Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4—THE BULLETIN, June 21, 1959
JOSEPH BREIG
GRAVE ON THE PLAIN
A. youngster is buried some
where in the vast distances of
Western America. There was
audible pain in the voice of
Beulah Anthony Conrad as she
told me the story.
0 While Mrs.
Conrad spoke,
there rose be
fore me a vi
sion of the
newness, the
i m m e n s ity,
and the gigan
tic neighborli
ness of the
United States.
.; The lost little one was a child
hood companion of Beulah Con
rad’s mother. Burial under the
enormous skies of the plains
’ states came while a wagon train
was making its tortured way
from Missouri to Montana.
By day, these pioneer families
passed endless herds of buffalo,
like an undulating black ocean.
By night, coyotes howled, prowl
ing for victims.
It is all vivid in the mind of
Beulah Conrad, because she
heard it over and over from her
mother’s lips.
She told these memories while
we rode in an automobile along
a dirt road paralleling the 7,500-
acre ranch which she and her
husband, Bowen Conrad, have
developed in 39 years from a
400-acre beginning.
"THEY BOUGHT their cattle
with them,” she said. “Two or
„ tl;ree times, they had to leave
behind a sick beast. Before it
was out of sight, they saw the
coyotes cireling it.
“My mother was in her teens,
and this young friend died.”
Beulah Conrad's words came
slowly, born out of sympathetic
suffering. “They buried her—
they never knew where—and
went on.” There was a break in
Mrs. Conrad’s voice. “I don’t see
<;,hqw, they, did it.”
“They did it because they had
to, 1 ' T said.
--—“Yes,” said Beulah Conrad.
I met the Conrads through
Bob and Virginia Broderick of
Wauwatosa, Wis., with whom
my wife and I spent two weeks
on an auto tour of some of the
west.
I SAY “some of the west” be
cause, although we covered
nearly miles, we saw only
a comparatively small part of
that portion of America.
Virginia Broderick is an artist,
and Bob is a writer. Through
their eyes, I saw, and through
their minds realized, much that
otherwise I would have missed.
Bob is related to the Conrads
by marriage, and we were for
tunate enough to find Mrs. Con
rad at home in her modest house
in Cascade, Mont.
“Have you time to visit our
ranch?” she asked. “Bowen is
there.” We drove 12 miles to the
ranch house, and when I met
Bowen Conrad, I understood
why he is not contented away
from his lands, even though he
is turning them over to his
daughter and her husband.
BOWEN IS 76. He looks per
haps 60. His shoulders are wide
and thick, his arms powerful. He
wore long rubber boots because
he had been out irrigating.
Bowen’s son-in-law, with a
ranch hand, riding horses, came
away from the house as we ap
proached. Mrs. Conrad put down
the window on her side of the
car and called out introductions.
The son-in-law maneuvered
his mount closer, holding it on a
tight rein. “I’ve got a spooky
horse here,” he said. He explain
ed that they were off to round
up cattle, because next day was
branding-day.
We drove to the house and
went in, and at once were as
much at home as if we had
known these people for years.
THAT IS WHAT I mean by
the neighborliness of Americans.
We experienced it a hundred
times on our trip. But the real
ity goes deeper than the word
“neighborliness,” for all its
meaning and beauty, can con
vey.
Perhaps I can make my point
clearer in this way. I felt deep
ly what Beulah Conrad was
feeling when she spoke about
the youngster buried somewhere
in 2,000 miles of prairie.
I am a city man, working at a
typewriter in an office, and
never before had I seen a ranch.
But Beulah Conrad’s sorrow,
was my sorrow too.
Often my father told me that
his grandparents, immigrating
from Germany, buried at sea a
daughter who was born aboard
ship. She and the youngster in
the prairie are eloquent of the
heartbreaks and heroisms that
made America.
Theology
For The
Layman
F. J. Sheed
God created man with the na
tural life of soul and body, and
with Sanctifying Grace, God
dwelling in his soul and pouring
supernatural life into it. In ad
dition He gave man preter
natural gifts,
not superna
tural but rath
er perfections
of the natural
—guarding it
against fle-
struc t i o n or
damage; nota
ble among
these were immunity from suf
fering and death, and integrity.
This last is perhaps the one we
look back to with the greatest
longing, for it means that his
nature was wholly at peace: the
body was subject to the soul,
the lower powers of the soul to
the higher, the natural habits
wholly harmonious with the su
pernatural, the whole man
united with God.
The point of union, for the
first man as for all spiritual be
ings, was in the will, the faculty
which loves, which decides. And
he willed to break the union.
He sinned, disobeying a com
mand of God. The detail of the
sin we do not know—Genesis
describes it as the eating of
forbidden fruit, but we are not
bound to see this as literal. Two
things about it we know.
Man fell by the tempting of
Satan, it was the first engage
ment in a war which has gone
on ever since and which will
not end till the world ends.
And what Satan tempted our
first parents with was the
promise that, if they disobeyed,
they should be like gods. Satan
must have felt the full irony
of it. Pride had wrecked him,
pride should wreck men.
For Adam, the individual
man, the results can be simply
stated and simply comprehend
ed. He had broken the union
with God, and the life ceased to
flow, he lost sanctifying grace,
supernaturally he was dead.
He lost the preter-natural
gifts too. He could now suffer,
(Continued on Page 5)
(By David Q. Liplak)
Q. I have a non-Catholic
neighbor with whom I frequent
ly discuss religion. So far,
though, every discussion has
reached an impasse, because he
actually belives with all his
heart that every single truth
necessary for salvation is con
tained in the Bible. (I think he
even holds that all human acts
must be measured by the Bible.)
Despite the unreality of this
posifion, he is, I am sure, com
pletely sincere. Could you please
give me one good argument to
begin with against such a posi
tion?
A. Those who profess that
the Bible is the only rule of
faith, contradict themselves by
their very profession, for now-
where in Sacred Scripture is
there the slightest foundation
for such an assumption. If any-
,tiling, the Bible indicates the
ONE; WAY TO demonstrate
'thjf S?1 rdVdMled truth necessary
for salvation could not possibly
be contained exclusively in the
Bible is to point out that 1) the
Church of Christ existed about
one hunderd years to the com
pletion of the New Testament
writings; and 2) the Church ex
isted for approximately four
hundred ye&rs (twice as long as
the United States is old) before
the first official stabilization of
the Canon of the New Testa
ment (i.e., the catalogue of books
as we now have it) took place.
DURING BOTH THESE pe
riods, nonetheless, countless
thousands of Christians confes
sed the Faith and shed their
blood for it, the Great Doctors
of the Church lived and died,
and sorue, of the. most significant
Church tohhcrts were held. (The
Council of Jerusalem, the first
of such meetings, probably oc
curred even before the second
book of the New Testament was
finished.)
THE EARLIEST CHRIS
TIANS. therefore, simply did
not have New Testaments to
(Continued on Page 5)
Jottings...
V
(By BARBARA C, JENCKS)
\ - \ JUmM.
© FIVE GRADUATING SEN
IORS are my answer to the Air
Force’s seven spacemen. Tomor
row was suddenly this moment
for them as they with college
seniors across the nation doned
the academic gown and adjust
ed the mortar boards to take
their place in procession as
“Pomp and Circumstance” be
gan. I would not wish to call
back the years and stand in
their highly polished shoes. The
world we fling at them today is
not exactly in graduation-gift-
order. It is a battered old ball.
Yet these five seniors represent
all college seniors everywhere
for me. I have had them in class
each day for two years. The re
lationship of student-teacher is
a wonderfully sacred one. Sister
Madeleva, a former teacher her
self, has gone so far as to say
that “Apart from Holy Com
munion, this communion of
teacher and student is the most
completely spiritual of all hu
man relationships. It is the sac
rament of the intellectual life.”
We have taught each other
much these past two years. I
have great faith in them mid the
things they will bring to the
world they enter less confident
ly than I did ten years ago. The
green spring of hope blooms in
my heart as I watch them pass
me and go off to polish their
stars and set their miniature
worlds into gear.
• WHO ARE the graduates
of 1959? Are they beat and sil
ent and angry? Are they sullen,
radical, cynical? Contrary to
most thoughts of this genera
tion, these five representatives
are not. They admit they are
afraid but they are also idealis
tic. The five have little in com
mon but their faith. In back
ground, temperament, looks, na
tionality, locale, they vary
sharply. Soon they will be
thrown against the world to
points which reach as far as
Japan and as near as Indiana
and include California, Iowa
and New York. One will marry
in less than a month. One will
do social work, one will teach
and two will write. They have
done much writing for me these
past two years. Through gritted
teeth sometimes, they have
written essays and articles and
reviews. They have written of
their philosophy of life, their
hopes and their dreams, their
views on God, success and sex
as their cynical Princeton con
temporaries did. Be not afraid
with young people like these at
the helm.
• ALTHOUGH these five
graduates are symoblic of
graduates everywhere for me,
they have another worldly dif
ference packed under their mor
tar boards. They may look like
their Radcliffe, Barnard and
Smith contemporaries but they
are not. Somehow these five •—
and most of their classmates
which number 137—have found
during four years here what it
means to be Catholic and the
responsibility it entails. Most of
them went to Mass and Com
munion daily, their most im
portant lesson. They want suc
cess like all young people want
success. They want it for them
selves, their husbands and their
friends. They know that true
success has its roots in eternity,
the outerspace realm beyond
the farthest star. They are not
radical with the Beatniks. They
are not smug with the Prince-
tonians. They are simply trust
ful with God. They do not lack
fire. They hold a happy blend
ing of idealism and maturity
which I still am seeking to
grasp. The older generation may
relax and be quiet in their tra
gic misjudgment of all the
younger generation. My five and
their contemporaries will soon
be at the wheel. I watched them
pass with their classmates lost
in the black ranks of anony
mity for an hour but no longer.
I know their power is greater
than any army or atomic wea
pon. I believe in them. Among
them may be one who like a
Madame Curie may find a cure
for cancer ... or a great Catho-
How Do You Rate
on Facts of Faith
By Brian Cronin
1. Which church is the seat of the Pope in his capacity as
Bishop of Rome? (a) St. Peter’s Basilica? (d) The Sistine
Chapel? (c) St. John Lateran’s? (d) St. Mary Major?
2. What is an aliturgical day? (a) A holy day? (b) A feast
day? (c) A fast day? (d) A day on which no Mass is said?
3. Ark of the Covenant is a title given to: (a) The Blessed
Virgin? (b) Noah? (c) Jesus? (d) The Holy Ghost?
4. Who was the newly-born infant found in a basket by
Pharaoh’s daughter? (a) Herod? (b) Solomon? (c) St. John
the Baptist? (d) Moses?
5. On what occasion did Jesus say to His Blessed Mother
“Didn’t you know that I must attend to my Father’s busi
ness?” (a) The finding in the Temple? (b) The wedding
feast of Cana? (c) The Crucifixion? (d) The Resurrection?
Who was known as “The Apostle of the Gentiles”? (a)
Philip? (b) Matthias? (c) Simon? (d) Paul?
7. The Legion of Mary was founded by: (a) Catherine La-
boure? (b) St. Bernadette? (c) Frank Duff? (d) Pope Pius
XI?
8. What time elapsed between the Resurrection and the As
cension? (a) 30 days? (b) 3 years? (c) 40 days? (d) 3 days?
6
Give yourself 10 marks for each correct answer below.
Rating: 80-Excellent; 70-Very Good; 60-Good; 50-Fair.
Answers: 1
(c); 2 (d); 3
6 (d); 7 (c);
(a); 4
8 (c)
(d); 5 (a);
Spotlight On Pornography
THE BACKDROP
SHARING OUR TREASURE
Answer To Barber's Question
Leads To Conversion
Br REV. JOHN A. O'BRIEN, Ph. D.
—- (University ol Notre Dame)
By Rev. John A. O'Brien, Ph. D.
(University of Notre Dame)
“I would like to have an op
portunity to share the Faith.”
Have you ever said this? If so,
don’t wait any longer, for op
portunities surround you on all
sides. The man who puts gas in
your car, the
person who
works at your
side in office
or factory, the
neighbor next
door, the bar
ber who cuts
your hair
these are all
potential converts. This is illu
strated by the experience of
Sanford L. Wright, 1531 Blair
Avenue, Cincinnati.
“I am a real estate broker,”
began Sanford, “and my busi
ness requires me to be on the
alert for prospects and to use
expert salesmanship to land
them. I supplemented my train
ing in this field by taking a six-
weeks course in techniques of
winning converts, offered by the
Apostles of the Holy Spirit, of
which George E. Schulhoff,
2709 Woodburn Avenue, is
director.
“I learned a lot from that
course, especially the import
ance of answering questions
about the Catholic Faith and
then encouraging the inquirer
to take a complete course of in
struction. I got a chance to put
this startegy into practice one
day when I was having my hair
cut. The barber, James Bonds,
and I were conversing and
somehow the subject of religion
came up.
“Instead of skirting the sub
ject, or keeping mute as so
many of us unfortunately do, I
expressed myself quite frankly,
making no bones about what I
believe. ‘Am I right,’ asked the
barber, “in guessing that you’re
a Catholic?’ ‘You certainly are,’
I replied.
‘“I’d be interested in know
ing,’ said Jim, ‘why you Catho
lics confess your sins to a priest,
who is only human. Isn’t God
the only one who can really for
give sins?’
“We confess to priests,” I an
swered, “because that is what
Jesus Christ instructs us to do,
as is plainly stated in the Bible.
Christ conferred the power of
pardoning upon the Apostles
when He said: ‘Recieve the Holy
Spirit; whose sins you shall for
give, they are forgiven them;
and whose sins you shall retain,
they are retained’ (John 20;22-
23).
“The Apostles were the first
Bishops of the Catholic Church
and the power is transmitted to
their successors and the priests
whom they ordain. Thus is it
exercised by bishops and priests
of Christ’s Church today as it
was in the first centuries. The
power comes from Christ, but it
is exercised by His ambassadors
acting in His name. Since Christ
came to save all men, there is a
continuing need for the remis
sion of sins.
“‘But all things are from God,’
lie novelist like Sigrid Undset
. . . and maybe, dear God, there
may even be a great saint for
our times like Catherine and
Joan . . . please God, one of your
towering saints for our days!
said the Apostle Paul, Who has
reconciled us to Himself through
Christ, and has given to us the
ministry of reconciliation . . .
On behalf of Christ, therefore,
we are acting as ambassadors,
God, as it were, appealing
through us’ (2 Cor. 5:18-20).
That ministry of reconciliation
is continued in the Catholic
Church by Christ’s ambassadors
-—His bishops and priests.
“I’m a convert myself and I
can testify to the relief of con
science and the peace of mind
recieved through confession. All
the doctors and psychiatrists in
the world can’t give you the
peace and happiness which
comes from knowing with cer-
tainity that your sins are for
given by God Himself.
“Jim was surprised that the
doctrine was stated so clearly
in the Bible, and wanted to
learn more about our wonderful
religion. So I brought him to
Father Edward F. Holahan,
O. P., pastor of St. Andrew’s
Church, who instructed him and
received him into the Church.
Now Jim actually experiences
the peace of mind and joy which
I had but described.”
Father O’Brien will be grate
ful to readers who know of any
one who has won two or more
converts if they will send the
nanies and addresses of such per
sons to him at Notre Dame Uni
versity, Notre Dame, Indiana.
A subcommittee of the House
Post Office and Civil Service
Committee, directed by Rep.
Kathryn E. Granahan, of Penn
sylvania, has been throwing a
spotlight on
the wide
spread distri-
b u t i o n
through the
mails of ob
scene and por
nographic ma
terial.
But testimo
ny by Postmaster General Ar
thur E. Summerfield and others
about the enormity of this traf
fic, beamed mainly at boys and
girls, has received only meager
notice in the daily press. Some
editors of the liberal school, in
fact, seem to be out of sympathy
with the investigation, viewing
it as another threat to “freedom
of expression.”
BIG BUSINESS
In his testimony, Summer-
field, who has sought diligent
ly to keep the mails clear of in
decent matter, noted that the
Post Office Department had
been subjected frequently to at
tack and ridicule by those who
hope to profit personally from
unrestricted mailings, or by
“those, who, confusing liberty
with license, unwittingly give
them assistance.”
That those who profit from
the traffic in obscene and por
nographic materials should seek
to discredit the Post Office De
partment by raising the cry of
“censorship” should surprise no
one, for this traffic is big bus-
By JOHN C. O’BRIEN
iness.
Since the Second World War,
commercialized pornography
has grown by leaps and bounds.
It is estimated that $500,900,000
is realized annually through
mail order sales of such materi
als.
Complaints are flooding the
Post Office Department at the
rate of 50,000 a year from cler
gymen, parent-teacher associa
tions, school principals and
alarmed parents. Last year
alone the Postal Inspection Ser
vice investigated 14,000 com
plaints, of which about two-
thirds came from parents who
had intercepted lewd materials
addressed to their children.
On the basis of the complaints
received, the Postal Inspection
Service estimates that from
700,000 to 1,000,000 children will
receive invitations to depravity
through the mails this year.
CREATE YOUNG ADDICTS
The especially vicious aspect
of this mail order traffic in por
nography is that the purveyors
are aiming their attention more
and more at teen-age boys and
girls, and even younger. The
purveyors apparently have dis
covered that once they arouse
the prurient curiosity of their
youthful victims, they can keep
them on the hook for years.
Most of the come-on material
is dumped into homes unsolicit
ed for the purpose of inducing
teen-agers to send money for
yet more salacious pictures,
slides and films.
Various schemes have been
devised by the purveyors for
obtaining the names and ad
dresses of children. One of the
most common is to offer through
an advertisement in a respect
able magazine some product of
interest to a boy or girl —
stamps, model airplanes, dolls
and the like — often for a very
low price.
In many instances, » parents
unwittingly assist the smut pur
veyor to get names and address
es by giving their children the
money to buy the advertised
merchandise.
Another scheme for getting
names is to employ snoopers to
hang around schools and take
down names and addresses from
textbooks that may be left un
guarded on the school property
while pupils are at play.
Until last year, the Federal
authorities were handiefapped in
their efforts to prosecute mail
order purveyors of pornography
by court decisions that prosecu
tions could be brought only at
the original point of mailing.
But last year Congress enacted
a law permitting prosecution at
the point of actual distribution.
Under this law three men were
recently indicted in Detroit for
distributing obscene material
through the mails in that city,
although the material originated
on the West Coast.
The Post Office authorities,
however, believe that new and
stiffer legislation is needed. And
it is expected that the subcom
mittee headed by Rep. Grana
han will recommend such legis
lation after completing its in
vestigation.
THE STORY LADY
Maureon Wenk Hanigan
A TREAT FOR BOBBY
Bobby was seven years old
and he wanted to be a sailor.
More than anything in the
world Bobby loved boats. When
his mother asked him to wash
his hands he would take his
smallest boat and fill the sink
with water so that it might float
while he scrubbed the dirt
away. Every night Bobby took
his sailboat into the tub, and he
would make believe there were
great storms at sen while his
sailboat tossed arid tossed on the
waves he made.
The most fun for Bobby came
with the warm summer sun. His
dad would fill his plastic swim
ming pool, and tell Bobby that
he could put on his swimming
trunks and spend the long af
ternoon playing in the water.
Bobby would gather up all his
boats and what a wonderful
time he would have! On the
short winter days he would
read about the big ships that
sailed the oceans of the world,
and he never grew tired of
learning about the different
boats and their adventures.
SERVICES FOR
C. F. BREEN
ATLANTA, Ga.—F u n e r a 1
services for Mr. Charles F.
Breen were held June 3rd at the
Sacred Heart Church, Rev. John
Emmerth officiating.
Survivors are Mr. and Mrs.
Edward L. Breen, Mr. and Mrs.
Robert E. Breen, Fairfield, Ala.;
Mr. and Mrs. John J. Breen, Miss
Mary Breen, Mrs. Katherine Mc
Donald, and nieces and nephews.
FIRST OF FIFTY-SEVEN
A SPECIAL TREAT
Because Bobby loved boats so
much, and because he was an
especially good boy, his mother
and dad decided to take him on
a trip to the state of Con
necticut. There they would vis
it the Old Mystic Seaport. Bob
by was so excited.
Old Mystic Seaport is a little
village that has been kept just
as the fishing villages were
years ago. People dressed in old-
fashioned costumes work in all
the different shops, and there
are many different boats an
chored at the docks.
Bobby saw the way the men
made sails, and how they re
paired those that had been torn.
He saw how rope was made and
the way the old-fashioned spin
ning wheels worked. He watch
ed a man making medicine in
one store, and in another he
learned the way they carved
and painted the large figures
that they placed on the front
of their ships. He visited the
little one room school, that the
children used to attend, with a
small stove in the middle of the
floor to keep them warm in win
ter, and every grade tried to
study their lessons in the same
room with the same teacher.
Bobby thought that would be
lots of fun! They walked
through the Captain’s Gardens
and stepped inside the old vil
lage church. They even went
to the children’s museum, and
to the big museum, that was at
the far end of the village port.
THE BEST PART
All these things were wonder
ful and exciting for Bobby and
his mother and dad too. But
can you guess what Bobby
thought was the biggest treat of
all? To go right on the boats
that were anchored there. There
was an old ferry boat and Bob
by went right up and stood at
the big wheel that steered it
across the river, and he pretend
ed he was the Captain. He went
on many boats that day, but'the
one he liked best of all was the
big whaling ship. He saw how
the sailors lived when they
were months and months at sea.
He saw the tiny little wooden
bunks they had to sleep on, and
the heavy chair that was kept
on deck so that the Captain’s
wife could sit in it and be lifted
by huge ropes to another ship
to vist with another captain’s
wife for a day. He saw where
the Captain and his wife ate
their meals and the little bed in
the sitting room where their
children slept. Bobby laughed at
the Captain’s bed because it was
just like a big cradle that could
swing from side to side. The
Guide explained that was so
the rocking of the ship wouldn’t
disturb the captain and his
wife when they were sleeping.
There was even a place on the
ship for the animals that they
brought with them.
Bobby was very hungry now,
so they all went to the picnic
area to have a lunch before they
started home. There were still
many things they had not seen,
so Bobby’s father promised him
that they could come again some
day. Bobby was so tired that he
slept all the way home, but be
fore he fell asleep he told his
mother that the next time the
teacher asked him to give a
talk in school he was going to
tell the class all about his visit
to the Old Mystic Seaport and
what a wonderful time he had
there. Then his head began to
nod and he dreamed of being
the Captain and sailing away
on the big whaling ship.
Mrs. Ira Taylor
Atlanta Services
ATLANTA, Ga.—F u n e r a 1
services for Mrs. Ira (Ella May)
Taylor were held June 4t,h at
the Sacred Heart Church, Rev.
Robert Ripp officiating.
Survivors are her husband;
sister, Mrs. Leon Faerber, Chat
tanooga; brother, Mr. Arthur J.
Frazier, Chattanooga; Mr. W. J.
Frazier, Florida; several nieces
and nephews.
First member of his ordination class to kneel before Bishop
John W. Comber, M.M., Superior General of Maryknoll, is
senior deacon Leo A. Decman of Joliet, 111. A combat in
fantryman in World War II, Father Decman will leave for
the missions of Korea. In the Departure Ceremony, June
14, 59 Maryknoll priests and Brothers received assignments
to missions in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the islands
of the Pacific. (NC Photos)
lulktin
4IS 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 KIERNAN
Editor Savannah Edition Editor Atlanta Edition
JOHN MARKWALTER
Managing Editor
Vol. 40 Saturday, June 27, 1959 No. 2
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 Secrotarv