INSTITUTE
56
INSTITUTE
in the winning of studentships and examinerships in
the gift of the Royal University of Ireland. In
other countries the Loretto nuns invariably vv-ork
up to the requisite standard fixed by the extern
educational authorities. (See Institute of Mary.)
Sister Maby Gkrtrude.
Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. — Nature and Object. — The Institute of the Brothers of the (Christian Schools is a society of male religious approved by the Church, but not taking Holy orders, and having for its object the personal sanctification of its members and the Christian educa- tion of youth, especially of the children of artisans and the poor. It accepts the direction of any kind of male educational institution, provided the teaching of Latin be excluded; but its principal object is the direction of elementary gratuitous schools. This congregation was founded in 16!S0, at Reims, France, by St. John Ba])tist de La Salle, then a canon of the metropolitan clnirch of that city. Being struck by the lamentable disorders produced among the multi- tude by their ignorance of the elements of knowledge, and, what was still worse, of the jirinciples of religion, the saint, moved with great jjity for t lie ignorant, was led, almost without a premeditated design, to take up the work of charitable schools. In order to carry out the last will of his spiritual director, Canon Roland, hefirstbusiedhimself with eonsolidi ting a religious con- gregation tlevoted to the education of ].)(i(ir girls, lie then seconded the efforts of a ze;dous layman, M. Xyel, to midtiply schools for poor children. Thus guided li}' Pro\idence, he was led to create an institute that would have no other mission than that of Christian education.
However, it would be a serious error to insinuate that until the end of the seventeenth century the Catholic Church had interested herself but little in the educa- tion of the children of the people. From the fifth to the sixteenth century, many councils which were held, especially those of Vaison in 529 and Aachen in 817, recommended the secular clergy and monks to instruct children. In 1179 the Third Council of Lateran ordained that the poor be taught gratui- tously, and in 1 "il" theCoiuicilof Trent decreed that in connexion with every church, there should be a master to teach the elements of human knowledge to poor children and young students preparing for orders. There were, therefore, numerous schools — petites (coles — for the common people in France in the seven- teenth century, but teachers were few, because the more clever among them abandoned the children of the poor to teach those of the wealthier class and re- ceive compensation for their work. It was evident that only a religious congregation would be able to furnish a permanent supjily of educators for those who are destitute of the goods of this world. The institutes of the Veneralile Cesar de Bus in 1592 and of St. Joseph Calasanctius (1556-1C4S) had added Latin to the course of studies for the poor. The tintativcs made in favour of bovs by St. Peter I'\)urier (15(i,5- 1640) and Pere Barn', in' l(i7S, failed; the work of M. Dcmia at Lyons in 11172 was not to spread. Then Godrai-sed up St. John Hal)tist de La Salle, not to create gratuitous schools, but to furnish them with teachers and give them lixed methods. The undertaking was much more diflicull than the founder himself im- agined. At the beginning he was encouraged by Pere Barn-, a Minim, who had founiled a .society of teach- ing nuns. Les Dames de Saiiit-Maur. The clergy and faithful applauded the scheme, but it had many bitter adversaries. During forty years, from lOSO to 1719, obstacles and difficulties constantly checked the
Erogrcss of the new institute, bvit by the prudence, umility, and invincible einirage of its sujierior, it was consolidated and developed to unexpected proportions. Develop.ment. — In lOSO the new teachers began
their apostolate at Reims; in 1682 they took the
name of " Brothers of the Christian Schools"; in 1684
they opened their first regular novitiate. In 1688
Providence transplanted the young tree to the parish
of St-Sulpice, Paris, in charge of the spiritual sons of
M. Olier. The mother-house remained in the capital
until 1705. During this period the founder met with
trials of every kind. TJie most painful came from holy
priests whom he esteemed, but who entertained views
of his work different from his own. Without being in
any way discouraged, and in the midst of the storms,
the saint kept nearlj' all of his first schools, and even
opened new ones. He reorganized his novitiate several
times, and created the first normal schools under the
name of " seminaries for country teachers". His zeal
was as broad and arflent as his love of soiils. The
course of events caused the founder to transfer his
novitiate to Rouen in 1705, to the house of Saint-
Yon, in the suburb of Saint-Sever, which became the
centre whence the institute .sent its religious into the
South of France, in 1707. It was at Rouen that St.
John Baptist de La Salle composed his rules, con-
voked two general chapters, resigned his office of
superior, and ended his earthly existence by a holy
death, in 1719. Declared venerable io 1S4(), he was
beatified in 1888, and canonized in 1900.
Spirit of the Institute. — The spirit of the in- stitute, infused by the example and teachings of its founder and fostered by the exercises of the religious life, is a spirit of faith and of zeal. The spirit of faith induces a Brother to see tiod in all things, to suffer everything for God, and above all to sanctify himself. The spirit of zeal attracts him towards children to in- struct them in the truths of religion and penetrate their hearts with the maxims of the Gospel, so that they may make it the rule of their conduct. St. John Baptist de La Salle had himself given his Brothers ad- mirable proofs of the purity of his faith and the vivac- ity of his zeal. It was his faith that made him adore the will of God in all the adversities he met with; that prompted him to send two Brothers to Rome in 1700 in testimony of his attachment to the Holy See, and that led him to condemn openly the errors of the Jan- senists, who tried in vain at Marseilles and Calais to draw him over to their party. His whole life was a prolonged act of zeal: he taught school at Reims, Paris, and Grenoble, and showed how to do it well. He composed works for teachers and pupils, and espe- cially the "Conduite des 6coles", the "Devoirs du Chretien", and the "Regies de la biens6ance et de la civility chretienne".
The saint pointed out that the zeal of a relig- ious educator should be exercised by three principal means: vigilance, good example, and instruction. Vigilance removes from children a great many occa- sions of offending (iod; good example places before them models for imitation; instruction makes them familiar with what they shoidd know, especially with the truths of religion. Hence, the Brothers have always considered catechism as the most important subject taught in their schools. They are catechists by vocation and the will of the Church. They are, therefore, in accordance with the spirit of their in- stitute, religious educators: as religious, they take the three usual vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience; as educators, they add the vow of teaching the poor gratuitously according to the prescriptions of their rule, and the vow of remaining in their institute, which they may not leave of themsehes even for the purpose of joining a more perfect order. Besides, the work appeared so very important to St. John Baptist de La Salle that, in oriler to attach the Brothers permanently to t he education of the poor, he forbade them to teach Latin.
Government. — The institute is governed by a superior general elected for life by the general chapter. The superior general is aided by assistants, who at the
