THE APOSTLE OF YOUTH
ren, uni ex minimis, to the very least of them all, the poorest and most friendless of the poor, as Jesus our Divine Master and Lord has Himself assured us.
I pray you, moreover, to remember yet furthermore, that, in these latter times in presence of the great dearth of means and pecuniary resources for the education, either by personal superitendence or the instrumentality of others, of poor neglected children in the true Faith and in Christian virtue, the most Holy Virgin has by unmistakable signs constituted Herself in a special way their Patroness and Protectress, and that in virtue of that office, she obtains for those who are their Benefactors here, numerous and extraordinary favours, not only spiritual but temporal as well.
He who is now writing to you, and all the Salesians as well, can bear witness that many of our benefactors, whose means hitherto were very limited, have found their circumstances gradually improve, when they set themselves, with a generous charity, to succour with their alms our orphan children; insomuch that, instructed by their own experience, there are many amongst them, who, in one way or another, have oftentimes expressed themselves to me to the following effect: "I do not wish you to thank me when I give an alms to your poor children; it is I who ought to thank you for coming to ask me for it. Since the day on which I first began to assist
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