The Book Of Saints and Heroes
Andrew Lang
- A
- noted
- non-Catholic
- writer
- on
- pedagogical
- subjects
- stated
- some
- time
- ago
- that
- if
- his
- own
- religious
- body
- had
- the
- wealth
- of
- story
- contained
- in
- the
- lives
- of
- the
- saints
- of
- the
- Catholic
- Church,
- it
- would
- be
- abundantly
- supplied
- with
- religious
- literature
- for
- children.
- It
- is
- true
- that
- the
- lives
- of
- the
- saints
- are
- an
- inexhaustible
- treasure-house
- for
- all
- that
- will
- interest
- and
- stimulate
- children;
- and
- that
- the
- same
- treasure-house
- is
- too
- seldom
- drawn
- upon.
- Its
- riches
- are,
- comparatively
- speaking,
- little
- known
- to
- our
- children
- or,
- indeed,
- to
- our
- older
- folks.
- A
- book
- that
- taps
- this
- vein
- of
- Catholic
- inheritance
- is:
- The
- Book
- of
- Saints
- and
- Heroes,
- by
- Mrs.
- Lang,
- and
- edited
- by
- the
- late
- Andrew
- Lang.
- Needless
- to
- say
- the
- work
- is
- admirably
- well
- written,
- and
- no
- child,
- even
- though
- tired,
- would
- think
- of
- sleep
- while
- the
- story
- of
- Jerome
- and
- the
- Lion,
- or
- Francis
- and
- the
- Wolf
- of
- Agobio,
- was
- being
- read.
- Here
- is
- all
- that
- will
- arouse
- the
- imagination,
- fascinate
- the
- mind,
- and
- instill
- that
- romantic
- love
- of
- heroic
- deeds
- which,
- in
- turn,
- is
- so
- powerful
- a
- stimulus
- to
- virtue.
- The
- book
- is
- most
- richly
- and
- tastefully
- illustrated
- with
- page
- drawings,
- many
- of
- them
- beautifully
- colored.
- The
- author
- has
- combined
- legend
- and
- history,
- and
- has
- sought
- to
- give
- us
- an
- interesting
- story
- book.
- This
- book
- is
- illustrated
- and
- annotated
- with
- a
- rare
- extensive
- biographical
- sketch
- of
- the
- author,
- Andrew
- Lang,
- written
- by
- Sir
- Edmund
- Gosse,
- CB,
- a
- contemporary
- poet
- and writer.
