intrusted with the education of the children of the upper classes. It would seem, indeed, as if we were bent on verifying the assertion of our adversaries, that the pious possess no other than a contemptible and humdrum literature. It would be an act of intelligent zeal to remedy these aberrations. Lastly, another way of promoting the diffusion of good books is to give men a personal interest in the undertaking. Authors and publishers should be amply commended and remunerated for their coöperation; and the trade--if you choose to call it so--made subservient to the good work. Let those, also, who sell such books make large profits by the sale. Generally speaking, success is not best attained by acting alone, but by securing and availing ourselves of the assistance of others. We often make too much fuss about our proceedings, and should effect twice as much if we fussed one half less. {300} But it will be urged:--"Such associations cannot be formed without self-sacrifice and money; besides, they will encounter opposition." Undoubtedly they will; and so much the better. Opposition and calumny are the rod which God uses to drive us onward. ... If there be opposition, then there will be courage too; and many other noble qualities will be elicited. Is it so, I ask, that we are called to "vulgarly follow the masses?" ...