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SEPTEMBER 27, 1947
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
FIVE
WITH OTHER EDITORS
It was by a unanimous decision
of the Supreme Court in 1925, in
the famous Oregon School Case
that the Court stated: “The funda
mental theory of liberty upon
which all governments in this
Union repose excludes any gen
eral power of the State to stand
ardize its children by forcing them
to accept instruction from public
teachers only. The child is not
the mere creature of the State;
those who mature him and direct
his destiny have the right coupled
with the high duty to recognize
and prepare him for additional
duties.” Influenced by the po
litical pressure of certain bigoted
groups, the State of Oregon had
passed a law requiring all children
to attend the schools supported
by the State. Catholic parents,
along with parents of other re
ligious beliefs protested that such
a law violated their constitutional
rights, and when the case came
before the highest court in the
land the law was declared uncon
stitutional.
The language of this decision
was so clear and forceful that it
was thought the issue would never
be brought forward again. But
the professors have dragged it out
once more. This time they em
phasize the danger of union of
Church and State, and they twist
and distort facts, and so falsely
interpret the Constitution to suit
their own purposes, that they have
won many of the unwary over to
their way of thinking.
There seem to be three founda
tions for their thinking, and they
stand condemned on all three
scores. First, they have entirely
false conceptions of what Catholic
schools are, their aims and how
they operate; but, as supposedly
intelligent persons, they should
have familiarized themselves with
every phase of Catholic education
before they proceed to attack it.
Secondly, they have taken their-
present stand out of bigotry. They
do not like the Church, and they
do not like the flourishing condi
tion of Catholic education in
America today. If bigotry is the
driving force behind their present
campaign they should be thorough
ly ashamed of themselves for such
a foul and un-American stand.
Thirdly, perhaps unwittingly, they
favor a totalitarian setup for
American education, with the
State having complete and un
questioned control. Have they for
gotten what Hitler and Stalin did
to education in their countries?
The same thing can happen here.
Nevertheless, the campaign goes
on. The National Educational
Association (NEA) through some
of its spokesmen has been spear
heading the attack. Not long ago
at a meeting in Atlantic City, Dr,
John L. Childs, of Teachers’ Col
lege, Columbia University, went
far out of his way, even to the
extent of a breech of good man
ners to use the meeting as a j
sounding board for his un-Ameri
can ideas. To the credit of the
convention, it must be said that
a non-Catholic, teaching in a
private school, challenged Dr.
Childs and his totalitarian notions.
His attack unquestionably was
upon Catholic schools, and he al
lowed his tongue to reach beyond
true facts, and his temper to out
run decorum and right reason.
More recently, Dr. Childs and
Dr. George S. Counts, also of Co
lumbia University, carried their
attack to the Boston convention of
the American Federation of Teach
ers that the AFT—and particular
ly Matthew Woll of the American
Federation of Labor, with which
AFT is affiliated—made a bad
mistake in opposing a Federal aid
bill that discriminated against
Catholic schools and In favoring a
bill that did not discriminate.
Dr. Childs made another of his
intemporate speeches. He is re
ported to have said; “Although
our country is deeply committed
to a common system of public
schools open to all on equal terms,
we have nevertheless permitted
certain private groups to organize
schools for the education of their
children, particularly where the
matters of religious belief and
conscious have prompted some to
desire these special schools.” Note
the arrogance of his statement:
“We have permitted ...” In At
lantic City, Dr. Childs showed
himself pitifully ignorant of
American history when he claim
ed that public schools ante-dated
our private and religious schools.
In Boston, with his statement
above, he showed himself equally
ignorant of our American tradition
of freedom of education.
This is the latest broadside
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BAD TIMING
At least the beheading of a
priest by a Yugoslav mob must
have been a spontaneous and un
rehearsed act of savagery. It is
hard to imagine that Marshal Tito
and his boys would have permit
ted such an embarrassing incident
so soon after a group of Ameri
can clergymen had happily as
sured their countrymen that com
plete freedom of religion is being
enjoyed in the communized Bal
kans.—(The Augusta Herald).
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“ALL IS FORGIVEN”, says Mrs. Frank Bamford to her el4ven-
year-old daughter Rita after learning she had called Vatican City
to talk to the Holy Father, running up the phone bill $35.60 worth,
while mother was out shopping. Rita heard the Roman singers over
the local radio and wanted to express her thanks. Pope Pius XII
was busy at Castelgandolfo, so Rita talked with Monsignor Walter
S. Carroll, Pittsburgh priest attached to the Papal Secretariate of
State, who promised to relay her message. Rita is a member ot
St. Charles parish, North Hollywood, California.—(Photo—Courtesy
of The Tidings. NC Photos). /
Established 186!)
CENTRAL GARDEN FLORIST
PHONE 3-4464
WALT0N WAY AT HEARD
Augusta. Georgia
FREEDOM OF EDUCATION
On a half-dozen fronts and in
varied disguises there has long
been nurtured in educational cir
cles in this country a vicious sort
of propaganda against Catholic
schools. Sometimes it has been
furthered in subtle ways, but more
recently it has been pushed to
the forefront without any attempt
to cloak itself in honeyed terms.
Emboldened, perhaps, by the cur
rent rise of anti-Catholic bigotry,
the proponents of this propaganda
are using every opportunity to sell
the public the idea that the only
schools that should be permitted
to exist in this country are the
public schools.
Caring little for the historic fact
that private schools under re
ligious auspices were first on the
American scene, and that public
schools as we know them today
are comparative newcomers, these
un-American educators have even
less regard for the Constitution
of the United States and its in
terpretation by the Supreme Court
of this country with regard to free
dom of education in America.
K. of C. in Augusta
Sponsor Essay Contest
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Under aus
pices of its Catholic Activity Com
mittee, Patrick Walsh Council,
Knights of Columbus, is sponsor
ing an essay contest and offering
cash prizes to the students of the
local Catholic schools who submit
the best essays on the subject,
“Columbus, the Man and His
Mission.”
J. P. Price, chairman of the
committee, has announced that
there will be awards of $5 for the
best essay submitted by a student
of Boys’ Catholic High School; $5
for the best essay from a high
school student at Mount St. Jos
eph Academy; $5 for the best es
say submitted by a student in the
grammar grades at Boys’ Catholic
High School, Mount St. Joseph's,
or the Sacred Heart School, and
$5 for the best essay written by a
student at the Immaculate Con
ception School.
Essays of high school students
must not be of less than 500 words,
those of grammar grade students
not less than 300 words. Contes
tants are required to give their
names, schools and grades. All
essays must be in the hands of the
principals of the schools by Octo
ber 1.
THE RECENT BESTOWAL of
the Grand Cross of the Order of
St. Olaf upon Sigrid Undsct, re
nowned Catholic author of histori
cal novels and Nobel prize winner,
by King Haakon VII of Norway,
marked the first time in its 10(1
year history that Norway’s princi
pal order has been conferred upon
a woman not of royal blood.
against our Catholic schools. Nor
is it just an isolated instance. Th'*
dangerous sort of un-American
propaganda needs to be met head-
on and the sooner the better. Such
ignorance, or bigotry, should have
no place in our American demo
cratic life.—(The Catholic Stand
ard and Times.)
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