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THEBULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
THE SIXTH ANNUAL CONVENTION
(Continued from front page.)
In a quiet, dignified Christian manner, you have gone
about your work of education, carefully avoiding a
spirit of criticism or antagonism, so that you have
appealed to all the right thinking people of Georgia.
You have accepted the sincerity of your fellow men,
knowing that they also are seeking the truth, and you
have given them the truth of the matter fairly and
squarely.
’The Catholics have proven themselves true in every
phase of American life. We know that our moral code
is sound and that our principes are correct. By the
daily lives of our Catholic men and women and by
their accomplishments in public life, we can demon
strate this.”
Guest of Mr. Spalding
During his stay in Atlanta, Admiral Benson was the
guest of Col. J. J. Spalding. He arrived in Atlanta
Saturday evening and left at midnight Sunday. Fully
700 people crowded the Marist Hall to hear his ad
dress, and many more were unable to gain admittance.
Michael Williams, author of ‘‘American Catholics in
the World War,” and assistant director of the Na
tional Council of Catholic Men at Washington, D. C.,
took for his subject the work of Catholics in the war.
He urged the members of the Association to let their
fellow citizens know of the work Catholics did in the
war.. He said their accomplishments at that time
were nothing new, for if one were to go back to the
start of the work, he must go to the time when Am
erica was discovered by a Catholic, explored by Cath
olics, and settled by many members of our faith.
Benedict Elder of Louisville, Ky., who needs no in
troduction to Georgia audiences, or to Catholic au
diences anywhere for that matter, delivered a short,
brilliant talk such as only he knows how to make. He
pointed out the feeling of fellowship among Georgia
Catholics for which the convention is responsible,
and urged his hearers to feel that fellowship with the
Christians of early days and with the Patriarchs of the
Old Law, which comes to those who have the spirit of
the Church.
Col. Malone's Address
Col. Paul B. Malone, U. S. A., of Camp Benning,
Columbus, came to the convention as a delegate from
his city. He went home with the sincere thanks of
every person at the convention for the message he
brought. Col. Malone was recently decorated by the
French and American governments for his valiant
services during the war.
His theme was the liability opposition, especially
religious bigotry, is supposed to be to a man. There
are too many people who have contracted the habit of
blaming bigotry for their lack of success, instead of
their own lack of energy, he said.
‘‘There is none of this prejudice in the United
States army and navy,” he said. ‘‘There the only
criterion is a man’s ability to do the task assigned
him. That is why Admiral Benson today occupies the
high position he does in the American navy.”
The committee on nominations, Col. M. J. O’Leary
of Savannah, chairman, turned in the following report,
which was unanimously accepted:
President, P. H. Rice, Augusta; first vice-president,
J. J. Haverty, Atlanta; secretary, John B. McCallum;
treasurer, T. S. Gray, Augusta.
Publicity committee Richard Reid, Augusta, chair
man; E. A. Sheridan, Macon; Evelyn Harris, Atlanta;
Mrs. E. H. Howkins, Savannah; Miss Amelia Horne,
Macon; Richard A. Magill, Atlanta; W. J. Ryan, Sa
vannah.
Auditing committee Alvin M. McAuliffe, chair
man.
Local Vice-Presidents—Augusta—E. J. O’Connor,
and Mrs. J. P. Mulherin; Atlanta Jack J. Spalding
and Mrs. Mae McAlpin; Macon A. J. Long and Mrs.
E. A. Sheridan; Athens—Miss Josephine Postero; Al
bany—J. G. Barron and Miss Mamie Brosnan; Savan
nah M. A. O’Byrne and Mrs. J. E. Kelley; Columbus
—A. F. Kunze and Miss Alice Lee; Washington—G-
A. Poche and Miss Margaret Toomey; Brunswick—C.
T. Calnan and Mrs. M. Clark; Middle Georgia Missions
R. W. Hatcher, Milledgeville and Miss Louise Sulli
van, Sandersville; South Georgia Missions Jas. T.
Vocelle, St. Mary’s.
Honor Deceased Officials
Resolutions were adopted on the death of Mr. Far
rell and of George E. Toale. Mr. Toale was one of
the founders of the Association. The resolutions will
be published in an early number of The Bulletin.
The convention closed with the singing of “Holy
God, We Praise Thy Name,” sung with full hearts and
in a spirit of thanksgiving. We believe the glorious
hymn has never before been sung in Georgia with
such volume and spirit as when closing the 1921
convention.
The report of the committee on resolutions, of which
Thomas F. Walsh, Jr., was chairman, was in part, as
follows:
A symptom of the general wave of lawlessness
which some think is an aftermath of war, which is a
species of lawlessness on a vast scale, is an organiza
tion purporting to have the noble object of preserv
ing the constitution of the country.
The particular enemies they see are Catholics,
Jews and negroes, of whom they are so fearful that
they dare not show their faces, and therefore en
shroud themselves from head to feet, and carefully
guard the secrecy of their membership in order that
they may not be known and seen while in the per
formance of their great mission.
They have attracted a great deal of attention be
cause of their dress, their advertising and last, but
not least, by the numerous crimes committed in their
name. Many of our members seem to think that
we should pass resolutions condemning that organi
zation. However, we think it is merely an effort to
capitalize the general spirit of lawlessness, and in due
time, when its members realize that they have been
duped out of their initiation fees, the organization
will reap its merited reward of dissolution.
The Church and the Negro
Whereas, it has been falsely charged that the Cath
olics desire to bring about social equality between the
white and negro races; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Catholic Laymen’s Association,
That as Christians we deprecate and hold wrong every
thing that tends to prevent the negro race from bet
tering its condition educationally, morally and finan
cially.
That we believe that the negro should be helped by
the white people to better his condition in the re
spects named not only because it will be advantageous
to him, but also because it will prove advantageous to
the white people; be it further
Resolved, that the Catholic Church, without con
cerning itself with matters of social equality, but rec
ognizing the negro as a human being with a soul which
may be either saved or lost for eternity, seeks to the
limit of its means and power to bring them to the
knowledge of and the life of the Gospel of Christ; be
it further
Resolved, That we as Catholics, as citizens of Geor
gia and of the United States and as white people, have
no desire to bring about what is known as ‘‘social
equality” between said races, and are and will be op
posed to any movement or effort to bring about such
relations, and any statement to the contrary when not
made due to ignorance is made for the purpose of at
taining ends which cannot be attained except by de
ception and falsehood.
We renew our loyalty in all spiritual matters to
mother church and appeal to all its members to set a
good example by living according to the teachings of
our holy religion.
We again pledge our individual loyalty in all tem
poral and political matters to our state and to our
country and stand ready to co-operate with all good
citizens in upholding the government, local, state and
national, and the duly constituted authorities in pre-
(Continued on page 4.)