Newspaper Page Text
Weakness Of Federal-Aid-To-Educafion Bills
PAGE 4—THE BULLETIN, April 5, 1958.
JOSEPH BREIG
Deep Anger Of Holy Week
I cannot go through with Holy
Week without feeling a deep
anger. I am lost in admiration
and adoration because Christ
went to the cross for truth and
for love of His creatures and fel-
lowmen. But
the days be
fore Easter re
mind me also
of the blackest
falsehood ever
uttered.
I am a
n e w s p a per-
m a n, and I
hate malicious lies with a grind
ing hatred. In lesser measure, I
detest even the misrepresenta
tions that are the result of care
lessness in getting and writing
the news. A newsman has no
right to take his work lightly.
No more ignorant remark is
possible than to say that the
Bible is not history; that there
is no proof that Christ lived,
taught, worked miracles, suffer
ed and died. Only an appalling
ly trival mind can produce such
nonsense. The Gospels are the
supreme model of accuracy in
reporting, and of restraining ob
jectively in expression.
JUDAS WAS DISLOYAL: Ju
das was avaricious; Judas was a
traitor. But those who manipu
lated Judas — used him and
threw him aside once he had
served their cruel purpose —
these were the cold, calculating
self-seekers, the graspers for
power, the deliberate murders of
truth.
Matthew tells us how this
devil’s brood (for the devil is a
liar and the father of lies) as
sembled in the court of Caiphas
and “there plotted to bring Jesus
into their power by cunning, and
put Him to death. Yet they still
said, Not on the day of the feast,
or perhaps there will be an up
roar among the people.”
What a tumult there would
have been, had the people un
derstood what was afoot. But
the liars bided their time, like
snakes waiting to strike, while
they schemed to destroy Christ,
and in so doing to betray their
own nation and its divine duty
to protect and to prosper.
WHEN DARKNESS FELL,
they sent soldiers and a rabble
to seize their victim and bring
Him before the council of chief
priests and elders. And “all the
council tried to find false testi
mony against Jesus . . . But they
could find none ... At last two
false accusers came forward who
declared, “This man said, I have
power to destroy the temple of
God and raise it again in three
days.”
Infuriated by Christ’s silence,
the chief priest at last cast aside
all caution and uttered a ques
tion that is like an earthquake:
“I adjure thee by the living God
to tell us whether thou art the
Christ, the son of God? Jesus an
swered, “Thy own lips have said
it. And moreover I tell you this
■— you will see the Son of Man
again, when he is seated at the
right hand of God’s power, and
comes on the clouds of heaven.”
At this, the high priest tore his
garments and said, “He has
blasphemed . . . What is your
findings?” And they answered,
“The penalty is death.”
THEN THEIR COWARDICE
and hatred took full possession
of them, and “they fell to spit
ting upon his face and buffeting
him and smiting him.” And they
shouted cheap mockeries: “Show
thyself a prophet, Christ; tell us
who it is that smote thee.”
Next morning, they multiplied
their falsehoods after taking
Christ before the governor, Pon
tius Pilate. But Pilate was no
fool; he saw through their lies.
He called Christ “this just man,”
and wished to release him. But
their threats to accuse him of
disloyalty to Caesar struck fear,
into him; and anyhow the pris
oner was no Roman, but merely
one more despised Jew.
WHEN PILATE WASHED
HIS HANDS of Christ’s blood,
the deceivers uttered one of the
most terrible sentences in all
literature: “His blood be upon
us and upon our children.” And
they called down the irony of
God upon themselves by crying,
“We have no king but Caesar.”
Thus the heart-stopping tragedy
moved inexorably on.
Christ was put to death, and
the falsifiers sealed his tomb and
set soldiers to watch it. After he
had returned to life and emerg
ed in glory, the guards hastened
to tell the chief priests.
Then followed the ultimate
lie. The deceivers “offered a rich
bribe to the soldiers; Let this,
they said, be your tale, His dis
ciples came by night and stole
Him away, while we were
asleep . . .”
It is no wonder that one can
not go through Holy Week with
out feeling deep anger, mingled
with bottomless sorrow for those
whom the deceivers deceived.
Theology
For The
Layman
(By F. J. Sheed)
Mind, we saw last issue, splits
the atom and calculates the
light-years. But, you may re
mind me, in both these opera
tions it uses the body. And this
is true.
But observe
there is no
question
which is the
user and
which is the
used. The
mind uses the
body, not ask
ing the body’s
consent. The mind is the prin
cipal, the body the instrument.
Is the instrument essential?
Must the mind use it to cope
with matters? We have evidence
in our experience of mind af
fecting matter directly. We will
to raise our arm, for example,
and we raise it. The raising of
the arm is a very complicated
anatomical activity; but it is
set in motion by a decision of
the will. And as we shall see, the
direct power the human mind
has over its own body, mightier
spirits have over all matter.
This mingle of spirit and mat
ter in human actions arises from
a fact, which distinguishes man’s
spirit from all others. Ours is
the only spirit which is also a
soul — that is to say the life
principle in a body. God is a
spirit, but has no body; the an
gels are spirits, but have no
body. Only in man spirit is
united with a body, animates
the body, makes it to be a living
body. Every living body — veg
etable, lower animal, human —
has a life principle, a soul. And
just as ours is the only spirit
which is a soul, so ours is the
only soul which is a spirit. Later
we shall be discussing the union
of spirit and matter in man to
see what light it sheds upon
ourselves. But for the present
our interest is in spirit.
We have seen that in us spi
rit does a number of things: it
knows and loves, and it ani
mates a body. But what, at the
end of all this, is spirit?
We can get at it by looking
into our own soul, examining
one in particular of the things
(Continued on Page Five)
Question
Box
Jottings...
(By BARBARA C. JENCKS)
(By David Q. Liptak)
Q: For the past three weeks
our priest has been preaching on
how serious a duty parents have
to see to the religious education
of their children. He makes 8
sound so awfully grave that the
very thought of such a duty
seems somewhat frightening, I'm
a parent myself, and I admit
that what our priest has said in
this regard has disturbed my
conscience a little. Is this duty
really so serious?
A: The obligation incumbent
upon parents to give their chil
dren a religious education is un
deniably a most serious one.
Its gravity is evident no mat
ter how the obligation is con
sidered; whether as part of the
Natural and Divine Positive
Law, for instance, or as part of
Church Law.
The Natural Law (and the
Fourth Commandment) imposes
this duty under penalty of grave
sin because nature intends as a
parental function not only the
bringing of a child into the
world, but also that child’s ed
ucation as a human person hav
ing an unique destiny. That des
tiny, of course, is essentially su
pernatural: every human crea
ture is meant to know, love and
serve God in this life, and to
enjoy perfect happiness with
Him in the hereafter. Obviously
then, from the very nature of
things, the religious training of
children is a most grave paren
tal charge.
CHURCH LAW is very expli
cit with respect to the import
ance of the religious instruction
of children by parents:
“Parents are bound by a most
serious obligation to provide to
the best of their power for the
religious and moral as well as
for the physical and civil edu
cation of their children . . .”—
(Canon 1113).
So lhat there can be no doubt
ing the overall seriousness of
(Continued on Page Five)
Is the object of life only to
live? Will the feet of God’s chil
dren be fastened to the earth?
It is not to live, but to die,
not to hew the cross but to
mount it and to give all that
we have laughing!
There is joy, there is freedom,
there is grace, there is eternal
youth.
* * *
• DESPITE the launching of
rockets and satellites, the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass is still the
most marvelous victory which
has been won over time and
space. A Holy Cross priest re
cently used this theme on a
nation-wide radio address. Eas
ter, the season of rebirth and
new beginnings is appropriate
time to concentrate on this first
victory of time and space and
apply it to our own lives. At
Easter we, too, can begin anew
in our victory over self. We can
fight the elements which would
hold us to this wretched earth.
We can begin again. The burden
is lifted. The pain is passed. We
feel a sense of cleanliness and
newness. We feel as children in
this first flush of Spring. We are
born again.
• CARYLL HOUSELANDER
WRITES: “As the dead Christ
lay in His Mother’s arms she
laid to her heart all those sin
ners to whom He would give not
only life but His own life . .
no matter how battered and
bruised they had been by sin,
the innocence of Christ was re
stored to them ... no matter
how cynical and faded and old
their sms had made them, they
were restored to their childhood
now, to Christ’s childhood. Now
they could possess the kingdom
of heaven in a wild flower, a
stream of water on a star. , .”
And is that not what each one
of us desires in the secret quiet
of his heart. Do we not all yearn
to return to the innocence of
childhood with a head cradled
against the protectiveness of a
mother’s breast. Don’t we al
ways yearn to begin again and
to cast off our sophisticated
cynicism and throw off the sins
of selfishness and greed and
uncharitableness and hate and
anger and impurity and become
in possession of the cleanness
and newness that the Easter
season brings. We can span the
realm of outer space and possess
all this if we let Our Lady “take
our heads in her hands and turn
them gently to look upon the
light of God.”
• IN EACH life there are
many Easters just as there are
many Good Fridays. We seem
nailed to discouragement, fear,
egotism and despair. We alone
know well our secret sins which
a smirking world can only be
gin to presume. It is from our
death to the world and our hate
for our sins and disgust in our
selves and our weakness from
which the flower of springtime,
Easter blooms. The darkest
hours are the hours nearest the
dawn . . . the dawn of new hope
and new beginnings . . . the
waking morning of Easter and
everlasting Spring.
Services For
R, R. Barron
CHAMBLEE, Ga. — Funeral
services for Mr. Raymond R.
Barron were held March 14th
at Our Lady of the Assmuption
Church, Rev. John Stapleton
officiating.
StH-vjvors are Miss Leslie
Marie Barron, Mr. Patrick Kevin
Barron, Miss Mary Dawson Bar
ron, Washington, D. C., Mr. Mar
kus Barron, Chicago; Mr. Joseph
Barron.
Refrain from laughing at the
mistakes of other and try to
profit by your own.
S T R A N
Little-Km
By M. J. MURRAY
GE BUT TRU
nown Facts for Catholics
E
Copyright, 1058, N.C.W.C. New# Service
SHARING OUR TREASURE
Harriet Thompson Wins 315!
By REV. JOHN A. O'BRIEN, Ph. D.
(University ol Notre Dame)
A A A, * J
Did you ever hear of a lay
person winning 315 converts?
Probably not. But that’s the
feat achieved by Mrs. Harriet
Thompson of Corpus Christi
parish, Chicago. Not only did
she interest,
them in the
Catholic faith
but she also
instructed
them from A
to Z and thus
had them en
tirely ready
for her pas-
tor, Father Maurice, O.F.M., to
baptize.
The achievement, probably a
record of its kind in our coun
try, shows what a truly zealous
lay apostle can do when he
sets himself to the task. I was
one of 23 priests helping Father
Maurice baptize a group of 155
converts, when I learned of
Mrs. Thompson’s work.
Then her total was about 250
converts. Now it’s 315, and still
growing. After entering the
Church herself, Mrs. Thompson,
a graduate of the University of
Washington in Seattle, attended
all the next three Inquiry Class
es, thus getting four complete
courses of instruction. Hence,
she is well qualified to give in
structions.
“When the Franciscan Fathers
took over Corpus Christi,” be
gan Mrs. Thompson, “they had
to start from scratch. The white
families had nearly all moved
away and the Franciscans were
confronted with the problem of
winning the Negroes who had
moved into the district in such
huge numbers.
“There were only three Fa
thers available for the work, so
after my conversion I determin
ed to learn the faith thoroughly
so I could assist them in their
difficult task. I would go into
homes and tell families what
peace and happiness the Catho
lic religion affords. Those that
were interested, I would instruct
right in their homes.” Would you
cite an instance?” I asked.
“When Mrs. Fred McNair in
the 500 block, Forestville Street,
expressed an interest,” she re
plied, “I decided to instruct her
in the evening when her hus
band, a worker in a South Chi
cago steel mill, and her 11 chil
dren would be at home. I went
there two nights a week for five
months.
“By that time every member
of the family was ready for bap
tism. Father Maurice examined
them and then received them
into the Church, and the chil
dren of school age were enrolled
in the parish school. The bap
tism of the 13 McNairs was an
impressive sight, and their rela
tives and friends came from far
and near.
“This got others interested, so
I was kept busy instructing’
three of those families for the
next five months. I explained
the catechism in simple lang
uage, had them memorize their
prayers, answered their ques
tions, and gave each one the at
tention needed. I got them start
ed attending Sunday Mass as
soon as possible, as that is a
great help.
“Once the word spread
throughout the parish that I
was available for home instruc
tion, calls came to me from
many families. They liked to re
ceive instruction, in their own
homes, as that often solved
baby-sitting problems.
“W hen two young men,
Thomas Clarke and Joseph
Perkins, who were teaching in
the public schools, said they
were willing to study the Cath
olic faith, I went to their apart
ment and instructed them. Their
theoretical interest changed to
a deep practical concern when
they perceived that their eter-
naL salvation was at stake, and
soon they got down on their
knees and began to pray. That
was the turning point.
“It took lots of work and
prayer over the past 20 years
to reach that 315 mark. But it
was worth it all. Indeed, I’m
convinced that many Catholics
in every parish could do it if
they would only try.”
Macon Services
For Mrs. Jackson
MACON, Ga. — Funeral serv
ices for Mrs. Charles A. Jackson
were held March 18th at St.
Joseph’s Church, Rev. Carmine
Benanti, S. J., officiating.
Survivors are one cousin, Mrs.
Charles McBrearty of Macon.
Things come very quickly to
the man who refuses to wait.
PATHER SMITH BE<3S
CLOTHES FOR THE
RAGGED, FOOD FOR
THE HUHGRy MEDICINE
FOR THE S/CK HE
BUILT A PAROCHIAL
SCHOOL TO EDUCATE
THE CHILDREN. HE IS
CHANGING- THE FACE
OF THE SLUM OWELLERS
AND BRIGHTEN I Nd
THE SOULS OF HI.S
PEOPLE.
fA THER RICHARD SMITH
OF COLLINS, NY, IS
PASTOR OF 25,000
PEOPLE —IN THE
poorest slows of
SANT/AIjO. CHILE,THIS
WARYKNOLt MISSIONED
IS 37 YEARS OLD,
FINDING 400 CHILDREN
OF His PARISH WITH
TUBERCULOSIS. HF. SOLD
WHAT HE HAD TO BUY
THEM COD- LIVER OIL
AND POWDERED MILkr.THEW
HE TURNED HIS HOUSE
INTO A FREE CLINIC AND
hired s doctors, f
DENTIST AND 1 NURSE.
THE
It is easy to exaggerate the
benefits that students in quest
of a college education would
derive from any of the federal
aid-to-education proposals now
before Congress.
Although the appropriations
proposed run f
into the bit- *
lions and the
education lob
bies talk as
though autho
rization of the
aid prog ram
would fill the
pipelines to •
college campuses with streams
of talented students, actually the
impact on college enrollment
would be slight.
Even if the most ambitious of
the pending proposals is en
acted — the Democratic bill pro
viding for 40,000 scholarships a
year for six years — it would
work out less than two scholar
ships a year for each of the na
tion’s 30,000 accredited high
schools.
Clearly such a program would
not open the doors of the col
leges to at the able students who
would like to get a higher edu
cation but for one reason or
another are unable to get one.
Some other form of student aid
must be found if the wastage
of talent among youth is to be
halted.
CURE ALL
The danger is, of course, that
the American people, so prone
to believe that any problem can
be solved by passing a law, will
BACKDROP
By JOHN C. O’BRIEN
assume that a federal appropri
ation will cure all the basic de
ficiencies of our educational
system.
As a matter of fact, the most
that the federal aid program
could accomplish would be to
center attention upon the need
for providing encouragement to
high school students to go on to
colleges and universities.
At the moment, with Congress
half way through the present
session, hundreds of education
bills are before the education
committee of the two houses.
But of these only four or five
appear to stand a chance of be
ing passed before adjournment.
The Democrats are disposed
to go much farther than the
Eisenhower Administration in
providing federal dollars for ed
ucation. They want to spend
$6,000,000,000, while the Admin
istration has recommended a
program that would cost $1,000,-
000,000.
The Democratic bill would
award 60,000 scholarships, each
good for $1,000 a year, in the
fiscal year of 1959, of which
20.000 would be available to
students already in college, and
40.000 a year in each of the
succeeding five years. The Re
publican bill would provide for
only 7,500 scholarships a year
for only four years.
The awarding of the scholar
ships, in both the Democratic
and Republican bills, would be
entrusted to state commissions
who would base their selections
on aptitude, not need, with pref
erence given to those with
science, mathematics or modern
language backgrounds.
The two bills also carry ap
propriations to assist the states
in setting up aptitude testing
and student guidance institutes
at colleges for the training of
public (not private) school
teachers in guidance counseling.
INCENTIVE TO EXCEL
To improve the quality of
science, mathematics and lang
uage teaching, each bill would
provide funds to help the states
in training competent instruc
tors in such subjects. These ap
propriations would make scho
larships available to college
graduates who wish to pursue
graduate work with a view to
making a career of teaching.
One of the criticisms of stu
dents in the high schools has
been that they hold scholarships
in low esteem, avoid difficult
subjects and exalt athletic
prowess. As an incentive to ex
cel in studies rather than on
the football field, the Democrat
ic education bill would authorize
the award of a Congressional
medal and certificate to every
senior who was graduated in
the top 5 per cent of his class.
At best the federal education
aid programs are token efforts
to increase the number of tal
ented students in the colleges.
For private schools they provide
little aid, aside from a chance to
compete for one of the relatively * 1
small number of scholarships
that would be available to high
school seniors.
Letters To Our Modern Agnes
This We Believe
(By FATHER LEO TRESE)
(By Father Leo Trese)
Seldom has this column evok
ed such an outpouring of letters
as did our discussion several
weeks ago of the plight of the
worried young mother for whom
rhythm would not work. The
young mother
whom we de
scribed as a
modern Agnes
did not sign
her name and
address to her
letter, so we
cannot for
ward to her
these many letters (some 30 of
them) which her own letter in
spired. With but two exceptions
the letters are all from women
who are or have been faced with
Agnes’ own dilemma. The let
ters are full of encouragement,
encouragement which flows
from the writers’ own deep faith
and trust in God. I wish that it
were possible to quote all the
letters in full. In our limited
space, however, the best that we
can do is to give excerpts from
a few of the letters selected at
random.
One that will make us asham
ed of ever complaining about
our own crosses (if we read
between the lines) is this word
from an Ohio mother: “Really
it is not so difficult. Like Agnes
went to her death happily, those
who have the courage to fol
low God’s laws will live their
faith in a wonderful happiness
too. That I say from experience.
I had to face this problem many
years ago. I felt that I must de
cide to live with Christ or with
out Him. I accepted everything
from God’s hands confiding com
pletely in Divine Providence. He
gave us ten little souls under
circumstances very doubtful
from a natural point of view. We
are refugees from behind the
Iron Curtain. We had to go
through with many hardships,
needs, fright, cold and starva
tion. My husband died in con
sequence of the persecution, but
the children were saved and led
by God in a wonderful manner.
Some of the children have re
ceived vocations, and the peace
and joy I got even among the
biggest difficulties are not to be
compared to any hardship. I can
only agree that His yoke is
sweet and His burden is light.”
From Minnesota another mo
ther writes: “I would say your
problem is frightening but trust
in God always. After the birth
of my second child I was told
that it was doubtful whether I
ever would become pregnant,
and that if I did it would, be
fatal. I went on to have eight
more children in eleven years,
all healthy, happy and intelli
gent. Two already have won
scholarships to take them
through college ... As for rhy
thm, it didn’t work for me either
and we were not strong enough
.to practice it, for. long. I decided
that it would be better to go to
heaven young than to hell old.
Our house is rather decrepit and
lacks plumbing (almost a sin in
this day) but is comfortable and
neat with lawn and flowers . . .
Now I am 45 and feel that it was
worth it all.”
Still another mother speaks:
“I’d tell her to go ahead and
have her babies as God sends
them and she will never be
sorry. If we put our trust in the
Mother of God and St. Gerard
they will see us through unless
it is God’s will that we die an
early death. In that case if we
did not die in childbirth we
should die in some other way. I
had th irteen babies of my own
and raised an adopted one be
sides. When I was expecting my
third child specialists had to
be called in and I was told that
I must never have another child
if I wanted to live to raise my
family. Of course I didn’t die
when the next one was born and
now she is a professed Francis
can nun. As to the financial part
we never have been on relief
and never went hungry, al
though sometimes we didn’t
have much choice in what we
ate. I made over clothes that
relatives gave me, and one of
the nicest thigs the children
have told me is that they never
‘felt poor.’ Remember that the
children you have will soon
leave your lap, but the children
you prevent will never leave
your mind. I am past fifty now
and as active as a young per
son.”
Let one last mother speak:
“My first three children came
within less than three years. A
Caesarean section was necessary
for my fourth child. Due to this
and to the development of se
vere varicose veins, my doctor
advocated sterilization. My hus
band would not consent. I told
the doctor that if God wanted
me to be a cripple He would
choose His own way. My fifth
baby was delivered normally
and was one of my easiest. Now
1 have eight — and to think that
if I had said the word to the
doctor 1 would not have these
last four babies. I am 43 and
not a cripple. It is a great battle
but I definitely do not feel like
a martyr. I am proud to think
that God gave me the strength
to carry on and to have these
little ones who gave me so much
courage as I held them in my
arms every day. But my battle
is only partly won as I must go
on and encourage my own
daughters in their duties of mo
therhood; the world is so de
manding today ... In spite of
the financial difficulties we
went through we are able to
give our children a good living
and a fair education. Will you
say a prayer that some day one
of my four sons may become a
priest?”
This has been just a sampling
of the letters. What words of
mine could equal their distilled
wisdom and faith and courage?
Services For
Charles Jaworsky
AUGUSTA, Ga. — F u n e r a 1
for Charles August Jaworsky
were held March 18th at St.
Mary’s-on-the-Hill Church. Rev.
Daniel J. Bourke officiating.
Survivors are a sister, Miss
Annie Jaworsky, and a brother,
E. Herman Jaworsky both of
Augusta.
t Httllrtw
416 8TH ST., AUGUSTA, GA.
Published fortnightly by the Catholic Laymen’s Association of
Georgia, Inc., with the Approbation of the Most Reverend Arch
bishop-Bishop of Savannah, the Most Reverend Bishop of Atlanta,
and the Right Reverend Abbot Ordinary of Belmont.
Entered as second class matter at the Post Office, Monroe, Georgia,
and accepted for mailing at special rate of postage provided by
paragraph (e) of section 34.40, Postal Laws and Regulations.
REV. FRANCIS J. DONOHUE REV. R. DONALD KIERNAN
Editor Savannah Edition Editor Atlanta Edition
JOHN MARKWALTER
Managing Editor
Vol. 38 Saturday, April 5, 1958 No. 22
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS FOR 1957-1958
E. M. HE AG ARTY, Waycross Honorary Vice-President
GEORGE GINGELL, Columbus - _ President
MRS. DAN HARRIS, Macon ____ Vice-President
TOM GRIFFIN, Atlanta Vice-President
NICK CAMERIO, Macon Secretary
JOHN T. BUCKLEY, Augusta Treasurer
ALVIN M. McAULIFFE, Augusta _ Auditor
JOHN MARKWALTER, Augusta Executive Secretary
MISS CECILE FERRY, Augusta —.——— Financial Secretary