This is a school apart， a boarding-house of picked youths， an enclosed hot-house intended for the preservation and development of special vocations. None of these schools existed previous to 1789； at the present day(in 1885)， they number 86 in France， and all the pupils are to become future priests. No foreign plants， no future laymen， are admitted into this preparatory nursery；[69] for experience has shown that if the lower seminary is mixed it no longer attains its ecclesiastical purpose； "it habitually turns over to the upper seminary only the bottom of the classes； those at the top seek fortune elsewhere". But if， on the contrary， "the lower seminaries are kept pure， the entire rhetoric[70] class continues on into the upper seminary； not only do they obtain the bottom of the classes but the top." - The culture， in this second nursery， which is prolonged during five years， becomes extreme， wholly special； it was less so under the ancient régime， even at Saint-Sulpice； there were cracks in the glass letting in currents of air； the archbishop's nephews and the younger sons of nobles predestined for Church dignities had introduced into it the laxity and liberties which were then the privileges of the episcopacy. During the vacations，[71] fairy scenes and pastorals were performed there with costumes and dances， "The Enthronement of the Great Mogul，" and the "Shepherds in Chains"； the seminarians took great care of their hair； a first-class hair-dresser came and waited on them； the doors were not regularly shut： the youthful Talleyrand knew how to get out into the city and begin or continue his gallantries.[72] From and after the Concordat， stricter discipline in the new seminaries had become monastic； these are practical schools， not for knowledge， but for training， the object being much less to make learned men than believing priests； education takes precedence of instruction and intellectual exercises are made subordinate to spiritual exercises[73] - mass every day and five visits to the Saint-Sacrament， with one minute to half-hour prayer stations； rosaries of sixty-three paters and aves， litanies， the angelus， loud and whispered prayers， special self-examinations， meditation on the knees， edifying readings in common， silence until one o'clock in the afternoon， silence at meals and the listening to an edifying discourse， frequent communions， weekly confessions， general confession at New-year's， one day of retreat at the end of every month after the vacations and before the collation of each of the four orders， eight days of retirement during which a suspension of all study， morning and evening sermons， spiritual readings， meditations， orisons and other services from hour to hour；[74] in short， the daily and systematic application of a wise and steadily perfected method， the most serviceable for fortifying faith， exalting the imagination， giving direction and impulse to the will， analogous to that of a military school， Saint-Cyr or Saumur， to such an extent that its corporeal and mental imprint is indelible， and that by the way in which he thinks， talks， smiles， bows and stands in your presence we at once recognize a former pupil of Saint-Sulpice as we do a former pupil of Saumur and of Saint-Cyr.
