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ETCOT THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA SEPTEMBER 28, 1940 THE BULLETIN The Official Organ of the Catholic LaymenV Association of Georgia ; HUGH KINCHLEY, Editor 216-217 Southern Finance Building Augusta. Georgia Subscription Price 52.00 Per Year . Association officers for 1939-1940 DR. J. REID BRODERICK. Savannah President BERNARD J. KANE, ntlanta 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 Vol XXI.September 28, 1940 No. 9 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 1 1921 Member of N. C. W C. News Service the Catholic Press Association of the United States, the Georgia Press Ascpeiaf'on and the National Editorial Association. Published monthly by the Publicity Department with the Approbation of the Most Reverend Bishops of Raleigh. Charleston, and Savannah-Atlanta. and of the Right Reverend Abbot Ordinary of p elmont. 1540-1940 F UR HUNDRED years ago, Hernando de Soto and his band of six hundred men were making their hazardous way from Florida through Georgia on that expedition that led to its leader's grave in the waters . of the Mississippi. The explorers came northward through Georgia, ar riving at what is now Silver Bluff, a few miles below the present site of Augusta. Here priests with the expedition offered the Sacrifice of the Mass, and that first recorded celebration of Mass near Augusta is now being fittingly commemorated by the Catholics of Augusta. Four hundred years ago, when Martin Luther was still alive, and Henry VIII ruled England, a party of Spanish Catholic explorers gathered on the bank of the Savan nah River, near Augusta, to assist at the Sacrifice of the Mass, offered by one of the twelve priests who ac companied the expedition. Too long perhaps have the people of Georgia been con tent to date their history from the coming of Oglethorpe and neglect the story of the Spanish occupation and mis sionary effort that began two hundred years before. Abundant space was given in Georgia’s history to the doings of the English colonists, but until recent years scarcely any mention was made of the Spanish settlers in Georgia, California remembered the “parades" better, due to the fact thqt Spanish civilization there did not suffer the unfortunate fate which befell the Spanish settle ments along the Atlantic coast. Research is now revealing that the Spanish settlements and missions, in this section, as well as in the West, have a primary and most influential share in the eco nomic and cultural aspects of our present American civi_ lization. Planted in the soil of Georgia the Spaniards have left a record. The peach, of which Georgia is so proud, figs, and the great orchards of citrus fruits, which are the fame of Florida, are a part of our inheritance from the Spaniards. Beneath the fertile soil of Georgia they planted our sugar-cane. The permanency of the Span ish influence is made clear when we find ourselves con sidering as “native" agricultural products that were brought here by the Spaniards. It was the mission that was the source of instruction, not only in Faith, but in the knowledge of how to gain from nature more plentiful and more varied harvests. In the cattle industry', in horticulture, in the Southern economy where cotton was so long king, in the tribal and inter-tribal economy of the Indians, and in other tmmentioned fields, the Spanish, Catholic, influence has never been lost in this country. While the Spanish settlers and missionary priests Withdrew from this section with the coming of the Eng lish. and the history of Catholicity in Augusta does not go back in an unbroken line to the Mass offered in the wilderness by a priest in the company of De Soto, the Catholics of Augusta feel that it is fitting to recall and commemorate that four hundred years ago members of their Faith were uniting in worship here. THE CONVENTION IN SAVANNAH O N OCTOBER 27, the twenty-fifth "annual convention of the Catholic Laymen's Association of Georgia will be held in Savannah. This convention will be honored with the presence of His Excellency the Most Reverend Amleto Giovanni Ciecgnani. Apostolic Delegate to the United States, w»ho has accepted the invitation extended by our Most Rev erend Bishop. Every member of the Catholic Laymen's Association of Georgia should now make a firm resolve to attend, not only the convention Mass, and the business sessions, which will be held on Sunday, October 27. but the re ception which will be tendered the Apostolic Delegate on the previous evening. Every parish and every parish organization should appoint delegates promptly, and those who are not rep resentatives of any parish or organization should also plan to attend this Silver Jubilee Convention, which will undoubtedly inspire the laity of Georgia to render in the future an even greater service to their Church and State and Nation, than they have in the quarter of a century of glorious achievement that had gone before. THE CHRISTIAN INDEX AGAIN A FTER some w'eeks in which it refrained from cast ing any reflections upon Catholics or things Cath olic, The Christian Index came forth in its issue of Sep tember 12, 1940, with an editorial entitled “Pius XII, The Great Straddler.” The excuses *,4iich The Christian Index gives for this recent blast jre reports which it claims indicate that Pope Pius VII is first on one side and then on the other in the wars which have been ravaging Europe and Afri ca for the past three years; particularly reports that a concordat is being written between the Petain govern ment and the Vatican, and that, because they think England will lose, Pope Pius XII and his Bishops in Germany favor Hitler. The writer of the editorial also bases his charge of straddling on the very reliable source of “a story told long ago by a Mississippi politician.” It would hardly satisfy the editor of The Christian Index to state that the Vatican City correspondent of the National Catholic Welfare Conference News Service has just issued a statement that reports that negotiations are under way for a Concordat between the Holy See and the French Government at Vichy are denied at the Vatican, nor that reports that the German Bishops, at Fulda meeting just held, adopted a “solemn pledge of loyalty to Adolf Hitler” and gave expressions of “grati tude to the German army are definitely tc be regarded as spurious, and that these reports, given to the general press from the official Nazi news agency have been spread for obvious reasons-by interested parties. Or further, that the correspondent of the NCWC in Geneva declared that it had been learned reliably that the Holy Father addressed to the meeting of the German Bishops a letter the tenor of which precluded entirely any sitch resolution as the story emanating from the DNB in timated has been passed. The Christian Index went on to state that in the social upheavals for a thousand years, the Roman Church had waited for the end and jumped on the largest piece. We wonder if it did in nineteen hundred years. Rome of the Caesars was great and mighty, but the infant Church was not on the side of Imperial Rome. Constantine came from the East—the Church did not jump to Constantine, but Constantine jumped to the Church, because it was beneath her Banner of the Cross that he could conquer. Down from the north swept the army of Attila, the Hun. History tells that Pope Leo withstood him at the gates of Rome, it does not tell that the Church was on his side, powerful and mighty though it was. From the South came the curved blade of Mohammed, tremendous in its force, to over-run the continent of Europe. Was the Church then on the side of the conquering Saracen. Coming down the centuries we see to the west of Rome, Napoleon in all his glory. And we see Pope Pitts VII, not lending the spiritual power of the Church to the military might of the Emperor, but, in the face of threats, refusing to yield to Napoleon's demand that the Church dissolve the marriage of Jerome Bonaparte and his American Protestant wife. A hundred years ago the Protestant Lord Macauley wrote of the Catholic Church that she had seen the commencements of all the governments, and of all the ecclesiastical establishments that then existed in the world, and that he felt no assurance that she was not destined to see the end of them all. Why w-ould the Church be concerned with being on the side of this government or that, when time would .see her still in undiminished vigor when earthly king doms were but memories? Also the editorial states that when Mussolini became the most powerful man in Italy, the Hierarchy which had been against him, was responsible for the Vatican's signing the Lateran Treaty, in exchange for the good will of II Duce. If the editor of The Christian Index had given more easeful study to the terms of the Lateran Treaty he might have been given the idea that it was prompted more from Mussolini's desire to gain the good will of the Vatican that a wish on the part of the Vatican to become established to the good graces of the Italian dictator. As the common father of all Christendom, and through charity toward his children in nations on both sides of the conflict now raging, the Holy Father has been, striving to maintain an attitude of neutrality, while un ceasingly striving for a just and charitable peace, which would be the only peace that would endure, as the world should now be learning. And though he has endeavored to pursue a policy of neutrality, Pope Pius XII did not refrain from a con demnation of the Nazi invasion of Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg, nor from expressing to the Protestant ruler of Holland a wish for ''the restoration of justice and liberty.” "v In an hour when our government considers Jt neces sary to conscript the man-power, and if need be,the in dustry of the nation, as a measure of defense, any effort to arouse in any group of our people a suspicion of other groups, or east reflections upon one to whom they render spiritual allegiance, cannot but give comfort to enemies of the United States, within and without her borders. In a day when the forces of irreligion are rampant in the world, those who hold to any form of religion should seek to weld a united front against a common foe, rath er than look in unconfirmed press reports for reasons to offend those who differ from them in belief. We do not believe that the Baptist people of Georgia find pleasure in seeking their organ giving comfort to Communist and Nazi by following their example in attacking the Catholic Gbupwb, m its visible bead. Dixie Musings On the day after the August issue of The Bulletin went to press, its editor, with Robert Parks, Editor of The Augusta Chronicle, left for Ma con where the Georgia Press Asso ciation was holding the opening ses sions of its 1940 convention. It was the first convention of till Georgia Press Association which the present editor of The Bulletin had attended, and it proved to be a most delightfully profitable and enjoyable occasion. Attendance at the convention was profitable, not only because it afford ed opportunity to hear illuminating talks by able speakers upon a variety of topics of interest to those en gaged in the work of editing and publishing a newspaper, but because it brought an opportunity to become acquainted with so many of the splendid people who represented the daily and weekly newspapers of our State. The editor of The Bulletin was most cordially greeted and warmly welcomed, and on all sides heard ex pressions which testified to the high esteem in which our predecessor, Richard Reid, had been held by the members of the Georgia Press Asso ciation. In Macon the convention sessions were held at Mercer University where rooms in the Roberts Me morial Dormitory were at the dis posal of the editors, and where they were guests of the University at breakfast. During the stay in Macoq. the edi tors were entertained by the City cf Macon and the Macon Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon, and later with a reception at the home of Mr. W. T. Anderson, of The Macon Tele graph, who also was host at a dinner which featured those delicious Geor gia “Banner Hams,” of which Mr. .Anderson can well boast with pride. Some of the most enjoyable hours c. the convention were spent en route from Macon to Savannah. The entire convention party making the trip on a special train of air-condi tioned coaches, as the guests of the Central of Georgia Railway. W. W. Hackett, district passenger agent of the Central, at Macon, went along, and supervised the serving of lunch and other refreshments. Arriving at Savannah a fleet of au tomobiles met the train, and their owners, employes of the railroad, and the Savannah newspapers, drove the editors to the De Soto Hotel, conven tion headquarters in Savannah. On Friday evening Mr. Herschel Jenkins publisher of The Savannah Morning News and Savannah Even ing Press, graciously welcomed the representatives of the Fourth Es tate with a sea-food dinner at the De Soto Hotel. As it was, as we said, Friday evening, Editor Kirk Sutlive, of The Bluckshear Times, and the editor of The Bulletin, were very glad that their genial and gracious host had been thoughtful enough to provide a bountiful repast which included no flesh meat. This affair also brought oppor tunity to renew acquaintance with, the Honorable Thomas Gamble, Sa vannah's popular mayor. Gharles G. Day, manager of the De Soto Hotel had arranged for a wonderful outing on Saturday after noon and evening at the new DeSoto Beach Club, at Savannah Beach. The editors would have voted it a per fect party, but for one thing, Mr. Day. because of illness, could not be on hand to greet his guests. Already the editor of The Bulle tin is looking forward to befng with the newspapermen at the Press Insti tute in Athens this winter, and un til then will find pleasure in recall ing the Georgia Press Association Convention of 1940. Worthy of imitation is the practice of the Fort Pitt General Assembly, Fourth Degree Knights of Colum bus, of Pittsburgh, which for the past twenty-three years has given a ciborium as a memorial to each de ceased member. Up to the present 164 ciboria have been placed, many of them with missions, through the Catholic Church Extension Society, and others in parishes in nearly every one of the United States, as well as in Puerto Rico. Africa, the Philippines, and on vesssl of the U. S. Navy. Some weeks ago there appeared in Collier’s an editorial which related that three men in New York had gothered at a bar one evening, and after two rounds of beverages had been served, the third member of the group insisted that it was his duty to buy a third round of drinks, though none of the three desired more liquid refreshment. The bartender suggested: “If you really don't want the drinks, why not give them to the Red Cross”, which gave the men an idea that each of them would deny himself, .each day. something that he did not need, and that would cost a quarter, and set aside that amount for relief work. The original “Daily Bread” Club has been expanded, and if all mem bers live up to their pledges they would be giving about $3,000 a year to furnish food to some of the many people on the earth who are facing a winter of hunger and privation. Maybe, they have something there. In the column which was devoted to The Society of the Propagation of the Faith, in the July issue of The Bulletin, was a story which told that at the Jesuit College in Baghdad it cost twenty-seven cents a day to feed each of the American missionary priests who served that mission. Those who indulge in beverages which cost in the neighborhood*of that amount might find inspiration in the action of the “Daily Bread” Club, and by doing with one less Martini or Zombie a day. could set aside a sum that would feed devoted priests in the foreign missionary service- And they might at the same time practice the virtue of temperance. To the Diocese of St. Augustine, the oldest parish in the United States, and to the City of St. Augustir the country’s oldest city, The Bulletin extends congratulations upon the 375th anniversary of their foundation, which was observed earlier this month. It wds with sincere regret that the editor of The Bulletin declined an invitation to attend the celebration, which from all accounts was one of the most brilliant and inspiring in the history of the Church in this country. Ralph McGill, executive editor of The Atlanta Constitution, in his column “One Word More”, which is a feature of the editorial page of The Constitution, said recently: “The at titude of the Catholic Church, in opposing birth control, that the real job should be to make it possible for parents to have children and to educate them, instead of preventing them, has much merit.” “Barbed Wire Entanglements”, a r-ew book by Major General Paul B. Malone. United States Army (retired) has just been issued by Stackpole Sons, its publishers. General Malone is well-known in Georgia, where he was at one time in command of Fort Benning. While stationed in Georgia, he became in terested in the work of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia, and delivered an address at the 1928 con- veniion, held in Augusta. He has also spoken before groups of Catholic laymen in Atlanta, Savannah and Columbus. * Unsuccessful efforts were made to arrange for a radio broadcast of the Pontifieial Mass which will be cele brated at St. Patrick’s Church in Au- guseta in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the first Mass said near the city. Paul D. Williams, executive secre tary of the Catholic Conference of the South, of Richmond, Virginia, had consented to handle the broad cast from the church.. Mr. Williams was in charge of the broadcast of he Mass at the N. C. C. W. conference in Birmingham this year, and has often acted in that capacity, giving an explanation of the services that adds greatly to the attractiveness of the broadcast. Ray Ringson, manager of Station WRDW in Augusta was most coop erative, as was the Rev. E. C. Sheri dan, of the Curtis Baptist Churi'h, whose Radio Bible Class has for ten years been broadcast through the Augusta station each Sunday, at the hour set for the anniversary Mass. Dr. Sheridan called a special meet ing of the directors of the Bible Class to consider the yielding of their time which conflicted with the hour of the Mass. But when it was dis closed that the class had arranged a special program for that Sunday, which would feature an address by a native Chinese minister, who was coming from some distance for a schedule address to the class, efforts to arrange for the broadcast of the Mass were abandoned. The Catholic Virginian, for Sep tember, pays editorial tribute to Right Reverend Monsignor Michael A- Irwin, a native Virginian, who was formally invested as a Domestic Pre late -by the Most Reverend Eugene J- McGuinness, Bishop of Raleigh, this week. “Monsignor Irwin’s career in the priesthood , says the editorial, “is an integral and important part of the history of the Church in his adopted State. His youth of spirit, his quick ness of mind, belie the long, arduous years he has spent in the sacred ministry as a missionary priest, but the results of his labors would do credit to a much longer term of en deavor. He himself would ascribe— and properly ascribe—his success first to the help of God and second, under God, to the good will, generosity and self-sacrifice of his people. How ever, it should be remembered that all through the years of his ministry he has exhibited precisely the qual ity of zeal and charity and selfless devotion to Christ’s cause which is obst calculated to draw down God’s blessing and to win men’s hands and hearts.” A press release issued by Paul L. Byrley, Manager of the Social Se curity Field Office in Augusta con tains the story of an aged Negro who approached the desk of a social se curity field office in Georgia. He gave his name as Henry Defirst Johnson, or approximately that. He had accumulated coverage under the old-age benefit plan and wranted to file a claim. He said he was 77 years old. As usual, the manager asked for proof of his age. Of course, he had no birth certificate, there was no family Bible or church record. Henry had none of the standard proofs, but he said he knew how old he was, and that his middle name proved it. He was named Defirst because he was bom on “de first” day after President Lincoln had freed the slaves. Henry Defirst’s claim was ap proved. H. K.