Newspaper Page Text
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
3
Our Association was not formed as a tempoiary,
but as a permanent, organization. The better edu
cated our children, especially the boys, are, the better
qualified will they be to carry on the good work of
the Association when we are dead and gone. The
higher education they receive, the more likely will it
be that they will take such standing in their respec
tive communities as will command the respect and
confidence of non-Catholics as well as Catholics. The
higher the standing acquired by them in their various
positions the more quickly will they dispel the false
ideas entertained against our religion, and the more
effectively will they choke out the unwarranted prej
udices and the deliberate discrimination that is prac
ticed in Georgia today against Catholics.
In this connection, I am pleased to call your atten
tion to the splendid work done by the Catholics in
Savannah and Augusta on this very question during
the past year. In Savannah they raised over $85,000
for the establishment of a Catholic Boys School. In
Augusta they have had subscribed $100,000 for a
Catholic Boys’ Free High School, and are now only
waiting to get competent teachers to put this school
into active operation. I, therefore, urge all Catholics
to support the Parochial Schools, and to aid in estab
lishing high schools in their respective communities.
The report of the year’s accomplishments made
today by the Publicity Committee will, I trust, meet
with your approval, as well as show every Catholic
in Georgia the necessity of such an organization as
ours is today. It was thought and predicted that at
the end of the recent World War prejudice and bigotry
would be obliterated, but instead, it seems to be more
rampant than ever, and as has been said by a former
president of this Association, politicians are using it
as a springboard to carry them into office. Accord
ing to the vote in the recent primary, we have
242,000 white voters in Georgia, of which only 4,000
are Catholics, so this anti-Catholic vote-getting propa
ganda is an insult to the intelligence of Georgians.
I, therefore, urge upon delegates and members today
to be more active and united than ever, and by our
daily lives prove to all that we are both loyal Ameri
can citizens and true and devoted children of Holy
Mother Church.
From my observations as your President for the
past year, I recommend for consideration today:
1st. A State Circulating Library which will enable
us to loan Catholic books on subjects not covered by
our pamphlets or bulletins.
2d. That the publicity manager and such officers
as may be deemed expedient be required to visit the
different sections of the State during the year, giving
an account of the work.
3d. That changing The Bulletin to a monthly be
referred to the Finance and Publicity Committees
with power to act.
4th. That local Associations be urged to place the
Catholic Encyclopedia in the high schools and col
leges of their respective communities.
5th. That the officers be instructed to make ap
plication for the incorporation of our Association un
der the laws of Georgia, under the patronage of St.
Paul, the Apostle.
6th. That we approve the Laymen’s Council of
the National Catholic Welfare Council, and that our
Association become a member of same.
7th. That we indorse the Boy Scouts now being
formed in the State by the National Catholic Welfare
Council, and urge the formation of troops in every
parish, for the boys of today will be the men of to
morrow.
8th. That the higher education of Catholic chil
dren, especially boys, be stressed and that every
Catholic be urged to take such action as will provide
for educational facilities second to none in the South.
Conclusion.
To our Right Reverend Bishop I wish to express
thanks for his many acts of kindness during my term
of office. I desire, also, to thank the Pastors in the
different cities as well as the Priests on the Missions
for their co-operation.
To the Finance and Publicity Committees 1 desire
to express appreciation for their promptness in assist
ing during the year. Our efficient Secretary, Treas
urer and Auditor, whose work will show you how
faithfully they have attended to their duties, are due
the thanks of every Catholic for their services. Last,
but not least, this report would not be complete did
I not call attention in a special manner to the mag
nificent work done by our publicity manager, Mr.
James J. Farrell. I have been in daily touch with him
for the past twelve months and know his heart is in
the work. To him and to Mr. Benedict Elder are
we indebted in large part for the great success of
The Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia.
Respectfully submitted,
P. H. RICE,
State President.
DR. MULHERIN HONORED.
Dr. W. A. Mulherin, of Augusta, one of the origina
tors of the idea that developed later into the Lay
men’s Association, was recently highly honored by
the American Medical Association. In speaking of
the occasion The Chronicle said:
Augusta has achieved a double honor in the selec
tion of Dr. W. A. Mulherin, of this city, to deliver
two addresses during the coming week in New Or
leans, where the American Medical Association and
kindred organizations have their annual convention.
Dr. Mulherin left for Louisville yesterday.
The American Medical Association is and has been
for years the largest medical organization in the
world. The selection of Dr. Mulherin to address it is
an honor not only to himself and Augusta, but to
the Medical College as well, and it places all three on
the national medical map.
Father William Hanlon, a young Atlantan, cele
brated his first mass at the Sacred Heart Church in
Atlanta, June 2 7th. Father Hanlon has entered the
Marist Order and was ordained in Washington City,
June 20th.