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10 THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA THE BULLETIN The Official Organ of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia. Published Monthly by the Publicity Department, 409 Herald Building, Augusta, Georgia. Subscription Price $2.00 Per Year VOL. II. DECEMBER, 1920 No. I THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS. To the pious layman this is the time of the year when he begins to remember the ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo et in Terra Pax Hominibus Bonae Voluntatis, which is almost certain to be quoted in one of the Christmas sermons each will hear. And in the days that will intervene until the Feast occurs most of us will be trying to do each his part in contributing to the pleasure of our fellows. The second part of the above-named wish is well taken care of by us. The human side of Christmas has been so well exploited that each considers it his duty to add to the sum of human happiness at Christmas-time. Good Fel lows are everywhere. Our charity glows to a white heat and for once we are seeking those less fortu nate and doing unto them as we would be done by. We even remember the orphans and on Christmas Day contribute the price of a few good cigars to their support and maintenance for the ensuing twelve- month. Yes, we do fairly well by our brothers at this season. But how about the first part of the admonition, the Gloria in Excelsis Deo? How many of us give to God a tenth part of the Christmas thought we give to making the children and our fellows on earth happier by some remembrance? And yet that is the prime part of the Christmas spirit. Notice the order in which the two thoughts occur. We are told first to think of God and then of men of good will. The fact is we have all of us allowed Christmas to be more of an earthly than a spiritual holiday. It is true we all go to Mass that day some indeed pick out that one day in all the year for entering the por tals of a sacred edifice. It is true that we give a few cents more than ordinary to the charity of the church. But how little in comparison with the spirit of giving from a human motive are our hearts raised to the God whose sacrifice made it possible for us to have Christmas? Instead of a day humming with activity, of good cheer and almost brusque charity, should we not rather spend it in a spirit of humility and with a con trite heart bend our heads in devotion and worship of that God whose glory should be the theme as well as motive of the great feast? The charity is good if it springs from a love of God, but that love is really and truly the essential in a correct realization of the spirit of Christmas. “Glory to God in the Highest” should not be subordinated to the “peace on earth to men.” THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC PRESS MONTH. Next March has been named by Bishop Russell, the chairman of the Press Department of the Na tional Catholic Welfare Council, as “National Cath olic Press Month,” in accordance with the action taken by the Archbishops and Bishops at their re cent meeting in Washington, when it was decided to set aside a month early in 1921 for the purpose of unifying all the forces under the direction of the Hierarchy throughout the whole country in a na tional campaign on behalf of the Catholic press. March is the month dedicated to St. Joseph, the human head of the Holy Family, Patron of the Uni versal Church, devotion to whom was recently urged by the Holy Father in a special message to the Chris tian world* It is particularly appropriate that the National Catholic press campaign should be held in the month associated with St. Joseph, for probably no power more than the power of the press can best serve the social interests of Christian civiliza tion, and the welfare of the family, both of which purposes were so strongly promoted by Benedict XV in his recent Encyclical Letter on St. Joseph. The Press Department of the National Catholic Welfare Council is working out a definite program for the conduct of the campaign, under the direction of the Archbishops and Bishops, aind in co-operation with the Catholic Press Association, the National Council of Catholic Men and the National Council of Catholic Women. That the combined forces of the Catholic Church in the United States, inspired by such sentiments as these, and led by the Hierarchy, will make a great success of the National Catholic Press Month, next March, admits of no doubt. WORK OF A “LAZY” MONK. The most beautiful volume among the 300,000 books in the Congressional Library at Washington is a Bible which was transcribed in the sixteenth cen tury by a monk. It could not be matched today by the very best equipped printing office in the world. The parchment is perfect in condition and every one of its 1,000 pages is a most wonderful study. The general lettering is in German text. Each letter is perfect, and every one of them is coal black, without a scratch or blot from cover to cover. At the be ginning of each chapter, the initial letter is very large, usually two or three inches, and is highly illuminated in blue or red ink, the colors being as clear and beautiful as if just completed. With each of these capitals there is drawn the figure of some saint, or a picture of some incident described in the chapter. There are two columns in a page and nowhere is found the slightest irregularity of line, space or for mation of letters. Even under a magnifying glass they appear to be flawless. The precious volume is kept under a glass case, which is sometimes lifted to show that all the pages are as perfect as the two which lie open.