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Member ol Me Na- liana) Catholic Wei- fare Conference News Service. the Unit catholic Newspaper Between Baltimore and New Orleans VOL. XV., No. 3. AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, MARCH 31, 1934 ISSUED MONTHLY—$2.00 A YEAR tmbrcb J9eatg &go Public Schools Close- Pupils Cared for by Catholic Institutions So Bishop Toolen Reveals in Protesting Exclusion of Parochial Schools From Share in School Relief (By N. C. W. C. News Service) MOBILE—That Catholic schools, despite their supporters being doubly taxed, are actually providing educa tion to non-Catholic children left without educational opportunity be cause of the closing of public schools, is brought out in a protest the Most Rev. Thomas J. Toolen, Bishop of Mobile, has filed with Thad Holt, Emergency Relief Administrator for the State of Alabama, and Harry L. Hopkins, Director of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration. Bishop Toolen is seeking to have school relief funds extended to Ca tholic as well as public schools. Rural public schools have closed in more than a score of counties of Ala bama, and a great many of the chil dren who formerly attended these schools—non-Catholics as well as Ca tholics—have entered the Catholic schools in their respective neighbor hoods. On the other hand, despite gravest financial difficulties, no Ca tholic school has been closed, but two new Catholic schools have been opened. Bishop Toolen’s determination to keep on ‘until every effort has been made to obtain justice” for the Ca tholic schools of Alabama in the al location of Federal emergency relief funds, has brought him a request from Senator John H .Bankhead of Alabama asking for information. “We have in our schools in the State of Alabama”, the Bishop has replied to the senator in part, “over seven thousand children and we are paying for the education of these children, as well as keeping up the public schools, Now comes the government handing out its money to the state schools and taking the taxes of Catholics as well as others to pay this. "“Already taxed twice, once by the State for education and then again by keeping up our own schools, a third tax is added to this by the Na tional Government, and then Mr. Hopkins says he cannot see where there is any discrimination or injus tice. It is strange how we can blind ourselves when we do not want to see.” In writing to Mr. Holt, state relief administrator, Bishop Toolen called attention to a large Federal fund made available for aid of the schools in the rural districts of Alabama, and asked, “Why do not our schools come under it, as well as the schools of tlie state?” “We are doing exactly the same work as the state schools and have carried on all through the depression, giving 180 days’ school to all of our rural people.” “The Sisters in our schools in the rural districts,” said the Bishop, “have worked without salary for the past four years, and I feel that we are be ing discriminated against, because of the fact that we are not Dermitted to come in on this emergency relief. We are taxpayers the same as those who are leceiving this relief.” "It looks”, Bishop Toolen told Mr. Hopkins, “as if we are being penal ized because of the fact that we are Catholics, and that we have made sacritices for the cause of education ... It seems to me that private in stitutions that are carrying on the work of education, are entitled to government money as well as public institutions.” “If there is anything more unfair or unjust, then I wish you would tell me.” L. R Alderman, director of Educa tional program under the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, has answered Bishop Toolen’s letter adi dressed to Mr. Hopkins, stating that he sees “no way in which we could grant money to private schools, as such.” “We have provided funds for teachers to teach in elementary schools but no money has gone direct ly to the institutions,” he said, adding that “there has been no discrimina tion so far as we know against any teacher because of relieious beliefs.” Replying to this letter, Bishop Toolen said in part: “The state schools, many of them, have been closed for months. Some did not open at all this year. For the past three years the school term has been shortened. We carried on, giving the full term of 180 days. We have taken in children shut out of the state schools and not Catholics either, but when aid is granted, our schools are shut out and yet you say there is no discrimination, “Some day we hope that we will get justice, the justice due us as' American citizens and taxpayers.” Easter Sunday this year seesthe’ close of the Extraordinary; Holy*Year of'jubilee proclaimed by His Holiness Pope Pius XI to^commemorate the'19th^Centenary of the Redemption of Mankind. Moreover, the Catholic world,*at the”call of the Holy Father*has just observed the 19th Centenary of the Institu- *ion of the Holy Eucharist.^The year 1934,'then, places special emphasis upon the commemoration of the Resurrection, the Redemption, and the Institution of the Holy Eucharist. THE CATHOLIC WORLD First Lady Visitor of Nuns’ Aged Poor Day of Sou’s Operation Mrs. Roosevelt Goes From Washington Hospital to Keep Her Promise to Little Sisters of the Poor (By N. C. W. C. News Service) WASHINGTON.—St. Joseph’s Day is always a red letter day in the 303 homes for the aged conducted by the Little Sisters of the Poor in various parts of the world, but was a very special day at the Washington home. Foe it was the first time that the wife of a President of the United States had visited there. Mother Blandine, the “Good Moth er'’ of the Washington Home for the Aged, was greatly disturbed that morning when she learned that John Roosevelt, son of the President, was undergoing an operation for appendi citis—worried as to the outcome of the operation and also because she feared the great surprise she had in store for Mother Augustine de St. Gabriel, Mother Provincial of the Bal timore Province of the Little Sisters of the Poor, would not materialize. She hardly dared hope that Mrs. Rooscevelt would be able to leave the bedside of her son in time to make her promised visit to the old folk. Yet Mother Blandine would occa sionally peep through the window in anticipation of the arrival of a White House car. Then suddenly, the First Lady did arrive. She was in a small car, alone. She had driven there directly from the hospital. Few, if any, visitors to the home have given so much pleasure to the 300 old men and women who live there as did Mrs. Roosevelt. They crowded about her, kissed her hands and her skirt, and in many ways tried to show their appreciation of the honor of her visit. One old man, in an enthusiastic display of patriotism, waved a small American flag and sang,, “Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue.” Mrs. Roosevelt was unable to attend the St. Joseph’s Day festival last year because of official duties, but she sent flowers for the tables. This year she brought with her a greeting from the President, and to each group she said: “My husband asked me to bring you greetings and to tell you how sorry he was that he could not come with me.” JEFFERSON CAFFREY, recently appointed United States Ambassador to Cuba, is a native of Lafayette, La., and a convert to the faith. He has been in the diplomatic service since 1911. HENRY C. RICIIMAN, Jewish phil anthropist, remembered six Cleveland Catholic institutions in his will, the bequests varying from $6,000 to $12,000 each. EUGENE O'NEILL, dramatist, has given permission to the Columbia College Little Theater League group in Iowa to produce his “Days With out End”, his Broadway play which has been widely acclaimed by Cath olic critics, who found much to crit icize in his previous efforts. COACH LOU LITTLE, of the Co lumbia University football eleven, has written the Franciscan Fathers at Tucson, Ariz., that he attributes the victory of his team over Stanford Uni versity to the Columbia eleven’s stay at the Tucson Mission. FATHER MICHAEL J. AHERN, S.J., of Weston College, Weston, Mass., Mass., lectured on “Some Aspects of Catholic Education” at a parish meet ing at Trinity Episeopol Church there recently. THE NATIONAL COUNCIL of Catholic Men has no responsibility for any Catholic radio broadcast oth er than the “Catholic Hour”, and the N. C. C. M. “Catholic Hour” Commit tee did not bar the Rev. Charles E. Coughlin, noted radio speaker, from die use of the National Broadcasting Company’s facilities, a letter from Merlin H. Aylesworth, president of NBC, made public here, emphatically states. CARDINAL MUNDELEIN was once offered an appointment to the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, a story of his life in the New World recalls. The future Cardinal, then a student at Manhattan College, New York, had other plans, and while grateful for the honor, declined it STATION WLWL, New York, op erated by the Paulist Fathers, now allotted 15 1-2 hours a week, was de nied an extension of time by the Fed eral Radio Commission. WLWL shares its wave-letngth with WPG. Atlantic City, which is allowed 1101-2 a week. Two members of the com mission filed a dissenting opinion. FATHER W. COLEMAN NEVILS, S.J., Ph.D., president of Georgetown University, has been appointed by President Roosevelt a member of the Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors for 1934. The presidents of the Uni versity of Southern California, Bow- doin College and Georgia Tech, the dean of the Harvard School of Engi neering and the retired president of Worcester Tech are the other mem bers of the board. DR. HENRY L. BANZHAF, dean of the Marquette University School of Dentistry, Milwaukee, and past pres ident of the American Dental Asso ciation, was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws by the University of Pittsburgh at its midwinter com mencement. BROTHER WILLIAM DURKIN, S.J., celebrated his golden jubilee as a Jesuit in Detroit recently. He was born in County Mayo, Ireland, 83 years ago, and taught school there before enter ing the Society of Jesus. MSGR. CHARLES A. MARTIN, Cleveland pastor, paying a chance call to parishioners, found Mrs. An thony Malloy and her three children unconscious from gas fumes when he forced an entrance after seeing them through a window. Physicians resus citated them. A flueless gas heater caused their plight. TIIE INFANTS’ HOME at the Brady Maternity Hospital, Albany, N. Y., was burned March 14; 200 infants and children were marched or carried to safety by the Sisters. Because of her son’s operation, Mrs. Roosevelt did not arrive in time for the dinner which was donated and served by friends of the Home, but she made a tour of the institution and expressed her pleasure at the ex cellent way in which the home is be ing conducted. The First Lady did not see' the ladies of the Diplomatic Corps and Washington society in the role of wait resses, but some of them were engag ed in dishwashing when she arrived, for on St. Joseph Day neither the Sisters nor the old folk are allowed to do any work around the home. The menu for today included broiled chicken and all the trimmings, cake, beer and wine, and a plentiful supply of cigars and cigarettes. Madame May, wife of the Belgian Ambassador, and a good friend of the Little Sisters of the Poor, did not attend the festival because of the period of mourning for King Albert. But a generous donation of food was sent from the embassy. Among those who were present were the Most Rev. John McNamara, Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore; the Very Rev. Laurence Kelly, S. J.; the Ambassador of France and Madame de Laboulaye, their daughters, and Count Pierre de Leusse. attache; Senora de Cardenasf wife of the Ambassador of Spain; Senora de Lime y Silva, wife of the Ambassador of Brazil; Senora Ar- caya, wife of the Minister of Venez uela; Mrs. Irwin B. Laughlin, wife of the former Ambassador to Spain, her daughter Miss Gertrude Laughlin, and sister, Miss Iselin; Mrs. Leigh Palmer, and the Misses Patten. Miss Mary E. Patten is always in charge of the St. Joseph’s Day celebration. There are 52 homes in the United States. The only requirements for entrance are old age and destitution, as the wife of Chief Justice Holmes learned some years ago after she had tried all over Washington to find a heme for an old woman in whom she was interested. One of the fifty-two homes is in Savannah, Ga. FATHER WILLIAM J. GORMAN, Chicago Fire Department chaplain, carried an aged man to safety from the second floor of a burning build ing in a zero weather fire. Father Gorman suffered from smoke and cuts from smashing windows to reach the man.