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PAGE *4—THE BULLETIN, April 13, 1959 JOSEPH BREIG OUR TWO NEW STATES In the usual meaning of the words, I have never been in Alaska. And I have never been in Hawaii. But how often, in spirit, I have visited both My mind has adventured where my body could not follow. It is diffi- c u 11 to de scribe the viv idness of my i m p r essions of such dis tant places. I am an inveterate reader; and what I see on the printed page is almost more real than reality. Certainly it is more romantic. I have shouted “Mush, you malemutes!” as I travelled the Yukon territory with Jack Lon don and Robert W. Service. “And the woman who kissed him—and pinched his poke— was the lady known as Lou.” “And the inky smoke, in a greasy cloak, went streaking down the sky.” WITH CHARLEY CHAN, I have solved many a mystery under the mysterious moon of Hawaii. I think of the islands as the land with a language that is music. Molokai — mole-oh-kah- ee. Waikiki — wah-ee-kee-kee. The words are articulated beau ty, strangely familiar because of their kinship with American Indian terms I have heard from childhood. I grew up on a river called the Kiskiminetas. Kiss-kih- MINN-ee-tahss. How it trips off the tongue and sets the nerves of rhythm to tingling! Nearby were larger rivers, the Monongahela (Monn-ON-gah- HAY-lah) and the Allegheny (AL-eh-GENN-ee). More than once, I have seen the sun set ting in a lake known as Oeon- omowoc (oh-CONN-oh-mow- wock). But there is a peerless gentle ness, a kind of wooing, a mak ing-love with syllables, in the Hawaiian place-names, as if those who selected them wished to embrace the very geography. Mauna Koa, the White Moun tain; Mauna Loa, the Long Mountain; Kilauea with its great crater. To recite the islands is to utter poetry — Hawaii, Maui, Kahoolawe, La nai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, Niihau. ON MOLOKAI, at the base of a sheer cliff overlooking the sea, ugliness and beauty met in a titanic, still conflict; and beauty eventually won because goodness came to its rescue in the person of a man filled with the spirit of Christ. Father Damien, the “Leper Priest,” towers in history and will tow er taller and taller as the cen turies pass; and Hawaii will tower with him. Theology For The Layman I have never been in Alaska with its snows and glaciers and indomitable masculine vigor. I have never been in Hawaii where nature is like a maiden beckoning. But it is as old friends and boon adventures that I welcome them into the Union as the 49th and 50th of the United States of America. America, I think, is the most astounding work of human minds that the earth has seen. It is the nation made of many nations, many races, many philosophies, many religions, many cultures. And the thing that makes it one is a simple forthright statement of a theo logical truth. “WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these rights are life, lib erty and the pursuit of happi ness; and that to secure these rights, governments are insti tuted among men.” There stands the greatest and deepest political statement ever placed on paper by a human hand. We are created; we are endowed by our Creator; and it is the business of government to treasure and defend that en dowment. This is the heart and the soul of the United States of America; it is for this that the Flag has flown from time to time when its stars numbered 13 until now when they are 50. “One nation, indivisible under God, with liberty and justice for all.” This is the meaning of America, and it is to this that Alaska and Hawaii are adding their strength and loyalty. “And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Hon- or. (By F. J. Sheed) THE GOAL OF LIFE “Eye has not seen nor has ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him." So St. Paul tells the Corinthians, quoting Isaias. Till we reach heaven, we shall n ot know what heaven is. But, in the in spired word of God, we are given glimp ses. In heaven we shall know God way, and love in a new Him according to the new knowledge. We shall know, says St. Paul (1 Cor. xiii.12), as we are known. It is a mysterious phrase, more dark than light, but soliciting our minds power fully. We are not known to God with the same Knowledge with which He knows us—for He knows infinitely and we are incurably finite, but with a knowledge similar in kind to His, different from our present way of knowing. In the same verse, St. Paul makes another attempt to ex press the difference between our knowing here and our knowing there. “Here we see through a glass in a dark manner, but then face to face.” St. John (1 Jn. iii.2) says “We shall see Him as He is.” And we remember Our Lord saying of the angels (Mt. xvlll.10) “They see the face of my heavenly Father con tinually.” Seeing is the key to life in heaven. We can approach the meaning in two steps. First, those in heaven shall see God, not sim ply believe in Him as now but see Him. Here on earth we do not say that we believe in the existence of our friends, we see them: and seeing them, we know them. But, second, we shall see God face to face, see Him as He sees us. The Church has worked (Continued on Page 5) out By David Q, Liplak Q, It's lure, isn't it, that un der certain conditions, a per son can regain the state of grace after mortal sin by saying a per fect act of contrition? In our catechism days, we were taught, that if one were dying in mortal sin and were unable to confess to a priest, he could be saved by making a perfect act of con trition. But if such an act of con trition is sufficient under emer- ency conditions, why isn't it suf ficient under all circumstances? Why is It ever necessary to go to confession? Jottings. ■ ■ (By BARBARA C. JENCKS) A. The Sacrament of Penance was instituted by Christ as the one ordinary means for recover ing the state of grace lost through personal post-baptismal sin. A perfect act of contrition (one motivated by pure, dis interested love of God) is there fore an extraordinary means, sufficient for justification under certain circumstances when con fession is impossible, but not independently of the intention, at least implicit, of confessing ones sins in the ordinary way as soon as one is able. This inten tion is rendered explicit in the usual formula for contrition used by Catholics; “I firmly re solve with the help of Thy grace to confess my sins ...” THE REASON why a perfect act of contrition can justify a soul is evident. Such an act amounts to an act of perfect love for God—one is contrite precisely because he has of fended God “who is all good and deserving of all love.” Since perfect love of God is incom patible with the state of mortal sin (one cannot simultaneously love God and remain His enemy), the soul is freed from the state of sin. But this free dom is only secured with refer ence to the postive divine law to confess one’s sins to a priest as soon as possible. Implicit de sire to confess is enough, and this is necessarily included in all perfect contrition, for no one can be truly contrite or love God with perfect love without (Continued on Page 5) YOU ASK MY AGE I am older than dawn And sunset are. I can think past the light Of the oldest star Older I am Than any star And younger than The angels are. SISTER MADELEVA 9 HOW OLD am I? This week, I marked another birth day. I am one year nearer heav en, where one day is like a thousand. Am I young or am I old? Only the God who created me knows. I was in His mind before the world was born. I was in His mind that day at Calvary. He wept over me in the Garden of Gethsemani. One day, He gave me earthly life. One day, He will grant me eternal life. When will it be? Tomorrow or next year? When will I become what He had in mind for me before the world was made? How many years to heaven? I hope not many more for the world has made me homesick an lonely for the meadows of heaven. And yet should I not be fearful of the time past and time present which has been wasted? 9 ELIOT says that “Time present and time past are both perhaps in time future.” All that has gone before me and is now is also my tomorrow and forever—all the people and places and experiences of the world; Brigid at Kildare, de- Sales at Geneva—a grave in Toledo and a woman sitting with a pair of Rosary beads in Boston. I am what I have been in the lamented yesterdays, words wasted and words unsaid, the homely skinny urchin with the skinned knee and the im maculate starched young lady who crowned the statue of Our Lady. I am all the past, sun burned noses, uncontrollable , weeping, a mother’s kiss in a sickroom, bacon and egg break fast and evening television. I am the columnist who now hunches over a typewriter. I am all my sins and all my redeeming acts. I am what I want to be with all my heart in the future and which I have prayed for in the secret of my heart these years. They are all here with me in this moment which is my birth day, a beginning and an end. How old am I then? Who knows both past and present merge with future. 9 EARLY MORNING walks put me on winged flight through time. I cannot reach out and touch time yet I walk with it. I pass three chapels where Mass is in progress: in one it is begin ning and another it is at the Gospel point and at the other the Credo is being intoned. Time is forever. Before I reach the chapel where I will assist at Mass, God has been elevated and adored and received by hundreds. God is. There is no time with God. I walk through rains which touch Egyptain sands and which will ever fall and I walk as Our Lord did at sunset against a red-streaked sky. I see and wonder, the sun was before I was and will be after I am. I kneel with stu dents who begin their life; I kneel with aged nuns who are at the end of their lives. I am suspended between heaven and earth. I talk with Peter and Patrick and Maria Goretti of the little yesterdays and the longago yesterdays. I talk with my students of now. I say the prayers of the Roman martyrs. I eat and I sleep and I work and I sin as man has ever done. Yet I belong to a certain period of time in the measurement of man. When will I see the God who is the same yesterday, to day and forever—how many years to heaven? Services For M rs. Overstreet SAVANNAH, Ga. —- Funeral services for Mrs. Josephine Pitts Overstreet were held April 3, at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. By Brian Cronin 1. Who was christened “Eugenio Pacelli”: (a) St. Eu gene? (b) Pope Pius XII? (c) Pope Eugene? (d) Pope Pascal? 2. “In the beginning God created heaven and earth” are the introductory words of: (a) The Old Testament? (b) The Epistles? (c) The Gospels? (d) The Mass? 3. The Sacred College is another name for: (a) An Italian seminary? (b) Vatican University? (c) The College of Cardinals? (d) The Catholic University of America? 4. The Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuit Order, was founded by: (a) Jesus? (b) St. Ignatius of Loyola (c) St. Peter? (d) St. Ignatius of Antioch? 5. That part of the Mass, from the beginning to the of- feratory, is referred to as the: (a) Mass of the Faithful? (b) Canon (c) Introit? (d) Mass of the Catecumens? 6. The patron saint of greetings is: (a) St. Paul? (b) St. Christopher? (c) St. Valentine? (d) St. Gabriel? 7. Complete the eighth Beatitude: “Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice’ sake for . . . (a) . . . theirs is the kingdom of heaven”? (b) . . . they shall be called the children of God”? (c) . . . they shall obtain mer cy”? (d) . . . they shall be comforted”? 8. Pope Leo XIII is best remembered for his: (a) So cial teachings? (b) Missionary zeal? (c) Rosary crusade? (d) Devotion to Our Lady. Give yourself 10 marks for each correct answer below. Rating: 80—Excellent; 70—Very Good; 60—Good; 50—F air. Answers: 1 (b); 2 (a); 3 (c); 4 (b); 5 (d); 6 (c); 7 (a); 8 (a). Radio, TV Faced With Problem THE BACKDROP By JOHN C. O’BRIEN SHARING OUR TREASURE Convert's Testimony Starts Eight Toward Church By REV. JOHN A. O'BRIEN. Ph. D. ' (University ol Notre Dame) Rev. John A. O'Brien, Ph. D. (University of Notre Dame) Do you really want to win a convert? You can do so by being a witness for Christ: telling oth ers about the beauty and holi ness of the Faith and living that Faith to the hilt. This is what Christ meant when He said to the disci ples after His R e surrection, “You shall be witness for me in Jerusa lem and in all Judea and Samaria and even to the very ends of the earth.” By witness for Christ Mrs. Marie Meek of Ruggins, Idaho, started a chain reaction which has already led eight into the fold. “In October 1954,” relates Mrs. May Gumm, 1927 Cleve land Street, Boise, Idaho, “ I moved next door to Mrs. Meek in the tiny mountain settlement of Riggins. I had shopped from church to church, seeking a faith I could accept. “But as I had been taught ev erything bad about the Catholic Church, I hadn’t even con sidered it. Mrs. Meek proved to be a Catholic who lived her Faith. Being a convert, she was filled with the wonder and joy of what she had found after years of spiritual loneliness, and she couldn’t keep from telling of her marvelous discovery. “I hurled at her all the charges and rumors I had heard over the years. She showed me how un founded they all were. Even when I left there, she continued to pray for me and to write to me. Thus encouraged, I studied the Catholic Faith carefully and perceived in its marvelous unity, sanctity, apostolic and universal character the evidence of its divine origin. Though already convinced of its truth, I went with my three daughters to an Information Class at Sacred Heart Church in Boise, conducted by Father J. H. Roberts. At its conclusion the four of us were baptized on April 15, 1956—a red-letter day in our lives. Wonderful it was, as Mrs. Meek had told me, to receive our Eucharistic Lord into one’s heart. “My son Alan went to work off in the mountains and his wife Evelyn and baby boy came to stay with us. I was so filled with the wonder, beauty and joy of my new-found Faith that I told Evelyn about it. As her mother had been a Mormon and father a Congregationalist, she had a lot of questions to ask. “The girls and I answered them, and in the evening we talked ‘catechism’ while we did the dishes. Afterwards we said the Rosary. It’s a beautiful de votion, and Evelyn became in creasingly interested. “One evening after we had finished our prayers, Evelyn said, ‘Mom, I can see how much the Catholic Faith means to you and the girls, and how it brings you all closer to God and fills your hearts with love. Some of your beautiful religion has rubbed off on me. I want to be come a Catholic and I know Alan will too, when he learns about it.” “Naturally her words were music to my ears. When Alan returned, he and Evelyn re ceived instructions from Father James T. Halissey, pastor of the Sacred Heart parish, and were baptized. Their hearts were overflowing with joy when they received their first Holy Com munion. They have another baby now, and both are baptized. “I’ve written to my two un married sons, both away in uni form, about our wonderful dis covery. With God’s grace they too will share our happiness. May God bless Mrs. Meek who started us on our way by bear ing witness to her holy Faith, Why don’t more Catholics do it? A recent decision by the Fed eral Communications Commis sion requiring broadcasting net works to give equal time to the candidate of a fringe political party because they had given time to the Democ r a t i c Mayor of Chi cago and his R e p u b 1 ican opponent has raised a seri ous problem for the radio and television industries. As we all know, both radio and television networks have given full, and, so far as possi ble, equal coverage of the ac tivities of the candidates of the major political parties in ma jor campaigns. This has been true particularly in the coverage of presidential campaigns. SHOWDOWN NEARS Now, as the time draws near for another presidential cam paign, the broadcasters are con fronted with the FCC ruling that if they give time to the speeches and activities of the Democratic and Republic pres idential candidates, they must give equal time to the candi dates of the minor parties. The difficulty that the ruling presents becomes apparent when it is recalled that in the 1956 presidential campaign 12 splinter parties nominated can didates for president and vice president. In that campaign one of the major networks devoted 20 per cent of its television news time to the candidates of the major parties. If it had had to give equal time to each of the candidates of the splinter parties, the network would have had little or no time to devote to the broadcasting of other news. Unless Congress acts to nulli fy the FCC ruling, in 1960 the networks will face a Hobson’s choice. They will have either to give time to any office seek er who asks for it or deny time to all candidates, including those of the major parties. In most areas of regulation, the federal communications act permits a minimum of interfer ence by the FCC. The law speci fically prohibits the regulatory agency from censoring or in terfering with free speech. In adhering faithfully to this in junction, the commission has been reluctant to interfere in the programming of any broad casting station, radio or tele vision. In fact, the commission has allowed the broadcasters more license than some critics of radio and television consider justified. LAW IS SPECIFIC But on the point of granting equal time to political candi dates, the federal communica tions act is specific. It states that any station which permits “any legally qualified candi date for public office” to use its facilities must “afford equal opportunities to all other such candidates.” This means that any crack-pot who can get his name on the ballot may claim time equal to that given to the candidate of one of the major political parties. When Congress wrote the equal time provision into the law, it probably had in mind setting up a bar to chicanery or favoritism on the part of some broadcasters. The intention probably was to prevent the owner of a radio or television station from favoring the candi date of his choice and blacking out a candidate to whom he had an aversion. But, for the most part, the networks and their stations have programmed their coverage of political campaigns with a view to winning the approval of their audiences. The broadcast ers realize that the public takes a keen interest in the utterances and activities of the candidates of the major parties and wishes to be kept informed. And, rea lizing that the audiences are divided about equally between Republicans?,Democrats, the broadfsfeJi-fjBmave sought to ac cord tlie*tecmdidates of the two parties substantially equal time. For the broadcasting of the speeches^ j?f , the candidates of the Spmrfer parties, however, the broadcasters feel there is no justification whatever. They know” that 'the public is dis interested in the activities of such candidates. They know, too, that the public would re bel if it was deprived of non political news to make room for the mouthings of a candidate running, let us say, on a plat form of substituting wampum for federal reserve notes as a medium of exchange. Father Wharton'* View from the Heclory Father O'Brien will be grate ful to readers who know of any one who has two or more con verts if they will send the names and addresses of such persons to him at Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Indiana. U. LYING DOGS “Bartender,” said the man at the rail, “this is my talking dog. I’ll sell him to you for ten dol lars.” “Will you stop that talking dog stuff?” growled the bar tender. “Who d’ya think you’re kidding?” Suddenly the dog looked up, tears in his eyes. “Please by me, sir,” he pleaded. “This man is cruel—never buys me a decent meal, never gives me a bath. Why, I was once the richest trick dog in America. I per formed before kings; I was in the WAGS during the war and was decorated five times.” “Hey,” cried the bartender, THE STORY LADY Maureen Wenk Hanigan ROBIE A few houses away from “Honey” Hanigan, there lives a very pretty girl named Sue. Sue Butterick is much more grown up then “Honey,” but “Honey” loves to go and visit Sue. Sue always stops whatever she is doing and talks to “Honey.” Sometimes they go into the kitchen together to play with “Robie.” Robie is a green and yellow parakeet, who wants to know all about everything that goes on in the whole world. Of course, Robie doesn’t know any thing about how big the world is, because he has never been allowed to go out doors. But Robie knows all about Sue’s house, for he is allowed to fly about, and he trys to find out everything that everyone is do ing there. This is the reason that Robie is always in trouble, One morning at breakfast Robie got into trouble that last ed the whole day! Everyone was busy eating and hurring off to all the things that had to be done, and Robie was trying to follow everyone at once. When Sue’s mother put the sugar in her coffee, Robie ran right across the table and looked into the sugar bowl to see what was there, then he flew right on the handle of the spoon to see where the sugar was going. “Go away, Robie,” said Sue’s mother. I am in a hurry and I haven’t time to play with you this morning.” Robie flew across the table to Sue. He stood on Sue’s shoulder and tried to whisper in her ear. “No, no, Robie,” said Sue. “I haven’t time to tell secrets this morning.” Then she ate her last bite of toast and jumped up from the table and hurried off to school. Robie stood on the table and looked all around. There was no one left in the kitchen to play with, and he didn’t know just what to do. Then he heard Sue’s mother call. “I hope you drank all your cocoa Sue.” “I drank almost all of it,” Sue answered as she went past Robie again and out the door. “Bye Robie,” she called back. Robie wondered how much cocoa Sue had left, so he hopped over to the cup and flew up to perch on the top of it and see. He stretched his little neck farther and farther into the cup, and all of a sudden he stratched so far he fell right into the rest of the cocoa. Poor Robie, he was all wet and he looked just like a chocolate bird! When Sue’s mother heard all the strange noises she knew Robie was in trouble and came to help him. She washed him off and put him back in his cage. Robie knew he had done something wrong. It was just the way he knew he had been wrong the day he fell into the dish pan while he was watching Sue wash the dishes. She had to hurry and pick him off the soap suds and wrap him in a warm towel so he wouldn’t catch cold. Then back into his cage he had to go for that day too! But the worst trouble Robie ever got into trying to find out things, was the day he wanted to see just how Sue’s mother made such good spaghetti sauce! Robie had never eaten spaghetti sauce, but he’d heard everyone say it was good, and it looked so nice and red cooling off in the dish that Robie just had to get a closer look. What do you sup pose happened? Of course he did! He fell ker-plunk, right “he does talk! Why sell a dog like that for ten dollars?” “Because,” said the customer, “I’m sick to death of his lying!” It takes a lot of nerve, I know, to dig up an old chestnut like that one-^-even if it was tasty in its day. It’s just that it is so true to life. I know several dogs who are excellent canines with numerous fine qualities; but all is spoiled by their confounded lying. People have the same problem. You may have many talents, but your class will vote you the “most likely to recede” if you’re known as a liar. There’s no doubt that our society has some affection for those “little white lies” that “won’t harm anyone.” Yet all my books say that the eighth commandment includes this species of untruth. All lies— white or black or purple with yellow spots—are wrong. The prohibition of the com mandment doesn’t include what we call jocose lies—jokes, in other words. Like the tall tales into the dish of spaghetti sauce! He was such a sight! Sue’s mother had to hurry and help him out, and wash him off be cause his little feathers were all stuck together and he couldn’t fly at all. And where do you suppose Robie had to spend the rest of that day too? I don’t know if Robie will ever learn that little birds mustn’t be so curious. I shall tell you more about Robie someday, and I do hope by that time he will be a good bird, so that no one will have to shut him in his cage any more. I think he has learned his lesson now, don’t you? about how it’s so dry there the frogs don’t even learn to swim. Or your dimensions of the fish you caught last Summer. Or what we tell the youngsters about how tough we had it when we were kids. No one be lieves these stories, exaggera tions, and fairy tales, anyway. But the tales that can be class ified as genuine lies are never justified. They could be malici ous lies, told for the purpose of injuring someone. If this kind of untruth is stated under oath, it is called perjury. No one needs a theological degree to understand that malicious lies are sinful. The kind of lie that some try to justify, on the other hand, is the officious lie—the “white” one. The purpose behind telling it is not to harm anyone, but simply to avoid some difficulty. I don’t know who started the lie myth; let’s face the facts. All lies are black. Malicious or officious—they’re vicious. This having been stated, a cry is heard from the balcony: “Do I have to tell everyone that these are not my own teeth; that I dye my hair; that Uncle Caleb was a bigamist?” Simmer down, friend. No one says you must broadcast your private affairs. The best way to keep hidden the skeletons in your family closet is this: don’t open the door. Keep quiet. But people being people, usually, there will be those who press*' £dr.'- «cl-s to personal questions. This makes keeping secrets difficult; hut there’s a way. You may use a broad men tal reservation—which is just an evasive or double-meaning answer. It’s wrong to do this to one who-has-a right to know the truth. But if the answer is none of the questioner’s business— evade away! When you’re asked if your teeth are your own, just answer: “They’re not my grampa’s!” (Continued on Page 5) 0% iluUrtut 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. Subscription price $3.00 per year. Second class mail privileges authorized at Monroe, Georgia. Send notice of change of address to P. O. Box 320, Monroe, Georgia. REV. FRANCIS J. DONOHUE REV. R. DONALD ICIERNAN Editor Savannah Edition Editor Atlanta Edition JOHN MARKWALTER Managing Editor Vol. 39 Saturday, April 18, 1959 No. 23 ASSOCIATION OFFICERS FOR 1958-1959 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 i l