Saint-Watching

Saint-Watching by Phyllis McGinley. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780670167753.

Now that the saints are marching out, this charming, affectionate and often wisely speculative little appreciation by the McGinley-of-like-attributes will undoubtedly aid the laity in a spirited contemplation of the saintly parade whether to or fro. "The saints differ from us in their exuberance... Moderation is not their secret." Saints are also literal. "Give all thou hast to the poor," for the saints means just that, rather than a tax-deductible percentage. Mrs. McGinley regards the goodly company and a few that are unappealing: the humble, the aristocrats, the organizers, the gentle friends of animals, the solitary and the boisterous, the witty and austere, feminine and masculine partners. Considering the times and places and the accomplishments, the author touches on the special talents and geniuses of her favorites or unfavorites. There is a section in praise of three "unordained" saints -- Florence Nightingale, Gandhi, Wesley -- and what amounts to an apology for Saint Paul which softens his more misogynistic pronouncements. "Mankind needs the brave and just. All heroes appeal to us" and these extravagant heroics are modestly enjoyed and revered.