Francois Fenelon (1651-1715) was way ahead of his time in educating children. After he was ordained a Catholic priest in 1675, he was assigned to teach girls in Paris the essentials of Christian faith. He carefully studied children and the best methods for instructing them. He perfected the art of gentle persuasion instead of using force, which was common in his day. He published Treatise on the Education of Girls that was widely read and highly acclaimed.
After serving as a missionary, Francois was appointed royal tutor for the duke of Burgundy, the seven-year-old grandson of King Louis XIV and heir to the French throne. The boy’s nickname “Little Terror” tells you something about his challenging assignment. Francis taught his temperamental student by writing a novel for him to read, The Adventures of Telemachus, which became the most widely read book in eighteenth-century France after the Bible. The novel highlights the attributes of a wise king through a series of action adventures, functioning as a manual on best practices of leadership. It takes aim at court luxury and greed and warns of expansionist wars. So, guess what? The king took offense at the digs on his authoritarian monarchy and banished Francis from court. Francois retreated from Versailles to Cambria, where he continued his writing and served as archbishop. One of observations about war seems particularly well suited to our time: “All wars are civil wars because all men are brothers.”
I find his following prayer instructive about asking God for what we need beyond our limited awareness: