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PAGE 4—THE BULLETIN, October 1, 1960
THE GHOST OF 28
Americans of good will all heaved a
sigh of relief last May when the results of
the West Virginia Democratic Primary elec
tion seemed to indicate that the ghost of
1928 had at last been laid to rest. But it
now appears that this was just another case
of the wish being father to the thought.
The 1960 Presidential; campaign has
hardly begun and already the so-called
“Religious Issue” has assumed proportions
that have not only brought heartache to
Catholics but embarrassment and real dis
tress of mind to all who cjierish the Ameri
can tradition of harmony,, mutual respect,
and unity of National, purpose in a re
ligiously pluralistic society.
The volume of anti-Catholic literature
in distribution is, according to all reports,
tremendous. Mr. Charles P. Taft, chairman
of the Fair Campaign Practices Committee
issued a statement on September 17th in
which he declared that the cost of this lit
erature is “clearly beyond” the resources
either of professional hate groups or of
churches and other non-profit groups. And'
Mr. James Reston, political analyst for the
New York Times, speculates that the dis
tribution of anti-Catholic literature in con
nection with the election campaign has
reached. proportions surpassing. the re
sources of “even the richest churches.”
Now, in ail fairness, it must be admitted
that the religious beliefs of a candidate for
political office do have political relevance,
but only insofar as those beliefs may have
some effect on the legitimate rights and in
terests of people who do not share them. So,
it is quite proper to ask any candidate for
public office whether he intends to respect
those rights and interests, and whether he
intends to abide by the prohibitions of the
First Amendment of the Constitution in
public issues which have some relation to
religion.
But it seems to us that when a candi
date says he does, it is the rankest injustice
to quite gratuitously assume that he is a
liar. Yet, this is apparently the all too
prevalent assumption when the candidate
happens to be a Catholic. And it stems
from still another unfounded and unjust as
sumption—that the Catholic Church in
America acts in bad faith and with intent
to deceive when, through its Hierarchy, it
declares its unqualified acceptance of the
constitutional relationship between the
Government and religion as defined in the
First Amendment.
THE BULLETIN has never taken a
stand in the past, nor does it now take a
stand for any particular candidate. But we
do take our stand for Justice and Christian
Charity and against Prejudice and Bigotry
in the present Presidential campaign and
in all political campaigns.
Eminent members of the American
Hierarchy, from its founder, Archbishop
John Carroll in 1787 to the present day,
have repeatedly and in unequivocal terms
affirmed Catholic support for the U. S. Con
stitution in ALL of its provisions.
It should be of particular interest to
Georgians that as long ago as St. Patrick’s
day in . 1824, Bishop John England of
Charleston, voiced what have always been
the sentiments of the Church in America,
before the Hibernian Society of Savannah
with the words, “May God long preserve
the liberties of America from the union of
ANY church with any state!”
It is our earnest hope that two more
quotations will be sufficient to still the un
reasoned fears generated in the hearts of
many by the. poisonous literature now be
ing distributed, paradoxically, in the Name
of Christ, Himself.
On January 25th, 1948, the Administra
tive Board of the National Catholic Welfare
Conference (The Catholic Bishops of Ameri
ca), the most authoritative body in the
Catholic Church in the Nation, issued a
statement through its chairman which said:
“We deny ABSOLUTELY AND WITHOUT
ANY QUALIFICATION that the .Catholic
bishops of the United States are seeking a
union of Church and State BY ANY EN
DEAVORS WHATEVER, EITHER PROXI
MATE OR REMOTE ... IN COMPLETE
ACCORD WITH THE CATHOLIC DOC
TRINE, we hold firmly that OUR OWN
CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS ARE
THE BEST FOR OUR COUNTRY.” (Em
phasis ours).
As recently as July of this year, the
present chairman of the above named Ad
ministrative Board of the NCWC, Arch
bishop Karl J. Alter wrote in THE SIGN
magazine, “The fear that we as Catholics
will use religious toleration here to gain
the ascendancy in our country, and then,
having achieved political hegemony, pro
ceed to deprive our fellow citizens of free
dom of speech in religion, of freedom of
conscience, or impose our convictions upon
them willy-nilly, is utterly unwarranted by
ANY doctrine of the Catholic Church, as
well as by the CONSISTENT PRO
NOUNCEMENTS of the American Hier
archy. WE SEEK NO PRIVILEGED
STATUS; WE PROCLAIM OUR FULL
ADHERANCE TO THE PROVISIONS OF
THE CONSTITUTION AS OF NOW AS
WELL AS FOR THE FUTURE.” (Emphasis
ours).
And now, let Americans everywhere
be done with the shame of bigotry.
Will Africa Become Christian?
SUM AND SUBSTANCE
Rev. John B. Sheerin, C.S.P.
(Editor, The Catholic World)
I am writing this column
here in Paris where Africa is
always in the headlines. Yes
terday I had a long talk with
a missionary who spent many
years on the
He did not
want me to
identify him
or h i s reli
gious order,
so I will sim
ply describe
him as a vet
eran mission
ary.
I asked him: “What are the
prospects for the Church in
Africa?” His answer was: “We
are sitting on a volcano.” He
claimed that the main reason
for the uncertain future of the
Church in Africa is the excita
ble temperament of the native
African. The African is highly
impressionable and easily
aroused by rumors. If, for in
stance, a rumor starts up to
the effect that a certain mis
sionary murders children, the
native will probably act be
fore investigating the rumor.
FUTURE UNCERTAIN
Probably this is the explana
tion of Congo Premier Lumu
mba’s inconsistencies. One day
he will issue an announcement
and the next day he will con
tradict it.
Now it is easy to see how
the communist agitators will
play on the temperament of
the natives. Being accomplish
ed liars, they will manufacture
baseless rumors against priests
and nuns and the conse
quences may be tragic. The
emotional Africans may be
lured into committing brutal
acts they will later regret.
In the September issue of
the French magazine Ecclesia
(which is directed by Damel-
Rops), an African archbishop
discusses the question of the
Church’s future in Africa.
Archbishop Gantin of Cotonou
in Africa also feels that the
future is highly uncertain but
he is not at all pessimistic.
In one paragraph he says:
“We are in Africa where the
weather is generally good but
where the sky can suddenly
cloud up and release violent
tornadoes.” He enumerates
various troubles that lie in
wait for the Church but he
reminds us that Christianity
has always met with troubles
in the past.
He does insist, however,
that we must not expect re
sults overnight. “To implant
the Gospel is not only to
evangelize some individual
but to Christianize a mental
ity, a culture, a civilization.”
It takes time to change a men
tality.
DOUBLE CODE
The way of thinking that
many Africans have inherited,
according to the Archbishop,
is a serious handicap because
of its practical consequences in
daily life. Thus there are na
tive Christians who live by a
double set of beliefs and a
double code of morality. They
believe in Christ but they also
believe their tribal gods can
help them. They accept Chris
tian moral rules but at the
same time are complacent
about polygamy.
Again, the natives are “po
litical-minded.” The Archbish
op says that many tend to give
priority to politics over reli
gion and thus “politicize” con
science. They look upon their
favorite political party as a
divine oracle to be listened to
and followed even when it
breaks the Christian moral
law.
Communism, says the Arch
bishop, is hard at work. The
party members are not num
erous but the young African
intellectuals, seeking quick
economic reforms, look to
Marxism for inspiration and
often for programs and tech
niques of action.
The Church is surely on the
march in Africa, states the
Archbishop. The forces com
peting against it are formida
ble but the soul of black Afri
ca is profoundly and con
genitally religious. Who knows
but that once again, as in St.
Augustine’s time, we will be
referring to “Christian Afri
ca?”
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JOSEPH BREIG
'In Short, I Object'
Should public schools be
come the prisoners of a few
people who object to every
thing associated with the re
ligious heri
tage which
has made our
civilization?
With that
question, I
begin this
fourth arti
cle on educa
tion and re
ligion.
"I object
ing read; I object to the
Lord's Prayer; I object fo
prayers before lunch, and in
short I object to everything
I have had included in my
complaint."
So spoke Harlow Chamber-
lain, a professed agnostic, dur
ing a court trial in Dade Coun
ty, Fla.
“Included in his complaint”
were school attentions to
Christmas, to Hanukkah, to
Easter; display of Nativity
scenes, and the like.
Chamberlain and four other
persons were suing to halt all
“religious practices” in Florida
public schools.
The situation was not new,
A FEW YEARS AGO, one
woman, a professed atheist, ob
jected to the released-time pro
gram of religious education in
the public school of Cham
pagne, 111.
Under the program, pupils
were given time out from oth
er studies so that they could
be instructed, each in his own
religion, according to the wish
es of parents.
The atheist mother said her
small son was embarrassed be
cause she would not let him
take part in the program.
The U. S. Supreme Court
upheld her, and ordered the
program discontinued.
THUS ONE PARENT dic
tated public school policy,
against the wishes of the other
parents, the school board, the
faculty and the community in
general.
This has been going on in
many places, not only in the
U. S., but in other nations.
Take a look at the resulting
situation:
Parents who want their chil
dren to be literate in religion
as well as in other fields of
knowledge find that the pub
lic schools are powerless to
help them.
Irreligious parents, however,
can have their way with the
whole public schools system
which is financed by the taxes
of all the people.
How is this possible?
It is possible because of a
long campaign of propaganda
about “separation of church
and state.”
THAT PHRASE is being mis
used in many areas to mislead
millions into half-accepting the
notion that democratic govern
ments must perforce favor ir-
religion over religion.
Please do not think that I
want religion forced on any
youngster in school. I don’t.
But neither do I want to see
schools used on the. side of ir-
religion. I don’t want religious
parents discriminated against.
I don’t want their rights to be
trampled to please the irreli
gious. And I don’t want pub
lic education to convey the
idea to youth that God and re
ligion and the eternal destiny
of man are of little conse
quence.
Most citizens feel much as I
do on those. points. Misinter
pretation of “separation of
church and state” should not
be allowed to override our
wishes and our rights.
"DEMOCRACY" does not
consist in barring from public
schools everything to which a
tiny minority objects. True
“separation of church and
state” does not demand that,
either.
However, the many court
cases involving public schools
and religion are performing
one valuable service.
They are clearing the way
for re-examination of the prob
lem of preserving, in educa
tion, mankind’s religious heri
tage.
Means can be found for pre
serving that heritage without
infringing on the individual
rights of any parent or child.
To that task, citizens and na
tions should now address them
selves.
THIS IS NOT ONLY a re
ligious matter. It is an educa
tional matter, also.
Education emptied of reli
gious knowledge and history
is crippled education. Without
the insights that religious truth
gives, schools ' do not really
know what education is, be
cause they do not know what
man is, what is his destiny and
purpose, and what existence—
and the universe — are all
about.
Religious people, who are in
the vast majority, ought to be
able to agree—whatever their
denominations — that such is
the case, and that something
ought to be done about it.
A BOOK AND A PRAYER TURNED TiDE
SHAHING OUR TREASURE
Fears Of Anti-Catholics
THE
The form the objection to
the election of a Catholic to
the Presidency usually takes
is that a Catholic, being bound
in conscience by the canons
of the Church, cannot honest
ly and sin
cerely take
the oath to
defend the
Con stitution
of the Unit
ed States.
When this
is a sincere
c o n v i ction
and not
merely a cover for plain anti-
Catholic animus, what the ob
jector has in mind is that a
Catholic in the White House
would be obliged to attempt to
remold the country in a Cath
olic pattern. A Catholic Presi
dent, it is being suggested,
would accept dictation by the
Pope and the Catholic hier
archy in the United States,
and the Protestant majority
would come under the thumb
of the Catholic minority.
BACKDROP
By JOHN C. O’BRIEN
SUPPOSED AIMS
While ministerial groups.who
have been adopting resolutions
opposing the candidacy of
Senator John F. Kenedy sel
dom particularize their ap
prehensions, everyone knows
what they are. The supposed
aims of the Catholic hierarchy,
according to them, are:
1) To break down the wall
separating Church and State
and establish Catholicism in
a favored position,
2) To obtain financial sup
port from various levels of
government for parochial
schools and in some way, nev
er explicitly stated, destroy
the public school system.
3) To impose Catholic canons
of morality upon all the peo
ple of the United States by
opposing easy divorce laws, by
maintaining legislative restric
tions on dissemination of birth
control information and by
imposing government censor
ship on the printed and spoken
word.
In short, under a Catholic
President, so the “keep-a-
C a t h o 1 i c-out-of-t h e-White
House” forces suggest, the
people of the United States
would be forced to conform to
the living pattern of . the Cath
olic minority whether they
liked it or not.
In Miami recently a conven
tion of Southern Baptists sug
gested that a Catholic Presi
dent would appoint Roman
Catholics to office and “thus
gradually undermine areas of
education, medicine and cen
sorship and domestic relations
which constitute our basic
American way of life.”
The man in the street puts
his objection to a Catholic
President more simply: “1
don’t want the Pope running
the United States.”
MISCONCEPTIONS
All such fears of a Catholic
“take-over” under a Catholic
President, of course, are based
upon misunderstanding of the
way our government works,
particularly of the role of the
(Continued on Page 5)
Reverend J. A. O'Brien, University of Noire Dame
Would you like to win a con
vert for Christ? If so, loan a
non-Catholic a book explaining
the Faith in a friendly way.
There are many such books:
“Father Smith Instructs Jack-
son,” “The Faith of Millions,”
“Understanding the Catholic
Faith” and
“What’s the
Truth About
C a t h olics?”
Getting one
of these
books inside
a non-Cath
olic home is
like getting
a missionary
inside it. This is illustrated in
the conversion of Mrs. Lois A.
Francesconi of San Gabriel,
California.
“I was raised a Protestant;”
related Mrs. Francesconi, “and
remained one until I was 20
years old. My husband Jim
was a Catholic but fell away
when he was 17. We were
married in the Baptist Church
and had one child, Jimmy.
When Jimmy was about a year
old my husband started show
ing interest in his religion
again.
“This came about through
Edward Wherly, a good Cath
olic with whom Jim worked.
For a while Jim resisted Ed’s
arguments but finally caved
in before the reasonableness,
kindness and sincerity with
which Ed presented the cre
dentials and teachings of the
Catholic Faith. Jim began
bringing home Catholic publi
cations which Ed gave him for
me.
“I was furious and threw
them across the room. Jim
pleaded with me just to look
them over. When I refused, he
put them in a top bureau
drawer. There they lay for sev
eral weeks. Finally one night
when Jim had to work and my
TV was broken, I decided to
look at that literature. I could
do it now and Jim would nev
er know.
“I picked up a book,, ‘Father
Smith Instructs Jackson,’
thinking I would be able' to
show Jim how weak and flim
sy its arguments were. I read
the entire book that night,
spellbound from beginning to
end. It gave me an entirely
new picture of the Catholic
religion and its logic was not
easy to resist.
“I realized .there was only
one person to help me decide
aright and that was almighty
God. Falling on my knees and
gazing at the star-studded sky,
I prayed with all my heart:
‘Dear God, please guide me in
holding to the church of my
childhood or in turning to the
Catholic Church which I now
see looming up through 19
centuries from the days of the
Apostles.’
“The next morning I awoke,
feeling entirely different about
the Catholic Church. When Jim
walked in, I told him I want
ed to go to church next Sun
day. ‘I’m sorry,’ replied Jim,
‘but I can no longer attend a
man-found church and turn my
back on the one Christ Him
self established.’ ‘That’s the
one,’ I said, ‘which I too want
to attend.’ Jim was radiantly
happy.
“The next Sunday we at
tended Mass at St. Joseph’s.
That very day Jim arranged
with Father Urban Habig, O.
F.M., for my instruction. The
unity, universality and aposto
lic character of the Church,
founded by Jesus for all men,
now became crystal clear. Jim
was right: Protestant sects are
man-made, the Catholic reli
gion is God-made. That’s the
difference.
“I read, studied and prayed,
and Father Urban answered
all my questions. Within six
(Continued on Page 5)
JT DEN OF THIEVES
om the
Mectory
By THa Rav. Robert H. Wharton •
In Philadelphia, Holiday
magazine’s pictorial editor em
bellished an article on north
ern New Jersey with a two-
page spread on student life at
Rutgers. One photograph
showed a
student’s
room at a
frat house.
Reader re
sponse was
almost in
stan ta neous.
An angry
g e n 11 eman
in C a m d e n
wanted his
dollars in cash, the Hudson
River Day Line demanded the
return of the life preserver
from the peter Stuyvesant,
and the Standard Oil people
thought it would be nice if the
students would come across
pronto with the Esso globe
hanging from the ceiling.
Imagine the consternation if
photographers were turned
loose in homes across the na
tion. This is not to imply that
our homes are dens of thieves,
mind you. But if all pilfered
items in (he United States had
to be returned on a certain
day, commerce would have to
cease for the greatest move
since Hannibal took his pachy
derms across the Alps.
Pshaw, you say, pilfering is
a petty pursuit. Each one is
petty, yes, but it all adds up to
a million-dollar swindle. How
many bathrooms are decorated
by towels with “Heartbreak
Hotel” or “YMCA” on them?
How many junior citizens are
wearing football jerseys mark
ed “St, Teresa’s Terrors” —
even though they played for
“St. George’s Growlers”?
Stealing from the boss, pick
ing up items in restaurants,
failing to return borrowed gar
den equipment — these are
but a few of the certified ways
of practicing petty thievery.
Steady readers of this col
umn may remember that this
subject has come up before. It
has become an annual treat,
and with good reason. There is
a familiar commandment tell
ing us that we shalt not steal.
We wouldn’t think of stealing
from banks; the police frown
on that, for one thing. But
there is a widespread laxity in
regard to cheating the boss,
big businesses, the govern
ment, restaurants and hotels,
and anyone gullible enough to
be duped.
Then there are the ads that
exaggerate. Like that thing
you ordered by mail. The de
scription made it seem as
sound as silver, the picture
made it look as good as gold.
But what does the postman
bring? A .cheap piece of tin.
There was the book entitled,
“How To Make Your Own
Mink Coat.” It told you how
to go about it, all right, but
this was the opening line:
“First catch 62 minks.”
You, innocent you, go to buy
a used car, The salesman
seems like such a nice man.
He tells you all the defects of
the cars you’re not interested
in. But that shiny blue one
you’re eyeing — ah, there’s a
gem. He doesn’t tell you the
mileage is ; turned back, that
“new-car smell” has been
sprayed on, that it has been
in five smash-ups, or that the
gas sloshes out pf the tank
when the buggy is moving.
Good luck.
I don’t mean to pick on used
car dealers. There are swind
lers in every game. And per
haps some of the blame lies
with us strangers who are
taken in. We forget about
original sin. We like the sales
man’s smile, and fail to note
the dollar ; signs in his eyes.
It was such a nice man who
once tild .me, “I wouldn’t lie
to a pries,!.” That satisfied me
— until (he item fell apart a
few wee^s later. Maybe he
didn’t rfally think I was a
priest, or something.
Another , acid test of honesty
is presented whenever you ac
cidentally damage another’s
property. There are many car
owners who find mashed fen
ders when they return to their
cars. They are victims of the
many mash-and-run drivers
on the loose today.
All this may sound a bit
cynical. But, let’s face it, ab
solute honesty in the little
things of life is a ’rare virtue.
There is no stronger tempta
tion than the one urging dis
honesty in everyday dealings.
It would seem that Satan
has assigned a special agent,
or a squad of them, just to
whisper in willing ears: “Go
ahead, everybody’s doing it,”
or “Go ahead, he’s got plenty
of money,” or “These hotels
expect you to take these
things.”
There once was a fellow
named Diogenes who roamed
the streets of Corinth in broad
daylight with a lighted lantern
in his hand — searching for
an honest man. It might be
that if Diogenes had been
gifted with immortality, he’d
still be looking.
Question
Box
By David G. Lipiak
Q. Is it dishonest for a vot
er to cast his vote without any,
knowledge at all of the issues
involved in an election? I
know some people who haven't
the least scruple about voting
on sheer intuition — they say
they "feel" one candidate is
better than the others. In my
opinion, such people are sin
ning against both God and
country. Correct?
A. Given the serious nature
and the serious effects of the
voting franchise as enjoyed in
this country, nothing short of
reasoned conviction should
motivate the voter. A reason
ed conviction cannot be arriv
ed at without some knowledge
of the issues at stake in a par
ticular election. In the words
of the American bishops in
their pastoral of 1919: “Each
citizen . . . should understand
the issues that are brought be
fore the people and cooperate
with his fellow citizens in se
curing the wisest possible so
lution . . .”
TO GAIN THE necessary
knowledge for reasoned con
viction, in accordance with
each one’s capacity and ability,
voters ought to consult and
carefully weigh the considered
judgments of experts. But the
voter’s final decision ought to
be his very own, one consonant
with the dictates of his own
conscience. Voting is a person
al obligation in our democracy;
hence the final choice must be
made by the individual citi
zen exercising his franchise.
As one commentator has not
ed: “The citizen cannot be re
lieved of his duty of judgment,
after all the relevant facts
have been brought to his at
tention. The experts can sup
ply the raw materials that may
enter the final decision, but he
cannot think of the citizen.”
A CLEAR KNOWLEDGE of
issues in an election is, of
course, often difficult to • ob
tain. Yet if ordinary voters
can be misinformed, so can
the experts; nor is there a mo
nopoly on good judgment.
What is required, from a moral
viewpoint, is that every voter
make a sincere effort to inform
himself.
VOTERS ought to keep re
minding themselves that the
franchise is not an amusement
to be used for whim or pleas
ure, hut a solemn obligation.
Honesty to .self is of the es
sence in the voting booth. Only
(Continued on Page 5)
©Ip lultetin
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; and the Most Reverend Bishop of Atlanta.
Subscription price $3.00 per year.
Second class mail privileges authorized at Monroe, Ga. Send
notice of change of address to P. O. Box 320, Monroe, Ga.
REV. FRANCIS J. DONOHUE REV. R. DONALD KIERNAN
Editor Savannah Edition Editor Atlanta Edition
JOHN MARKWALTER
Managing Editor
Volj 41 Saturday, October ~ 1L)C0 No. 9
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