JOHN
445
JOHN
when lie quietly withdrew from the work, as if it were candidate fell sick and died. The loss of this Brother
not his mission. Shortly afterwards the opening of was a blow to the founder. After passing the whole
another free school in St- Jacques parish lureil liim night in prayer, he rose up, not only comforted and
again from his seclusion, but he soon retired again. strengthened, but also enlightened as to the char-
Although instrumental in opening these elementary acter of his future institute. He then determined
free schools at Reims, de la Salle seemed to allow that there should be no priests among the members of
Adrien Nycl to share all the honours resulting there- his institute. Although there were priests and lay
from, while he was content to labour assiduously for brothers in nearly all existing religious orders, de la
the real progress of both schools. He was uncon- Salle was convinced that the time had come for a
sciously attracted to the work. Daily he visited the change in this matter in the new congregation,
teachers to encourage them or suggest practical Brother Lucard, the Annalist of the institute, thus
methods to attain definite results. But when he sums up the matter: "Since the death of Henri
found that the teachers liecame discouraged, owing to L'Heureux, de la Salle was firmly convinced that his
the lack of proper guidance after school hours, he institute was to be founded on simplicity and humility.
undertook to house them, that
he might be able to direct them
and give them practical lessons
in the useful employment of
time, and to prevent weariness
and disgust. Not only did
he aid them in class and after
class, but he made good any
deficit in the cost of living.
He even admitted them to his
own table and later on shel-
tered them under his roof.
Thus was he drawn closer and
closer to them, forming an in-
timate fellowship with the
teachers of the poor "It
was, indeed", '>a\s Mgi Gui-
Ijert, "his love thit induced de
la Salle to devote himself to
the young teachers of Reims
They were like ibuidoiud
sheep without a shcpht id He
assumed the responsibiht\ of
uniting them." \s jet de la
Salle had no definitive plans
for the future, e\ en as late as
24 June, 1682, when he trans-
ferred his little community to
the vicinity of rue Neuve. He
simply kept himself in readiness
to follow the guidance of Prov-
idence. He resigned his can-
onry in July, 1683, and he
distributed his fortune to the
poor in the winter of 1684,
thus giving convincing proofs
that he would not hesitate to
make any sacrifices necessary
St. John Baptist de la Salle
Monument erected by international subscription;
unveiled at kouen. 2 June, 1875
Designed by E. De Perthes; executed by
A. Falguifere
No Brother could, without
compromising his congrega-
tion, allow himself to be di-
verted from his functions as a
teacher, by devoting himself
to special studies, the saying
of the Divine Office, or the
fulfilment of other duties ob-
ligatory on the sacred min-
istry." Therefore, no Brother
can aspire to the priesthood
nor perform any priestly func-
tion, and no ecclesiastic can
become a member of the in-
stitute. This is the new rule
that de la Salle added, and it
is embodied in the Constitution
of the institute.
From 1702 the founder be- gan to endure a long period cif trial, aggravated by perse- cution on the part of certain ecclesiastical authorities. In November. 1702, he was de- posed by Cardinal de Noailles, and supplanted for a time by the Rev. M. Bricot. In 1703 one of his most trusted dis- ciples, Nicolas Vuyart, treach- erously deserted him. For the next ten years the holy founder was engaged in a series of struggles for the preservation of his institute, in the course of which his name was attacked, and justice denied him before the civil tribunals. After thirty- five years of hard labour, his
to complete the good work he had begun. Pere work seemed to be almost on the verge of ruin. His
Barre counselled de la Salle to give up whatever might confidence in God was so firm and unshaken that he
divert his attention from procuring God's glory. In
reply to the earnest remonstrances of his friends and
kinsfolk, he meekly answered: "I must do the work
of God, and if the worst should come to pass, we
shall have to beg alms." Reliance upon Providence
was henceforth to be the foundation of the Christian
Schools.
Up to this period (1684) the institute had lacked the
was never really discouraged. In 1717 he convoked
a chapter for the purpose of solidifying the work and
for the election of a superior general. His aim was to
have a Brother elected during his lifetime and thus
perfect the government of the institute in accordance
with the rule he had formulated. The choice of the
assemliled Brothers fell upon Brother Barthelemy, a
man whom all esteemed for his learning and virtue.
characteristics of a permanent organization. From The institute was now an accomplished fact. And
1694 to 1717, the struggle for existence was most from the first interview with .Adrien Nyel, in 1679, de
critical. In 1692 the institute was so weakened by la Salle belonged wholly to the Brothers, sharing with
deaths and defections that de la Salle could hardly them the burden of labour and observing the com-
find two Brothers who were willing to bind themselves mon rule. He never left them to engage in other
by vow to maintain the free schools. The death of works. Henri L'Heureux in December, 1690, materially De la Salle was too prudent and too well inspired by
affected the rules of the Brothers of the Christian
Schools. De la Salle, intending this gifted young
Brother to be the future superior of the congregation,
entertained the hope of having him ordained priest, and
with this view he sent him to Paris to pursue his theo-
logical studies at the Sorbonne. After a brilliant
course. Brother Henri L'Heureux was ready for ordi-
God, not to give his institute a positive character in its
twofold object: the Christian education of youth and
the cultivation of that spirit of faith, piety, mortifica-
tion, and obedience which should characterize its
members. His gift of gaining souls to God, and of
leading them to make great sacrifices, was supple-
mented by the splendid executive ability that en-
nation, but before this event took place the young abled him to found an institute and to supervise and
