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The Bulletin .. of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia .. Number 3 “To bring about a friendlier feeling among Georgians irrespective of Creed.” July 1920 PRESIDENT’S CALL FOR CONVENTION To the Members of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia: The Fourth Annual Convention of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia will be held in Sa vannah, Sunday, September 26, 1920. We are most anxious to make this Convention the largest and most representative of Catholics ever held in Georgia, so I am appealing to every member throughout the State to make arrangements to be present, as the report of our year’s work will more than repay them for the trip. Officers of local branches are urged to get in touch at once with the different adult societies in their jurisdiction and have them appoint One Delegate, as well as request the Pastors of the different Parishes and Missions to appoint Two Delegates to represent them in the Con vention. Let those who are members make up delegations to attend, as they will be welcome and entitled to seats in the Convention, though not with the right to vote. Invitations will be extended by our Rt. Rev. Bishop to the Bishops of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Louisiana to be present. I have appoitned Mr. Wm. J. Ryan, Savannah, Ga., chairman of the Credentials Committee, and 1 ask that local presidents see that names of delegates representing the different organizations, as well as members of the association who expect to attend the meeting, are sent to him a week before the Conven tion, so as to save time, so that in this way we will be able to open the Convention without delay. The work of our Association for the past year has exceeded our most sanguine expectations, as the chair man of the publicity committee will make clear in his report to be read at the Convention; he will, besides, make a report of his visits to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Missouri, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina, explaining our work which is to be used by the above mentioned States. Once more, make your arrangements to be in Sa vannah, Sunday, September 26, 1920. (Signed) P. H. RICE, State President. WORKING UNDER FULL STEAM This naufical phrase gives graphically the idea be hind the past quarter’s work ,of the publicity bureau. Never has so much been done and never, perhaps, have so many difficulties been encountered, unless it was during those first few months when we began to creep and feel our way through the stygian dark ness of prejudice and antagonism. Then the only encouragement was from our own number; now on all sides, both within and without the State, come words of cheer that serve to spur us on to greater efforts. This helps. But at no time have there been more attacks on the Catholics and their Church. In Atlanta and Cobb County, especially, but not a little in Bibb, have there been assaults against the Cath olics through the alleged Fourth Degree Oath of the Knights of Columbus. Time and again the heinous ness of this lie has been denounced in press and forum and even in Congress, yet even this denuncia tion has been used by an editor of a so-called religious paper in Atlanta who is also a candidate for office as a means of spreading and giving speciousness to the fake. The Association has met this by sending out some thing like 50,000 copies of the true obligation of the Fourth Degree, as taken from The New York Evening Sun editorial of March 1 8th, and is now sending out 25,000 copies of that fine pamphlet on criminal libel and religious bigotry published by the Knights’ head quarters and which we secured through the assist ance of State and national officers of the Order. Only the other day the meanest, unfairest of anti- Catholics in Georgia said in his paper that he reaf firmed all he had ever said about this fake oath, and argued that he knew that hundreds of years ago the Jesuits took a similar oath and since they did that then, therefore it is true the Knights of Columbus do now. Yet that is the kind of logic that is sup posed to be the emanation of a great brain and that