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PAGE 4—THE BULLETIN, March 3, 1962
Keep a Bay of Peace
A Cause for Pride and Prayers
The past one hundred and twelve
years have witnessed a truly remark
able growth in the Catholic Church
in the Southeastern States of our
Nation.
In only two of the six Dioceses
comprising the new Province of At
lanta does the number of Catholics
exceed two percent of the total popu
lation. And the total Catholic popula
tion of the five Dioceses of Savannah,
St. Augustine, Charleston, Raleigh,
and Miami, and the Archdiocese of
Atlanta does not exceed six hundred
forty thousand.
Yet, since the establishment of the
Diocese of Savanhah in 1850, the vi
brant, vigorous and resolute Faith of
the Catholic people of the South, often
laboring against great odds and some
times violent opposition, has brought
into being four additional Dioceses
and now, an Archdiocese and a new
Province.
The labors and sacrifices of our
forbears were certainly no less than
our own, and perhaps they wondered,
from time to time, if the day would
ever come when Catholics would not
have to travel hundreds of miles be
tween churches—if 'the day would
ever come when their children would
be able to receive a Catholic educa
tion in their own schools.
Today, from Heaven they can
look with us, on the recognition of
the Holy See, itself, that that day
certainly has come.
For if Catholic churches do not
yet “dot the landscape” as they do
m so many other places in the Nation,
there is hardly a place in the South
where the Catholic Church is not
known and respected—there is hardly
a village or town more than a few
miles from the nearest Catholic church
—and if all parishes do not have their
own schools, it can be safely said that
very many do.
Catholics of the new Province of
Atlanta rejoice in Pope John XXIII’S
recognition of their achievements, and
in tne signal honor conferred on a
Diocese not yet six years old, by rais-
ing it to the rank of a Metropolitan
See.
Together with the Bishops of all
the Suffragan Sees they pledge to
Archbishop-elect Paul Hallinan, their
Metropolitan, their loyalty and devo
tion, and their renewed determination
to bring the blessings of the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacra
ments to every corner of our great
Southeast United States.
Love Thy Neighbor
Communists have never disguised
their intention to conquer the world.
In their attempts to carry out that
intention they have used military ag
gression, internal subversion, and a
world-wide propaganda campaign de
signed to capture the minds and the
allegiance of men struggling to be free
from economic oppression, and from
the arbitrary suppression of their God-
given human rights and legitimate
aspirations.
The combined military strength of
the Free World and the deterrent
effect of a thermo-nuclear arsenal
have halted large-scale Communist
military adventures.
A greater awareness on the part
of the non-Communist nations that
they, too, are on the Red “Schedule of
Conquest” has led to measures which
have lessened, if not obviated, the
danger of conquest by internal sub
version.
But the Kremlin propaganda cam
paign continues to make serious in
roads throughout the world, by ex
ploiting the social and economic evils
which make the minds of men recep-
- tive to the Communist promise of
“Heaven on Earth.”
It is the threat of this means of
Communist conquest which underlies
America’s vast program of foreign
economic and technical assistance to
the underdeveloped and newly emerg
ing nations of the world.
The manner in which this aid is
extended and the efficiency and fiscal
soundness of the various programs em
ployed have always been the subject,
and properly so, of intelligent discus
sion and debate.
But, of late, a growing and dis
turbing voice is being heard through
out the land criticizing the very con
cept of foreign aid, itself.
There are those who say we have
no real obligation to alleviate needs
which we did not create; that in send
ing food, clothing, and medicine to
the poverty-stricken and diseased of
Communist nations we strengthen the
hand of tyranny; that foreign aid pro
grams have not “bought” us any
friends.
It is only natural that Americans
should be resentful in the face of
seeming ingratitude on the part of
some of the very nations-which have
benefited most from American lar
gesse—that they should feel frustrated
when their many sacrifices seem to
have purchased only a stalemate in
the war between Freedom and Slavery
—that they should chafe under the
heavy financial burden they bear for
the sake of others all around the
world.
But to yield to such natural feel
ings would be to aid and abet the very
cause against which we struggle.
For the only remedy for the eco
nomic and social ills which make na
tions easy prey for Communist propa
ganda is the establishment of a truly
Christian Social Order THROUGH
OUT THE WORLD.
Such a Social Order cannot be
established by condemning to con
tinued slavery millions of souls be
hind the Iron and Bamboo Curtains,
and in those pitifully poor areas
where men are only beginning to
awake to the idea of national identity.
It can only become a reality if
the peoples and nations of the world,
including our own people and nation,
have the faith and courage to prac
tice the Corporal Works of Mercy in 1
accordance with their ability and the
needs of men EVERYWHERE, know
ing they can expect God’s own re
ward for doing so.
This means that the principles of
Christian Social Action must be trans
lated from the realm of mere aca
demic consideration into concrete
reality.
These principles have been enun
ciated by every Sovereign Pontiff
from Leo XIII to John XXIII and the
great Encyclicals in which they are
embodied have become household
words—“Rerum Novarum,” “Quadra-
gesimo Anno,” and the recent “Mater
et Magistra.”
We strongly urge that the Ameri
can people be guided by the social
doctrine of these great documents
rather than by the self-interest of
demagogues, either of the “Left” or
the “Right” who would consign the
sick, homeless, and poor of the world
to their fate.
And we urge them to have the
mind of Christ, not of man, when they
ponder the dire and pressing needs of
men and their own responsibility to
“Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
'Yoke' Reaches 20 Million
By J. J. Gilbert
WASHINGTON — Communists are
spending six times the annual cost of the
“Voice of America” program to keep its
broadcasts from being heard in their areas.
Although they are using “several thou
sand stations at hundreds of locations” to
jam the American programs, they are not
entirely successful. Officials here estimate,
judging by letters and words from diplo
mats, visitors, travelers and defectors from
Red-dominated lands, that VO A direct
broadcasts have a daily audience of 20 mil
lion persons.
VOA, radio arm of the United States
Information Agency, started broadcasting
officially on February 24, 1942, employing
the English, French, German, Spanish and
Italian languages. Now, 20 years later, it
is broadcasting 716 hours a week and using
36 languages regularly.
VOA has 87 transmitters and is adding
two more powerful facilities. In addition,
programs prepared by VOA and the U. S.
Information Service are sent to 2,600 other
stations abroad which broadcast a total of
5,462 hours weekly. Including special
broadcasts, the program uses more than 60
different languages.
The “Voice of America” broadcasts
were originally under the control of the
Office of the Coordinator of Information,
established shortly before the Pearl Harbor
attack in December, 1941, to provide infor
mation about the U. S. In the beginning,
international broadcasts of private U. S.
companies were beamed abroad. On Febru
ary 24, 1942, a staff of Government em
ployees had been assembled, and the broad
casts became the official voice of the U. St
This anniversary is being observed, and
President Kennedy marked the occasion
by using the VOA facilities to make ‘ a
worldwide broadcast on February 26.
Religious programs have long been a
part of the VOA schedules. Parts of mid
night Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New
York, and messages from religious leaders
have, been beamed abroad in 30 different
languages at Christmas time.
Statements by U. S. Catholic Bishops,
particularly those expressing sympathy
with the “suffering millions” behind the
Iron Curtain, have been widely disseminat
ed. References to the trials and imprison
ment of Catholic prelates behind the Iron
Curtain have been broadcast to areas not
likely to be told about them otherwise.
In marking 20 years on the air, VOA
has made known some interesting facts
about the English language. It says English
is the mother tongue of 75 million persons
outside the United States and Canada; be
tween eight and ten million persons speak
it as a second language; it is an official
language for an additional 631 million per
sons; it is the international language of.
business and commerce; it is becoming
the language of international diplomacy.
DORIS REVERE PETERS
rndwerA
YOUTH
GIRL IN HIGH SCHOOL ASKS
ADVICE ABOUT CAREERS
**** \
*Ve//-
WILL MAN MAKE LIFE?
It Seems to Me
“In the next 25 years,” said
the caption on an article in
Look magazine by senior edi
tor J. Robert Moskin, “man
will master the secret of Crea
tion.”
The article
is an exam
ple of the
kind of loose
use of words
which often
causes con
fusion about
religion and
science.
Religious truth and scientif
ic truth cannot clash. Truth
cannot conflict with truth. But
disputing arises when truth is
misstated, or inadequately and
inexactly worded.
Life, wrote Moskin, will be
created in a test tube. Man,
therefore, will “perform an act
of God.”
THAT IS NOT SO — not as
stated. Moskin neglected to de
fine his terms. Thus he left the
door open for mistaken con
clusions in the minds of read
ers.
Creation, in the root sense, is
possible to God only.
Why? Because Creation
means that something is
brought into being where
there was nothingness—where
there was utter non-existence,
the total absence of anything.
If we are to grasp this cor
rectly, some thinking is called
for.
We must leave imagination
to one side. b .
WE CANNOT PICTURE no
thingness.
We must rely, then, on the
intellect. We cannot envision
nothingness, but we can con
ceive it intellectually.
To repeat — Creation is not
making something out of
something. It is making some
thing in nothingness.
When God creates, He does
not make something out of
Himself. He simply wills that
nothingness shall cease, and
something begin to be.
That’s Creation — and God
alone can do it.
MOSKIN WAS WRITING
about something different. But
he didn’t explain that that was
what he was doing.
He said life will be “created”
in a test tube, and man will
“perform an act of God.”
Man will do nothing of the
kind. What Moskin means is
that he believes man will trig
ger, in a test tube, the poten
tiality for life that God has
placed in matter.
If man does that (and he
may) he will not be perform
ing an act of God. Not at all.
He will be performing an act
of man. He will be using the
intellect that God gave him
to unlock the secret which is
there because God put it there
—created it.
SCIENTISTS, said Moskin,
“have put together nonliving
chemicals to form complicated
units just like the units that
make up living things. When
scientists completely master
the' techniques of making the
complex building blocks of life
and when they go on to fit to-
JOSEPH BREIG
gether the blocks themselves,
they will have created living
matter.”
The final three words con
tradict the rest of the sentence.
Scientists will not “create”
anything, not in the sense we
mean when we talk about Cre
ation as an act of God.
The scientists will simply do
what Moskin, in the first part
of his statement, correctly de
scribes them as doing.
They will “put together non
living chemicals.” They will
“fit blocks together.” But they
will get the chemicals and the
blocks from God’s Creation;
they will not. create them.
NEITHER WILL THEY cre
ate life. They will merely du-
(Continued on Page 5)
THE IDEAL PLACE
By BARBARA C. JENCKS
© THEY CALL this quest for a perfect land as old as
civilization. Every man with soul afire has dreamed to live
in a land far from the daily strivings of man, a land where
there are no wars, no diseases, no evils of any name. Tho
mas Moore wrote his “Utopia” and Plato wrote “The Re
public” about their ideal states and civilization. Thoreau
wrote his “Walden” and founded what he thought an ideal
community. More recently Ann Morrow Lindberg wrote of
her island retreat. Before the fire on cold winter evenings
when we think long thoughts and hope great things our
minds are prone to imagine the kind of place we would go
to if we could escape in this age of nuclear fears and the
dins and drumming of the traffic of life.
© RECENTLY a Boston newspaper told of a young
British couple who were seeking out a “subtropical island
far from the hubbub of contemporary diplomacy and the
perils of nuclear war.” They proposed to create a tiny inde
pendent state of their own and sought other young couples
to join them in their enterprise. As children we dreamed of
being a Robinson Crusoe and we grow old but not wiser
perhaps for our dreams are still to escape from the hard
realities of a world of getting and spending where there
is far too little time to stop and wonder. When we look up
at the stars, there are jets in the skies and when we stop
to listen to the sounds of nature or even to a recorded opera,/
the noises of our world crash over our ears. No wonder the !
tearing yearning to escape grows in the heart of all of us/
Shakespeare wrote of his magic Forest of Arden:
“Tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in
stones and good in everything.” /
• FOR THREE MONTHS I have lived in what I'
would call a near perfect civilization. It took me some time
to turn down the controls of an American-geared mind
and nervous system to the gentle, nonchalant, easy-going
manner of the Irish people. If one bus is missed, another
will be along in another half hour and isn't it a grand day#
thank the good Lord. What, does it all matter in a thousand
years whether you have accomplished what you set out to
do today? By American standards my three months in this
near-idyllic nation have been a complete loss. I have done
no serious writing. I have not earned any money. But as
a young man asked me the other day, "have you found
happiness?" I have found more peace and contentment in
three months in Ireland than I have known for many a
year. I have stopped to stroll when I used to rush in high
gear. I have leaned over the bridge on the Liffey and look
ed out on a sunset for almost an hour and I have squan
dered hours strolling through St. Stephen's Green or pass
ing the time with a stranger in a teashop. Ah, it is the
land for those who can enjoy life and my answer to those
who seek an island retreat. Anything that man touches
becomes less perfect. No nation is perfect, no civilization
without flaw. But in the heart of all of us beats the hope
that somewhere somehow we might come upon a place on
this earth which approximates perfection. I have.
* * *
9 IT IS TIME for me to look back and say farewell to
Ireland. I say it sadly but I have lived a little while when
I have been in her care. Because we are human, all things
are never perfect. No matter where God sends us, we should
be able to find peace and happiness despite the fears of the
day. Our little island retreats, our Waldens and our Dub-
lins are all within us. I remember the last line of the play
“Look Homeward Angel,” the Thomas Wolfe classic when
the boy asks his brother “where is the world and the answer
to it all?” The big brother spoke and said: “you little idiot,
look inside yourself, there is your world.” That As sane ad
vice for all of us who would escape and dream—me world is
within us, we carry our worlds with us.
Dear Doris:
I am a 15-year-old, grade 10,
Ukranian Catholic girl. I often
think of my future career but
have not come to a conclusion.
Usually girls my age have
their careers planned and take
courses to prepare, which I
have not.
I would like to meet people,
as a clerk; supervise, as a
teacher; serve people as a lib
rarian or hairdresser. I think
I have the ability to do any
of the preceeding well, but I
cannot decide which career to
prepare for nor do I know if
there is a job that could fulfill
some of my desires.
I do not plan to go to the
university or take any course
longer than two years. Could
you help me with a solution?
Floating
Some girls know early what
they want to be when they
grow up. Others don’t know
until years later. You are not
unusual, but lucky that you
have begun to think about fu
ture plans now. Use the re
maining two years of high
school to investigate system
atically various careers.
First, pray. We all have our
place of work in God’s plan.
The particular job He wants
you to do may not be clear
now. If you pray and ask for
guidance He will make it
clearer as you go along.
Read books and pamphlets
on careers. The public library
has many. The school library
has some also. Talk to adults
about different jobs. Friends
of your parents are happy to
answer questions. Discover
how they got started, how they
like it, and why. By reading
and talking you learn the qua
lifications and education nec
essary and what the job is all
about; its duties, salary, etc.
Discuss this with your teach
er, principal or guidance coun-
celor. They are fajniliar with
your qualifications and talents
and can give you sound advice.
The jobs you/' mentioned
with the exception of clerk,
require additional training.
While you may teach in a few
private or country schools
without a college degree you
are expected to work towards
one by attending summer and
evening classes.
* * *
BOY IS YOUNGER,
SHORTER
Dear Doris:
Would you please give me
your opinion about a girl going
out with a boy a few months
younger and a couple of inches
shorter? He is very nice and
lots of fun. My girl friends kid
about his being shorter 5 and I
keep telling them that it does
n’t matter. I know I should
ignore their catty remarks but
sometimes they hurt my feel
ings.
Kathy
Looks are never as import
ant as we think. We discover
this when we take time to get
acquainted. There are lots of
nice boys who do not fall into
the “tall, dark and handsome”
category. Generally it takes
quite a while to find out. Some
girls never do. Since you have
already discovered it at 16
you’re lucky.
You said he is a nice boy
and fun to be with. What more
could you want in a compan
ion? Could it be that your girl
friends are a wee bit jealous?
* * *. i
TIME TO COME HOME?
Dear Doris:
I am a freshman in high
school. Many of the fellows
have been discussing the time
a 14-year-old boy should be
home at night. We would
greatly appreciate a definite
answer.
The Boys
Wish I could give a definite
answer. But the time varies. It
depends on where you are go
ing, with whom and the cus
toms of the community in
which you live. A Friday night
movie may be later than the
CYO dance; and a birthday
party later than a school ball
game. Generally parents agree
to the time according to the
occasion and you go along with
their decision.
* * *
CURED RUDE HABIT
Dear Doris:
Within the last week my boy
friend has hung up on the
phone about six times. lie has
also lied to me. I like him a
lot so please don’t tell me to
drop him. I’d like to stpp him
in his nasty habits, but how?
A Listener
I don’t need to tell you to
drop him. It sounds as if he
might be trying to drop you
and hasn’t the courage to come
right out and say it. So he
hedges, lies and acts rude.
Who phones whom? If you
are doing the phoning, stop. If
he is, have an excuse to be
busy the next time. This won’t
give him the chance to either
lie or hang up.
D oris Revere Peters answers
letters through her column, not
by mail. Please do not ask for
a personal reply. Young readers
are invited to write to her in
care of The Bulletin.
thing intrinsically wrong in
such an election. Rather, the
morality will depend upon the
circumstances in each particu-
la case.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, a
right, intention is requisite.
For example, it would be un
lawful for a criminal to under
go cosmetic surgery in order
to continue a life of crime and
evade justice. Such surgery
would also be wrong, as Pope
Pius warned, merely for rea
sons of vanity or caprice.
ANOTHER REQUISITE con
dition is that at least a reason
ably proportionate cause for
such surgery exists.. This cause
certainly can be psychological
or even economic as well as
physical. In the words of Dr.
Thomas J. O’Donnell in his
Morals in Medicine:
“Anomalies or malforma-
(Continued on Page 5)
© ®lf* IBuUrtin
411 STH ST., AUGUSTA. GA. f
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. Subscription included in
membership in Catholic Laymen’s Association.
Second class mail privileges authorized at Monroe, Ga. Send
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REV. FRANCIS J. DONOHUE REV. R. DONALD KIERNAN
Editor Savannah Edition Editor Atlanta Edition
JOHN MARKWALTER
Managing Editor
REV. LAWRENCE LUCREE, REV. JOHN FITZPATRICK,
Associate Editors, Savannah Edition.
By David Q. Liptak
Q. What is the Church's
position as regards plastic
surgery for beautification?
What about the morality of
nasal reconstruction, for in
stance?
A. A recourse to plastic or
cosmetic surgery is not wrong
in itself, for, as Pope Pius XII
pointed out to a group of plas
tic surgeons in October, 1958,
physical beauty is a gift to be
/ esteemed and cared for. It does
not rank high on the ladder
of Christian values but it is
nonetheless not to be despised
in itself. And certainly there is
no moral law enjoining any
one to take extraordinary
means to acquire or to pre
serve it. Yet even when a per
son of normal appearance
elects to undergo cosmetic sur
gery to have his or her fea
tures improved, there is no-
Vol. 42
Saturday, March 3, 1962
No. 20
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
GEORGE GINGELL, Columbus President
MRS. DAN HARRIS, Macon Vice-President
NICK CAMERIO, Macon Secretary
JOHN T. BUCKLEY, Augusta Treasurer
ALVIN M. McAULIFFE, Augusta Auditor
JOHN MARKWALTER, Augusta Executive Secretary
MISS CECILS FERRY, Augusta Financial Secretary