tions from his works are common, and no doubt, from the beauty of his character, the opulence of his genius, his insinuating and invincible unction, he is one of the men of whom the Roman Catholic Church has most reason to be proud." Even in childhood, he would save portions of his food for the poor, and enjoyed visits of charity which he made with his mother. At the age of eleven, after having finished his studies at Rocheville and Annecy, he was priested. He travelled later in Paris with his tutor and studied in the Jesuit schools. His teachers in divinity were Genebrard and Maldonatus. About eighteen, he became very ill, and on his recovery visited the shrines and antiquities of Italy, Rome, Ferrara, Loretto, and Venice. In 1591, he established at Annecy, a confraternity of the Holy Cross, whose object was the aid of the sick, ignorant, and prisoners. Lawsuits were forbidden. From his pen we have The Invention of the Cross, Preparation for Mass, Instructions for Confessors, Entertainments to Nuns of the Visitation. His corpse was embalmed and buried with great pomp at Annecy. It was laid in a magnificent tomb near the high altar in the church of the first monastery of the Visitation. After his beatification. by Alexander VII. in 1661, it was placed upon the altar in a rich silver shrine. He was canonized in 1665 by the same Pope, and his feast set for January 29th, on which day he was conveyed to Annecy. His heart was kept in a leaden case in the Church of the Visitation at Lyons; it was afterward exposed in a silver one, and lastly in one of gold, the gift of Louis XIII. MEEKNESS. Truth must be always charitable, for bitter zeal does harm instead of good. Reprehensions are a food of hard digestion, and ought to be dressed on a fire of burning charity so well, that all harshness be taken off ; otherwise, like unripe fruit, they will only produce gripings. Charity seeks not itself nor its own interests, but purely the honor and interest of God: pride, vanity, and passion cause bitterness and harshness. A remedy injudiciously applied may be a poison. A judicious silence is always better than a truth spoken without charity. The most powerful remedy against sudden starts of impatience is a sweet and amiable silence; however little one speaks, self-love will have a share in it, and some word will escape that may sour the heart, and disturb its peace for a considerable time. When nothing is said, and cheerfulness preserved, the storm subsides, anger and indiscretion are put to flight, and nothing remains but a joy, pure and lasting. The person who possesses Christian meekness, is affectionate and tender toward everyone; he is disposed to forgive and excuse the frailties of others; the goodness of his heart appears in a sweet affability that influences his words and actions, and presents every object to his view in the most charitable and pleasing light; he never admits in his discourse any harsh expression, much less any term that is haughty or rude. An amiable serenity is always painted on his countenance, which remarkably distinguishes him from those violent characters who, with looks full of fury, know only how to refuse; or who, when they grant, do it with so bad a grace, that they lose all the merit of the favor they bestow. If there was anything more excellent than meekness, God would have certainly taught it us; and yet there is nothing to which he so earnestly exhorts us as to be "meek and humble of heart." If Saul had been cast off, we would never have had a St. Paul. SALIS-SEEWIS, JOHANN GAUDENZ VON, a German writer, born at Seewis, Switzerland, December 26, 1762; died at Malans January 29, 1834. He entered the army, was captain of the Swiss Guard at Versailles, and at the beginning of the Revolution served in Savoy under General Montesquiou. In 1793 he returned to Switzerland, married, and settled at Malans, whence he was driven for political reasons. He resided for some years in Utrecht; but spent the last years of his life in Malans. His poems were first published collectively in 1790. The last edition was issued in 1839. Many of them are of great beauty, but not many have yet been translated into English. He belongs to the Klopstock school of writers, and his productions are akin to those of Matthison and Brun. Some of his songs have been translated by Longfellow. HARVEST-SONG. Autumn winds are sighing, Harvest-time is nigh. Cooler breezes, quivering, See the fields, how yellow! Gleam on every hill! Now the lads are springing, Swells the harvest strain: Then when day declineth, And, while they are sounding, O'er the moonlit ground. -Translation of C. T. BROOKS. THE SILENT LAND. Into the Silent Land! Ah! who shall lead us thither? Clouds in the evening sky more darkly gather, Thither, oh, thither, Into the Silent Land? Into the Silent Land! To you, ye boundless regions Of all perfection! Tender morning visions Of beauteous souls! The Future's pledge and band! Shall bear Hope's tender blossoms O Land O Land! For all the broken-hearted The mildest herald by our fate allotted Beckons, and with inverted torch doth stand Into the land of the great departed, -Translation of H. W. LONGfellow. THE GRAVE. The grave is deep and silent, The nightingale may warble, In vain the bride deserted Doth wring her hands and weep; Yet, elsewhere thy endeavor, By storms and tempests shattered, No lasting peace e'er findeth But where it beats no more. -Translation of A. BASKERVILLE. VOL. XX.-6 |