initial exhortation to true conversion and to correcting of one's life;538 it is followed by a treatise on the fundamental elements of the Sacrament of Penance, namely, sorrow, confession, and firm purpose of amendment. The concluding part of this section is a detailed introduction to an examination of one's sins, condensed into three sections: the Commandments, the theological virtues together with the virtue of religion, examined in reference to the first commandment, and the seven deadly sins.539
The volume's second section is dedicated to Holy Communion and divided into two parts: On the doctrine, namely ,on truths we ought to know about the Sacrament of the Holy Communion540 and On the practice of going to Communion and on what is needed for a good Communion. This section constitutes a real plan designed for a Christian life, harmoniously modelled on the basic virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity.541
The affinity which exists with not only The Companion of Youth but also with the entire framework of Don Bosco's Christian educational system shows how much he owed to all of the above-mentioned authors or at least how much connection there is between praxis and pedagogical reflection and solid tradition, seriously committed to offering youth a solid, specific Christian spirituality.542
9. A teacher constantly 'open to learning'
There is no doubt that Don Bosco, as a founder, had to learn everything involved in the juridical and spiritual structure of the religious institutions that he founded. He also had to learn things about the many publications, narrative, catechetical and apologetic, he was gradually issuing. The same went for his educational experience, especially when he had to express it in writing. We have already mentioned in previous chapters, and earlier in this chapter, the names of educators and pedagogues Don Bosco might have known, to some degree.
A detailed analysis of his more significant pedagogical writings may eventually discover some probable sources Don Bosco may have relied on and drawn from. Don Bosco addressed a letter to Father Rua, at the end of October 1863, one which later became known as the Confidential Reminders for Rectors. In this letter we find the classical formula: make your self loved before you make yourself feared, a formula which later was slightly modified. Instead of the word before, the words if you want, and, rather than. Don Bosco may have taken this formula from the monastic Rule of St Augustine or of St Benedict, but most probably from reading books which dealt with Greek and Roman history. The document as a whole may have drawn some kind of inspiration from a booklet written by the Jesuit father Binet, Quel est le meillieur guovernement: le rigoreux ou le doux? (What is the best way to rule: strictly or with gentleness?). Don Bosco might have had the chance to read this booklet in its Italian edition provided by Jesuit Father Anthony Bresciani (1798-l862), who was director of the boarding school Of Mount Carmel and who later on became provincial, near the Convitto Ecclesiastico. The text which, had as title The art of leadership, was preceded by a note written by the translator, in which he displayed rather conservative ideas aimed at forewarning people against modern permissive and populist tendencies, and possibly or actually affecting family, society and even the world of politics.543
537 Ibid., 28-371.
538 Ibid., 372-491.
539 Ibid., 312-371-
540 C. Gobinet,Instruzione, 2, 374-419.
541 Ibid., 420-491.
542 In the study by P. Stella, Valori spirituali nel “Giovane provveduto”, the first two chapters are dedicated to making the
convergences and dependencies more precise: Letteratura ascetica per la gioventù in Piemonte (21-45) and Le fonti del
“Giovane provveduto” (46-79).
543 Dell’arte di governare. Qual è il governo migliore, il severo, o il dolce?. Work by Fr Stefano Binet of the Company of
Jesus translated into Italian by Fr. Antonio Bresciani of the same Company, (Turin: per Giacinto Marietti, 1843), 168
pages. Fr Bresciani’s preliminary considerations are found in 5-10.