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J APRIL 23, 1938 THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA ^ Catholic Action in Georgia Article in The Sign by John Toomey, Diocesan Sem inarian at Catholic University Six years before the pontificate of Pius XI—the Pope of Catholic Ac tion—was inaugurated, the Catholic Laymen of Georgia had launched a project which now stands out as one of the most striking examples of what the laity can do in furthering the work of Christ. About 22 years ago, the summit of religious intolerance in Georgia was reached. It was considered to be by far the most anti-Catholic state in the Union. In 1920, Thomas E. Wat son, one of the most bitter and also the most paradoxical of all bigots, was elected to the United States Sen ate by his fellow-Georgians on the tide of religious intolerance. Watson, who had sent his daughter and later his grandsons to boarding schools in Georgia conducted by the Sisters of . St . Joseph, used the weapon of''big otry to gain his political prestige. In deed, a man’s chances of political success seemed to be proportionate to his anti-Catholicism. It was this condition of affairs that caused the passage of a state-convent inspection bill in 1916. It was likewise this con dition that brought about an organ ized Catholic resistance, namely, the Catholic Laymen's Association of Georgia. Confronted by intolerance on every side. The Laymen’s Association was organized in Macon, Ga., in 1916, in a state with a total Catholic popula tion of less than twenty thousand, scattered throughout sixty thousand square miles of territory—an area larger than all New England except Connecticut—and among a popula tion of three million—in other words, where there is one Catholic among every hundred and fifty people. And eight years later, the editor of the National Welfare Conference Bulle tin was able to assert that the Asso ciation had placed the Catholics of Georgia in a position where they are perhag' t...... aff ■e d ^r«uli In selves by supplying them information about the Church and thereby gives them the means to explain Catholic doctrines to non-Catholics. When an attack is made on the Church, mark ed copies of The Bulletin are sent to those concerned explaining our po sition. Every newspaper editor in Georgia receives a free copy of each issue of The Bulletin. Besides the task of publishing a. newspaper, the publicity department of the Laymen’s Association has to do much letter-writing. Many of these letters are written in reply to those who answer the advertisements inserted in the secular papers stating what Catholics do not believe and offering to explain to those interest ed what they do believe. Numerous hostile correspondents of former days are now kindly disposed toward the Church because of this phase of the Association’s activities. Needless to say, many of the let ters written to the Association con tain questions arising from the most prejudiced sort of intolerance. One inquirer specializing on questions about convents was not convinced of his mistaken ideas until he made a long trip to accept an invitation to visit a convent. But there are so many who write in who are honestly seeking the truth about the Church that it makes one sad to know that the Church has been laboring so long under this veil of misunderstanding among such sincere souls as these. Every question, no matter how ab surd it may sound to Catholic ears, is answered with the utmost courtesy and kindness But besides writing letters to these correspondents, the publicity bureau of the Laymen’s As sociation writes^ letters of correction to editors of the Georgia secular press whenever reference uncom plimentary CStholics appears in fr cci from ait .ks tii.ni hi 1 one of these papers. The Association - ii_ . t t : ~ rn.;. - ... ... the start, the cost was much higher because of the greater amount of work to be done'at the time. At least six thousand dollars was spent in a successful effort to stop just one man’s attacks on the Church. It's a good thing all were not so obdurate as he. The results of this work are mani fold. As has been previously point ed out, the attacks against Catholics have almost ceased to exist in the secular press of Georgia. The Ku- Klux have practically abandoned. Their former national headquarters in Atlanta was bought last year by the Catholic Bishop of Savannah- Atlanta for his Atlanta residence. It is now being used as church and rec tory while the new co-cathedral of ■the diocese is being erected next door. Many conversions have been brought about by the activities of the Association. In fact, the figures show that there is an average of two hun dred converts a year for the state, in which the Catholic population is twenty thousand. One large repre sentative Eastern diocese of a million Catholics averages only a thousand converts annually. This gives Georgia an average of ten times more con verts annually than the Eastern diocese in proportion to the Catholic population. And the Laymen’s Asso ciation is responsible in a good measure for this. since he was a Catholic. However, throughout the election campaign, the Laymen's Association refrained from political activity. What it did fight against was misrepresentation of the Church. But it took no political sides. But the greatest result is the achievement of the prime purpose of the Association, namely, that of “bringing about a friendlier feeling among Georgians irrespective of creed.” That this friendlier feeling exists is proven in the results just mentioned. That it exists is proven by the friendlines and courtesy ex tended by non-Catholics to our priests and nuns throughout the state. That it exists is proven further by the good-fellowship existing in the daily contacts of Catholics and non-Catholics. And that this friend lier feeling shall continue to exist, the Laymen's Association continues its work. It has accomplished much and more will be done in the years that lie ahead.. The election year of 1928 was a great test of what results it had ac complished. To be sure, some out bursts of bigotry occurred. But despite this, many a ‘'Hoover-Demo crat’’ was surprised to find on elec tion. night that A1 Smith had carried Georgia, which he naturally should have done, being a Democrat, but which many expected him not to do, Siberia Sentence for Listening to Radio (Special Correspondence, JkC.W.C. News Service) FRIBOURG, Switzerland. — A Sov iet court in Witelsk, Russia, has ban ned a 56-year-old workman of the name of Koszitski and his wife to five years hard labor in Siberia according to the local Catholic news service KIPA, because they were discovered listening to a Catholic radio program from a Warsaw station and were ac cused to have taken notes which they were said to have planned to pass on to others on the contents of this broad cast. Georgia Seminarian Author of Article The author has not written with a view merely to praise the work of the Georgia laymen, but has intend ed also to demonsrate the set-up of this organization—its methods, activ ities, and results—so that others may see that what has been done in Georgia can be done also in their own localities by a similar group of laymen. And it is certain that there are many states in need of such an organization. At present, the Laymen's Associa tion of Georgia is the only one of its kind in the United States, although the Narberth Movement is closely akin to it. True, many phases of its activity are taken care of by other organizations in various dioceses, but there is still a great need for simi lar organizations in the majority of John Toomey, the author of “Catholic Action in Georgia”, is a native of Augusta, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Pierce Toomey of St. Mary’s- on-The-Hill parish in that city, and a student for the priesthood for the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta at the Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C. The accompanying article, published in The Sign. Union City, N. J.. has been selected by The Catholic Digest, St. Paul, Minn., for reproduction in its May issue. them. The Catholic Laymen’s Asso ciation of Georgia invites and is worthy of imitation. It is an excel lent way for the Catholic laymen to answer the Holy Father’s call to Catholic Action. any other state in the Union. This was a long step to take in eight short years and indeed the statement is all the more true today. But how was this accomplished? Did the laymen put on green hoods at night and with St. Patrick's aid hang all the white-hooded Ku Klux from the nearest pine trees? Perhaps Margaret Mitchell's blustering Ger ald O’Hara would have greatly en joyed using such violent methods if prejudice had been so rife in his day. On the contrary, the methods used were far removed from what some readers of Watson’s articles might have been led to expect. And they rather surprised those who had been influenced to believe in “hating Catholics for the love of God’’—to use the phrase of the great convert, the late Bishop Curtis of Wilmington and Baltimore. The methods of the Laymen's Association are far differ ent and much more effective than violence. The Catholic Laymen s Association had for its rnotto “To bring about a friendlier feeling among Georgians irrespective of creed.” For this was it founded, and this it has accom plished in the twenty-two years of its existence. It recognizes at once the root of all intolerance and big otry. namely, ignorance. And for this, it supplies the only remedy, in formation, but information seasoned with charity. It answers intolerance with no hate, no satire, no revenge, but with the kindliest respect and courtesy for all. In this, it adheres to the words of Pius X spoken in a private audience to Father Doyle, the Paulist founder of the Apostolic Mission House in Washington: “Faith is not to be built upon the ruins of charity.” The first principle of apolo getics is to explain the doctrines and practices of the Church and never to attack anyone. maintains a connection with a clip ping bureau which sends into the of fice clippings good, bad or indifferent, appearing in the papers of the state. Every kindly comment is acknowl- dged with a letter of appreciation, and every misrepresentation is an swered with a couteous letter of cor rection. One Georgia editor was obstinate about changing his attitude toward Catholics. Uncomplimentary refer ences to them continued to appear in his paper, despite the fact that each time one appeared, he received a letter of correction from the Catho lic Laymen’s Association. After this had happened about ninety times, something complimentary appeared in his paper—whether through an oversight on his part or not, we don’t know. But the Laymen's Association wrote him a letter of appreciation and he was so overcome and pleased by it that no further references against Catholics was printed by him. Another obstinate editor didn't pro vide the Association with such an opportunity of flooring him with charity, so the publicity depart ment of the Association sent marked copies of The Bulletin to his sub scribers which contained a copy of the letters written him in refutation of charges against Catholics which had appeared in his paper. Natural ly, he was mote confused by this procedure and did not leave himself open to such exposure again. In 1916, when the Association was organize^, .these letters of correction averaged it hundred a week. Now, only one or two a month are needed, so free from anti-Catholicism has the Geor gia press become. I ET’S keep Georgia in its traditional attitude j of encouragement to industrial and business development. Such growth will add to the pros perity .of agriculture — the bedrock on which - niir state. is. founded. It will furnish employment to men'and boys on the t arilis,menand boys not now profitably employed. It win: a*-d to their purchasing power. It will furnish rich new markets for farm produce — and it will leave fewer among whom farm income must be shared; fewer to depend on agriculture for tlieir sole support... Georgia always will he funda mentally agricultural, but in the interest of everybody in the state — in the interest of better roads, better educational facilities, better insti tutions and added social security — let’s give serious thought to industry and business, the forces which must create the new wealth essen- i tial to support all these governmental services I so desirable for the welfare of the state.— P- S. I ARKWRIGHT, president of the Georgia Power I Company, in a speech delivered in Columbus, [ Georgia, April 6, 1938. As indicated by its name, the Asso ciation is composed of lay people and conducted from the lay person's viewpoint. Both men and women are members. Twelve hundred of Geor gia’s twenty thousand Catholics con tribute an average of six dollars each anually to show their loyal member ship in the organization. There is no fixed membership fe \ but each contributes according to his means. There are no scheduled meetings except the general state convention which is held each year in a. differ ent city. Tlie Association is organ ized for the most part along parish lines except in the larger cities where one local organization suffices for several parishes. The parish unit holds meetings, such as election of local officers or some other local event demands it. The state officers are elected each year by the dele gates at the general convention. This is the plan of the organization. Now it is our aim to review brief ly its methods of accomplishing its purpose of bringing about a friend lier feeling among Georgians. The most important function of the Association is its maintenance of a publicity bureau, located in Augus ta. Its paper supplies Catholc news and information to the people of four states, since Florida and the , two Carolinas have no Catholic pa per of their own. And the South is not the only place where it is read, as Subscribers are found all over the nation. But how does the Bulletin, as this paper is called, bring about a friend lier feeling? First, it corrects ignor ance in the minds of Catholics them- Besides fighting bigotry and ignor ance by means of personal letters, the Association also distributes free-of- charge pamphlets dealing with perti nent questions on the Church. More than three million such pamphlets have now been distributed to inter ested non-Catholic readers. The As sociation has also placed sets of the Catholic Encyclopedia in several Georgia secular and non-Catholic colleges and universities. These are activities peculiar to the publicity bureau of the Laymen's Association. But besides these, the Association sponsors retreats for men and women every year and also lends its support and takes an active part in all civic movements worthy of commendation. So far. we have merely enumerated and explained the most important activities of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia. However, there are several characteristics of this organization’s manner of con ducting these activities which are worthy of notice. Perhaps the most striking is the personal .note—the friendly, personal answer to in quirers and editors. The answers are never sarcastic nor funny. A friend lier feeling cannot be brought about by sarcasm. A sincere willingness to help others understand our Faith is evidenced by all activities of the As sociation. Such is the spirit behind the Lay men’s Association. As regards the cost of this work, it now averages about twelve thousand dollars a year. A third of this is met by the revenue obtained from the Association’s newspaper in advertisements and subscriptions. The remaining eight thousand come from the contribu tions of the members. Of course, at It’s Simple as A-B ■ C EVERY straight-thinking Georgian wants Georgia to have better roads, better educational facilities, better-equipped institutions, better pro visions for social security for old and young. Georr^t. however, always has been and always will be primarily an agricultural state — and AGRICULTURE CAN NOT PAY THE BILL! Agriculture, today, is paying all it can afford to pay. It can’t stand any heavier burdens. If our state is to have what it needs— what it MUST HAVE—in tlie way of governmental services, there is only one solution. Business aiul industry in Georgia must be encouraged to grow, to prosper. That’s the only way the state’s material wealth, its purchasing power can be in creased so that we can afford these desirable improvements in Georgia. Any blow at industry or business in Georgia is a direct blow at Georgia’s farmers — and a blow at every man, woman and child in Georgia. Georgia’s ONLY hope for her rightful, brighter future is that industry and business find the sort of treatment and consideration in Georgia that will enable them to expand in confidence, to grow with assurance — and thereby create in Georgia the new and added wealth which is absolutely essential to the forward march of the state. ■% # —'M, GEORGIA POWER COMPANY WUcd cM&lpA /ZuAUteAd — Helps Yon!