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Legion HANDBOOK D10944_1 26/02/2014 15:53 Page 288

288 CARDINAL POINTS OF THE LEGION APOSTOLATE CHAPTER 39
further grave injustice to the Legion. It creates the impression
that the Legion is not suited to the doing of certain work,
whereas the real fact is that the Legion, though perfectly
capable, is not even being employed on that work.

6. CONTROL OF THE WORK BY THE PRAESIDIUM
The work is to be appointed by the praesidium. Members
are not free to undertake in the name of the Legion any work
they may think fit. This rule, however, should not be
interpreted so rigidly as to prevent a member from availing of
a chance of doing good which may cross his path. In fact, the
legionary must regard himself as being in a sense always on
duty. Work, encountered accidentally, could be brought up
and reported upon at the following meeting, and if adopted
by the praesidium would then become ordinary legionary
work. But in all this the praesidium should be careful. There is
a natural tendency in many people of great goodwill to do
everything but what they are supposed to do, to wander all
over the field instead of standing at the work which has been
assigned to them. These persons will do harm rather than
good, and if not curbed will do much towards breaking down
the legionary discipline.
Once the sense of responsibility to the praesidium, the idea
that one is its messenger going from it with definite
instructions and returning to it to report on the execution of
the allotted work, is shaken, the work itself will soon cease to
be done, or else be a source of danger to the Legion. Should a
grave error be the sequel of such independent action, the
Legion would be held to blame, although the fault had
proceeded from disregard of the Legion system.
When specially enthusiastic legionaries complain that their
efforts to do good are being fettered by too much discipline, it
is well to analyse the matter along the above lines. But it is
also necessary to take care that a complaint of this kind is not
well founded. The essential purpose of discipline is to drive
people on, not to hold them back; but some persons seem to
have no other idea of exercising authority than to say “no”
and otherwise act restrictively.