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Legion HANDBOOK D10944_1 26/02/2014 15:53 Page 226

226 PRAESIDIA REQUIRING SPECIAL MENTION CHAPTER 36
report. The nature of their work will not usually provide
much material for an interesting or detailed report, so a
special effort will be needed to render the proceedings
interesting and varied.

15. The sense of identity with the senior Legion, fighting the
Lord’s battles in difficult and often dangerous circumstances
and with many great enterprises in hand, will vitalise their own
less enterprising work, and will catch the imagination of these
youthful legionaries (a process which is helped by everything
in the Legion system). This will preserve them, and many
through them, from the disposition to regard religion as a mere
imposed routine. If the latter idea takes root in the
impressionable years, harm has been done for which the most
resplendent scholastic attainments will not compensate.

16. The probation rule does not apply to junior members;
nor will they take the legionary Promise; nor sit on a senior
Curia. But in all other respects the full routine of prayers,
system and meetings, inclusive of the secret bag collection,
must be scrupulously followed, just as in the case of a senior
praesidium.
On transfer from junior to senior membership, the ordinary
probation term must be fulfilled.

17. A senior legionary serving in a junior praesidium, who
has not already taken the Promise in a senior praesidium,
should take it in that junior one. The contemplation of the
ceremony will deeply impress the juniors and should cause
them to look forward to the day when they themselves will
perfect their membership by taking the Promise.

18. It has often been suggested that the prayers should be
modi fied so as to facilitate the membership of children. The
inadmiss ibility of such proposals should be evident from a
reading of this chapter, which indicates that junior member -
ship should be an approx imation to senior membership. There
is no question of “junior” meaning “trivial.” High ideals of
action and devotion are to be placed before the junior
members, who should, in general, be expected to play the part
of leaders among other young people. It is manifest that this