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■PACE 4—tjcuk BULLETIN, October 3, 1959 JOSEPH BRE1G BEAUTY AND THE WOMAN The thing that is centrally and most profoundly wrong with beauty contests, as we know them, is that they are liv ing lies, alluringly masked. It is true that they are potential tempt ations against purity; hut that is not the deepest heart of the matter. To endanger purity — that mag nificient virtue — is bad enough; but to pervert hu man integrity, to distort our view of all reality so that we see and think falsely, judge erroneously, and therefore mis direct our lives—this is deadly. Women, even more than men, ought to be inflexible onponents of these displays. Yes, the flesh ly parades, the pictures in the the newspapers and magazines, and all that, add uo to one more stumbling-block for manly no- bih’tv. BUT WHAT WOMEN must realize is that the contests are a contomntuous insult to. and a gross falsification of, evervthing womanhood is. They undermine the truths that are indisnensahle for protection of woman’s rights and dignity. What these affairs say to us is this —that a woman’s worth is measured by her physical charms; that she is entitled to honor according to her bodily and facial form: and conversely, that if she is not thus endowed, she is of little consequence. Those are lies. Thev are fatal lies because thev falsify what is most vitally important about human beings, and in a special way about women: and also be cause thev strike at the founda tions of the three things partic ularly dearest to women. THOSE THREE THINGS a-e marriage, the family and the home. These three great build ing blocks of civilization and virtue cannot rest upon the no tion that the bodv is greater than the spirit, that straight limbs are more desirable than splendor of soul. It is a wicked and dangerous thing to say to young men. in ef fect, that what thev should seek in a wife is what they would look for in a racehorse; and that that is the whole story. But that is what the beauty contests tell us. This is a grievous injustice to the countless young women whose desirability lies mainly in their goodness, their loyalty, their intelligence, their self- sacrifice — in the permanent Theology For The Layman F. J. Sheed THE MAN CHRIST JESUS The Second Person of the Tri- .... ,, . ... . nity became man. Grasp the qualities that are a lifelong predsion of this . He did not blessing to a man and his chil dren. WHAT IS MORE, the beauty contests put these qualities on the defensive. They create in young women a false humility, an abjectness that makes them undervalue themselves, and strive desperately values. Thus we see them resorting to man, like the weird devices in the hope of angel who making themselves as physical ly attractive as the beauty take human nature as a mask which, when the play was over, He would triumphantly strip off. He is man in heaven and everlast ingly. Nor did He simply for false take the ap pearance of a guided Tob ias. He did not take humanity champions. They pluck their like a garment that He could eyebrows, mascara their eye- wear or an instrument that He lashes, lipstick their lips, and so could use. It was not simply on. that there were certain things This would be all right if it He k fld do which required accomplished its objective; be- that He must have a human cause physical attractiveness is body and a human soul at His good too. But in most cases the disposal, and that once these effect is the opposite; the true things were done the whole attractiveness of these girls is point of having them would hidden under a pitiable attempt cease - He became man. He is as en- to achieve the impossible. IF WE MUST have contests for young women, it would be the part of truth and wisdom to select the winners on the basis of true worth and accomplish ment. This would not draw crowds? This would not interest the newspapers and magazines? titled to the name as we are. As we read the Gospels, there is one single element which might make us wonder if He was wholly man —- He does not sin. He Himself challenges — “Who shall convice me of sin”; and the Epistle to the Hebrews can say (IV. 15) He was “tempt- 3. How Do You Rate on Facts of Faith By Brian Cronin 1, Who is often called the Pope of the Working Man?: (a) Pope Pius XII? (b) Pope Leo XIII? (c) Pope John XXIII? (d) St. Peter? 2. Who was struck down on the road to Damascus while per secuting the Church ... of which he later became a mar tyr?: (a) Bernabus? (b) Saul? (c) Jude? (d) Simon? A dispute between two women, each claiming to be the mother of the same child, was settled by a king who or dered that the child be cut in two and a half given to each mother. The king was: (a) David (b) Samuel? (c) Roboam? (d) Solomon? 4. Two parish societies are required by Canon Law. One is the Confraternity of the Most Blessed Sacrament: what is the other?: (a) The Knights of Columbus? (b) The Legion of Mary? (c) The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine? (d) The Holy Name Society? 5. Father Pire, the Belgian priest who was recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, is a member of the: (a). Cistercians? (b) Jesuits? (c) Carmelites? (d) Dominicans? 6. When a bishop makes an ‘ad limina’ visit it means that he: (a) Officially visits a church? (b) Makes his 5-yearly report to the Pope? (c) Goes on retreat? (d) Makes an unofficial call? 7. The official organ of the Knights of Columbus is: (a) “The Sign”? (b) “Extension”? (c) “Columbia”? (d) “The Com monwealth”? 8. The Uniate Church refers to: (a) The Eastern Rite Cath olics? (b) The One Church? (c) A united Protestant church? <d) - The Greek Orthodox Church?* Give yourself 10 marks for each correct answer below. Rating: 80—Excellent; 70—Very Good;, 60—Good; 50—Fair. Answers: 1 (b); 2 (b); 3 (d); 4 (c); 5 (d) 6 (b); 7 (c); 8 (a) The Gettysburg Address In Lot'sh THE BACKDROP The promoters of such an affair ed jn al] things like ag we are> mieht be pleasantly surprised. without 8in » or in Monsignor Certainly no beauty contest Knox - s translation , « He had winner has won the heart of the been through every trial> fash . nation — or for that matter the j one d as we are, only sinless.” hearts of many nations as did £> u t s j n j s no t a way 0 f being Shirley O’Neill when she risked mari) h j s a wa y 0 f misusing death in the jaws of a shark to man hood. We misuse ours of- get Albert Kogler to shore and ^ en enoU gh, He never misused thpre baptize him. His. He was more completely Girls like Shirley are the man than we. young women we ought to be This completeness has been a lionizing, ought to be recogniz- profound trouble to great num- ing and showing forth as in- hers of Christians. To them it sniration for women every- was a beginning of trouble that where. There is so much no- God should have become man bilitv in womanhood that we at all,. but somehow they ac- eould have worthiness-contests cepted it — always with the from now to the end of time, feeling that He did not really and never begin to exhaust the do it in its totality. Somehow available material. (Continued on Page 5) Jottings (By BARBARA C. JENCKS) (By John C. O'Brien) Of the many ways in which the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission has sought to honor America’s most revered Presi dent, Abraham Lincoln, perhaps the most unusual was the pre sentation to the Vatican Library of a Latin translation of the Gettysburg Address. This famed address, written by a man who had had a mini mum of formal education, has long excited the wonder of Eng lish stylists, A committee of English professors at one of England’s great universities once made an exhaustive study of the address, testing it to see whether by a different choice of words, a change of sentence structure, or a rearrangement of the thought, it could be im proved. Their conclusion was that any alteration would weak en it. IN CONGRESSIONAL RECORD The Latin translation is the work of the Rt. Rev. Edwin Ryan, D. D., of White Plains, N. Y., a life-long student of the Latin language and a pro lific writer on the history of the Latin tongue. At a recent ceremony in Washington, Msgr. Ryan’s trans lation, engrossed on vellum, was presented to His Excellency Egidio Vagnozzi, the Apostolic Delegate to the United States, for transmission to His Holiness, Pope John XXIII. In making the presentation, Sen. John Sherman Cooper, chairman of the Sesquicenten- “God of our Fathers, Shepherd of Thy people, Lord of free men’s souls, Make America a beacon Shining from the heights. Cause Thy light to shine On all Thy peoples — Especially, O God, on those Who watch and wait In darkening shadows. was an overall American reac tion. Catholics are praying for Russia’s conversion as they have for years. No mass dem onstrations or parades, but holy hours, .rosaries, Masses. I wish the misleading editorial writer might have been nresent at. a recently held faculty, luncheon I attended. There was no ste- Grant that Thy America may reotvned oninion here among Question Box By David Q. Liplak Q. Is it un-CVn-istian to want to become a millionaire? A. To want to become a mil lionaire is not in itself un- Christian, at least not insofar as the moral code of Christiani- tv is concerned. Theoreticallv, the desire for great wealth could even be praiseworthy, provided that one’s motives were absolutely unselfish and entirely directed toward mag nifying the honor and glory of God. The rub is. however, that both the desire for and the ac cumulation of riches can auick- lv render the soul nrey tt> ava rice. i.e., an inordinate love for earthly possessions. Avaricious motivations can render one’s quest for wealth immoral from the verv begin ning. It would be sinful, for ex- amnle, for one to want to be a millionaire for the sake of wealth itself, or just to enjoy the pleasures money will buv, or merely in order to attain power and Drestige over men or nations. Evil intentions such • as these can become so intense that God is cnmoletelv driven out from one’s heart. Riches be come a kind of deitv: the ac cumulation of them, a species of idolatry. Greed can occasion other sins, particularly in the wimw whereby one acquires .and uses his wealth. The prospective avaricious millionaire is likely to drive for material profit re gardless of the strict rights of others, thus crossing the virtue of justice. In his selfish pursuit he is apt to neglect his obliga tion to charity to others, espe cially the poor. He mav even ig nore the duty he has to safe guard his own physical and mental health. Deceit, thievery, perjury, restlessness, violence, treachery an dinsensibility to mercy can also result. In the words of St. Thomas Aquinas: “According to St. Paul (I Timothy VI: 10), this vice is a source of all evils, for by riches man acquires the means of com mitting any sin whatever and of (Continued on Page 5) SHARING OUR TREASURE Invitation To Inquiry Class Leads To Conversion By REV. JOHN A. O'BRIEN, Ph. D. (University of Notre Dame) The good example of Cath olics, their willingness to speak about their holy Faith and par ish Information Classes are helping to lead an increasing number of truthseekers into the Church. They , are often the c h a n n els through which God sends the precious gift of Faith. This is shown by the ex perience of Mrs. Dorothv Kraus of West Seneca, New York. “As a young girl,” said Mrs. Kraus, “I went to different Churches, the denomination of which depends on the religion of my playmates. My parents had separated, and I felt the need of the stabilizing influ ence which only close union with God can give. At 18 I started going with a young man who had fallen away from the Catholic Church and become a Baptist. “I went with him to the Bap tist Church, but it left me un satisfied. My friend became fan atical on the subject, gloomy and morose. I felt instinctively that the true religion should give one peace, serenity and joy, and hence I parted com pany with him and his church. “Then I began to date Nelson Kraus, a young Catholic law yer. I could see how much his religion meant to him and the great happiness he derived from receiving Holy Commun ion. Upon returning from Mass Nelson’s face would be lit up with a smile and his heart was full of joy. “When I visited the Kraus family, I sensed the deep reli gious atmosphere of the home and saw how their Faith bound them closely together. I found myself reflecting that if my parents had gone to church to gether and prayed together, they would not have separated. “After our marriage we mov ed into our new home in St. William’s parish. There I be came acquainted with two Cath olic neighbors who deepened my interest in the Faith bv tell ing me the peace and security it brought to them. I still hes itated to take the step, so dif ficult for a Protestant, of go ing to the rectory to apply for instruction. “The ‘break’ came one day when Monsignor Francis Grow- ney, pastor of St. William’s, was passing by our home. See ing me in the yard; he stopped and greeted me. Then he told me that the Buffalo diocese was taking a house-to-house relig ious census and every Darish ’WotrM ■ *s Pq*n bh -conducting a, public Inquiry Class. “ ‘You will be as welcome as the flowers in spring,’ he as sured me, ‘and you don’t have to commit yourself in advance. Come and see what the Cath olic Church has to offer you. Pray to God for guidance and He won’t fail you. Here’s a pamphlet, Finding Christ's Church, which will help you.’ _ “It was just what I needed to take the all-important step: going to a rectory for syste matic instruction. Until that is done, you’re just beating the bushes and getting nowhere. The fact, that I wasn’t asked to commit myself in advance and that others would be there, made, the set-up perfect. “Monsignor G r o w n e y ex plained everything clearly and drove home the divine charac ter of the Catholic religion — established by Christ — and the authority of the Catholic Church to teach in Christ’s name. The charts in Finding Christ's Church bring out these facts so clearly that even a child can grasp them. I could hesitate no longer. “Along with the other mem bers of the class, I was baptized by Monsignor Growney and re ceived our Eucharistic Lord the following day. Peeace and joy flooded my soul. Now our fam ily is more closely united than ever before and Christ is the bond,” be a lamp Dispersing the shadows Of darkness and doubt, Lest Thy people perish.” Cardinal Spellman • KHRUSHCHEV'S VISIT will have passed into history by the time this column appears in print. History will give it a rightful place. However, we would go on record for certain comment. There is much hys teria. One of the strongest state ments made during the pre visit period came from the ar ticulate Bishon Leo Pursley of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Some of the smoke clears when we hear Bishop Pursley state: “It is my understanding that our Presi dent and his guest do not speak each other’s langauge. This is a minor, superficial problem which can be readily solved by interpreters. Who will bridge the other differences, the other distances between them? Who will interpret the mind of God to one who does not believe in God? Who will interpret the mind of America to one who spells freedom with letters that mean force? Pray for the mira cle of grace but, remember, By JOHN C. O’BRIEN nial Commission, said that the Latin translation was being pre sented to the Vatican Library “in the hope that it will recall to all who view it, the ideals and life of Lincoln.” Later in the Senate, Cooper obtained per mission to have the Latin trans lation printed in the Congres sional Record so that it “may be more widely available to libraries and to persons inter ested in the study of Latin.” Msgr. Ryan, who attended the presentation ceremony, said that it was fitting that the Gettys burg Address should have a place in the Archives of the Vatican in the official language of the Church because the ideals expressed in it were in “per fect accord with the teaching of Christ’s Church.” Lincoln, he said, had express ed succinctly the truth that hu man freedom is based upon hu man equality. While recognizing the inequalities of bodily vigor and intellectual endowment, Msgr. Ryan pointed out, Lincoln had reminded us that beneath those inequalities lies a funda mental equality, an essential concomitant of human nature. The Church, too, the trans lator of the address noted, had ever insisted that the. inequali ties that are obvious, and even inequalities in the distribution of grace, “do not contravene the essential equality of men, of all men, as human beings.” FUNDAMENTAL HARMONY “It is our hope,” Msgr. Ryan added, “that this document in the language of the Roman Patriarchate will remain in the Eternal City as a testimony to the fundamental harmony that is heard when Abraham Lincoln proclaims in the order of nature what St. Paul proclaims in the order of grace.” Archbishop Vagnozzi describ ed the Gettysburg address as “one of the greatest documents ever issued by man.” He said “it is a great American docu ment, a great human document, and I might : truly say it is a great Christian document.’ Such praise would have fallen strangely upon the ears of the Civil War president as he sat down after delivering his ad dress. For he believed it had been a failure. He was preceded by Edward Everett, one of the nation’s greatest orators, who gave a long and full resume of the battle of Gettysburg. Lin coln’s address was so short that a photographer could not get his camera in focus in time to take a picture of the President while he still was speaking. Yet, Everett’s address, widely ac claimed when he delivered it, has long since been forgotten, while the Gettysburg address is known to almost every school child. Five copies of the address in Lincoln’s handwriting are ex tant. The first and second drafts, prepared in Washington* and at Gettysburg just before delivery, are in the Library of Congress. Father ‘ View from the Rectory w : . Catholic college teachers of phi- losonhv; historv. binlqgv. and art and journalism. The philoso- phv and journalism teachers were alone in" their protest against the visit. The other nro- fessors were in. favor, or indif ferent to the Khrushchev visit. • THERE WTLL he manv things which Khrushchev will not. he shown and would not want to see. One is a Catholic campus beginning its academic year. Would that this was nart of his tour. One night recently on television, John Gunther took the viewer on a tour of Moscow Universitv > where ev- erv student is a potential scien tist — a maker of bombs, mis siles. rockets. Every student at a Catholic college is a poten tial saint. One nun said while viewing the program: “Would to God those Russian students had what we have here and the world could sleep neacefully each night.” It was frightening to view the 3,000 Russian stu dents at Moscow University tu tored in world domination and sunremaev. It was beautifully reassuring and inspirational to "Cholic without having ourselves the students here file into the chap- grace of faith, hope and chari- e j f or prayers for peace and the ty.” Prayers for Russia are no- rogary The prayerg our gtu _ thing new to us as Catholics . . , as one would think from the dents reach hlgher than the re- daily press. Each dav since the ported Soviet rocket to the time of Pope Leo XIII, we have moon for they reach the heart offered prayers after Mass for of <£ od who is ruler of the hea- the conversion of Russia. Mil- veng and the earth __ fhe cre . lions of American Catholics at- . , . „ tend Mass and receive Holy_ atorand redeemer of mankind! Communion on the First Satur day of the month in answer to the plea of Our Lady of Fatima for world peace and the con version of Russia. This did not start fanatically with the arriv al of Khrushchev on our shores as many non-Catholics have as sumed. • “CHRISTIAN CENTURY" was reported in a recent issue of a weekly news magazine as stating in reference to opinion on the Khrushchev visit: “As usual, a cardinal or an archbish op spoke first and then others fell into line, including the obedient Catholic Press.” This would be infuriating if it were not so ridiculously unfair. Cath olics again and the Catholic press, in particular, are suppos ed to have stereotyped opinions on all things. In and out of sea son. it is the same false asser tion, we select our ideas and opinions as if they were an ex tremely popular brand of tooth paste or mouth wash. I grow tired and I grow angry. I would suggest that the “Christian Cen tury” editor do a little research before writing his editorial. Op position to the Khrushchev visit QUOITS & BEZIQUE Cardinal Gibbons was a great man. An important - element of greatness, they tell me, is sim plicity. One of the churchmans’ secrets of success, then, was re vealed in a news story about the celebration, of the 125th an niversary of the Cardinal’s birth. The Cardinal liked nothing better,, so. the story goes, than to spend quiet hours with his friends, on. his birthday and to join congenial companions at a game of quoits or a hand of bezique. My, admiration for the Car dinal has soared to new heights. Anyone who can have fun play ing quoits and bezique is de serving of praise. I didn’t even know what they were. Now I do. The dictionary says that quoits is a game something like horseshoes and that bezique is “a card game similar to pinochle but using 64 cards.” So there. Even a Cardinal can have a fling on occasion. Let us take a good look at our idea of pleasure. Or, for a discussion of what we might call organized pleasure: recreation. This is no dead issue. We have much more leisure time than our ancestors had. On the other hand, the pressures of modern life are greater than they were in great-grandpa’s day. These two extremes can lead either to a fixation for pleasure, or to a scornful attitude toward rec reation. Take the pleasure-mania first. Golf can get you. A friend told me that on the greens recently a member of the group behind him was quite fidgety. Finally, the nervous one tapped him on M FATIMA STATUE IN ROME the shoulder and said, “Pardon, but would you mind if I played through? I’ve just heard that my wife has been taken seriously ill.” This gentleman has undoubt edly contracted a 20th-century malady: Giddiness for Golf. There are dozens and dozens of jokes about golfers; but numer ous other manias can be de veloped with a little practice; Hankering for Horses, Cupidity for Cards and Frenzy for Fish ing. These are only a few of the Hobby Hungers that have some times broken up families, de stroyed businesses and wasted talents. The other mistaken attitude toward pleasure is just the op posite: the puritanical notion that enjoyment is for pagans or weaklings. “Life is serious,” says Emmanuel Q. Executive, “there’s work to be done, money to be made. The world can’t get along without me.” Can’t get along without him, this is, until he suffers a heart, attack, or ulcers, or a nervous breakdown. The fellow who “just can’t re lax” and the fellow whose life is one long vacation have both swerved off the road. They fail to realize that pleasure is good and necessary in its place. It’s a part of God’s plan. The old saying that “virtue takes a mid dle course” finds perfect appli cation in this matter. If golf is your goal or fishing your final cause of alcohol your aim—then it means you’ve gone off the road—far to the left. If your life leaves no time for re laxation (especially with fami ly), then you’ve gone too far to the right. The middle of the road might be a dangerous place to drive your car. But on the narrow road of virtue, the mid dle is the only place for sanity and sanctity. Those who go to extremes in all-pleasure or no-pleasure are in effect following old party lines. One party, started by Lu ther and organized by Calvin, claimed Adam and Eve really ruined us. Our human nature is totally corrupt, their platform stated. The next step followed easily: the assertion that all kinds of pleasure and enjoyment are inventions of the devil. The other party, led by a fel low named Pelagius, insisted that Adam’s Apple had no effect on us. Human nature is perfect. A Frenchman, Rousseau, took up the idea and stressed our freedom to do what we want. Pleasure is good; the sky’s the limit. The Church’s teaching, of course, is that our human nature is neither completely corrupt nor perfectly sound. It has been weakened by the sin of our first parents. Therefore we have to watch our tendency to go to extremes. Pleasure is good: it has a definite place in life. But it must be governed by modera tion. Our Lord Himself set the ex ample when He indulged in in nocent pleasures: eating and drinking and conversing with friends. The Church’s attitude toward dancing, alcohol, tobacco and so forth is inspired by this common-s e n s e middle-of-the- road approach. The use of these things according to God’s plan is good .The misuse or abuse of them make them wrong. It would be tragic to build your whole life around golf (un less you’re a golf pro) or alcohol (unless you’re a bartender) or horse racing (unless you’re a horse). But it is equally pitiful to harm yourself by scorning the recreation that you need for good health of soul and body. Your family-life, your prayer- life and your life-in-general might be grately improved by such simple things as a round of golf or a game of duck-pins. Or even by a hand of bazique, if you can find a 64-card deck. ; \ The helicopter which flew the pilgrim statue of Our Lady ■ Of Fatima throughout Italy for a three-month period ia shown landing on the steps of St. John Lateran’s in Rome while thousands are held back by police lines at the flag- decked Square of St. John. More than 70,000 people were on hand to welcome the statue. To the left, in the rear, is the building which houses the Holy Stairs, believed to be tiie stairs which Christ walked up during his trial by Pilate. ^—«- _ -j SttUrtut 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 KIERNAN Editor Savannah Edition Editor Atlanta Edition JOHN MARKWALTER Managing Editor Vol. 40 Saturday, October 3, 1959 No. 9 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 i Executive Secretary MISS CECILE FERRY, Augusta - Financial Secretary