BOOK NOTICES

New Zealand Tablet, 17 March 1921, Page 13

BOOK NOTICES

The Psalms Made Easy, by Father Rickaby, S.J. Burns, Oates, Washbourne, London; 3/- net;) Here is a little pocket-book, that will be welcome to priests who want a handy key to puzzles met with whpn reading the Psalms of the Divine Office. The Psalms are taken in the order in which they occur in the Breviary, and every phrase likely to be difficult of interpretation is dealt with briefly and clearly. Thejjove of the Sacred Heart : illustrated by St. Margaret Mary and the Blessed John Eudes. (Burns, , Oates, Washboutne, London; 3/(? net.) In a time when charity has grown cold and the sole hope of the weary world lies in a revival ’’of the spirit of Christ, one can find no better reading than a book about devotion to the Sacred Heart. This volume of spiritual thoughts is sure to be welcomed by devout Catholics. It contains lessons of inestimable value for the present time.

Marriage and Motherhood r , by Alice, Lady Lovat. (Burns, Oates, Washbourne, London 6/- net.) Here is a wise book written, not by a student and a theorist but by a Christian mother who has brought up children for God on true Christian lines. God made the . world at the beginning but He left the destiny of individuals and nations in the hands of men and women, and the tone and character of a generation depend humanly speaking on the mothers of the race. Lady Lovat recognises that truth, and her book is a practical handbook that ought to' be given to every young wife in these days of sorry and foolish experiments with education and training. If politicians and those who elect them in New Zealand had been brought up on the divinely appointed rules which are the foundations of Lady Lovat’s teaching this Dominion would not be the unchristian state it is to-day. And il we are ever to arise from the mire it will only be when mothers recognise that the first step must be proper training of children in homes modelled on the Home of Nazareth. You cannot give to a bride' a more useful present than this book. The Rule of St. Benedict, a commentary by the Right Rev. Dom Daul Delatte. Translated by Dom Justin McCann. (Burns, Oates, Washbourne, London; 21/- net.) Long centuries ago Gregory the Great wrote: “The man of God, Benedict, among the many wonderful works that made him famous in the world, was also conspicuous for his teaching; for he wrote a rule for monks, remarkable for discretion and rich in instruction.- If any one desires to know more deeply the life and character of the man, he may find* in the ordinances of that rule the exact image of his whole govern* ment: for the holy man cannot possibly have taught otherwise than as he lived.” In the years that have passed since these words were penned the Rule has been famous throughout Europe. It reflects the’ moral beauty of St. Benedict’s character, and it is the ripe fruit of a grand Christian tradition. The rule -ms had immeasurable influence on civilisation during the centuries since Benedict prayed and studied among the mountains around Subiaco. lie who wrote it was inspired by the glory of God and his aim was to guide souls straight to H-orl "Rnf 4-Vio mn„ C . j.l. . ------Q ' — um/ 1110,11 vv 11U IJ.CTU 11011 l me temptations of Rome had the Roman spirit of order and lucidity, and the stamp of Roman culture is on his work. The scholarly commentary we have before us is an admirable contribution to the study of the history and the origin •of the rule. To students of history it has its own appeal, but to all who are concerned With the knowledge of God and 4-1, „ advancement of . - vnni duo Luc advancement oi His Kingdom on earth this volume will be profitable. ‘Reading it brought us back in thought to old days when we stayed with St. Benedict’s monks in his own Monasteries at Subiaco and Monte Cassino; and study of the rule will bring men again to the principles of the past' from which they have wandered afar now and with sad resists. L ,