Cover of Duty, showing the Oath of the Horatii

Moral Theology

Duty

Twelve Conferences to Young Men

  • By Fr. William Graham

Fr. William Graham examines the obligations behind everyday conduct in twelve conferences addressed to young men, from the meaning of duty to the care of the soul.

Read the opening

I. Meaning and Source of Duty: 3,614 words, about 9 percent of the book, free in the press's own transcription. Read them here.

Source edition
1910, Joseph F. Wagner, New York
Manualist edition
September 2026

Duty begins with the meaning and source of duty, then considers its limits, the conditions of moral responsibility, the authority of law, and the voice of conscience. From these foundations Fr. William Graham turns to the duties of family life, membership in the Church, citizenship, and care of the soul.

Graham writes as a Catholic priest addressing young men directly. His examples range from work and education to obedience, prayer, and self-discipline. First published by Joseph F. Wagner in 1910, this Manualist Press edition presents the twelve conferences in a newly typeset format.

Why this book

Fr. Graham's concern is practical—how to move from knowing what is right to doing it, and how repeated choices form the habits that become character.

Restoration note

This edition presents Graham's text in a newly typeset format while preserving its historical wording.

Source note

Newly typeset from the 1910 Joseph F. Wagner edition, preserving its historical wording.

About the author

Father William Graham was a Catholic priest whose Duty: Twelve Conferences to Young Men was published by Joseph F. Wagner in New York in 1910 with the imprimatur of the Archbishop of New York.

Sources: Internet Archive catalog record. Checked 2026-09-11.

All books by Fr. William Graham

  1. True Men as We Need Them

    A Book of Instruction for Men in the World

    • By Fr. Bernard O'Reilly

    1888 · Kindle, Paperback, Hardcover

  2. The Christian Father

    What He Should Be, and What He Should Do

    • By Bishop Franz Wilhelm Cramer

    1883 · Kindle, Paperback, Hardcover

  3. Solid Virtue

    A Treatise on Christian Perfection

    • By Father Aloysius Bellécius, S.J.

    1914 · Kindle, Paperback, Hardcover