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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
5
THE GEORGIA LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION THROUGH A
CALIFORNIAN’S EYES
By JOSEPH SCOTT
The record set by the Catholic Laymen’s Associa
tion of Georgia may not have much of an appeal to
those who have never experienced the bitterness of
religious prejudice. Fortunately, in this country
there are sections where the relationship between
Catholics and their non-Catholic fellow citizens is so
cordial and unimpaired by friction of any kind that
it might be difficult for them to understand just the
situation that confronts
their fellow citizens, situ
ated as they are in Geor
gia.
The work done by the
few' vigorous religious
Catholic people of Georgia
should be brought to the
attention of the whole
country, because if it were
understood in its true light
there would be a response
far and wide which would
lift the load from the
shoulders of the gallant
little band of stalwarts
and place the burden
where it could be more eas
ily carried, on the broad
shoulders of those of our
fellow citizens who have
never endured, in any se
rious manner, the annoy
ances and even persecu
tions which have come to
the people of Georgia and
other parts of the South.
In my judgment, Bishoo
Keiley typifies in its best
sense what a real Shep
herd of his flock should be.
He has kept his own sheep
within the fold, and has
also had a vigilant eye to
protect them from the
wolves without, which, at
his venerable age with
such youthful courage in
his soul, must be an inspi
ration for those who are
under his spiritual juris
diction to rally under his
leadership.
But almost as remark
able an incident to this
movement is the intellectual character of the cam
paign made by what is properly called a laymen’s
association, where the members of the laity them
selves undertake to meet the issues involved in this
religious controversy, and from the standpoint even
of the curbstone inquirer undertake to present" the
viewpoint of the Catholic Church upon all questions
regarding particularly the relationship of Church
and State, and the capacity of the Catholic to fulfill
his whole duties as an American citizen without
swerving a hair’s breadth from his allegiance to the
principles of his religion.
This is an atmosphere so invigorating and refresh
ing that it is no wonder the solidarity of the laity
of Georgia has won the unfeigned admiration of
well informed people far removed from the confines
of that state. We can all readily understand that
if the Catholic laity of this country would voluntarily
assess themselves one dollar per capita to duplicate
the work of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of
Georgia, there would be a fund for legitimate propa
ganda that would be of incalculable benefit. I don't
mean this for proselytizing purposes to dragoon
those who differ from us into our Churches and com
pel them to sit under our pulpits, but simply to
relieve their minds of the foolish bogey notion that
the Catholic people of this country have designs upon
the United States government to the end that if
we should secure political control we would then
make every other non-
Catholic citizen subserv
ient to our religious prin
ciples, or incapable of ob
taining justice under our
Constitution by reason of
our religious bigotry and
prejudice against them.
The non-Catholic citizen
must not be blamed, if he
believes in this so-called
“menace,” should he try
with might and main to
protect the institutions of
this country from such
propaganda. I am a firm
believer in the spirit of
toleration of our non-Cath-
olic citizens, and the great
est part of this campaign
against bigotry is simply
to inform them as to our
position. I cannot speak
otherwise without being a
contemptible ingrate. I
live in a community my
self that has about fifteen
per cent or thereabouts of
Catholic population, and I
have been honored five suc
cessive occasions by being
elected on the School
Boar d—the last place
where the bigot wants a
Catholic; and it is because
of the opportunity I had
under these circumstances,
particularly to come in
contact with our non-Cath
olic citizens, that I am ab
solutely satisfied that the
Catholic Laymen’s Asso
ciation of Georgia is on
the right track when it
strikes out vigorously and
courageously by an intellectual effort to appeal to
the non-Catholic citizens of the State to listen to
them, and read their literature, and" then they can
remove their fears, and we can live as we ought to
live in this country, Catholic and Protestants, Jew
and Gentile, believer and unbeliever side by side all
of us, loyal to the principles of our government, and
standing as a phalanx against the enemy without,
watchful within the gates for the enemies within, so
that our beloved country can carry out its duty to
humanity and civilization and the noblest ideals of
liberty and democracy.
I salute my fellow citizens of the Catholic Lay
men’s Association of Georgia, humbly, and with sin
cere admiration for their wonderful work, and beg
God to give them length of days to see in their own
day and generation the fruition of their highest
expectations.
MR. JOSEPH SCOTT.
The author of this article on the Catholic
Laymen’s Association of Georgia is one of the
leading living Catholic laymen, one of the fore
most members of the Knights of Columbus and
prominent in the movement for recognition of
the Irish Republic.
Born in Cumberland, England, he was edu
cated at St. Cuthbert’s College, Ushaw, and
at London University. Coming to America, he
became professor of rhetoric and English liter
ature at St. Bonaventure’s College, Alleghany,
N. Y. Later he moved to California, was ad
mitted to the bar, and received the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy from Santa Clara Col
lege.
He has been honored several times by being
elected President of the Board of Education in
Los Angeles. He was the only layman but one
invited to deliver an address on the occasion of
the Centennial of his Alma Mater at Ushaw,
another speaker being Archbishop (now Car
dinal) Bourne. “Had the Centennial given the
Catholic body in England nothing else but that
(Mr. Scott’s) speech, it would have given us
something to be profoundly grateful for,” said
the Catholic Weekly of London in its report of
the proceedings.
The Catholics of Georgia hope to have the
pleasure of hearing Mr. Scott some time in the
near future.