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6 THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA THE BULLETIN The Official Organ of the Catholic Laymen's Association of Georgia. \ Publwhed Monthly by the Publicity Department, 409 Herald Building, Augusta, Georgia. Subscription Price—$2.00 Per Year VOL. II MARCH, 1921 No. 4 The month of March has been designated by the National Catholic Welfare Council, Department of Press and Publicity, as National Catholic Press Month. National Catholic Press Month was planned to in crease the number of readers served by the Catholic papers and, therefore, by the N. C. W. C. News Bu reau. It now reaches only 1,500,000 Catholics; there are, therefore, over 18,000,000 people who do not subscribe to or read any Catholic paper. Little Ireland, with a population of less than 4,000,000, supports four large daily newspapers and 73 weekly or bi-weekly papers which are also Cath olic in policy and atmosphere. France has several Catholic daily newspapers. In Holland there are 26 Catholic dailies, although the Catholics number only 2,000,000. There are in addition 210 other periodicals there. Spain has 48 Catholic dailies. Belgium has eight in Brussels alone. The republics of South America have similar stories to tell. Pope Benedict is today reiterating the urgent ap peals of his predecessors, % Popes Leo XIII and Pius X. In vain will you build churches, give missions, and found schools,” said Pope Pius X, for “all your noble works, all your grand efforts will be destroyed if you are not able to wield the defensive and of fensive weapon of a loyal and sincere Catholic press.” “My Diocese,” says Bishop Schuler, of El Paso, contains 68,000 square miles. Babies baptized by one of my priests today may ask him to perform their marriage ceremony when he is able to com plete his rounds again.” The Diocese of Savannah can give that of El Paso a race for honors in the matter of territory. Bishop Keiley has under his jurisdiction a Diocese of 58,980 square miles. Holy Cross, Fordham, and Boston College, three of the large Catholic institutions of higher learning in America, are conducting drives to replenish their depleted resources. Catholics are inclined to be lieve that our colleges, especially in the North, are sufficient for present-day needs. Such is not the case. All three colleges were forced to turn away hundreds of applicants this year. The campaigns for funds should remedy conditions considerably. April 16th has been fixed as the date for the next annual competitive examinations for the graduate scholarships in the Catholic University. These schol arships were c reated by a fund of $500,000 donated by the Knights of Columbus seven years ago. They are open to men who have received their Bachelor’s Degree in Arts, Science or Letters, and to those who will receive such a degree this year. They entitle the holder to board, lodging and tuition in the Uni versity during the academic year. They may be held for one, two or three years for''the degrees of Master of Arts, Master of Philosophy and Doctor of Philos ophy respectively. The country needs men with such a training. We need them in the South. Our young men should seize the opportunity so presented. March, the month of St. Joseph, recalls to the practical Catholic the home life of the Holy Family. We are told that St. Joseph owned a little home which sheltered Jesus and His mother, Mary, from the ele ments. He had a little plot of land where he spent his spare hours in order to cut down the family food bill. If laboring men today owned their own homes and had in addition a piece of ground to till, the present- day labor troubles would be very near solution. Some far-sighted employers are working in this direction. Others would follow their example if they gave the matter a little consideration. Sociologists know that discontent diminishes as the number of property-owners grows. A MESSAGE FROM CEYLON. Another record was hung up during February in the office of the Catholic Laymen’s Association when thirty-two copies of “The Faith of Our Fathers,’’ by His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, were mailed to non- Catholics in answer to requests for the work. The pieces of literature sent out during the month num bered 3,088. One of the features of the month’s work was the following letter, from far-away Ceylon: “Postoffice, Kotagalia, Ceylon. “The Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia. “Dear Sirs: Kindly post me a copy of your latest publication, entitled “Catholics and the Pope.’’ “I saw in my January number of the American Messenger of the Sacred Heart that you distribute these booklets free, and I took the opportunity of getting myself one. “Hoping you will not disappoint me and thanking you, I am, “Sincerely yours, “H. D. P. PERERA.’* A campaign for a million-dollar fund for a semi- . nary in New Orleans has been over-subscribed, and the dream of a century of Bishops in that See will now be realized. Replying to a committee protesting against con tinuing the Vatican Legation, Premier Lloyd George said, “In view of the large number of citizens of the British Empire who are of the Roman Catholic faith, it is considered to be of advantage to His Majesty’s government to maintain contact with the Vatican.’*