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BOOK REVIEWS
EDITED BY EILEEN HALL
3087 Old Jonesboro Road, Hapeville, Georgia
Each issue of ihis Bosk Page
is confided to ihe paironage of
Mary Mediairix of All Graces,
with the hope that every read
er and every contributor may
be specially favored by her
und her Divine Son,
THE PRESENCE OF GRACE,
T;y J. F. Powers, (Doubleday),
$2.95.
(Reviewed by Flannery O’Connor,
author of “A Good Man Is
Hard to Find)”
In this collection, Mr. Powers
again shows himself 'to be one of
the country’s finest story writers.
Ta addition to a deadly accurate
eye and ear, he has a sense of
form which controls what he sees
and hears in such a way that the
many levels of meaning which
exist in the literal one are all
brought successfully to operate in
the story. The region which he
deals with to greatest effect is the
parish, with its heart, the rectory.
Here one feels that he has not
merely seen the immovable pas
tor, the ambitious curate, the
salesman missionary, the gothic
housekeeper, the Regulars pf Al
tar and Rosary, but that he has
suffered them and has come
through with his Faith intact.
According to Mr. Evelyn
Waugh on the book jacket, “Mr.
Power is almost unique in his
country as a lay writer who is at
ease in the Church; whose whole
art, moreover, is everywhere in
fused and directed by his Faith.”
Indeed, if it were not directed by
his Faith, Mr. Powers would not
have been able to survive, what
his eye and ear have revealed to
him, but he is equipped with an
inner eye which can discern the
good as well as the evil which
may lurk behind the surface
which to ordinary eyes has long
been dead of staleness, so that
his work however much directed
by his Faith, seems more directed
by his charity.
But the explanation for any
good writer is first that he knows
how to write and that writing is
his vocation. This is eminently
true of Mr. Powers and it is for
this reason that one may be al
lowed to wonder why in two sto
ries in this collection, he has seerf
fit to use a cat for the Central
Intelligence. The cat in question
is admirable, in his way. He has
Mir. Powers’ wit and sensibility,
his Faith and enough of his chari
ty to serve, but he is a cat not
withstanding and in both cases he
lowers the tone and restricts the
scope of what should otherwise
have been a major storry. It is the
hope of the reviewer that this
animal will prove to have only
one life left and that some Min-
! neapolis motorist, wishing to serve
literature, will dispatch him as
soon as possible.
THE LIVING BREAD, by Tho
mas Merton, (Farrar, Straus &
Cudahy), $3.00.
Thomas Merton was one of the
contemporary authors mentioned
on Monday evening, February
27, by the Discussion Group
which meets at the Notre Dame
Library in Atlanta on the fourth
Monday of each month at 8 p.m.
A healthy difference of opinion
about Father Marton’s writings
was touched off when Father
John IVIcDononugh,' the moder
ator, admitted under questioning
that “Merton is one of my prej
udices.”
A young married woman in the
group, while agreeing that Mer
ton sometimes “makes you want
to run off to the convent,”
nevertheless declared hei'self a
Merton enthusiast and felt that
the Trappist author contributes
much to the formation of lay
apostles as well as of monks. Too
many of those present were
silent, but we would guess that
Father McDonough would have
been quite outnumbered had
more opinions been expressed.
“I’m surprised at this interest in
the contemplative life,” he said,
and proceeded “objectively” to
grant Father Merton the credit
that cannot be denied him in the
field of contemporary American
Catholic writing.
Father Merton’s friends will
have many reasons to be happy
with his latest book, “The Living
Bread,” published since that
little discussion took place. It is
smaller than most of his other
books (less than 200 pages, in
cluding a lengthy prologue;) it
concerns “the Blessed Sacrament,
the very heart and focus of the
whole Christian life;” and, true
to the author’s expressed inten
tion, neither “degrades the great
sacramental mystery to the level
of mere sentimentality by an
abuse of pious imagination” nor
“treats that mystery in such pure
theological abstractiosns” as to
discourage the lay reader.
In other words, the flaws of
some of his own earlier writings
are absent from this small book
which he calls “a meditation on
a sacred mystery.” It is not al
ways easy reading, admittedly,
but who can penetrate such a
sublime mystery to any extent
without effort? Certainly what
ever effort is required is well re
warded.
Such effort is imperative, for
lay apostles as well as priests and
religious, for “the great tragedy
of our age is the fact, if one may
dare to say it, that there are so
many godless Christians—Chris
tians, that is, whose religion is a
matter of pure conformism and
expedience ... In order to coun
teract the danger of this spiritual
paralysis, the Holy Father urges
Christians to renew the fervor
of their faith and to cultivate an
niterior life. In order to do this,
we must read, we must pray, we
must meditate, we must seek
every possible contact with God
Who sent His Son into the world
to deliver men from the coldness
and vanity of purely human
religious forms.”
Perhaps the interest of the
laity in th econtemplative life
is simply part of that seeking for
means of contact with God.
—Eillen Hall.
THE MALEFACTORS, by Caro
line Gordon (Harcourt, Brace),
$3.95.
(Reviewed by Flannery
O’Connor, author of “A Good
Man Is Hard to Find)”
In a critical essay called
“Nature and Grace in Caroline
Gordon,” Louise Cowan has
written that “though the surface
of her novels . . . moves toward
destruction and despair, the cur
rent in their depths moves in a
strongly different direction.” In
her latest novel, ‘T‘he Male
factors,” this current comes
openly to the surface and is seen
as the sudden emergence of the
underground rivers of the mind
into the clear spring of grace.
The novel’s protagonist, a poet
who is not producing, is provok
ed by a recurrent impulse to
wonder where his years are
bound. After an involvement
with a lady intellectual poet,
which takes him away from his
wife, he comes to the conclusion
that they are bound nowhere
unless he can return to his wife
who, in the meantime and after
an attempt at suicide, has found
her way to the Church. He
comes to the knowledge that it
is for him, as Adam, to “inter
pret the voices Eve hears.”
A novel dealing with a con
version is the most difficult the
fiction writer can assign him
self. Miss Gordon brings a sure’
knowledge of the craft to bear
upon a task that most novelists
today would have neither the
desire nor the courage to at
tempt. “The Malefactors” is pro
foundly Catholic in theme but
it is doubtful if it will receive
the attention it deserves from
the Catholic reader, who is liable
to be shocked by the kind of
life portrayed in it, or from the
reader whose interests are pure
ly secular, for he will regard its
outcome as. unsound and in
credible and look upon it merely
as a roman a clef. The fact that
the conversion is elaborately
prepared for and underwritten by
the force of Jungian psychology
will be overlooked by those who
are not willing to accept the re
ality of supernatural grace. Mak
ing grace believable to the con
temporary reader is'' the almost
insurmountable’ problem of the
novelist who writes from the
standpoint of Christian ortho
doxy. “The Malefactors” is un
doubtedly the most serious and
successful fictional treatment of
a conversion by an American
writer to date.
CARMEL, MARY'S OWN, Parts
1, 2, and 3, (Carmelite Third Or
der Press), 25c each.
(Reviewed by Minnie L.
Elliott, T. O. Carm.)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is
certainly looking with favor on
Georgia. She seems to have
special plans here for her Car
melite Third Order Secular.
There is so much to be done, we
hope her plans also include First
and Second Orders.
Everyone interested in religi
ous history especially monastic,
will want to read this history of
Carmel, made easily available in
three small booklets. What could
better fill today’s trend toward
mental prayer, meditation and
contemplation than Carmel’s
spirit of silence, solitude and
prayer, and its particular Marian
character?
The first of these booklets tells
beautifully, in Our Lady’s own
words that she favors Carmel
as her own. The accounts of her
many apparitions to its leaders
in times of stress leave no doubt
as to the special protection she
gives her chosen Order. Part One*
also proves Carmel’s claims, such
as origin and fatherhood in Elias
on Mount Carmel, supernatural
origin of the scapular, the sacred
import of its emblem, the pres
ence within the Order of the
flaming spirit of Elias, as alive
today as the day it was inherited
by Eliseus.
Part Two tells how Carmel,
with the guidance of Our Lady
and inspiration of St. Elias, rose
to new heights of glory after
decline, persecution, reform and
necessary changes by reconciling
tow extremes—lexternal activity
and divine contemplation—and
within its ranks scholarship and
holiness vied for first place. It
became known as the nursery of
saints.
Part Three, among other
things, covers the reform of Sts.
Teresa and John of the Cross, for
stricter observance of the Rule,
which resulted in founding the
Discalced Carmelites. These great
saints never desired the division
in the Order, which occurred af
ter their deaths. The early un
pleasantness between the two
branches of Carmel is today be- 1
ing replaced by peace and har
mony and, spiritually at least,
they are one family, agreeing on
the mystical vocation of Carmel,
with only one goal, the greater
glory of God, of Carmel and of
our Queen—and of course, per
sonal sanctification.
Reading these booklets . is a
thrilling experience. If you don’t
already love Carmel, you will!
BOOKS RECEIVED
PLAYED BY EAR, the auto
biography of Father Daniel A,
Lord. S.J., (Hanover House),
$4.00.
SOEUR ANGELE AND THE
GHOSTS OF CHAMBORD. by
Henri Catalan, (Sheed & Ward),
$2.50.
THE SPLENDOUR OF THE
LITURGY, by Maurice Zundel,
(Sheed & Ward), $3.50.
THE POETS' ROSARY, an
anthology arranged by Anne
Tansey, (Grail), paper $2.00.
MARGUERITE, by Sister St.
Stephen, G.N.S.H., (Grail), $2.00.
THE BROWN SCAPULAR
COLOR BOOK, text by Mary
Fabyan Windeatt, illustrations by
Gedge Harmon, (Grail), 35c.
ALL THAT I WANT, the story
of John F. Logsdon, edited by
Paschal Boland, O.S.B., (Grail),
25c.
THE LITANY OF THE SACR
ED HEART, by Rev. A. Biskup-
ek, S.V.D., (Bruce), $2.75.
FAMILY LIMITATION, by
John Ryan, (Sheed & Ward),
paper, 50c.
THE GOLDEN STRING, by
Bade Griffiths, O.S.B., (Kenedy),
$3.50.
WHERE DWELLEST THOU?
by John A. O’Brien, (Gilbert
Press), $2.95.
THOMAS, by Mary Ha?^ris,
pictures by Cliff Roberts, (Sheed
&Ward), $2.75.
THE RITES OF HOLY WEEK,
by Rev. Frederick R. McManus,
(St. Anthony Guild), $2.50.
Too many people look for an
investment with a telescope.
TIP TO MOTORISTS
Fewer accidents happen when
the automobile is operated in as-*
sociation with the water wagon.
GEORGIA STATE COUNCIL
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
Very Rev. Daniel J. Bourke, State Chaplain, Albany, Ga.
Henry C. Taylor. State Deputy, Atlanta, Ga.
Joseph F. Kunre, Past State Deputy, Columbus, Ga,
George W. Hughey, State Secretary, Albany, Ga.
William O'Dowd, State Treasurer. Augusta, Ga,
R. H. Casson, State Advocate, Macon, Ga.
V. J. Ryan, State Warden, Savannah, Ga.
Ed. P. Dalv. District Deputy, First District
James J. O'Shea, District Deputy, Second District
Patrick R. Mulherm, District Deputy, Third District
ATLANTA COUNCIL
NO. 680
LOUIS C. BAUGNON
Grand Knight
HENRY C. TAYLOR
Financial Secretary
Council Meeting 1st and 3rd
Wednesdays at 8 P. M. at the
Council House, 1200 Peachtree
Street, N. E,
Club House open every evening
at the above address
SAVANNAH COUNCIL
NO. 631
Grand Knight
Joseph m. McDonough
Financial Secretary
8 Liberty Street West
Savannah, Ga.
BISHOP GROSS COUNCIL
NO. 1019
PHILIP J. BATASTINI
Grand Knight
JAMES J. O'SHEA
Financial Secretary
Meets 1st and 3rd Mondays
8 P. M., 802 Broadway
K. C. Hall
Columbus, Ga.
PATRICK WALSH COUNCIL
677
FRANK C. HESLEN
Grand Knight
J. N. SCHWEERS, SR.
Financial Secretary
Meets 2nd and 4th Monday
Visiting Brothers Welcome
2575 Henry St., Augusta, Ga.
MACON COUNCIL NO. 925
N. J. PASCULLIS
Grand Knight
ROBERT M. HOBSON
Financial Secretary
2986 Houston Ave.
Meets the First and Third
Tuesdays at 8:15 P. M.
541 New Street,
Macon, Ga.
HENRY THOMAS ROSS
COUNCIL NO. 1939
R. J. CLANCEY,
Grand Knight
JOHN H. STILES,
Financial Secretary
Meets Fourth Tuesday at
Xavier Hall
Brunswick. Ga.
ALBANY COUNCIL NO. 3607
CLARENCE R. SHOEMAKER, Grand Knight
C. H. BELL, Financial Secretary
Council Meets Second and Fourth Monday at 8:30 P. M.
400 N. Jefferson Street
THE
LUCKIE & CONE STS.
■ 1QO% AIR CtONPITIONEP
Located in the heart of downtown Atlanta.
Convenient to business and entertainment.
Delicious meals in the beautiful Miami Buffet.
HARRY DONOHUE, Mgr.
SAINT JOSEPH’S INFIRMARY
SCHOOL OF NURSING
ATLANTA, GEORGIA '
Approved by the Georgia State Beard of Nurse Examin*’
ers and the Accrediting Service of ihe National
League for Nursing.
CLASSES ADMITTED IN AUGUST
For Information apply to Director, School of Nursing.
ALPINE 4881 — EXTENSION 224