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THE APOSTLE OF YOUTH

Oratory soon grew into a large and flourishing Institute, under the care of the Salesian Fathers.

A rich marquis one day lamented to Don Bosco that the loss of twenty thousand francs had prevented him from making an offering toward one of the Salesian projects.

"But if you recover it, what will you do?" inquired Don Bosco, pleasantly.

"Father, I will give you one-half," replied the marquis impetuously. "But neither you nor I will ever get one centime of those twenty thousand francs."

"Who knows, my lord?" laughed Don Bosco. "My orphans are in need, and I shall get them to pray."

A few days after the marquis sent a messenger to the Oratory with five thousand francs, half of a sum he had recovered that morning. A week later the remainder of the debt having come to him, the marquis faithfully kept his promise to his benefactor.

The Order of St. Francis of Sales was now widely spreading in France. Besides Nice, houses were opened at Navarre, Marseilles, and Saint-Cyr, in 1879. In 1880, the first Oratory was inaugurated in Spain at Utrera. In 1883, Nichteroy, in Brazil, was favored with a foundation, and missions were established at Tierra del Fuego and

the Falkland Islands. In 1887 Austria opened its arms to the son of St. Francis of Sales, and the establishment of the Institute at Trent was the

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