it from others. We would counsel our younger contemporaries to have the courage of their opinions; and when they stand up to do battle for justice and truth against evil, let them come to the front boldly.
The overwhelming responsibility of the future must be borne by the rising generation; this is a fact often insisted upon by our elders. The organs of lying and injustice are bold enough in their attacks: surely the least that can be required of our young champions, is that we should courageously stand to our convictions, to our deeds, to our loyalty in all that concerns our God, our Sovereign, our country that we should bow down in a true, practical and united homage before benefits conferred and rights acquired, before our Sovereign and Constitution; that we should uphold by word and deed the honour and the independence of our fatherland.
The truthful writer is, in these days, more than ever a signal for attack: his adversaries swoop down upon him in a body. He no sooner appears on the stage than an opponent walks in at the door, a second comes in at the window. Nevertheless, let us young writers, speak what our souls dictate; and let us ever welcome with respect the lively convictions springing* from the religious faith of good contemporaries: convictions which are not the specious sophistry of passions, obstinacy, self-interest. Let us too in our turn bear in mind that our adversaries may likewise be acting in good faith; in every Bedlam is there not some crack-brained lunatic who is firmly convinced that he is the sun?
Let us from time to time recall to mind, that a man is one of a family, each family is part of society and that society forms the State. Starting from the principle,—an ever-true one—that religious belief constitutes the State, society the family, and family constitutes the individual, we must admit that when faith has departed, individual morality becomes corrupt and baseness invades the public mind from the cottage to the Throne. This has been seen in all times, in all countries. When Athens listlessly strolled to the portico to listen to the philosophers, Alexander was able to rivet her chains securely. When degenerate Rome, weary of her gods, ceased to worship them, she fell prostrate before the vile Heliogabalus. When the Empire of
