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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