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©ead Leave^. 
“After a season gay and brief, 
Condemned to fade and flee.” 
Sadness. 
— Montgomery. 
S ADNESS may be good or evil, according to its different effects. 
“It is true,” says St. Francis de Sales, “it produces more evil 
effects than good, for it has only two that are good, compassion and repent¬ 
ance; hut it has six that are evil, viz.: anxiety, sloth, indignation, jealousy, 
envy, and impatience, which caused the wise man to say, sadness kills many 
and there is no profit in it * because for two good streams which flow from 
the source of sadness, there are six very evil.” 
“The enemy,” as St. Francis adds quite as truly, “makes use of sad¬ 
ness and temptation against the just; for as he endeavors to make the 
ivicked rejoice in their sins , so he strives to make the good grieve in their 
good works; and as he cannot procure the commission of evil, but by mak¬ 
ing it appear agreeable, so he cannot divert us from good, but by making it 
appear disagreeable.” 
The prince of darkness is pleased with sadness and melancholy, be¬ 
cause he is and will be sad and melancholy to all eternity; therefore, he 
desires that everyone should be like himself.” 
And if you, too, my reader, should at any time be seized with the evil 
of sadness, have at once recourse to prayer, because prayer is a sovereign 
remedy, lifting up the soul to God, our only joy and consolation! 
Is any of you sad? Let him pray —St. James, v, 13, 
*Ecclus. xxx .25. 
