Among men of social standing, whose habits, condition and character
are so different, you can easily discern those whose faith discloses
to them a reflection of the glory of Mary in you, from those who
behold in you simply a daughter of Eve. Their conversation,
deportment and looks, everything in them, will serve you as an index
to this discernment. It is very difficult for man to disguise his
real sentiments--dissimulation costs nature too dearly--but there are
two circumstances wherein his moral character betrays itself in a
striking manner, namely, in the presence of God, and in the presence
of woman. It is neither permitted nor possible to a man truly
religious and chaste to be bold or trivial in presence of either.
The woman illuminated by the sweet reflections of the glories of
Mary, and imitating her virtues according to her state of life,
enjoys the singular privilege of commanding the deferential respect
of men of the most decided character. In her presence vice is silent,
audacity is confounded, virtue, innocence and candor are at ease. The
holy emanations of her heart purify the moral atmosphere around her,
imparting to it a sweet and charming serenity, converting the place
in which she appears into a kind of sanctuary.
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