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PAGE FOUR — THE BULLETIN, February 22, 1958. Joseph Breig Danger Of ‘Who’s Whcism’ I have entered into the discus sion of alleged American Catholic mediocrity in order to cite some neglected considerations, and to caution against certain dangerous assumptions. I sympathize with the objec tives of the two men chiefly re sponsible for raising the is sue— Catholic U n i v e r s ity’s Msgr. John Tra cy Ellis, and Notre Dame University’s Fa ther John J. Cavanaugh. They desire improved Catholic education, better scholarship, a more intellectual atmosphere in homes, and greater all-round competence among Catholic Americans. In seeking those things, how ever, we must be careful not to forget that worldly standards and Christian standards often diverge. Rightly balanced values are vital. IN PUBLIC REPORTS of the remarks of these two men, the emphasis has been heavily — sometimes almost gleefully—laid on the side of criticism of Cath olics, Catholic education and Catholic achievement. Virtually no attention has been paid to Msgr. Ellis’ references to the immense obstacles Catholics have surmounted — their pov erty, their immigrant ancestry, and the persistent bigotry under which they have labored, and still labor. Father Cavanaugh did not bal ance his talk, as Msgr. Ellis did his book, with such considera tions. And both men omitted oth er facts which should be cited in elementary fairness to Ameri can Catholics. IT WAS particularly unfortu nate that Msgr. Ellis, and after him Father Cavanaugh, made the mistake of turning to Who’s Who in America for evidence of the comparative accomplishments of Jews, Protestants and Catholics. As I showed in a previous col umn, Who’s Who is not a com pilation of intellectual eminence. Indeed, Who’s Who itself admits that it is not necessarily a record of worthwhile achievement. In the preface to the 1948-49 edition, James M. Cain described Who’s Who as “at the same time a Dun, a Bradstreet, a Social Register and a Hall of Fame, all merged into a grand consolidated National Glory Highway.” Essentially, said Cain, inclusion of one’s name in WTio’s Who means, “You are a success.” But a success in what sense? In the sense that you are well known. WHO'S WHO editors them selves, in their statement of ad mission standards, tell us that their aim is “to include the names, NOT NECESSARILY OF THE BEST, but rather of the best known,' men and women in all lines of useful and reputable achievement.” (The emphasis is mine.) Cain adverts to the same stand ard when he admits the justice of complaints that Who’s Who has given too much attention to “ob scure clerics, do-gooders and pro fessors in small universities, and too little to hustlers, comedians and similar celebrities, really in the news.” Thus we have the reality bald ly stated—if you are “in the news,” you have the prime qua lification for being listed in Who’s Who in America. OBVIOUSLY, THEN, if we are to keep our Catholic balance, we must be at pains to avoid infec tion with what I beg leave to describe as Who’s Whoism. Who’s Whoism is one of the dangers against which I feel con strained to raise my voice. An other is an opposite peril—we must not fall prey to a mass in feriority complex; we must not think of ourselves as a huge col lective failure. The contrary is true. We have shortcomings, but we have done wonders in a couple of genera tions. Naturally, I favor making the success greater. But I will not be silent in the face of any impli cation that we need hang our heads in shame. Theology For The Layman By F. J. Sheed A couple of years ago I went into a Catholic bookshop. The manager said she was coming to my lecture that evening, and then asked what it was to be about. I said “The Blessed Trin ity.” She said “Oh,” and then after a distinct pause “Ah well.” In other words, if her Bishop wanted her to listen to a lecture on the Blessed Trinity, she would listen to it: she hoped, doubtless, that she would do even harder things if her Bishop called for them. The one thing that emerged most definitely was that she expected no joy. And in that she represented any number of her fellow Catholics. As a body, we hope to go to heaven, which means spending eternity with the Blessed Trinity, and we expect the experience to be wholly bliss ful; but in the prospect of spend ing. an hour with the Blessed Trinity here below, there is no anticipation of bliss. The incident took me back thirty years. I was a boy, and I had remarked to the theologian how sad it was that a layman could not get a course in Theolo gy. He said “But why should you study theology? You are not ob ligated to.” In my new excitement over dogma, I was quite incapable of giving any lucid answer to his question why. I mumbled some thing to the effect that the truth would make me free, and I want ed to be free. I shall try now to answer that question of thirty years back. In a way I am still hampered now as I was then by a feeling of the strangeness of having to make (Continued on Page 6) S T R A N Little-Kn< By M. J. MURRAY G E BUT TRU own Facts for Catholics E Copyright, 1958, N.C.W.C. News Service "THE 7O YEAR OLD ITALIAN PRIEST, IS SAID TO BE THE flRST PRIEST TO KECElVE the Stigmata or marks OF CHRlSTk WOUMDS. ms Motheg NEWLY BAPTIZED infant in COUNTRY Districts of' SCOTLAND USED TO GIVE A SLICE OF BREAD AND CHEESE TO THE FIRST PERSON SHE MET ON THE ROAD AFTER LEAVING CHURCH: IT VJAS A GREAT INSULT NOT TO ACCEPT. „ 'WAS BUILT FOR THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED CHURCH AT SEIZE, ALSACE, FRANCE, REPLACING ONE DESTROYED IN THE WAR. rrfVfTfTWTi Question Box By David Q. Liplak Q. What is the special signifi cance of the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday? Is it wrong nof to receive ashes? A. The imposition of ashes on the first day of Lent is a sacramental used by the Church as a stark reminder of the temporary nature of this life, and the absolute need for personal penance in order to attain eternal salvation. Like the wearing of palm-cross es on Palm Sunday, or the bless ing of throats on the feast of St. Blaise, the imposition of ashes is not essential to our belief. The blessing of ashes cannot make a poor Catholic a good one Only the observance of God’s laws and the reception of His sacraments can do that. The Ash Wednesday ceremony is designed rather to make a good Catholic a better one. Because it is sacramental, the imposition of ashes is an official prayer of the Church made for each one of us personally. It pe titions God that we might deeply consider the brevity of life, and accept God’s graces to perform penance before it is too late. The history of the use of ashes as a symbol of atonement goes back to Old Testament times. Job, for one example, associates the notion of ashes with personal mortification: “Therefore, I rep rehend myself, and do penance in dust and ashes.” (Job, XLIII, 6) Adopting the same symbolism, the early Christians imposed ash es on public sinners as a sign of penance. Ah ancient ceremony required certain notorious sinners to sprinkle themselves with, ashes on the first Wednesday of Len t. These penitents were barred from all church services until Holy Thursday when they were re ceived in a solemn ceremony of reconciliation. There was always a group of people, however, who insisted in sharing the humiliation of Ash Wednesday, even though not re quired to do so. As time passed, more and more of the faithful voluntarily wore ashes on the first day of Lent. Soon afterwards the imposition of ashes was included in the of ficial treasury of sacramentals, and became a familiar mark of Christians everywhere on Ash Wednesday. Because of its sacramental na- (Continued on Page 5) | Jottings .. (By BARBARA C. JENCKS) . • THE JIM HAGERTY cover story in “Time” several weeks back prompted a flood of memo ries concerning that superb gen tleman of the press. I had the good fortune to see quite a bit of Hagerty while covering the Sum mer White House in Newport last September. He impressed me with his great ability as a press sec retary for he has been referred to as “by every standard the best— and most powerful—press secre tary in U. S. history.” Yet with it all he manages to be relaxed and affable. No wonder, he is not only presidential confidante in serious matters of state but socially he is a constant presidential golfing companion. Not often is such a combination found. He never ceased to amaze me as I watched him handle with ease and assur ance the nation’s top-notch press representatives. Remember those were the days when the defiance and discrimination and deeds of Little Rock had the country tens ed. One word from Hagerty might have exploded the whole situa tion. The press was hungry for a word or , phrase or presidential quote which would be headline bait for their newspapers across the country. Hagerty’s skill, cau tion, good sense and stamina against the baited questions and nagging and probing would have won the undying admiration of even the casual observer. Some how he never lost his sense of hu mor (since then he has reportedly done: so over the Buchwald take off).- He was relaxed and affable and funloving after the press ses sions were. closed. Another man might have made a dive for pri vacy and escape from the mob which had just battered him with questions. Instead Hagerty moved among the reporters inquiring about their golf scores or their plans for the evening. • HANGING UP from a long distance call from the Attorney General, Hagerty waved me into his office one afternoon and gave me an unprecedented interview. With the daily press conference only an hour away, he surely had more important matters to absorb him. He talked with me in unhurried and affable manner as I were doing him a favor. He told me about his early days as political writer and about his famous political-writer father and his sons and his expected grand son (who arrived two days later), and he talked about golf (but wouldn’t disclose either his score or the president’s). He then turn ed the interview around and ask ed about the “Visitor” and com mented upon its editorials and makeup. He asked me about Ireland and we talked of teach ing journalism. He gave me ad vice which I have put into good use in getting student journalists to knuckle down and write straight news stories. “There are too many columnists” in Hager ty’s opinion. Too few can write totally objective, unslanted, im- oersonal news stories, he feels. During the course . of the presi dential vacation Hagerty and ! met often. He always had time to stop and pass the time of day and yet he was the busiest per son on the presidential staff. We met in the press room and carried on a good natured banter. We met at some of the parties like the one at the Breakers where he joined the Visitor press dele gates for an extended chat. But my initial meeting with Hagerty is the best story of all. • THE FIRST NIGHT in New port after picking up my White House press credentials at the Naval base (and these I still treas ure), my friend and I went to the famous “Christies” to dine. Not long after we were seated in walked Mr. and Mrs. Hagerty. They were given a table far from the view of the harbor. We mo tioned the head waiter over to our table and told him that the gentleman who had just come in was Jim Hagerty, presidential press secretary. Quickly their ta ble was changed to one which sported an ocean view. I then took out one of my calling cards -reserved for state occasions— and wrote a note thanking Mr. Hagerty for obtaining press priv ileges for me. (This was a result of the open letter to the President which I wrote in these columns.) I gave the note to our waiter and tipped him a quarter. However it did not occur to the waiter that the quarter was his tip and he handed the card, note, and the quarter on to the press secretary. Smiling broadly, Mr. Hagerty got up and walked over to our table and thanked me for the note, and the quarter! “If only I had thought of this idea sooner,” he commented, SHARING OUR TREASURE Good Example Opens Architect's Eyes By REV. JOHN A. O'BRIEN. Ph. D. (University of Notre Dame) James M. Turner, 1336 Park Drive, Munster, Indiana, is a graduate of the University of Illi nois, an architect of marked abil ity and a recent convert. Among the factors which over the years drew him ever closer to the Church’s portal were the seri ousness with which his Cath olic friends took their re ligion and the ® good example they set. The latter clinched it. “My first sustained contact with Catholics,” began Jim, “was when I started going with Mary Wal lace. She had attended St. Agnes Academy, just across from the Cathedral, in Indianapolis, and was greatly impressed by the Sisters. They not only spoke about holiness but practiced it. While still a student there, Mary became a Catholic. “After our marriage I came to realize more clearly what an im portant role religion plays in the life of a Catholic. Mary would start the day with prayer and end it with prayer. There was prayer before meals and prayer after meals. Mass, Confession, Holy Communion, Benediction, and Forty Hours’ Devotion were other devotions which brought their lovely fragrance into her life. I sensed their beauty, but my staunch Protestant upbringing held me fast. I had been taught to look askance at devotion to Mary and the saints as detracting from the worship due to God. Mary never argued religion but was always ready with an explana tion if I expressed interest. “When our son Jim arrived, he was baptized in the Catholic faith, as I had promised. He has been reared as a good Catholic and is now a senior with the Jesuits at Campion Academy, Prarie du Chien, Wisconsin. “During World War II I was a major in the engineering corps, 357th General Service Regiment and was one of a small group the Pope. He clasped my hand and blessed a rosary for me. The holiness which radiated from him gripped like magnitism and moved me deeply. I had three visits and each had the same ef fect. “Gradually I began to realize that this was not only a saintly man but also the head of a Church which went back to the days of Christ. When I took instructions from Father Robert Weis at St. Thomas More Church in Mun ster, I learned that Pope Pius XII is the 260th successor of St. Peter, upon whom Christ conferred the primacy among all the Apostles. “Then the whole terrific truth burst in upon me: this was not a man-made but a God-made Church. Founded directly by Christ, it was commissioned by Him to teach all men . . . and that included me. Father Weis gave me a copy of The Faith of Millions and that left no room for doubt that my place and that of every other person in the world is in the Catholic Church. “Preparing me for 20 years for that mighty truth has been the good example of my wife, my son and the Catholic people I came to know. Religion is an integral part of their lives; it makes them joy ous, humble, tranquil and good. It’s not like clothes put on and off but a part of their very blood stream. “James R. Morrison of Ham mond is a busy contractor, erect ing many large buildings. But he takes time off to make this week end Retreat at Notre Dame, and brings me with him. “Yes, the Catholic Church has the credentials to prove her di vine origin and authority. But it was the good example of Catho lics which opened my eyes so I could see and appreciate her di vine character. Without that ex ample I might never have been able to see.” Father O’Brien will be grateful to readers who know of anyone who has won two or more con verts if they will send the names and addresses of such persons to him at Notre Dame University, privileged to have a visit with | Notre Dame, Indiana. w slips me a note must also slip me a quarter.” So from then on through the various meetings our private joke was the quarter episode. If I had been from the Unitqd Press, I couldn’t have been treated more courteously or kindly by this press secretary superb. As I wrote in my lead to the “Visitor” feature on Jim Hag erty: “He walks with presidents and cabinet members and is a newsman’s newsman and with it all he keeps that common touch which wins him the affection of those he meets as well as their respect. Savannah Services For Joseph Bell, Jr, SAVANNAH, Ga. — Funeral services for Joseph M. Bell, Jr. were held February 3rd at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Survivors are a son, Joseph Bell, U. S. Air Force, Morocco; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph W. Bell, Sr. Savannah; three sisters, Mrs. Leon Grayson, Washington, D. C., Mrs. Max D. Pruitt, Savan nah, and Mrs. Lawrence E. Mor gan, Savannah; a brother, Charles that everyone who B. Bell, Savannah. SERVICES FOR MRS. ALLEN ATLANTA, Ga. — Funeral services for Mrs. Flora Senior Allen were held February 5th at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Rev. Michael McKeever officiating. Survivors are Mr. Joseph Allen, Mr. and Mrs. Dewitt Senior of Atlanta; Mrs. Luriene Graven of Detroit, Mich.; Mrs. B. H. Taylor and family of Atlanta; Mrs. Wil- helmina Stewart and family of Detroit. Mich; Mr. E. H. Senior and family of Atlanta; Mr. and Mrs. James Senior of Detroit, Mich.; Mr. and Mrs. Leon Senior and family of Atlanta; Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Senior and family, of Philadelphia, Pa.; and Mrs. Isa- dore Senior and family, Mr. and Mrs. Homer Allen Sr. Mr. and Mrs. Homer Allen, Jr. of Colum bus, Ga. Mr. and Mrs. James Allen of New York City; Mr. and Mrs. James Cross of Albany. Ga.; Mrs. Rosa Shelton of Columbus, Gr. Is Modern Church Architecture Unchristian? THE BACKDROP The controversy over the de sign of the chapel for the new Air Force Academy, near Colo rado Springs, Colo., is about to be resumed in Congress. Three years ago the lawmakers rejected with scorn the Air Force’s first ul tra-modern de- si g n. Many § Congr essmen thought the proposed chapel resembled no thing so m u c h ® as a Second World War Quonset hut with a series of low peaks on the roof tree. So averse were they to such an unconventional house of worship that they held up funds for the Acaremy build ings and directed the Air Force to bring in a new design. Now that they have seen the second one, the Congressional critics are more horrified than they were before. They say they were led to believe the Air Force would return with a design closer to those of the chapels at West Point and Annapolis, which were built many years ago. Instead, they are complaining, the new design is, if anything, more fan tastic than the first. Retaining the basic lines of the original design, the Air Force architects have exaggerated the serrated roof line by bringing the peaks to sharper points. The steeply angled sides also are ser rated along the lines of the eaves, giving the facades an accordion- like appearance. CATHOLICS ALSO DISAGREE To Senator A. Willis Robertson, of Virginia, the new design looks like a “series of wigwams.” He has announced that he will fight By JOHN C. O’BRIEN against its approval. Senator Dennis Chavez, of New Mexico, a Catholic accustomed to the Spanish mission style of the Southwest, thinks the new design is not only “more atrocious” than the first but “un-Christian.” The Air Force and many lead ing architects defend the new de sign as in keeping with the moun tainous backdrop of the new academy. Situated at the foot of the Rockies, it looks out upon a chain of peaks dominated by Pike’s, one of the highest in the southern end of the range. The peaked roof-tree of the proposed chapel, the architects maintain, harmonizes with the natural set ting. Catholics, of course, have an interest in the design of the chapel, in which Mass will be said for the Catholic cadets attending the academy. Among Catholics, as might be expected, there rages a controversy ho less spirited than that between Congressmen and the Air Force. Admirers of the conventional styles of church ar chitecture are sharply critical of the much smaller number who approve the modern designs. Some Catholics seem to believe there is something almost hereti cal about holding Mass in any edifice that departs radically from the churches they are used to. As a matter of fact, however, there is no “approved” type of ecclesi astical architecture. Mass may be said from the tailboard of a jeep, as it often was by military chap lains during the last war. The early Christians, as we know, heard Mass in tunnels un der Rome, now famed as the cata combs. When it was safe for them to come up from the under ground, they built their churches with materials available in the regions in which they lived and followed the architectural styles with which they were familiar. The early Christians in Rome, for example, did not hesitate to con vert pagan temples into churches or erect Christian edifices on the ruins of all kinds of Rom-an struc tures. MODERN AND CHRISTIAN As time went on, different types of ecclesiastical architecture were developed, each reflecting the taste and the genius of the builders. The Roman Christians gave us the Romanesque, the East developed the ornate Byzantine, the Italians one type of Gothic, the French and the English each another type of Gothic. The Franciscan friars who settled with the Spanish in the Southwest used adobe mud to fashion their thick walled churches with their dark, cool interiors. In other parts of this country, settled mainly by Europeans, all types of traditional styles of ar chitecture have been copied, often with little success. But in recent years a few pastors and their flocks have turned to the modern, functional designs which are growing in favor. Here and there, particularly in the West, one may find Catholic churches almost as radically different from tradition al churches as the proposed chap el at the Air. Force Academy. It is possible to maintain, as many architects do, that the cap stone of ecclesiastical architec ture are the great Gothic cathe drals of France and Germany. But the modern functional styles are cheaper and better adapted to modern needs. And no matter how far they depart from tradi tion, they are not “un-Christian.” Not All Martyrs Are Dead This We Believe No matter what people say, character is still the best collat eral for a loan. Young Agnes stood before the pagan Roman judge to answer to the charge of being a Christian. The judge was a reasonable man. If Agnes would just offer a pinch of incense to the pagan gods, the whole thing could be forgotten. And after all, what harm would it do to anybody? If you had been a friend of Agnes, what would you have ad vised at this point? Would you say, “Go ahead and do it; you can always go to confession after wards.”? Or would you say, “God can’t expect you to die just to keep one of His commandments. God will understand. Go ahead and offer the incense.”? Or would you be a true friend and say, “My dear Agnes, there are some ac tions so intrinsically wrong that even God cannot dispense from the obligation to renounce them. When an action is intrinsically evil we must die, if need be, ra ther than commit it. Denial of your religion is one of those ac tions. You have no choice except to bare your neck to the execu tioner’s sword.”? Fortunately Agnes did not need our advice. That is why on Janu ary 21 we celebrate the feast of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr. Agnes’ love for Christ was more powerful than her love for life. And she went to her death so happily that her executioner had trouble aiming his sword through the mist of his tears. The incident of Agnes has been recalled by a letter from a wor ried mother. She and her hus band, now in their mid-twenties, have five small children ranging in age from one month to four and one half years. The couple married young, and wanted and prayed for a large family. How ever, complications have arisen. Her doctor tells this mother that she should have no further preg nancy for at least two years. Firm in her faith, she rejects the doc tor’s suggestion that she use con traceptives. She finds that rythm does not work for her. Her con fessor counsels total abstinence but her husband, conscious per haps of his own weakness, fears that this would lead to other sins. The situation is made still more grave by economic stress. With a below-average income and with the babies coming so fast, it has been impossible to save money for a down payment on a house. High rents limit the family to an inadequate two- bedroom home. Where will they put another baby if it comes? “When I think of all these things and the possibility of an other pregnancy too soon, I al most go crazy. How does one find the strength and courage to persevere?” This is the anguish ed cry from a good mother’s heart, and she finds no encou- (By FATHER LEO TRESE) ragement from relatives or friends. Most of them criticize her for having so many children, and even the “good Catholics” among them urge her to turn to contraceptives. Here is , another Agnes standing before the magi strate. What would you tell her? In all probability this mother already has been offered that handy opiate for an uneasy con science: “The Church is too strict about birth control.” The well instructed Catholic knows that the Church has no jurisdiction over the natural law. Contracep tion is not a matter of Church discipline, like abstaining from meat on Friday. We are con cerned here with an action which is wrong by its very nature, al ways and under all circumstanc es. The Church cannot dispense from theft, from lying, from blasphemy — nor from sexual abuses. In matters such as these the Church cannot dispense, and God does not. Doubtless our worried mother also has been admonished about her disregard for the children’s future. “It isn’t fair to have so many children if you can’t give them all the advantages they should have,” is the way the ad monition runs. Those who so speak ignore not only God’s providence, but also the host of outstanding men and women who have come from poor and numerous fami-. lies. An even grimmer warning that our harassed mother almost certainly has heard from her friends, is of her family’s need for her. “What about the poor children if anything happens to the mother?” is an alarming thought. Yet it infers that God is a callous monster. Actually these are God’s children; no one loves them more than He. If He should take the mother to Him self, He will not shirk His re sponsibility to the little ones left behind. It happened that Agnes was a virgin. But if Agnes had been the mother of ten small children, she still would have had to bow her head to the swords man’s blow. So what shall we say to our modern Agnes? It grieves me to admit that I can offer no solu tion to her problem, except to say that abstinence IS possible, with intensive use of prayer and; the sacraments. I know that it is possible because I know of cou ples who have practiced absti nence over long periods of time. Beyond that I can only lament: the fact that we live in a society which seems not to value chil dren as a natural resource; a society which offers price sup ports to butter and to wheat, but no aid to parents of large families. It is hard to give no other an swer to this mother’s problem beyond the simple truth that love for God means a willingness to die rather than to sin. I have, no right to ask it of her, having given so little; but as she suf fers her martyrdom day by day I hope that she may give me some small remembrance in her prayers. Such powerful prayers they v/ill be, from one who walks up Calvary with. Christ. TIP TO MOTORISTS Try to keep as much horse sense behind the wheel as you have horsepower under the hood. lullrtttt 416 8TH ST., AUGUSTA, GA. Published fortnightly by the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Geor gia, Inc., with the Approbation of the Most Reverend Archbishop- Bishop of Savannah, the Most Reverend Bishop of Atlanta, and the Right Reverend Abbot Ordinary of Belmont. Entered as second class matter at the Post Office, Monroe, Georgia, and accepted for. mailing at special rate of postage provided by para graph (e) of section 34.40, Postal Laws and Regulations. Rev FRANCIS J. DONOHUE REV. R. DONALD KIERNAN Editor . Savannah Edition Editor Atlanta Edition JOHN MARKWALTER Managing Editor Vol. 38 Saturday, Feb. 22, 1958 No. 19 ASSOCIATION OFFICERS FOR 1957-1958 E. M. HE AG ARTY, Waycross Honorary Vice-President GEORGE GINGELL, Columbus ' - President MRS. DAN HARRIS, Macon — Vice-President TOM GRIFFIN, Atlanta - Vice-President NICK CAMERIO, Macon Secretary •JOHN T. BUCKLEY, Augusta Treasurer JOHN MARKWALTER, Augusta Executive Secretary MISS CECILE FERRY, Augusta Financial Secretary