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SIX THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA FEBRUARY 27, 1943 THE BULLETIN The Official Organ of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia. Incorporated. HUGH KINCHLEY, Editor 216-217 Southern Finance Building, Augusta, Ga. ASSOCIATION OFFICERS FOR 1942-1943 BERNARD J. KANE, Atlanta President MARTIN J. CALLAGHAN, Macon, 1st Vice-Pres. J. B. McCALLUM, Atlanta Secretary HUGH GRADY. Savannah Treasurer HUGH KINCHLEY, Augusta..Executive Secretary MISS CECILE FERRY, Augusta, Asst. Exec. Secty. A. M, McAULIFFE. Augusta Auditor Vol. XXIV February 27, 1943 No. 2 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 Sept. 1. 1921 Member of N C W C. News Service the Catholic Press Association of the United States, the Georgia Press Asso- ciation 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 Rev erend Abbot Ordinary of Belmont. The Conference in Atlanta O NE of the most notable gatherings held in this section in years was the recent Catholic Con ference on Industrial Problems which brought leaders in the fields of religion, education, labor and industry together in Atlanta for a discussion of present and post-war industrial and agricultural problems in the light of the Social Encyclicals of Pope Leo XIII and Pope Pius XI. Nothing that could be written for these columns in regard to the Conference would hold for the readers of The Bulletin a fraction of the interest and significance which would be held by the. ad dress on “The Challenge of the Encyclicals,” which was delivered by His Excellency the Most Reverend Gerald P. O’Hara, Bishop of Savannah-Atlanta, at the dinner meeting which closed the Conference. For the benefit of those who were not fortunate enough to be present on that occasion, Bishop O’Hara remarks are quoted in part here: “We, of the Catholic Church, have reason to be proud of those who in the providence of God have been called upon in our day to rule the Church. These saintly men, conscious of the command given to the Church to teach all nations have faithfully and with supreme courage fulfilled this sublime office. “Oue of the best known means by which the Roman Pontiffs have exercised their teaching office is the Encyclical Letter, as it is called. An En cyclical Letter means a circular letter addressed primarily to the Bishops of the world in communion with the Holy See, but they are intended for the whole world. An Encylical is issued only on occa sions of the greatest importance. Before they are given to the world their subject matter is given long and close study, not only by the Pope himself but by other experts in the particular field with which the Encyclical is concerned. Every word is weigh ed not only because the Pontiff wishes to be ab solutely certain that there is nothing in them that would be even slightly at variance with the teach ings of the Gospel and with the principles of sound logic and reason, but also because he is well aware of the fact that such a document will be subjected to intense scrutiny all over the world. Not to be forgotten is this other fact: a Pope spends long hours in prayer before he even begins to pen an Encylclical Letter, for he knows very well that without God’s help and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he will be merely writing in the persuasive words of human eloquence. When, therefore, such a document is given to the world, we can be sure that it contains the purest doctrine and the sound est reasoning. We can be sure also that it breathes the spirit of God. which is a spirit of charity that knows no limits of race or nation or group. For these and other reasons they deserve to receive the most respectful attention and study. If they point out a solution to existing evils, this solution should be applied with every assurance that the results will be universally salutary. “Since several of these Encyclicals, pAticularly those of Leo XIII and Pius XI, have dealt with some of the gravest problems in our social order, and since it has been precisely these pioblems that have engaged our attention during the past two days, I trust that it will not be out of place if I were to sum up the principle points of the Papal teaching in this respect. “The pre-occupation of the Church with social and economic problems is inspired by human inter est and a keen concern for the safeguarding of spiritual and moral values in the realm of industrial life. Wherever man enters into a situation some thing vastly superior to material issues is at stake, and it comes within the purview of religion to stress these higher aspects of life and to make sure that they are not set aside. Thus, while the im mediate purpose of industry is to produce material goods, it must at the same time contribute toward the more abundant spiritual and moral develop ment of all concerned and help man to attain to the full stature of manhood. And industry which turned out an abundance of commercial goods but in the process brought about the degradation and stunting of men would fall infinitely short of its most essential purpose. It is against an industry conducted in this manner that Pius XI pens this terrible indictment, ‘And so bodily labor, which was decreed by Providence for the good of man’s body and soul even after original sin, has every where been changed into an instrument of strange perversion: for- dead matter leaves the factory ennobled and transformed, where men are corrupt ed and degraded’, (Quadragesimo Anno.) Not things, sot goods, not wealth are central in the economic order but man is the center around which industry must revolve. The way in which an economic sys tem affects the entire well being physical, spiritual, moral, cultural of man constitutes the measure by which it must be judged. “The Church stands unflinchingly for the age- old and time-honored institution of private property, for neither the freedom of man nor his dignity can be adequately protected if private ownership is abolished. This right is deeply rooted in human nature and is in accord with man’s profoundest aspirations, but for this very reason, normally, every individual should be in possession of private property. Excessive inequalities in the possession of earthly goods deny the fundamental equality of men, rob many of the opportunities for full human development and undermine the stability of the so cial order. The concentration of wealth in the hands of a few is a menace because if confers on these few a power which is certain to be abused. Hardly anyone would venture to defend as just and socially useful the present actual distribution of property.’ A System which produces a vast propertyless class in reality frustrates ownership as far as this par ticular class is concerned. To fulfill its purpose private property must be widely diffused. Owner ship carries with it social duties and is subject to inherent limitations. It is incumbent on the state to adjust ownership to meet the needs of the public good. “Under the w’age contract, it falls to the capitalist to distribute the final product and to allot to those who have taken part in the production their re spective share. For the sake of simplicity, we designate the portion which goes to capital as di vidends and profits and the award made to labor as wages. This distribution must be governed by so cial justice. It is apparent that the claim of labor is invested with a special urgency that brooks no denial and no delay since the laborer depends for his very existence on the proper compensation for his work. The wage, being the one means of a livelihood for the laborer, is to be determined precisely with regard to this essential purpose. The formula which fully covers the matter may be ex pressed tersely in the following terms: The laborer is entitled to a living wage. This title rests on the natural law and is a basic as the right to life it self. “The living wage which is the indisputable right of the laborer and demanded by his status as a spiritual personality cannot be conceived of mere ly as sufficient to maintain his productive efficiency but must enable him to live in a fashion consonant with human dignity. It must make possible the decent support of a family, the satisfaction of spiritual and cultural needs, proper provision for old age and sickness and protection against the ordinary insecurities of life. Since, as Leo XII says, ‘it is only by the labor of workingmen that states grow rich’, it is befitting that wages reflect the general condition of prosperity prevailing in a community and that they bear a rightful proportion to the prevalent standards of living. “Most vital for the proper regulation of the capi tal-labor relation is that labor never be treated as a mere commodity to be bought at the cheapest price. Labor cannot be detached from the person of the laborer and as a consequence wages may not be determined by ruthless bargaining but must al ways take into account the needs of a human per sonality . On the other hand, it would be folly on the part of labor to demand wages that prove ruinous to an industry; such a procedure would bring distress to the workers themselves, and hard ship to the public. “Sound social theory recognizes the right of association for all legitimate purposes and the gov ernment is bound to protect this right. If denied the right to form representative unions, labor would not be in a position to give weight to its just de mands. It is only by collective bargaining that la bor can secure favorable contracts and meet the employer on a footing of equality. The fair em ployer will not refuse to deal with the responsible representatives of unionized labor, nor attempt to abridge the right of collective bargaining. “It would be wrong to forget the rights of the em ployer and to make him alone responsible for all our economic woes. After all, employers are not de void of a sense of fairness nor unaware of their so cial responsibilities. The attitude of the capitalist both toward labor and the public has undergone a change for the better. Capitalistic imperialism is passing together with the traditional economic liberalism, and the one-time economic royalist will soon be extinct. A period of teamwork between capital and labor is dawning. Both are beginning to realize that they have duties toward each other as well as to society. Industry and business see with increasing clarity that their right to existence must be predicated on service and social usefulness. “Experience has demonstrated the superiority of private enterprise. In the best interests of society, private enterprise must survive though it calls for a measure of social control and governmental regu lation. As long as we have private business there will also be competition. In itself competition is not an evil, it becomes such only when it degen erates into an unrestrained struggle for existence, unleashing the vilest instincts in the breast of man. “The Church is directly interested only in the moral aspects of economic life, but she confidently asserts, and recent experiences bear out her con tention, that the observance of the moral law is the first condition of human wellbeing. When society flouts the law, of the Creator, it heads for disaster. The economic order must be built around the cornerstone of justice if it is to enjoy stability. Economic salvation will be effected by morality and religion; all other means will prove futile and can not stave off the threatening catastrophic collapse. The remedy for our social and economic is not of a technological but of a religious nature. What our age needs is a moral renewal and a spiritual re birth; in the wake of these better days and happier times will be ushered ia.’* Dixie Musings Recently, The Pee Dee Advocate, published in Benncttsville, South Carolina, published a letter from one of its readers, which was a wonderful expression*of good will, and for the benefit of the readers of The Bulletin, the anonymous writer’s letter is quoted in its en tirety: "Sunday was much a beautiful day, that this war we are in seem ed very far away. I was spend ing the day with an old friend of mine, a short distance from my na tive Bennettsville, and as we walk ed in the God-given sunshine, our thoughts and speech turned to re ligion and the wonders of the world. “My friend is a Catholic. I, as many other Southerners, know lit tle about this religion, as it has not had a large following in this section of the country. I was very much surprised, therefore, to hear that Bennettsville was to have a new Catholic Church. We did not discuss the matter in detail, but I have been pondering and thinking about it a lot since then. "I know of only two Catholic families in our town. I realize the Airbase has a few Catholic officers and cadets, and it is for this rea son that the WPB has granted ma terial and permission for the erec tion of the church, but I wondered just how these few people, most of them non-residents, would ever be able to help financially to the extent that these plans may be car ried out. “The point I am leading up to is that we Protestants who make up the population of Bennettsville should help in any small or great way that we can. “We are all children of God, we all worship the same God, and above all, we are all Americans fighting a war to keep freedom of speech and freedom of worship as we have always had it in this country. We ara a united people with no room for narrow thoughts or intolerant attitudes. These are the very things that started the war in Europe. “A more selfish outlook is that this new edifice will beautify our town, and we will, all be justly proud of it. “Let us think about these facts a little bit, and no matter how small our remittance to this cause is, remember that anything given to God is returned to us a hundred fold. “I would- like to sign my name to this, because then I am sure that what I have said., would be listened to more readily by the readers of your paper. I feel, however, that this would limit the number of people that my thoughts would affect, as the mem bers of my own church would be likely to take my advice and mem bers of other sects ignore it. In this way I feel that I have gener alized enough to reach more peo ple. I have been a constant read er of The Pee Dee Advocate, and I thought you may find a place for this short article. Thank you very much. “READER.” Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Sul livan of Waterloo, Iowa, whose five sons were reported lost when the cruiser Juneau was sunk in the Solomon Islands area last November, occupied a front pew at Solemn Mass in New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral two Sun days ago, and were greeted from the pulpit by the Very Rev. Msgr. Joseph F. Flannery, ad ministrator, as “an inspiration to the entire nation.” “Millions of married persons in America should be inspired by the example of this man and woman,” he said. “Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan have son-owed, it is true. But through their tears they have looked to God. I have welcomed kings and queens and premiers to this church but no one has been more welcome here than Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan.” The Most Rev. Francis J. Spell man, Archbishop of New York, received Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan after the Mass. He presented them with a rosary and a silver medal which had come to him from Pope Pius XII. This is, as I have nicknamed it, ■“a small world, after ail.” Some days ago, Sergeant Patrick Mclnnes, of the United States Army, who is stationed presently at Camp Gordon, in Augusta, entered St. Patrick's Church here, and found in the vestibule of the church, Father Angel Pengson, who came to Augusta a short while ago to serve as assistant pastor to Father Leo Keenan, the pastor of St. Patrick’s. As he paused to exchange a word of greeting with the priest in the vestibule, Sergeant Mclnnes thought that there was something familiar about Father Pangson’s appearance. A gleam of recogni tion appeared also in Father Peng- son’s eyes, as he said: “It seems to me that I have met you before, somewhere.” It did not take long for them to discover that they had become acquainted some years ago, in the Philippines, before Father Peng son had been ordained, and when Sergeant Mclnnes was stationed at Manila with the Army, in which he had enlisted in 1932. Father Pengson is one of the young Filipino priests who were studying in Rome when the war broke out, and who was given refuge in the Diocese of Savannah- Atlanta by Bishop O’Hara, when he had to leave Italy and found it impossible ot return to his home land. An Associated Press dispatch, published in The Atlanta Jour nal, relates that Albert Penny, a British petty officer, who escaped from an Italian prison camp, took refuge in Vatican City, where he had an audience with His Holiness Pope Pius XII and was allowed to go about Vatican City as he liked during the three months of his internment. Penny, who -vas repatriated as a result of Vatican negotiations for his exchange for an Italian prisoner of equal rank, said he “saw the Pope in the small throne room for a few minutes. “Hs asked me about my wife and family and whether I was pleased to be going home. He gave hri_ blessing to my wife and my self and presented me with a ros ary, with a silver crucifix for each of us, and a photograph of him self.” Richard Reid, former editor of The Bulletin, recently addressed j a young people’s conference at the First Presbyterian Church in New Rochelle, N. Y. His subject wai Catholic Teaching and Practice, and the address was followed by a question and answer period. Two new- pamphlets, issued by St. Anthony Guild Press, Paterson, New Jersey, are well worthy of notice. One of them, “Teaching Honesty in the Home”, is the fourth in the new “Parent-Edu cator’’ series. This is priced at twenty cents, plus postage. The other pamphlet, priced at only five cents, is “The Last Sup per Party Every Day,” an essay on the Mass, by the Rev. Valentine Long, O. F. M. For the third time, in more than one hundred years of its history, the Hibernian Society of Charles ton will not hold its customary banquet on St. Patrick’s Day this year. Santo Sottile, chairman of the managing committee, has announc ed that the members have decided to dispense with some of the ceie- tjlNition in connection with the 142nd annual meeting of the So ciety because of food shortages and rationing restrictions. The usual business meeting will be held at noon on March 17, and later in the day there will be a cocktail party and a buffet supper. The annual election of officers will be held at the noon session, and James A. McAlister has been nominated to succeed J. Sinclair Smith as president. Other nomin ations are: C. Fletcher Carter, Sr., vice president; Jack J. Scott, treas urer; Gerald P. Carter, secretary, and Joseph P. Riley, chairman of the managing committee. —H. K.