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2 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.)