asked him to 'be careful, because her husband was only a marriage-convert.' And even when intermarriage is allowed, the Church exacts several promises from the parties in her favour; the non-Catholic is forced to promise that his partner shall have the free exercise of her religion, and that all children shall be Catholics, and the Catholic is quietly compelled to promise to work for the conversion of the other party.
Their schools, also, are a powerful proselytising agency. In boarding-schools kept by nuns, whatever promises may be given to parents, it is regarded as a sacred duty to influence the children as much as possible. And, in spite of the notorious fact that girls educated by nuns are less prepared for the difficulties of life and much more liable to come to grief than other girls, numbers of Protestant girls are annually sent to Catholic schools, largely on the ground of economy. Elementary schools, also, are not only the most effective guardians of their own children, but help to extend Catholic influence. Like the consideration which has been urged previously, it is not one to which they give political prominence, but it is certainly an important item in their esoteric programme.
