Page:Twelve Years in a Monastery (1897).djvu/71

 London ministry; finally, however, he ended in an ignominious apostasy and deep disgrace.

His successor proved to be a superior of quite an opposite character. Far from continuing the zeal and rigour of his predecessor, he became alarmingly broad and familiar, and before many months had elapsed we found it impossible to entertain a particle of respect for him. In point of fact he already showed clear symptoms of mental aberration, and a few years afterwards his conduct became (and still remains) so extraordinary that absolute dementia is the kindest hypothesis to urge in its defence. He, too, was removed from his position at our appeal, and we began to have an evil reputation in the province. During our five years of study at Forest Gate we succeeded in removing no less than six professors and superiors, and, since I was the ‘dean’ of the students all through my curriculum, I attracted an undue amount of interest; I have no doubt that my own ‘fall’ was frequently predicted many years in advance. Our immediate superiors came to bear the name of the ‘Removables’ in the province.

After twelve months at classics we were initiated into a course of rhetoric. The Jesuits more wisely postpone the rhetorical studies until the last year, but, in any case, it is little more than a waste of time. Lessons in elocution and declamation are decidedly opportune, and should be insisted upon much more