Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4—.THE BULlETIN, March 19, I960
JOSEPH BREIG
DID OHIO POAU SLIP?
I suggest an alteration in the
title of “Protestants and Other
Americans United for Separa
tion of Church and State”—or
at least of the Columbus, O.,
chapter.
I make my
proposal in
the interests
of a c c u r acy
and honesty.
And I solicit
serious con
sideration
of this matter
by P O A U’s
national officers in Washington
—and by the American people.
This change that I think
ought to be made, in Columbus
anyhow, is this: the word
“separation” should be dropped,
and the word “union” sub
stituted.
I come to this conclusion be
cause of a mailing piece sent to
Protestant ministers in central
Columbus, the state capital.
THE CIRCULAR was headed:
“Protestants and Other Ameri
cans United for Separation of
Church and State, P. O. Box
4882. Columbus 2, Ohio (A Na
tional Organization.)”
Those three last parenthetical
words, I think, call for some ac
tion, or at least explanation, on
the part of national POAU head
quarters.
POAU cannot have it both
ways. It cannot boast of being
in favor of “separation of church
and state” while allowing one of
its leading branches to iniect
religion, blatantlv, into politics.
THE COLUMBUS chanter did
precisely that, in my view. Its
circular sent to ministers aliened
that “the Roman Catholic hier
archy is attempting to elect and
place a Catholic in the White
House.”
The mailing niece also adver
tised two POAU-sponsored pub
lic meetings, one to be address
ed by a member of POAU’s na
tional board, the other by its na
tional executive director, Dr.
Glenn L. Archer of Washington.
The title of Dr. Archer’s talk
was given as “Religion and the
Presidencv.”
ALL THIS SEEMS TO ME to
put a sharp point on a truth
that is generally not realized.
I refer to the fact that it is pre
cisely those who would bar Ca
tholics and Jews from the presi
dency who are guilty of making
politics a religious matter.
Those who would make the
White House a Protestant pre
serve are not promoting separa
tion of church and state. They
are doing the contrary. This is
true not merely of POAU, but
of all who urge that voting be
along religious lines.
I have no ax to grind for Sen.
John F. Kennedy. Far from it.
I do not expect to vote for him.
Not now, nor in the future,
will I vote for any Catholic be
cause he is a Catholic. I base
my balloting on examination of
the policies and abilities of
candidates.
THE COLUMBUS POAU,
However, obviously was sug
gesting that a Catholic candi
date should be opposed because
he is a Catholic.
This is confusing religion and
politics—which is precisely the
opposite of “separation of church
and state.” That is why I pro
pose substitution of “union” for
“separation.”
Either that, or POAU nation
al headquarters should repudiate
the idea of asking Protestant
ministers to go into political ac
tion for denominational reasons.
This whole question of a Ca
tholic (or a Jew) in the presi
dency is not a Catholic problem.
It is not a Jewish problem.
In a special way, though, I do
think it is a problem for Protes
tants.
NEITHER JUDAISM nor the
Catholic Church exist to elect a
president. Neither will rise or
fall with the election or non
election of a Jew or Catholic,
now or a thousand years hence.
Protestants who imagine that
it is all-important to their
churches to see that the presi
dent is always a Protestant,
seem to me to demean their
faith.
Bigotry hurts America and
degrades Americans. Jews and
Catholics, when victims of it,
are not degraded; they are giv
en an opportunity to exercise
patience, which exalts them.
I don’t think POAU repre
sents most Protestants in Amer
ica. I do hope I am right about
that.
Theology
For The
Layman
(By F. J. Sheed)
Column 51
OUR LADY (1)
Our understanding of Our
Blessed Lady depends totally
upon our understanding of her
Son. Everything about her flows
from her being Christ’s mother;
as our understanding of Him
grows, our
understanding
of her grows.
Unless we
have some
knowledge of
the doctrines
of Trinity and
I n c a r nation,
we can still
love her but cannot know her;
and we have already seen that
loving without full knowledge
is only a shadow of loving.
She is the Mother of God. The
child she conceived and bore is
God the Son. In His divine na
ture He had existed eternally.
But His human nature He owed
to her as, much as any man owes
his human nature to his mother.
There is nothing that makes my
mother mine which is lacking
in her relation to Him as man.
As God He was born of the Fa
ther before all ages; as man He
was born at a particular mo
ment of time of the Virgin
Mary. Do not think it sufficient
to call her the mother of His
human nature: natures do not
have mothers. She was mother,
as your or mine is, of the person
born of her. And the person
was God the Son.
It is a special mark of the
Catholic as distinct from what
we may call the tvoical Protes
tant that he finds this truth al
most shattering in its greatness,
its immensity: whereas to the
other it is simply a biographical
fact about Christ Which one
notes but does not linger upon.
Naturally, he seems to say, if
God was to become man, one
would expect Him to have a
mother; but having borne Him
into the world, she had done
her duty, and from now on our
(Continued on Page 5)
Question
Box
By David Q. Liptak
Q. One of my youngsters came
home from school with the sto
ry that Catholics are supposed
to give up going to moving pic
tures during Lent. Since when
has such a ruling been in effect?
Wasn't the teacher overstepping
her authority in making such a
statement?
A. Denying oneself certain
otherwise legitimate entertain
ments should be encouraged as
a salutary form of Lenten self
penance. But the precise enter
tainment to be given up is left
to the free choice of each indi
vidual. Hence it is incorrect to
say that Catholics-in general are
not supposed to go to moving
picture theatres during the Len
ten season.
ON THE other hand, it would
be incorrect to say -that there is
absolutely nothing at all im
proper about going to movies in
Lent. For most motion pictures
are inconsonant with the peni
tential character and the seri
ousness of the Lenten season. It
would be difficult to under
stand, for example, how a per
son could frequent the ordinary
run-of-the-mill films being
shown today without prejudic
ing his soul against the recep
tion of the many special graces
and supernatural lights offered
only during the sacred pre-
Easter season.
NONETHELESS, occasional
movie-viewing during Lent is
still not sinful. In many instanc
es, one’s motive for going to the
movies might cancel out even
the least degree of impropriety
often associated with such an
entertainment during Lent; i.e.,
one might have a valid aesthetic
reason for seeing a particular
film; or one might need the re
laxation because of work pres
sures; etc.
Q. Is there any historical bas
is for the thesis that English
Catholics tried to establish a
colony in Maine before the land
ing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth
Rock?
A. Three significant attempts
were made by English Catho
lics to establish colonies on the
New England coast before the
Puritans landed at Plymouth
Rock in 1620.
IN 1578, seven ships set sail
for the New World under the
(Continued on Page 5)
1 SHARING OUR TREASURE
Boy Choir Kindles
Soldier's Interest
By REV. JOHN A. O'BRIEN, Ph. D.
Notre Dame) r „ .
, r r r ,r r r r ,r r r r Uni VeTSitV Of
Have you ever brought a non-
Catholic friend to Mass? If not,
you are neglecting an important
method of sharing your precious
treasure. Though many visitors
come chiefly out of curiosity, not
a few find
their interest
kindled suffi
ciently to look
into the Cath
olic religion.
Some are at
tracted bv the
beauty of, the
liturgy, the
melody of the music, the singing
of the choir, the reverence of
the worshipers or the startling
awareness of the Real Presence.
This is illustrated bv the ex
perience of Josenh Hal Lesh of
Huntington. Indiana, now a
graduate student of the Uni
versity of Paris. Calling at our
Bureau of Convert Research at
Notre Dame, Hal related his
story. “I was reared as a Protes
tant.” he said, “and attended
services at the Presbyterian
church and later at others.
Growing up in a Protestant at
mosphere. I acquired the cus
tomary Protestant misconcep
tions of the Catholic Church
“After graduating from In
diana University, where I
majored in philosophy, I enter
ed the army and was sent to
Germany. Assigned to Regens
burg, a dominantly Catholic
city, I got my first opportunity
to come into real contact with
Catholic life and culture. On
Sundays I went to the cathedral
to hear its famous boys’ choir
sing high Mass.
“The sound of those magnifi
cent youthful voices echoing
through the austere voults and
arches of that mighty Gothic
cathedral stirred me to the
quick. Gradually I began to pay
attention to what was going
on at the altar and to learn the
meaning of the Mass, about
which I knew nothing. Mass
going became such a habit with
me that, when transferred to
Stuttgart, I continued to attend,
though there was no longer
beautiful music or glorious
singing to attract me.
“I read Karl .Adam’s The
Sralrit of Catholicism and also
The Road to Damascus in which
noted scholars and writers de
scribe the various marks and
teachings of the Catholic reli
gion which drew them into its
fold. I began to ^rav, read the
Rible and intensified mv study
of the Church. T found if alone
had Christ as its founder and,
the Apostle Peter as its first
pone: unmistakable evidence
that it is the one true Church.
“After completing mv armv
service. I entered. Vale and went
to Mass at St. Thomas More
Chapel. Mv studying nraving
and pondering suddenly came to
a head when I woke one morn
ing with the clear realization
of what I must do: become a
Catholic without further delay.
As my parents were then re
siding in Washington. D. C . I
called on Monsignor John Cart
wright, rector of the cathedral,
and applied for admittance .
“Unon the completion of some
additional instruction I was re
ceived into the Church on Anri!
111. 1959. and had the great iov
of receiving our Eucharistic
Lord in Holv Communion. Ev
ery dav I thank God for the
wonderful gift of the true Faith.
While the historical, Scriptural
and logical arguments for the
truth of the Catholic religion
are irrefutable, it was the beau
ty of the music and sinking of
the high Mass in the Regens
burg Cathedral which first
kindled my interest and served
as the channel through which
God’s initial grace came to me.
“My journey to the Church
illustrates the truth of Chester
ton’s observation: ‘The Church
is a house with a hundred gates
and no two men enter at exactly
the same angle.’ Though the
journey be long and arduous,
the joy of finding Christ, His
divine truths and His Mystical
Body, the Church, is worth all
the effort and more.”
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
names and addresses of such
persons to him at Notre Dame
University, Notre Dame, Indiana,
Jottings..
(By BARBARA C. JENCKS)
"Do you want to know what I
am doing? I devote myself to
my friends with whom I enjoy
the most delightful intercourse
. . . with them I shut myself in
a corner, where I escape the
boisterous crowd and either
speak to them in sweet whis
pers or listen to their gentle
voices . . . With these sweet
friends I am buried in seclus
ion. What wealth or what scep
ters would I barter for this tran
quility? Now that may not miss
the meaning of my metaphor,
pray understand all that I have
said about these friends to be
meant of books, companionship
with which has made of me a
truly hanpy man."
emoted in "Librarium,"
Boston College
• EVERYONE IS a potential
reader. The blind, the illiterate,
the sick, those unable to scan
pages of print, can listen to
great books being read. During
Catholic Press Month, we dis
cussed the Catholic press, the
field of Catholic literature and
the problems of the Catholic
writer. The reader was neglect
ed and without the reader, there
would be no living literature.
Show me your friends and I will
tell you what you are can also
be transferred to books. Show
me what you read and I will
tell you what you are. Scan a
nerson’s library and you will
know him better than by hours
of conversation. In a recent is
sue of “The Providence Visitor,”
I read that Bishop Wright was
reported as saying he valued
his library card next to his bap
tismal certificate, further on. I
read about some salutary advice
on reading habits given by Ba
roness Von Trapp. Both were
excellent articles, which I would
like to follow up in today’s col
umn. During Lent, we sacrifice
portions of food and drink. We
can make up that loss in spirit
ual nourishment by reading that
which satiates a hunger that
neither bread nor water can
substitute. If we would but be
gin to fill the need of our minds
and souls in the pursuit of good
reading! The companionship
that is ours for the reading with
the saints, the martyrs, the he
roes, the artists!
• WHEN I SELECT a book, I
select it on its inspiration value.
Will it make me love God more?
Will it inflame my mind and
heart to largeness of thought
and deed? I do not want a book
which will weight me down. Re
cently, there has been a nation
wide fad of reading aloud. Night
clubs have featured the reading
of classics by such stars as
Charles Laughton. Ed Sullivan
had Charlton Heston reading
from the Old Testament on a
holiday program. Recently, a
television program entitled
“Reading Aloud” was initiated
in which poet-playwright Arch
ibald MacLeish read poetry to
his young grandchildren. Won
der of wonders when television
becomes the nourisher of a
passtime it has murdered. Dur
ing Lent, I would suggest that
families have their own reading
aloud program during mealtime
or shortly afterwards. In refec
tories of monasteries and con
vents all over the world, this
spiritual reading during meals
is carried on in and out of Lent.
What an ideal time to begin in
the family circle! I have select
ed half a dozen books which by
their verv nature are not only
spiritual but ideally suitable by
their rhythm, imagery, content,
style, beauty for reading aloud
in the family circle. They will
appeal to all ages. They are
among those bn my required
reading list for students of writ
ing. Of course, needless to say,
the daily prayers from the Mis
sal are the most ideal of all for
reading aloud as is the Imitation
of Christ. But for a family read
ing list, I suggest the following:
CarvII Mouselander's: "Way
of the Cross."
M v 1 e s Connolly's: "Mr.
Blue."
Charles Pegu y's: "God
Speaks."
Helen Walker Homan's: "By
Post to the Apostles."
Thomas Merton's: "Secular
Journals."
' Bede Jarrett's: "No Abiding
Citv."
Romano Guardini's "Sacred
Sins."
• RECENTLY this college
suffered the loss of its little li
brarian-nun. What company she
kept here will mean no formal
introductions in the courts of
heaven. Her special interest was
the writings of the Church Fa
thers and the panal directives.
These days, we have been vis
ualizing her in the libraries of
heaven at the feet of St. Augus
tine, her natron, and with her
beloved Pius X and Pius XII.
She was known by the company
she kept. How about you? Who
are your favorite writers and
heroes of literature? There is
no excuse today to miss the
friendship of the great people of
the past with the abundance of
paperbacks and the well-stock
ed libraries. How I wish there
were time for the many books
I yearn to read and the authors
I wish to know better:, Dante,
Plato, Newman, Augustine, de
Sales. Reading next to prayer is
our best life time investment as
our library apostle is surely dis
covering at this moment in
some nook and cranny of the
celestial mansion.
ONLY POPE'S
NUMBER IS
UNLISTED
VATICAN CITY. (NC) —
Everybody except His Holiness
Pope John XXIII is listed in the
new Vatican City telephone di
rectory.
The papal apartments have
seven telephones but they are
not included in the directory’s
1,038 listings. Although the
papal phones are unlisted, St.
Peter’s basilica has seven num
bers listed, including phones be
hind the Altar of the Chair and
in the dome.
The new directory replaces
the 1954 edition, which had 88
pages and 788 numbers listed.
Issuing of the new directory
was necessitated by the expan
sion of the telephone system of
the small city state and by re
location of six of the major ad
ministrative offices of the Holy
See last summer.
The man who has a strong
point in his character sometimes
makes it a weakness just by
putting it on exhibition.
Capital Punishment Debate Continues 1
THE BACKDROP
The furore over the 60-day
reprieve from execution of the
death penalty granted Caryl
Chessman by Governor Edmund
G. Brown, of California has re
vived interest in the debate
over capital
pi u n i shment
that has agi
tated penolo
gists and pub
lic officials for
several dec
ades.
The Chess
man case has
become an international cause
celebre because of the 11 and
one-half years delay in carrying
out a death sentence imposed
after the prisoner’s conviction of
a kidnapping charge involving
the abduction of two women.
Opponents of capital punish
ment in other countries, abet
ted possibly in some foreign
capitals by the communists,
have flooded the United States
with protests against enforcing
the death penalty against a man
who has lived so long in the
shadow of the execution cham
ber.
ABOLITIONISTS CAMPAIGN
Warnings by the governments
of Uruguay and Brazil that exe
cution of Chessman might touch
off hostile demonstrations when
President Eisenhower visited
those countries were taken so
seriously by the State Depart
ment that it passed them along
to Governor Brown. And it was
mainly to avoid such unpleas
antness that Brown ordered the
By JOHN C. O’BRIEN
execution of the death penalty
delayed.
Brown associates himself with
those Americans who believe
that capital punishment should
be abolished and he has called a
special session of his legislature
to consider repeal of the state’s
capital punishment statute. He
rejects the contention of the up
holders of capital punishment
that it is a deterrent against the
commission of murder and oth
er serious crimes.
Although opponents have
waged an unrelenting campaign
in state legislatures to abolish
the death penalty, they have
made little headway. Only nine
states have eliminated it. In six
of these, however, no convicted
person has been put to death in
the past three decades. The
ninth, Delaware, abolished the
death penalty in 1957. In Kan
sas the death penalty was re
stored in 1935, after a brief ex
perience without it.
Of the states (and the District
of Columbia) which exact the
death penalty, 24 impose it by
electrocution, 11 by use of lethal
gas, six by hanging and one,
Utah, by shooting.
DROP DEATH SENTENCES
Murder and rape are the prin
ciple crimes that carry the death
penalty in the death penalty
states, although armed robbery,
kidnapping, burglary, espionage
and aggravated assault are pun
ishable by death in a few states.
Between 1930 and 1959, a to
tal of 3,666 persons were exe
cuted by civil authorities in the
United States, of whom 1,643
were white, 1,972 Negro and 41
of other races. In 1959 there
were executions in only 16
states. Georgia led with eight,
all Negroes. California was sec
ond with six, five Negroes and
one white person.
Throughout the world in the
past two centuries penal laws
have been drastically moderat
ed. At one time the theft of a
loaf of bread was punishable by
death. In many countries the
death penalty has been abolish
ed altogether. In fact, the United
States is one of the few great
nations in which it has been
widely retained.
But even in this country, al
though the death penalty re
mains on the statute books of
most of the states, there has
been a steady decline in the
number of executions. In the
decade from 1930 to 1940 the
average number of executions
was 167 a year; in the decade
from 1940 to 1950, 128 a year
and in the last decade 72 a year.
These figures seem to indicate
a growing reluctance upon the
part of juries, which, in some
states have authority to recom
mend against the death penalty,
and on the part of judges to
impose the extreme penalty.
But penologists and sociologists
are still far from agreement on
the question of whether the
death penalty is a deterrent to
crimes of violence and the pro
spect that the death penalty
statute will be repealed by ‘the
states which now have, it is ra
ther dim.
View’
from the
; | Rectory
By The Rev. Robert H. Wharton ■
RINGING REVELATIONS
A worried man went to his
doctor to complain of popped
eyes and a ringing in his ears.
The doctor suggested that the
man have his tonsils out, but
this didn’t clear the situation.
He went to a
second doctor,
who ordered
all the man’s
teeth extract
ed. Still the
condition per
sisted. The
man went to
a third doctor,
who gave him
six months to
live. The man
decided to live
out his allotted time well.
He bought a new car, hired
a chauffeur, took a suite at the
best hotel, and ordered a tailor
to make him a dozen suits. At
the same time, he decided to go
all the way and have his shirts
tailor-made. The tailor meas
ured him.
“Let’s see,” said the tailor.
“Sleeve, 34; collar, 16.”
“Fifteen,” said the man.
“Sixteen,” said the tailor.
“Look here,” said the man,
“I’ve always worn a 15 collar.”
“O.K.,” said the tailor, “but
don’t say I didn’t warn you. If
you keep it up your eyes are
going to pop and there’ll be a
ringing in your ears.”
I know it’s crazy, man. But a
Shaggy Man story like this
shows how credulous we tend to
be. Credulous — inclined to be
lieve anything on the slightest
evidence.
One reason for our readiness
to jump on any old bandwagon
is our habit of reflex action.
We’re inclined to believe any
thing that’s said often enough.
Advertising tells us that this
athlete smokes Zebra cigarettes.
Our teeth are supposed to be
whiter bv the Hexachlorobex in
the toothpaste. Drinking Seven
Petunias, it is intimated, makes
us men of distinction. We buy
these products from an unthink
ing reflex action.
The same with our cherished
mvths. Someone said we should
“feed a cold and starve a fever.”
We’re sure mice prefer cheese
to other foods because they sav
so. Everyone says lightning
doesn’t strike twice in the same
place. All educated persons
know that Marie Antoniette
said, “Let ’em eat cake.” All
these popular myths have been
debunked by experts. But we’re
credulous.
This eagerness to believe
without evidence passes over,
unfortunately, to the realm of
religion. Witness the widespread
rumors about the Fatima letter,
which the Pope is supposed to
open in 1960. Many good per
sons have heard that the mes
sage goes something like this:
“Wind up your affairs, folks.
The world will be destroyed
next Friday at noon.”
We’re ready to snap up re
ports of stigmatists, weeping
madonnas, glowing lights and
various dire predictions that the
world is about to end. We are
inclined to be credulous even
in matters of religion.
There are two dangers in this
attitude. The first is that it can
bring discredit to our faith. Out
siders may discount our genu
ine miracles because they see
the flimsy evidence supporting
some popular superstitions.
We believe in miracles. The
possibility of miracles, in fact,
is an essential part of our faith.
But a genuine miracle rests on
solid ground, not on flimsy ru
mors.
Every Catholic should realize
that God’s public revelation to
mankind ended long ago. God’s
official declaration intended for
all men began with Adam and
Eve, continued through the pro
phets, and ended with the death
of St. John, the last Apostle.
Everything contained in this
official revelation we accept
without question. We have
God’s word that such facts are
true. Beliefs such as the doc
trine of the Holy Trinity, Mass,
forgiveness of sins, the Resur
rection of our Savior — all these
are part of the “deposit of faith”
which we must accept.
But since the time of Christ,
there have been many private
revelations. In these cases, God
may speak to particular persons.
A saint — such as Margaret
Mary or Gertrude or Brigid —
may write that the Lord ap
peared to her. Three children,
like those at Fatima, may say
that the Blessed Mother appear
ed to them.
After investigating these
things, the Church may approve
of them. This approval, howev
er, means simply that there' is
nothing contrary to faith or
morals. Of course, they must be
spiritually useful and based on
sound evidence.
The point is that these pri
vate revelations can’t become a
part of that body of truths we
must believe. The Church does
n’t declare them infallible. Why
not? Because the official reve
lations of God ended with
Christ and the Apostles.
I said there are two dangers
in being credulous. The other
danger is that we can neglect
essential things by always look
ing for the spectacular. Yes, we
should have a vibrant faith, a
realization of the workings of
God’s grace, an insight into un
seen realities.
But this faith is shown chief
ly by our appreciation of the
truths contained in God’s offi
cial revelation. We have in our
hands every day the miracles
of the Mass and forgiveness of
sins. A love of these everyday
wonders is far different from
a credulous seeking after signs
and wonders.
It’s unwise, then, to insist that
your popping eyes and ringing
ears are divine messages. They
might be messages that your
collar is too tight.
Relief To Morocco
NEW YORK—The U. S. Bish
op’s relief agency has shipped
blankets, bedding, shoes and
household items to quake vic
tims in Morocco.
Catholic Relief Services—Na
tional Catholic Welfare Con
ference reported that 490.000
pounds of clothing collected in
the 1959 Thanksgiving Clothing
Collection previously had been
shipped to Rabat as part of its
regular program and whatever
remains of this amount also will
be distributed to the Agadir
earthquake victims. Any sur
plus foods that may be available
through the agency’s feeding
program there will be supplied
to the victims.
416 8TH ST., AUGUSTA, GA.
Published fortnightly by the Catholic Laymen’s Association of
Georgia, Inc., with the Approbation of the Most Reverend
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 MARK WALTER
Managing Editor
Vol- 40 Saturday, March 19, 1960 No. 21
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
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