A BISHOP’S PRACTICAL ADVICE

New Zealand Tablet, 23 April 1914, Page 26

A BISHOP’S PRACTICAL ADVICE

The pastoral letter of Bishop Van de Ven of Alexandria, La., does not confine itself to the spiritual sphere exclusively. The Bishop takes occasion to give his people practical advicp on matters affecting their daily life as members of the community. He says: The simple life is by far the best, the happiest, the healthiest, and the most Christian. But do not confound simplicity with slovenliness and neglect. Be not careless and lazy and shiftless. Be progressive in the right sense. Adopt the latest and the best methods. Take pride in keeping your homes and premises clean, comfortable, and attractive. Don’t let your dilapidated, paintless, unsightly buildings and fences betray your shiftlessness and your backwardness. Let the fine appearance of your farms and fields and implements bear witness to your laborious industry, and let your labor be its own reward by the real comfort and wellbeing it will give you. Times are hard, it is true, but they are so particularly for that class of men who are wont to hang around the village store or saloon, complaining, instead of being at home at work; and we feel -firmly convinced that, barring unusual reverses, every one of our farmers can, by dint of steady and intelligent work and by prudent economy and foresight, make a good living and enjoy a fair amount of prosperity. And again the Bishop says; Thrift and industry are most praiseworthy, and the desire to better one’s prospects in life is a most laudable .incentive to work. It is wise to regulate the expenses by the income, to spend the hard-earned money, for useful purposes, and to lay up something for the future in order to be prepared for possible reverses or misfortune. How happy are those people who v see the fruits of their labor, whose tastes are simple and whose wants are few, who really do enjoy the few lawful - pleasures they allow themselves, whose thrift and economy enable them to keep out of debt, to secure some of the real and solid comforts of life, and to provide for the education and future of . their children. Such people are contented and happy and successful, and they are the kind of citizens that make for the well-being and .the up-building of a community., The Bishop’s advice, is obviously intended for people living in the rural districts, but its application may be made to city as well as to country conditions. -In fact, the Catholic who lives in .; the city is subject to more temptations toward the unthrifty squandering of his resources than his brother in the country. We are all at present, in town and country, more or. less mad on the subject of amusement. We seem to be unable to exist ‘ for even one evening in the week without going somewhere.’ This going somewhere’ costs money that might be saved for the time of need—our

own need, or that of others.- It costs money that might be applied to the payment of just debts. And here is a phase of the matter that is no longer : one of thrift or unthrift, but of morals -Very often the money spent in car-fare or theatre tickets, or cards of admission to balls and parties, is not ours justly, but belongs by right to the grocer, or the butcher, or the milkman, or somebody else who has supplied us with the necessaries of life, but who is compelled to wait until we have experienced a few of its luxuries. Our lives are pleasure-filled and feverish,, but that does not mean that they are happy. Happiness depends on something else than ‘ going somewhere.’ The simple life, in the words of the . Bishop, is by far the best, the happiest, and the most Christian.— Sacred Heart Review .