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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLTC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
itirl DENIES
iM!£I
!■ ?! ■'
H-KTOIbl
Pan-Air-.er.'c'n Gatherin'; Ee-
vca‘3 That Costa R.ica Pay3
More for Education Than
for National Defense.
Baltimore,—The persistent and
carefully developed fabrication about
the ' ignorance” of Latin-American
countries was given a hard hlow at
the Pan American conference of wo
men during sectional meetings deal
ing with child welfare and educa
tion. held under the auspices of the
National League of Women Voters
last v/celc.
Among other facts which came to
light and which caused no little sur-
4 prise to delegates who had been
prone to accept gratuitous state
ments as truths were these:
Costa Rica spends more money
for education than for national
defense or for any one other
department.
’the most important problem
that faces Porto Rico school
teachers is the lack of moral
training which was compulsory
under Spanish rule, but which
was abolished by the United
States.
Compulsory-military service in
Chile is looked niton chiefly as
an opportunity to combat illiter
acy, and hygiene, as well as ele
mentary studies, is taught in the
service.
Ecuador has pnade an increase
in educational facilities of 20
per cent during the past six
years, regarded as a record
1 among nations.
Although women of practically all
countries represented at the confer
ence went on record as favoring a
legislative program for children’s
welfare, it was opposed by Senorita
Marie Clotildc Vega, the official del-
^ egate from Nicaragua, who said that
the women of that country did not
need such legislation, and that they
could take care of their own chil
dren and promote child welfare
without it.
The child welfare movement in
Bolivia, according to Dr. Arcadia
Zalles, is promoted actively by Cath
olic nuns, although there is no of
ficial recognition of such work, nor
official interest in it.
Lack of Moral Training.
“The most pressing 151-01)10111 con
fronting the Porto Rican public
school system,” declared Senorita
Mercedes Sola, a high school teacher
of San Juan, in an interview, “is
the lack of Christian and moral
training. When the island was un
der Spanish rule the schools used
to train the children in good man
ners and good morals. Since the
United States got control of the is
lands, all this training has been ab
olished and tlie residents arc con
cerned about it. Every possible
means has been tried to have such
training restored to the schools. We
have persevered in using propagan
da and have gone to the legislature
to ask that it provide such training
in our educational system. We
have not succeeded because the com
missioner of education, who is ap
pointed by the United States govern
ment, is completely opposed to the
plan.
“He never wanted to hear about
it. Even when the legislature tried
to pass a law requiring the system,
he tried to use his influence against
it. With such training lacking there
is plenty of evidence as to the ef
fect it is having upon the future
citizens of Porto Rico. The chil
dren have no manners. They are
growing rough. We don’t like to
have our children that way. We
want them to he mannerly and to
be hospitable to other people. The
Porto Rico sixth grade students who
come to the United States are often
times placed in the seventh grade
in tills country’s schools, so that it
is apparent that our children are
not behind in scholarship.”
G'osta Rico’s Record.
Scnora Sara Casal <le Quiros was
given an ovation when she made t!)e
statement that Costa Rico spends
more money for education thau
national defense or for an
one department. She als
applause when she declared t
country was aiming for 100
raev in the nenr future
schools f<
PRESIDENT HARDING DISAPPROVES
OF KU-KLUX, SECRETARY SAYS
(By N. C. W. C. New Service.)
Washington, D. C.—Unequivocal repudiation of the Iiu Klux Klnn
is expressed by President Raiding in a letter which he has sent,
through his secretary, George B. Christian, to Mrs. Frank L. Apple-
gate, 615 South Oakdale Avenue, Medford, Oregon. Mrs. Applegate
had written to President Harding to inquire whether a speaker
who appeared in Medford and announced himself as a representa
tive of file Ku Klux Klan had authority for the statement that Mr.
Harding “was friendly to the organization.”
Replying to Mrs. Applegate’s inquiry, Secretary Christian says:
You may he very sure that any statement of the Presi
dent's interest in or approval of the Ku Klux Klan is a complete
and egergious misrepresentation of the President’s attitude. In
some quarters it has been even represented that Ihe President
is a member of this organization. Not only is this untrue, but
the fact is that the President heartily disapproves of the organ
ization and has repeatedly expressed himself to this effect.
Yours sincerely,
(Signed) GEORGE B. CHRISTIAN, Jr.,
Secretary to the President.
Exclusion of members of the Ku Klux Klan from the National
Guard of Oklahoma is the object of a general order which Gov
ernor .1. B, A. Robertson lias issued to all officers of the state’s
military organization. It is expected that Governor Robertston’s
example will be followed by the governors of other states in the
South.
Governor Robertson’s order declares that there is no room in
the Oklahoma National Guard for any officer or man who owes
an allegiance to any power, secret organization or society that
might become arrayed against the United States or the State of
Oklahoma and its laws.
Catholic Women Reply to Speechei\
Of Lady Astor and Mrs. Catt orj
Church’s Stand Toward Suffragi
Refutes Allegations That
Catholic Church Is Respon
sible for Retarding Suffrage
in Any Country.
ERRONEOUS IDEA!
So Say Resolutions of N. C^
C. W., Which Show Ad
vanced Position of Womet ]
in Catholic Countries.
Judge Marcus Kavanagh of
Chicago Proposes Remedy
For Crime Wave In Ad
dresses Before Georgia Au
diences.
Highly Lauded “Commander-
in-Chief of American Naval
Forces” a Subordinate of
Georgia Man.
As
JUDGE MARCUS A. KAVANA>!»
Augusta, Ga.—Judge Marcus A.
Kavanagh, of the criminal court of
Chicago a prominent member of-the
American bar arid a leading Catho
lic layman toured Georgia recently
with the ltcdpath Chautauqua, and
'delivered in several cities addreses
on law and order which have been
widely and favorably commented on
by the press of the state.
Judge Kavanagh is one of five
members of a committee appointed
by the American Bar Association to
investigate the present crime wave,
the other members of the committee
being Ex-Gov. Whitman of New
York, Judge Swaney of Tennessee,
Wade Ellis of Washington, D. C. and
Charles W. Farnham of Minnesota.
At a recent banquet of the Chicago
Chamber of Commerce. Judge Kav
anagh was saluted by a brother jur
ist as the one mail in the city who
could check the crime wave.
For years Judge Kavanagh has
been trying bring about reforms
in the I ,v which he believes would
check _rime. His efforts before leg
islative bodies have been futile, so
lie has brought his case to the people
of the country through the lecture
platform.
Technicalities of the law, which
permit a man known to be guilty
of crime to walk the strets free as
the air lie breathes, and the general
relessness of the public in regard
lamed by
Washington, D. C.—Admiral Wil
liam S. Benson, head of the National
Council of Catholic Men. for two
years has remained silent while a
persistent campaign of propaganda
to betittle his record and to enhance
the prestige of Admiral Sims has
been in progress, has issued a let
ter to the editor of tire Lowell “Cour
ier-Citizen” in which he makes it
plain that “Admiral Sims was a sub
ordinate acting directly under my
orders during the whole time, and
was not responsible, except in an in
direct way, either for the strategy
or for the operation of any naval
forces.”
The letter is a reply to a long edi
torial laudatory of Admiral Sims,
which declared that Sims was never
theless our supreme naval head.”
Admiral Benson’s letter is as fol
lows :
“Editor, ‘Courier Citizens,’
Lowell, Massachusetts.
“My Dear Sir:
“An editorial in your paper of
April 4tli has been handed to me,
and I have read it with great in
terest. The tone of this editorial
indicates clearly that your only ob
ject is one of historical truth, and
1 am writing you with no desire to
have you make any change or to ask
for any recognition of myself, but
simply to correct what I believe is
a mistaken impression on your part.
“It is evident from your editorial
that you think Admiral Sims was in
supreme command of the naval
forces during the war, and that he
was afloat directing the movement
of vessels. This is not true. Amiral
Sims lived at a hotel in London,
and the U. S. government gave him
an allowance for his living expenses.
He was provided with ample office
room and accomodations in the im
mediate vicinity of the Chancellery
of the U. S. Embassy in London. At
no time was he afloat, except in
making trips across the Channel or
during visits to the Grand Fleet or
visiting some station for inspection
purposes.
“As a matter of fact, Admiral Sims
was a subordinate, acting directly
under my orders during the whole
time, and was not responsible except
in an indirect way, either for the
strategy or the operations of any
naval forces. The naval forces in
Europe were a part of the U. S.
Fleet under the direct command of
Admiral H. T. Mayo.
In other words, Admiral Sims was
the naval representative of my of
fice in European waters, and he w,
not only acting under
but was
Baltimore.—Implications of Mrs.
Carrie Chapman Catt and of Lady
Nancy Astor that the Catholic church
is responsible for the failure of wo
man's suffrage to make progress in
Catholic countries was keenly res
ented by Catholic women who were
among the delegates to the Pan-
American Women’s Conference held
here last week, and many of whom
did not hesitate to call attention to
the apparent lack of information
displayed by the speakers.
Mrs. Catt asked whether it was
not true that the Catholic Church
had been responsible for t lie failure
of woman’s suffrage to make rapid
progress, and Lady Astor in the
same breath in which she appealed
to Catholic women “to explain suff
rage to their Church” warned them
that “if you go forward you must
push something out of the way.”
Baroness de Bisping’s Reply
Among those who did not hesitate
to call attention to the lack of in
formation displayed by the speak
ers was Baroness Helen P. Do Bisp-
ing, of Poland, who pointed out
that in Poland, a Catholic country,
women have had the vote since the
land regained'Gts freedom and that
there are eight women members of
the Diet, more than hold seats in
the United States Congress. Furth
ermore she pointed out that wo
men would probably stand for seats
in the Senate at the forthcoming
national elections. Many South
American women made the com
ment that their countries were
pushing forward to woman’s suff
rage as rapidly as possible.
Mrs. Catt in her remarks declar
ed that Catholic nations of the
world were the only ones that had
not let down the harriers of suff
rage, in whole or in part, of wo
men. Telling of the interest in the
movement displayed by the late Pope
Benedict XV, she urged the women
of these countries not to hold hack
for fear of offending the Pontiff.
“Some one has told me,” said
Lady Astor, “that the Pan-American
women are not suffragists. Maybe
they are not, but they will he. Ro
man Catholic women have been said
to be against it. Yet I canSt for
the life of me see what the vote
has to do with religion.”
Continuing in this strain, Lady
Astor, who had previously asked
her audience: “Would it not have
been a disaster if my talents had
been hiden from the world?” de
clared :
“The saving grace of religion has
been to me that it holds men and
women to be equal. My belief is that
God looks into the heart and not
the sex of his creatures. It seems
a terrible thing to me that any
body should try to divide up God’s
children. I beg the Catholic women
to explain suffrage in that way to
their Church. And remember, if
you go forward, you must push
something out of the way. But do
not forget to push forward. The
world needs you.”
Catholic Countries Favor Women
Madame De Bisping, in addition to
calling attention to the progress of
the suffrage movement in Poland,
declared that in Italy, a Catholic
country, women have the vote and
that, in Austria, another Catholic
country, they vote and several have
been elected to important offices. In
Ireland, where women have the vote,
one of the,first action taken by the
women of that country,
whelmingly Catholic, was to
for an extenion of the
men, exceeding th;
Washington, D. C.,—Resolution
adopted by the National Council
Catholic Women, through its Boar
of Directors, in protest against dis
paraging remarks concerning Cat!
olics made by Mrs. Carrie Chapmu
Catt and lady Nancy Astor in pul
lie addresses during the Pan-Amer
can Women’s Conference point ot:
the fact that these utterances vve
completely out of harmony wilh Hi
spirit of Baltimore, the histori.
home of tolerance in this couiitij
and of the founders of 'Maryland^
Mrs. Michael-P. Gaven, presh^j
of the Council, pointed out that
Catt and Lady Astor were appiarenM
ly uninformed concerning the rcl
markable progress made in reeeuj
years along political lines by warns
in Catholic countries.
“It is a matter of deep regrd
among the Board of Directors,” sa*
Mrs. Gavin, “that the speakers, tiny
Carrie Chapman Catt, and Lai
tor, were not familiar with ti
account of the participation in pij
lie life of the women of CathoT
countries. The Universities M
Catholic countries, notably Italy ufl
Salamann in Spain, have been oja"
for one thousand years to woni
both as students and profcssil
while the doors of Universities "
England are being very reluctant!
opened at the present moment t
admit women as students out.
Catholic countries have illustroi
pages of tlie contributions of tl
brilliant women of these countm
to all phases of the intellectual an
political life of the nations.
“It was a matter of further rogrj
that tlie speakers had forgotten fl
the time being the status of suf
rage at the present time in Austii
where two million women voted ’
January 15)10, and where there uf
eight women members of Paijii
ment, besides over a hundred mu
cipal councillors. In Lower A ust]
compulsory voting cxisits, 111 Pola
women vote on equal terms
men, and are in considerable na_
her members of Parliament. In Hi
gary, women have had suffrage sil
1918. Czeolio-Slovakia. women 4
votes on the same terms as nj
and have thirteen women men it;
in tlie Lower House, and three inj
Second Chamber. In Ireland, wo|
have the vote, and have asked!
extension of the vote for women *
ceeding that of England. Italy
already given suffrage rights tlf-
promise full suffrage in the nj
future. France has the bcginnii
Belguim and Roumania were
only Catholic countries mentio]
by the speaker, Mrs. Catt, who co
have added each of the above
also Litliaunia where there are
women members of Parliament,!
well as other smaller nations
achieving the right to speak
themselves. Mr. Catt might
added also Santa Fe, a State irij
gentina that has fuli voting rig
“The questions that naturally 1
sented themselves to those who
tened to the addresses were-
“How long has suffrage existec]
England?
“How old is tlie nine tec
amendment?”
FRANCISCANS EXEMF
Dublin—Charitable and ret w K j
institutions are exempt from r| j
Ireland. There have lie
some.