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AUGUST 21, 1954.
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
THIRTEEN
BOOK REVIEWS
EDITED BY EILEEN HALL
This Book Page is confided
each month to the patronage of
Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces,
with the hope that every read
er and every contributor may
be specially favored by her
and her Divine Son.
A TREASURY OF CATHOLIC
THINKING, compiled and edit
ed by Ralph L. Woods, (Crowell)
$5.00.
(Reviewed by Leo S. Reteneller,
Jr.)
Whoever selected the title for
this work really hit the proverb
ial nail on the head. It is truly a
treasury not only because it con
cisely, yet forcefully, presents the
Catholic viewpoint on many of
the problems spiritual, social, and
material that confront the world
today, but also because of the
excellent cross-secion of Catho
lic scholars represented.
St. Ignatius of Antioch, who
was consecrated a bishop by St.
Peter, Saints Augustine and
Thomas Acquinas, the two, great
est intellects of the Church, many
Popes including Pius XII and St.
Pius X, and such noted contem
poraries as Bishop Fulton J.
Sheen, Jacques Mari tain and
Hilaire Belloc are but a few of
the 130 outstanding children of
Holy Mother Church whose
teachings and writings make up
this most admirable book.
The writers have thought and
presented here an unbroken
thread of Catholic principle and
philosophy as applied to such
subjects as God, tolerance, de
mocracy, labor and capital, edu
cation, Papal Infallability, con
science and Communism. The
reader will also think as he pe
ruses this volume which whis
pers, as it were, a quiet chal
lenge to him? Until you read me,
you won’t know how really little
you know about the Church.
THE LAST OF THE FATHERS,
by Thomas Merton, (Harcourt,
Brace), $3.50.
(Reviewed by Leo J. Zuber)
This is at least Merton’s ninth
prose volume, a quick appraisal
would seem to place it easily
among the better products of his
pen. It gives every evidence of
having been a joy and a pleasure
for him to write. If so, small won
der. St. Bernard, the very foun
der of the Cistercian order—and
Merton is by all odds its most
publicized member today—is his
subject. Morover, the author is
not likely ever to have a more
renowned co-author than he has
in this instance; he shares the
volume with Pius XII whose en
cyclical is the concluding section.
The occasion for this book is
the fact that 800 years ago (1153)
St. Bernard returned to the
Creator Whose Name he so rev
ered. In commemoration of the
centenary, Pius XII issued (May
24, 1953) his encyclical on St.
Bernard, “Doctor Mellifluus.” The
first thre parts of the volume, a
biography of the saint followed
by notes on his writings and on
the encyclical, and introductory
to the fourth, the encyclical itself.
The latter appears in full and in
facile English translation.
In no part is the treatment ex
haustive. For every word, the
reader becomes convinced that a
thousand more could be written.
The biography seems to indicate
that that has already been done.
St. Bernard’s talents seem to
have been supernatural to begin
with; then God bestowed truly
extraordinary graces on him.
Withal, he remained a man of ut
most humility, of deep dedication.
He led an active life; but he ad
vocated action nourished on a
deep interior life. He taught “The
reason for loving God is God.”
What other type of individual
could ever have founded the Cis
tercians?
In his teaching of the mystical
marriage of the soul with God,
Bernard achieved the highest
development of his thought. He
showed self-complacency to be
the opposite of sanctity. To his
Cistercian sons the bequeathed
charity, theirs to observe and to
keep alive in a world that other
wise knows precious little char
ity. He taught that man, inspired
by divine charity, can practice
any other virtue with ease.
Honey On His Lips
Bernard’s great strength was
his weakness^ He had neither
means nor resources; yet he
moved mountains. How? By com
plete confidence in Jesus and
Mary. He bore Their standards
throughout his life. Their names
were honey on his lips.
It is noteworthy that, in the
encyclical, His Holiness even calls
specific attention to Bernard’s
style of writing. He calls it
“animated, rich, smooth, arid
characterized by vivid language.”
“It attracts, delights, and raises
COMPLIMENTS
OF
OtlRUlHB T. BYRD
COMPLIMENTS
OF
M. 1. (Mugsy) SMITH
BEST WISHES
GUY 0. STONE
to heavenly things the mind of
the reader.”
The text proper of this timely
volume occupies fewer than 100
pages. The book is attractive in
format; its typography is in su
perior taste. There are footnotes
and a bibliography. There are no
illustrations, but the dustwrapper
has a sketch of dubious merit.
Again, it is a source of pleasure
and of satisfaction to note the
name of Father M. Paul Bourne,
of Georgia’s Our Lady of the
Holy Ghost, cited as one of the
volume’s readers prior to its pub
lication.
NEW BOOKS RECEIVED
GRAIL BOOKLETS: THE
GOOD TREE, by John Fearon,
O. P., 25c; LOVE LETTER, by
John M. Scott, S. J., 10c.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
COLOR BOOK, text by Mary Fa-
byan Windeatt, illustrated by
Gedge Harmon, (Grail), 25c.
CATHERINE OF SIENA, by
Si grid Undset, translated by Kate
Austin-Lund, (Sheed & Ward),
$3.50.
SAVAGE PAPUA, a Mission
ary Among Cannibals, by Andre
Dupeyrat, translated from the
French by Erik and Denyse De
Mauny, (Dutton), $3.75.
THE WAY TO CREATIVE
WRITING, by Austin J. App,
(Bruce), $3.00.
PIO NONO, by E. E. Y. Hales,
(Kenedy), $4.00.
THE JOYS, SORROWS AND
GLORIES OF THE ROSARY.
by Raphael Grashoff, C. P.
(Grail), $1.Q0.
OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE
COLOR BOOK, text by Mary
Fabyan Windeatt, illustrations by
Gedge Harmon, (Grail), 25c.
OUR LADY OF POMTMAIM
COLOR BOOK, text by Mary
Fabyan Windeatt, illustrations by
Gedge Harmon, (Grail), 25c.
RUSSELL & TURNER
Wm. Oliver Bldg.,
ATLANTA, GA.
Father William S. Ferree, rector
of the Catholic University of
Puerto Rico, has departed to fill a
series of speaking engagements in
the United States and Canada.
Father Ferree - will address a re
ligious congregation in Minneap
olis, Minn., then go to Canada for
a series of talks on philosophy,
sociology and religion. He will re
turn here to the university on
September 7.
G r e e t i n s s
James H. Aldridge
immussiioner
Fulton County
CONGRATULATIONS TO
“Christ the king school
M. T. LAMBERT
LAMBERT CONSTRUCTION
ATLANTA. GEORGIA
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