Μ' Summer Talks about Lourdes. By CECILIA MARY CADDELL. ISS CADDELL tells us many true stories about the wonders which are daily drawing crowds to Lourdes to glorify God through the intercession of His Blessed Mother. This little book cannot fail to interest both young and old. Stories of the Saints. By M. F. S. London: Washbourne. 1874. THIS HIS is a charming book, written for children, but full of interest for grown people also. The selection is very well made, all being found on the English Kalendar, and all, with the exception of S. Catherine of Alexandria, S. Agnes, S. Lawrence, and S. Cæcilia, of whom one can never hear too much, being modern saints whom one meets with in history or in connexion with existing religious orders. Sacrum Septenarium; or, The Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost. By the Rev. HENRY FORMBY. London: Burns, Oates, & Co. 1874. THE HE object of this volume is to awaken in Catholics a more lively faith "in the working of the Holy Ghost in them." The reason that Mr. Formby gives in the preface for writing it is, that one of the causes why so few Christians make progress in the spiritual life and attain to sanctity, is their ignorance of the excellence of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and their importance to every one of us for the sanctification of our souls. "There can be no more affectionate corrective" of this lamentable ignorance "than the example of the Great Mother of the Christian family, mirroring in her own person, for the guidance and instruction of her children, the operation of these Seven Gifts." After “a preliminary address to the daughters of Mary, inviting them to a minute and special study of the example of their Holy Mother," Mr. Formby proceeds to show, in the first place, how, under the natural law of creation, the pattern of the mother of a family is "of sovereign importance to the well-being of the children," and in the second, how, in the economy of the Christian Redemption, the Holy Virgin Mother of Jesus presents to all collectively, and to each singly, of the Christian family of His redeemed, an example in which sublime virtues without equal are combined with the greatest simplicity-" an example perfectly homely, perfectly intelligible, and perfectly within the reach even of our infirm power and capacity to do our best to imitate." In his second chapter Mr. Formby explains with great clearness, by the authority of S. Thomas, what is the Church's teaching on the Gifts of the Holy Ghost; and that, while the dictates of human reason are a sufficient guide in all natural things properly subject to it, they do not suffice for the attainment of man's final supernatural end, "except there be also besides a movement and an inspiration of the Holy Ghost." Hence it evidently follows that the Gifts of the Holy Ghost are necessary for salvation. In the remainder of the volume these fundamental truths are applied to each of the Seven Gifts separately. After explaining in each case the operation of the corresponding natural virtue, he passes on to show how these natural virtues are perfected and fitted for a supernatural object by the superadded Gift of the Holy Spirit; and finally he illustrates his subject by the example of the Mother of the Christian family. Mr. Formby has turned to good account the wide field for practical instruction which he has thus laid open before him. His style is plain, simple, and yet forcible, and both the plan and details of the work are well calculated to make it generally useful. Correspondence. PLAIN-CHANT. To the Editor of the "DUBLIN REVIEW." SIR,-As all good Catholics will admit that the question of church music, which has been raised in a communicated article of your July number, should be determined by authority rather than by argument or personal preference, I think that considerable light will be thrown upon the controversy by the subjoined extract from the celebrated work of Pope Benedict XIV. on the Diocesan Synod. For the sake of your readers in general I have translated the passage into English, but I believe that it will be found essentially correct on reference to the original. It is hardly necessary for me to add, that the illustrious Pontiff, from whose work the extract is taken, has an especial claim to deference, on subjects connected with Ecclesiastical discipline and with the conduct of Divine worship. But "No Bishop who desires the love of his people, which is so necessary to the right discharge of his office, should do anything to estrange their minds; nor can he wish, through any act of his own, to bring upon himself the occasion of trouble and offence. Two considerations help to strengthen us in this opinion, and we have treated of them more at length in our Encyclical letter already quoted. One of them is, that at the Council of Trent it was proposed by certain Bishops, zealous for the discipline of the church, that music should be wholly abolished from churches, and the Gregorian mode of singing alone retained. other Bishops were rightly of opinion, that a novelty of this kind would be the means of opening a door to innumerable complaints and disquietudes, and the following decision was accordingly come to by the Council; namely, that music should not be prohibited in churches, but reformed under certain regulations, with a view to the promotion of piety and gravity. The other ground of our opinion is, that a few years ago there was an examination of the question relating to the use of the organ and other musical instruments. There were certain Bishops, who from motives of most commendable zeal were in favour of prohibiting the use of such instruments in churches, and were encouraged in this view of the case by the example, among others, of our own Pontifical Chapel, and of the Metropolitan Church of Lyons, in which the use of instruments had never been received. Other Bishops, however, animated by the like zeal, contended in favour of retaining the organ and other instruments in the music of the church, and it was sufficiently evident how difficult it would be to exclude them from churches in which they have been previously in use. They judged accordingly that it would be better to adopt a middle course, so as, on the one hand, not to allow, and on the other hand, not to exclude the use of all instruments in churches; but retaining the organ and certain other instruments, to forbid those only which are more appropriate to theatrical performances than to sacred places and to sacred actions, according to the more particular injunctions on the same subject, which are contained in our forementioned Encyclical letter. (De Synod. Dioc. lib. XI., cap. 7.) I am, Sir, your obedient servant, SACERDOS ALTER. To the Editor of the "DUBLIN REVIEW." SIR, I have found a general concurrence of opinion among those with whom I have happened to converse on the subject-many of them great admirers of Plaint-chant-that the views advocated by "Sacerdos" in your current number are extreme and mischievous. My own sympathies are heartily with an editorial article, which appeared in the third number of your new Series, called "Music in its Religious Uses." But I have no leisure to attempt any argument on the matter. Whereas however "Sacerdos" relies mainly on authority, I think he has by no means done justice to the argument from authority drawn out in the article I have named; see p. 143, and pp. 146-151. Thus Benedict XIV. in his great work "De Synodo Diocesanâ" says that it would be a "novelty" "to exclude from churches every kind of vocal music except the Gregorian Chant;" and one "which would have opened the door to complaints and troubles without number." Moreover in an Encyclical, directed to the Bishops of the Pontifical States, he expressly permits the use at Mass of the organ, double-bass, violoncello, bassoon, violin, and viola, on the ground that "these instruments serve to strengthen and sustain the voices of the singers." But "Sacerdos's" own article, it seems to me, affords a still more direct reply to his argument. He says (p. 178) that, according to the "Cæremoniale Episcoporum," at certain periods of the year, such as Advent and Passiontide," the cantors do not use figured music but the Gregorian Chant." Surely this affirms by the most undeniable implication, that at ordinary times the cantors use figured music as a matter of course. I entirely agree, however, with what F. Newman says in a passage to which "Sacerdos " refers with assent. "Gregorian music has so little innate vigour and life that it is in no danger of going out of its place and giving the law to religion" (p. 202). INDEX. AMERICAN POETS, 64-86: Summary of our former article, 64; Mr. Lowell's APPENDIX TO THE ARTICLE ON FREEWILL, 159-172: The criticism in the BABINGTON CONSPIRACY (THE).-MARY STUART, 336-378: The exhaustive |