chastisement for her childish faults, though these were traceable more to her buoyancy of spirit than to an intractable disposition. "I always had a horror of sin," she said towards the close of her life, "and from the time I began to comprehend that such things as playing truant, teasing my companions, and asserting myself were wrong, I had very little attraction towards those things for which I was formerly chastised." In her instructions to the teachers whom she was forming, her counsels for the government and training of children were based largely on her own experience. "I did not think much about the punishment I would incur," she added; "there was a satisfaction in doing what I wanted to do. Inspire them (the children) with a higher principle than that of fear, which courageous characters will ignore to a great extent."
Mademoiselle Thérèse Guérin's career began in the years closely following the greatest revolution the world has ever known. Not only France but all Europe was suffering from the consequences of that indescribable catastrophe which society, government, finance, and commerce all shared in common. But the greatest havoc produced by the revolution was in the order of religion; and education was consequently affected in a most deplorable degree. When the priests had been restored to their churches they had not been able to establish schools as they desired. The teaching orders of men and women having been driven out of France, wherever a school was started the priests of the parish had to assume the duties of teachers. Many instances are recorded in which the arduous work was pursued devotedly; but the course of instruction
