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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
APRIL 27, 1940
THE BULLETIN
The Official Organ of the Catholic Laymen’s
Association of Georgia*
HUGH KINCHLEY, Editor
815-816 Lamar Building Augusta, Georgia
Subscription Price 52.00 Per Year
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS FOR 1939-1940
DR. .7. REID BRODERICK, Savannah President
BERNARD J. KANE, Atlanta 1st Vice-President
J B McCALLUM. Atlanta Secretary
THOMAS F WALSH, K S. G., Savannah Treasurer
HUGH KINCHLEY. Augusta Executive Secretary
MISS CECILE FERRY. Augusta, Asst. Exec. Secretary
A. M McAULIFFE. Augusta Auditor
Vcl. XXI April 27, 1940 No. "4
Entered as second class matter June 15, 1921, at the Post
Office at Augusta. Ga.. under act of March, 1879 Ac
cepted for mailing at special rate of postage provided
for in Section 1103. Act of October 3. 1917. authorized
September l 1921
Member of N. C. W C. News Service the Catholic Press
Association of the United States, the Georgia Press
At«;poiat ; nn and the National Editorial Association
Published monthly by the Publicity' Department
with the Approbation of the Most Rev Bishops of
Raleigh Charleston. Savannah. St. Augustine and Nash
ville and of the Rt Rev Abbot. Ordinary of Belmont.
A Great Honor
T HIS ISSUE .of The Bulletin has the happy privilege
of announcing that His Excellency, the Most Rev
erend Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, Apostolic Delegate to
the United States, has graciously accepted an invitation
extended through .the Most Reverend Gerald P. O'Hara,
Bishop of Savannah-Atlanta to attend the Twenty-fifth
Annual Convention'of the Catholic Laymen’s Associa
tion of Georgia, which will meet in Savannah, the 27th
of October.
It is indeed a great compliment and a high honor to
the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta and the Catholic Lay
men’s Association of Georgia to have the personal rep
resentative of His Holiness, Pope Pius XII, grace the
gathering of Georgia Laymen with his presence.
Archbishop Cicognani has had a distinguished career in
the Church. He has served as an official of the Sacred
Consistorial Congregation, and as Assessor of the Con
gregation fer the Oriental Church. It was his task to
reorganize the officers of the Catholic Near East Welfare
Association, which has headquarters in New York, and
he was se'-rctary of the Committee on the Codification
of Canon Law, of which Cardinal Gasparri was ehair-
mr - r '■ I is on' r' v l-ading authorities on the
S’"
Vie . a (' ■’ or m n.. national reputation, holding
Doctorates in Fhilosophy, Law, and Theology, and a
diploma as advocate before the tribunal of the Roman
Rota. For a number of years he was professor of Canon
Law at Appolinaris College. He was a consultor of the
Congregation of the Oriental Church, of the Congrega
tion of the Propagation of the Faith, and of the Congre
gation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, Arch
bishop Ciccgnani was also a member of the Pontifical
Commission for Russia.
The Apostolic Delegate is a member of an illustrious
Italian family. His brother, who was- at one time Papal
Nuncio to Peru, was named Papal Nuncio to Spain when
the government, of General Franco was recognized by
the Holy See.
Prior to his appointment as Apostolic Delegate to the
United States, Archbishop Cicognani had (raveled ex
tensively in this country, in connection with the work of
the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, and as he
remarked upon his arrival as Apostolic Delegate, he
came “not as a stranger, but as one who has known and
loved the Church here.”
In his effort to know America and its people better,
Archbishop Cicognani, often at great personal sacrifice,
has journeyed to distant points in the United States,
attending important Catholic gatherings and giving en
couragement ta some worthy cause.
While he has more than once expressed approval of
the- Catholic Laymen's Association and its work in
Georgia, the coming convention will be the first that he
has yet attended.
Members of the Association are deeply grateful to His
Excellency, the Apostolic Delegate for his promised visit.
Southern Conference of the South
P RELATES, priests, and laymen from Dioceses in the
South met in Atlanta, earlier this month for the
Southern Catholic Conference for Social Action.
It was a series of highly interesting sessions, honored
by the presence of the Most Reverend Bishops of Savan
nah-Atlanta, Richmond, Mobile, and Natchez, and fea
tured by inspiring talks by distinguished speakers.
From this gathering has come forth a new Catholic
organization, to be known as the Catholic Conference
of the South, which will seek to apply to the problems
confronting the South the principles of social justice
outlined in Papal encyclicals.
The program as adopted is based on that introduced
at the National Catholic Social Action Congress, held
in Cleveland last June, and will embrace work in the
industrial, rural, educational, Negro, and youth fields.
No immediate solution is anticipated of the South’s
problems, in fact the activity for the first year will be
restricted to the training of leaders who will direct the
work.
But with such preparation, and the enthusiastic sup
port which is assured the movement, it is hard to con
ceive any doubt that the Catholic Conference of the
South will attain its aims and objectives in a gratifying
degree.
An Encouraging Trend
I N THE concluding address of his latest series of talks
delivered on the "Catholic Hour” programs, Monsignor
Fulton J. Sheen said: “There is often an hour when the
world cannot understand the reason the Church gives
for her position, but there is never a time when men dc
not live to see her judgment reasonable.”
During the last century when the public school sys
tem of education was established in America, despite
the fact that the general opinion was that it promised
wonderful things for future, generations of Americans,
the Catholic Church anticipated other results from a
system of education which excluded any instruction in
religion.
Having learned from experience what the fruit of
secularized education had been, even though it involved
a double burden, and often great sacrifice, the Catholic
Church in the United States continued to build her own
schools, train her teachers, and exhort her people to send
their children to Catholic institutions of learning, and
voiced a warning against a form of education which by
the exclusion of religious education tend to cause spiritu
al illiteracy.
Long years have passed but America has been with
increasing measure coming to realize that succeeding
generations have become more and more materialistic
and irreligious, until the delinquency of the youth of
America has grown into a major problem of the hour.
From time to time a voice has been heard here and
there that questioned the wisdom of the policy which
disjoined religious education and secular education. In
1916 The Western Recorder, a Baptist weekly expressed
the opinion that “In all education, in the home or school,
the religious element ought to predominate,” and ad
vocated Baptist schools because "the public schools never
will, and in the nature of the case they cannot, generate
such an atmosphere. Contrary to common belief the pub
lic school is too narrow in its scholastic policy, it neg
lects the most important part of the student.”
We have now reached a time when Protestant leaders
everywhere are trying to discover some means of cor
recting the fatal defect in our public school system,
which in the words of a report on education of the
Federal Council of Churches, “is raising up the youth of
America in spiritual illiteracy.”
In a recent issue of The Bulletin attention was directed
to the action of the Evangelical Ministers’ Association in
Atlanta in calling upon the Board of Education to ap
prove a plan for giving public school students credits for
Bible study.
The New York State Legislature, a few weeks ago,
passed by a large majority the Coudert-McLaughlin Bill,
which imposes upon the State Commissioner of Educa
tion the duty to devise a plan whereby pupils in the
public schools may be allowed periods for religious in
struction.
While no State may require a child to receive religious
instruction, there is nothing in the Federal Constitution,
nor, we believe, in the separate State Constitutions,
which would prohibit an arrangement of public school
schedules that. would permit pupils to have the benefit
of such religious and moral instruction as their parents
might wish them to receive.
In fact, this has been done in some States, by an ar
rangement which allows pupils whose parents approve,
to attend classes in religion conducted by authorized
representatives of the Jewish religion, the Protestant
denominations, and the Catholic Faith.
Dr. Luther A. Weigle, Dean of the Yale Divinity
School, at the recent International Council of Religious
Education, in Chicago, declared that religion, in its
broader aspects should be an integral part of education
in the nation’s public schools.
Dr. Bernard Iddings Bell, speaking in Trinity Church,
New York, went even further and favored State sup
port of religious schools, because “they are doing the
State's work, and doing it better than godless schools
even can.” Dr. Bell stated that the teaching of "religion
as a subject is not enough,” but that the school should
teach every subject “with a God-ward point of view.’’
Which last is in full accord with the Catholic philosophy
of education—That there is not true education unless
religion is the soul of education.
Dr. Peter Marshall, pastor of a Presbyterian Church
in Washington, D. C., remarked that "young people are
being brought up in a pagan way, and that Nature ab
hors a vacumn and unless Christian education is in
serted, pagan education will seep in, stating that church
people did not have any idea of The situation.
Catholic observers have noted in recent years the
change in the trend of public thought in regard to edu
cation, and have viewed the dissatisfaction with which
men and women of the non-Catholic world have come
to regard secular systems of education, where religion is
relegated to the background, or entirely disregarded.
American Catholics are in sympathy with the efforts
that their non-Catholic fellow-citizens are making to
remedy a situation which might easily be regarded as a
threat to the future of the nation.
Catholics still believe that the best form of education
is that which not only teaches religion and morality,
but schools in which religion is the foundation of all
education.
Of course, conditions are such that it is not .possible
that an ideal system of education may be available "to
all, but it is encouraging to see that America is coming
to grasp the need of religion in education and sense the
tragic prospect that looms if a Godless educational sys
tem is continued.
"There is often an hour when the world cannot under
stand the reason the Church gives for her position, but
there is never a time when men do not live to see her
judgment reasonable,”
Dixie Musings
It was not seen in The Sun, but it
did appear in the news service of the
National Catholic Welfare Confer
ence, under a Cleveland date line,
and even Little Virginia would say it
was so:
“Announcing that 46,320 new or
renewal subscriptions to The
Catholic Universe Bulletin were
brought in in the Ninth Annual
Students Catholic Press Crusade,
which ended here March 11, au
thorities here reveal that this fig
ure sets a new record for these
annual crusades in behalf of the
diocesan press.”
The Bulletin is not so ambitious that
it would expect a subscription cam
paign to yield 46,320 subscribers, we
would be content with 46,319, but it
would be wonderful if the students
of the Catholic schools in Georgia,
South Carolina, and North Carolina
could be enlisted in a campaign to se
cure new subscriptions to the official
organ of the Dioceses of Savannah-
Atlanta, Charleston, Raleigh, and the
Abbatia Nullius of Belmont.
Troy Agnew, owner of the Augus
ta, South Atlantic League, baseball
team, has presented each of the
priests stationed in Augusta with
season passes to the games which will
be played in Augusta during the
coming baseball season.
This courtesy has been an annual
custom with Mr. Agnew since he
acquired the Augusta baseball fran
chise several years ago.
The Bulletin would add its felici
tations to that widely circulated Ca
tholic magazine, The Catholic World,
which with its April issue marked its
seventy-fifth anniversary.
To The Catholic World, and its
able editor, the distinguished R'ev.
James M. Gillis, C. S. P., we offer
congratulations and wishes for many
more years of fruitful service.
The March 28, 1940 issue of The Cal
houn (Georgia) Times was printed on
paper green enough to delight the
heart of every Irishman.
Sure, with Thanksgiving Day com
ing one day or another and Palm
Sunday falling this year on the 17th
of March, even an editor with the
name of J. Roy McGinty could be
pardoned for thinking that March
28 was St. Patricks’ Day.
The Queen's Work has addresesd an
epen letter to Cecil deMille, Holly
wood motion picture producer, with
reference to the forthcoming produc
tion of “The Queen of Queens”, a
screen drama which will be based on
the life of the Blessed Virgin.
Relief is expressed in the letter at
the assurance given by the producer
that the stage play. "Family Por-
tarit,” which gave offense to Catho
lics, the screen rights to which Mr.
deMille had acquired, would not be
the basis for the picture. The letter
also recalled that Mr. deMille was the
producer of the silent picture, "The
King of Kings”, which treated rever
ently the life of Christ.
Attention of the producer has been
directed to the opportunity which this
picture affords to produce a picture
which should have tremendous ap
peal, while at the same time it is sug
gested that extreme care should be
taken in shaping the production to
avoid anything that might be distaste
ful.
The vast legion of theatre-going
Catholics should be interested in such
a motion picture, and should be
grateful for the effort that the Queen's
Work ;s making to insure that the
theme will be treated with^befitting
dignity-
Surely in Mary, the Mother of God,
there is a sublime story for the screen.
In her honor Gounod, Chopin. Shu-
bert, and the masters of music com
posed Ave Marias that were their
masterpieces- In her devotion the
brushes of Raphael, Rembrandt, Mu
rillo, Titian, Botticelli, and hosts of
artists have traced on canvas the ra
diance of the Madonna. The chizels of
Celline, Michael Angelo, and other re
nowned sculptors, have fashioned her
image in enduring marble. Dante, and
a long list of poets have sung her
praise.
In the-n, let us hope, there is inspir
ation that will enable the producer of
“The Queen of Queens” to bring to the
screen from the story of “this exam
ple of all womanhood, so mild, so
merciful, so strong, so good,” a film
that will be long acclaimed.
News has reached us of the death
at Ammendale, Maryland, of Broth
er F. Augustine, F. S. C„ who, for
several years was stationed at St.
Patrick's Commercial Institute in Au
gusta, when that renowned old school
was conducted by the Christian Bro
thers.
Brother Augustine taught the pri
mary grades during the years that
he was at-St. Patrick's, and although
all of those who were boys in his
classes are now grown to manhood,
none of them have ever forgotten the
beloved religious man under whom
they began their education.
For many years Brother Augustine
was in charge of the altar-boys at
St. Patrick's Church, and we do not
believe that any group in any sanc
tuary were ever better trained than
those who served the altar under
Brother Augustine’s direction. He
kept in touch with his former pupils
and until his last illness correspond
ed with quite a number of them.
Some weeks ago some one started
something by suggesting that
Thomas E. Watson memorial statue
should be moved from the grounds
i of tfcg State Capitol in Atlanta.
As was to be supposed the sugges
tion aroused opposition, and the next
thing we read was that there had
been inaugurated a movement .to
move the Capitol.
Phoenix City, Alabama, which is
just across the river from Columbus,
Georgia, where Fort Benning is lo
cated, recently received quite a bit
of unfavorable publicity in the col
umns of the daily newspapers.
The Rev. James Salwav. pastor of
St. Patrick’s Church was one of those
who came forward as spokesman for
the better element of the community
who were striving to combat the no
toriety that a vicious minority in the
town had brought upon Phoenix
City.
Father Salway’s statement, pub
lished in The Atlanta Constitution,
was this defense of Phoenix City:
"Its people are poor, but they are
good people. They worship God and
they go their own way, trying to
make their living, trying to help
those in need about them. They do
not run the honky-tonks. They do
not patronize them. Thev only tole
rate them because it cannot be help
ed. But some day it will. Some day
Phoenix City will throw them out
It is the outsiders who give Phoenix
City a bad name.”
An unusual retreat was conducted
at the Cenacle Convent. WarrensviHe,
Illinois, by the Very Rev. Robert
M. Kelley, S. J., president of Regis
College, Denver, when he gave a re
treat to a non-Catholic group.
In his column, “Along the Way”,
the Rev. Daniel A. Lord. S. J., re
cently gave bis readers the story of
an incident which readers of The
Bulletin might enjoy reading:
SUCCESSFUL SEARCH
Father McGrath, the well-known
Southern Jesuit missionary, was
talking of converts.
One of them, he said, came into
his room one evening, and we talked
of how he happened to come into the
Church.
“A crowd of us,” he explained,
“were in a Pullman smoking room
one night — talking religion. We all
aired our. views extensively, said
what we thought was religion and
the truth. And all the time an Irish
man sat in the window, pulling on a
pipe, enough to keep it lighted and
looking at us once in a while with a
gleam that seemed to say, 'You poor
fools.’ But not a word did he throw
into the conversation. Finally all of
the men left except the Irishman and
myself. I turned to him.
“ ‘Why didn’t you take part in our
conversation?’ I demanded. Reli
gion’s the most important thing in
the world.’
“ ‘I know it,' he answered. And
again I felt the look that said you
poor fool.’
"Then 1 got mad, and I said a few
things about people who looked
down on the rest of the world. He
stopped me.
" 'I know how you feel.’ he said.
‘But I don’t need to listen to men
talking about religion. I’ve got the
tiue one.' He rose Slowly, knocked
the ashes out of his pipe and said,
quietly, ‘May I ask you a few ques
tions?’ I nodded.
" Do you,’ he asked, ‘believe in
God?’
" 'Most certainly," 1 answered.
“Do you believe in Jesus Christ?’
'I do.’
“ ‘What did Jesus Christ come on
earth to do?’
‘ ‘Well, 1 said hesitatingly, I’ve
been taught to 'well, to die for us, to
teach us how to live, and to establish
His Church.’
“ ‘Ah,’ said the Irishman and he
pointed his pipe stem straight at me,
‘then find that Church.'
"With that he up and left me.
"Well, believe it or not. I couldn’t
sleep. I lay in the darkness of my
berth with the face of that Irishman
before me and ‘find that Church’
ringing in my ears. I did fall asleep
after a while, and woke to see the
same face and hear the same com
mand. It almost drove me crazy, but
in the end 1 went out to find that
Church, and I found it. So I'm a Ca
tholic today.
"But,” he grinned, "there's still one
thing 1 want to do. I want to find
that Irishman.
The Catholic Book Publishing
Company, New York, has recently
issued “The Holy Ghost Prayer
Book,” containing prayers and de
votions to the Holy Ghost, compiled
by the Rev. Frederick T. Hoeger, C.
S. Sd.
While the situation that St. Paul
found at Ephesus, that they ..had not
so much as heard whether there be
any Holy Ghost," cannot be said to
exist now, there does exist a need to
foster and extend the practice of
praying to the Third Person of the
Divine Trinity.
This new collection of prayers has
been highly commended and it is
hoped that Father Hoeger’s manual
of devotion will be in general use in
the territory served by The Bulletin.
Ever since the establishment of the
Society of Jesus by St- Ignatius of
Loyola, the Jesuits have been singled
out as victims of attack by defamers
of the Church.
But we are astonished to see in
the pages of some of our Catholic
contemporary journals the accusa
tion that the pioneer work in trans
lating and commenting on the “Say
ings of Confucius” was done by Jesuit
missionaries to the Orient in the
seventeenth century,—H. K.