Page:TheYoungMansGuide.djvu/78

 that they  were  baptized. It is  to  be  wished that these  corrupt  persons  would  keep  to  themselves the  poison  of  unbelief  which  they  have swallowed. However, they  are  not  content to do  this,  but  rush  about  like  mad  dogs,  and poison others  with  their  bites;  and  what  is most  to  be  lamented  is  that  even  the  plain people in  our  country  districts  are  not  spared.

If they  can  not  smuggle  their  poison,  contained as  it  is  in  bad  newspapers,  periodicals, and pamphlets,  into  every  household,  because some pious  and  careful  father  of  a  family refuses to  admit  it  beneath  his  roof,  they scatter it  on  the  public  highway,  in  saloons, workshops, and  manufactories,  by  means  of their  irreligious  conversation. Whence proceed  such  expressions  as  "priest-ridden," "priestly inventions,"  "let  us  cast  off  the  yoke of  Rome,"  and  so  on? Whence comes  mocking at  prayer,  confession,  the  Most  Blessed  Sacrament, the  veneration  of  the  saints? whence so many  blasphemous  expressions? Some individual, perhaps,  who,  when  a  child,  received but  scant  religious  instruction,  goes far away  from  home  and  begins  to  imbibe the poison  of  unbelief  by  'reading  anti-Christian  books  and  listening  to  unorthodox teaching; he  has  especially  noticed  certain catch-words and  forcible  phrases,  and  these he repeats  whenever  he  finds  himself  in  the company of  others,  in  order  to  lure  them  to destruction. The well-instructed  Christian blushes at  the  folly  of  it  all  but the ignorant