Verily, Roman eloquence cares very much for virtue! It is greatly troubled about the things of earth! It takes the people by the shoulders and forces them into the paths of devotion, which lead straight to Heaven.

And it does its duty, according to the teachings of the Church.
Open one of the devotional books which are printed in the country.
Here is one selected at random, 'The Life of St.Jacintha.' It lies on a young girl's work-table.

A knitting-needle marks the place at which the gentle reader left off this morning.

Let us turn to the passage.
It is sure to be highly edifying.
"_Chapter V .-- She casts from her heart all natural affection for her relations._ "Knowing from the Redeemer himself that we ought not to love our relations more than God, and feeling herself naturally drawn towards hers, she feared lest such a love, although natural, if it should take root and grow in her heart, might in the course of time surpass or impede the love she owed to God, and render her unworthy of him.

So she formed the very generous determination of casting from herself all affection for the persons of her blood.
"Resolved on conquering herself by this courageous determination, and on triumphing over opposing nature itself,--powerfully urged thereto by another word of Christ, who said that in order to go to him we must hate our relations, when the love we bear them stands in the way,--she went and solemnly performed a great act of renunciation before the altar of the most holy Sacrament.
There, flinging herself on her knees, her heart kindling with an ardent flame of charity towards God, she offered up to Him all the natural affections of her heart, more especially those which she felt were the strongest within her for the nearest and dearest of her relations.