faithful, dutiful son of this good, solicitous mother.
Hail Church of our God, most holy and pure,
On the rock of St. Peter thou standest secure;
Sweet Mother of Saints, soon may it be told
All nations are gathered into thy fold.
XXXIV. Diluted Catholicism
I. EVEN in everyday life there is nothing so distasteful to sensible and upright people as the duplicity of a man who says one thing, while he means and does another. Here he speaks in one way, there in exactly the opposite; he desires to offend no party, but holds with both sides, his chief object being to gain money and favor. These are mean fellows without any force of character, who, when no more use can be made of them, are universally despised and cast aside. Therefore, even by the sages of old this saying held good: Be true to yourself in thought, deed, and word! Whatever you claim to be, that you ought to be in all fearlessness! Drop all pretense! Dare to be true to your convictions. What does Polonius say, in "Hamlet":
"To thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man."
2. This axiom should be laid to heart by many a Christian man, be he young or old,
