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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
SEPTEMBER 4, 1954.
Sip Bulletin
The Official Organ of the Catholic Laymen’s
Association of Georgia, Incorporated
JOHN MARKWALTER, Editor
416 Eighth Street, Augusta, Ga.
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS FOR 1953-1954
J. P. MEYER, Columbus President
MARTIN J. CALLAGHAN, K. S. G., Macon -
E. M. HE AG ARTY, Way cross Honorary Vice-Presidents
HARVY HILL, Atlanta -
MRS. L. E. MOCK, Albany Vice-Presidents
DAMON J. SWANN, Atlanta _____ V. P., Publicity
GEORGE GINGELL, Columbus V. P., Activities
RAWSON HAVERTY, Atlanta V. P„ Membership
JOHN M. BRENNAN, Savannah Secretary
WILLIAM Q. EGAN, Atlanta Treasurer
JOHN MARKWALTER, Augusta Executive Secretary
MISS CECILE FERRY, Augusta Financial Secretary
ALVIN M. McAULIFFE, Augusta Auditor
VOL. XXXV
SEPTEMBER 4, 1954
No. 9
Entered as second class matter at the Post Office, Monroe, Georgia,
and accepted for mailing at special rate of postage provided by para
graph (e) of section 34.40, Postal Laws and Regulations.
Member of N. C. W. C. News Service, Religious News Service, the
Catholic Press Association of the United States, the Georgia Press
Association, and the National Editorial Association.
Published fortnightly by the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Geor
gia, Inc., with the Approbation of the Most Reverend Archbishop-
Bishop of Savannah-Atlanta, and of the Right Reverend Abbot
Ordinary of Belmont.
A Losing Battle?
“A losing battle.” These words are never encouraging!
They could never be used in a more disheartening manner,
than they were by James H. Bobo, Memphis attorney, serving
as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Juvenile
Delinquency.
Mr. Bobo was quoted as saying that our nation is fight
ing “a losing battle” against immoral publications. Here are
a few figures which are causing much blinking of eyes and
worry across our country. Traffic in pronography has now
really gone big business, to the tune of $300-million a year.
Approximately 100 million comic books are published every
month, yes, every month. One quarter of these are in the
“horror-crime” class. One hundred fifty people are responsible
for the publication of these comics and about 70 of these
are associated with horror comics.
Last month a news dispatch brings this news: “Legisla
tion designed to curb the distribution of obscene literature
through the mails appears to be a casualty of the Congres
sional adjournment rush.” The story went on to state that
this is the second consecutive Congress in which such legisla
tion has failed to be enacted. It seems that our Congress,
through their apathy, are also contributing to “our losing
battle.”
Although it may seem to some to be a losing one, the
battle has only begun, as time will surely prove. Here in
Georgia we have fighters! We have the group at Brunswick
who are doing much to combat this evil. One need only pick
up the last issue of THE ADVERTISER, Atlanta Weekly, to
see the spark of leadership, which must be fanned if we are
to prevent the complete corruption of our young people.
The paper tells of a Dr. W. B. Toran, proprietor of Toran’s
Pharmacy at 1000 Virginia Ave., N. E., who has cleaned his
newstand of all but “Classics Illustrated” comics, cleared his
stands of the many magazines which cannot be classed as
decent material.
We pray that there are others, such as Dr. Toran, who
are willing to sacrifice a few dollars profit in order to save
someone’s soul. To the parents of Georgia. To the druggists.
To the news dealers we would like to leave a question. A
question only they can answer. Are you one of the reasons
that this has been termed “a losing battle?”
Mr. Nehru's Imperialism
THIS WORLD OF OURS
(By Richard Patiee)
Mr. Nehru, out of India, has
made a place for himself in con
temporary history by applauding
every advance of communism as
a natural, reasonable and justi
fiable process, and by condemn
ing the slightest presence of the
West in India as evidence of col
onialism and a menace to the
progress of Asia.
I am sure that, in the future,
history will pass judgement on the
Indian Prime Minister as the vic
tim of one of the most extraordi
nary blind spots ever to afflict
a responsible statesman . The
Chinese in Tibet, it seems, are no
threat nor is the victory of the
communist Viet Minh anything to
worry about. As long as people
are Asiatics, the fact that they
are communists seems to be a
matter of quite secondary impor
tance.
One of the most illuminating
manifestations of this sort of
mentality is the attitude of the
Indian government toward both
the Portuguese and French in
their tiny territories on the In
dian sub-continent.
Ludicrous Denunciation
The press records the fact that
on two occasions Indian mobs
have siezed Portuguese villiages
and have attempted to hoist the
Indian flag as the symbol of the
restoration of these areas to In
dia. The Indian papers are talk
ing about “liberation’ in the
same loose way that this term
has been employed in Europe. It
would seem high time that a lit
tle realism were introduced into
this controversy. The denuncia-
ation of the Portuguese as in
truders sounds a bit ludicrous
when one considers the history
of Portugal in the Far East and
the degree to which her Indian
territories have been assimilated
with the mother country.
As everyone knows, there is
no such thing as one India with
a single culture, language and
background. In the multiplicity
that constitutes this vast land,
the little Portuguese enclaves
have a perfectly legitimate place.
To assoeiate them with an inso
lent imperialism or a colonial
mindedness is to fly in the face
of history.
Goa an Damiao, the two main
Portuguese territories, form a
part of Portugal and of India.
For 300 years they have been
largely Christian and intimate
ly bound up in their historical
destiny with Portugal. I have
met any number of Portuguese
from Goa in Lisbon and Coim
bra. The fact that they look like
Indians does not make them one
bit less Portuguese. Their lang
uage, their Catholic religion in
most cases, and their sentiment
of attachment to Portugal make
them a part of that far-flung em
pire which Portugal managed to
establish in spite of her material
limitations and keen competition
from other empire-building na
tions.
Goa is something of a symbol
of Christianity in the Far East
and of the capacity of the Euro
pean to assimilate with the cul
ture and attitudes of India. Prime
Minister Salazar has replied
several times to the protests of
India by pointing out that legit
imacy of occupation has nothing
to do with it. The present Indian
government has no more a legit
imate claim to Goa simply be
cause it is a place on the Indian
land mass, than it has to Nepal
or Bhutan or any other area ge
ographically linked to it. Portu
gal was there long before India
existed as a state or a nationality
and to suggest that Portuguese
retire simply because of geogra
phy is absurd.
Denouncing Becomes « Habit
The Portuguese have demon
strated beyond any doubt that
a European people is capable of
co-existence with Africans and
Asiatics without friction. All the
evidence available indicates that
the populations of Goa and the
other small territories have no
wild desire to merge with India
—although I imagine that there
must be any number of careful
ly synchronized demonstrations
from the Indian side to prove the
contrary.
India is constantly denouncing
someone—especially the West—
for the absence of sublety and
delicacy in dealing with the bar
barians who rule in Peiping and
Moscow. M% Nehru hails as a
triumph the China-India agree
ment whereby Chinese hege
mony in Tibet is fully recognized.
It is laudable for Mao Tse-tung’s
boys to take over Tibet and the
recognition of this is a contribu
tion to peace. It is intolerable
and a sign of colonialism for the
Portuguese to remain in Goa
where they have been for Cen
turies and where their culture
and religion is woven into the
local pattern of life. The under
standing of Nehru is one of the
real challenges of our time.
W '
No Yes Man!
Rumor has it that Joseph Breen will retire from his post
as Director of the Motion Picture Code offices within a few
months. We regret to learn that he is considering the move,
for it might prove just the opportunity some of the Studios
are waiting for.
Breen has been a fighter, and stood by his task of up
holding the code. His vacancy will undoubtedly be filled by
someone more sympathetic to the industry, in other words
a Yes Man. ■
Hollywood has given evidence that it is growing tired
of restrictions and limitations placed on them by the Code
offices. In 1953, United Artists openly defied the code by
producing The Moon Is Blue. This year RKO released French
Line, which was condemned by the Legion of Decency and
by many State Boards of Censor.
At the present time RKO is engaged in suits in the State
of Massachusetts, where they threaten to carry them to the
Supreme Court, if necessary. Their attorneys have indicated
“Should we win them, the censorship laws of this state could
be wiped out.”
Thus we see that there are some studios who want
changes in the code. They may be afraid to abolish it entire
ly, but abolishment wouldn’t be necessary if they could gain
complete control.
Let us not stand by and let a Yes Man be named as head
of the Motion Picture Code offices.
jSurlu/n Chorda
WHAT'S RIGHT WITH THE WORLD?
By REV. JAMES M. GILLIS, C. S. P.
(Contributing Editor, The Catholic World)
THEY TRIED TO GET HIM, TOO.
In the “U. S. News and World
Report” of August 20th, there is
an exclusive interview with Con
gressman Martin Dies of Texas.
It carries the snappy caption
“They Tried to Get Me Too.” As
a matter of fact they did get him.
He was then attempting the ard
uous and thankless job in which
Senator McCarthy is now engag
ed. Dies broke under it, the vic
tim of a concerted and persis
tent campaign of slander, insult,
persecution by communists and
communist sympathizers. What
they did and what they said reads
like something we might have
imagined impossible in America.
It is disconcerting—say rather
alarming—to the last degree. His
attempts to save America from
communism were opposed and in
the end ruined by persons from
the President down who had tak
en oaths to save us from all en
emies within and without the
State.
When he went to Franklin D.
Roosevelt in 1941 with informa
tion on the subversive activities
of Alger Hiss, Harry Dexter
White, Harold Glasser and some
2,000 others, he was kept “cooling
his heels” (even though he had
an appointment) and when he
told his tale—with documentary
evidence—he was brushed off by
the President with the not too
original jest, “you see a commu
nist under every bed.” It was
about that same time that the
President told Adolph Berle to
“go jump in the lake” when he
presented the Whittaker Cham
bers evidence about Alger Hiss.
The next President preferred the
phrase “red herring.” There is
passage in the Bible that applies
to guardians who dont guard. You
may find it in the 33rd chapter of
Ezechiel. Let us say here and now
that we have had some pretty
wretched jobs of guarding Ameri
ca in the last 22 years.
Until recently it was sufficient
to say “Martin Dies!” as one
would say “Aaron Burr!” or “Ben
edict Arnold!” Now his reputation
is rehabilitated, like that of Herb
ert Hoover, General McArthur,
Colonel (now Brigadier General)
Lindbergh, Billy Mitchell. One
great step in the process of Mr.
Dies’ vindication is the publication
of the article referred to. It runs
to some 14,000 words, but no one
who has not read it should hence
forth venture an opinion on the
Martin Dies Committee or any of
the Congressional Committees of
Investigation.
Mr. Dies tells of blatant false
hoods, perjuries, forgeries, calum
nies, repeated and prolonged in
vestigations of his income tax re
ports, minute scrutiny of his per
sonal finances, attacks upon his
wife and child, all night long ring
ing of his telephone when he was
in the hospital, asking “Isn’t he
dead yet?” attempted kidnapping
of his young boy, threats against
him in every mail, and in general
all manner of irritations petty and
not so petty. In the end he suf
fered a nervous collapse and with
drew from Congress.
He is now back again. It seems
to be a way the people have of
permitting their real champions to
suffer obliteration and then if the
victims survive, bringing them
back into honor again. There was,
for example, no widespread out
burst of indignation when the
President of the United States
called Lindbergh a “copperhead.”
But fifteen shears later we call
him back and make him a briga
dier general. There was no uni
versal outcry when MacArthur
was denied the chance to prove
his axiom “no substitute for vic
tory,” but now there is something
of a movement to give him
title “General of the Armies”
which has been held only by
Pershing. “You kill the prophets,”
said our Lord and then you build
their monuments.” The day may
come when we will wish we
hadn’t rejected and in some cases
worried to death( remember For-
restal) those who were donig their
best to save us from the ultimate
catastrophe.
Of all the paragraphs in Con
gressman Dies’, interview, those
that deal with Eleanor Roosevelt
may prove the most piquant. Her
harboring of communists in the
White House during the days
when they were under investi
gation for subversion, driving
down with them in the White
House car, sitting by them—and
knitting!—during the hearings,
driving back with them, again in
the White House car, at noon
time, defending them through
thick and thin (thick mostly) and
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