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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.