Newspaper Page Text
JANUARY 5. 1957.
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
SEVEN
BOOK REVIEWS
EDITED BY EILEEN HALL
3087 Old Jonesboro Road. Hapeville. Georgia
Each issue of this Bosk Page
fs confided 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.
CATHOLICS IN ACTION
PATTERNS FOR TEENAGERS.
by Vincent.J. Giese, (Fides $3.50)
■— a documentary and photo
graphic study of teen-age boys in
a large Chicago parish neighbor
hood, by the author of the very
popular "The Apostolic Itch,”
who is also a youth editor of
Our Sunday Visitor. This book is
addressed to young people, pa
rents,priests and teachers. It con
sists of material similar to that
apperaring in OSV, the author’s
impressions of the boys who are
his friends, human interest sto
ries, ideas for training leaders
among them and suggested pat
terns for meetings of a youth club.
GIVE US THIS DAY. by James
Keller. (Hanover House, price not
stated). The tenth in the series of
Christopher books designed like
the previous ones, “for lay people
who desire to bring Christian
principles into the marketplace;
to assist them in the daily prac
tice of reflection and prayer.”
Beginning with a brief expla
nation of the Christopher move
ment, followed by a summary of
the means of becoming “Christ-
bearers,” the book proceeds with
a pert and pointed page-long
“Christopher thought for each
day of the year.”
TRUE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT,
by Rev. Edward J. Sutfin, (Grail
$3.00), reviewed by Elizabeth
Walton: Father Sutfin sees and
uses the littirgy of the Christmas
season as the key to the real
meaning and source of the true
spirit of Christmas. He weaves
in many charming traditions in
cluding the Advent wreath, still
used by families and schools in
America, An ideal book for the
laity who wish to participate in
the liturgy and spirit of Advent
and Christmas.
VALIANT WOMAN, edited by
Peg Boland, foreword by Lo
retta Young, (Grail, $2.50).
Fifteen first-person stories, most
of which appeared originally in
“Ave Maria,” “Cor” and the
“Grail Magazine”—all by women,
some of who faced heroic chal
lenges in their lives, others the
little, ordinary, u n g 1 amorous
“trifles” that pave the way to
heaven for most wives and
mothers.
ABBE PIE RRE SPEAKS.
(Sheed and Ward, $3.50), collect
ed and translated speeches of the
energetic French priest whose ap
peals for homes for the homeless
in Paris began to awaken a slug
gish world one winter day in
1954. With his “monks of pover
ty”, the Emaus workers, lie start
ed a much needed revolution to
aid “those who suffer most”. His
ideas, as presented to various
groups, are startling and chal
lenging. Reading them, one be
gins to understand the “crime of
extravagance” and of indiffer
ence, which he shows to be the
worst kind of . blasphemy and
hatred.
JOURNEY INTO A FOG, by
M. Berger-Haerschlag, (Sheed &
Ward $3.50), reviewed by Angela
Reinman: . . just what the name
implies. With only an occasional
ray of light, the fog grows more
and more dense instead of dis
sipating, This true story, written
by an art instructor in a London
Youth Club, revolves around the
club members who are hard
working but distorted in their
basic philosophy, their lives cen
tered around sex in many illicit
variations. The teacher attempts
to uplift the group by art and
culture but finds the fog really
closing in. Well written but de
pressing, giving the reader a feel
ing of complete and utter failure.
TOWARD EVENING, by Mary
Hope, (Sheed & Ward $3.00), re
viewed by Wenonah Chambers:
—a help in understanding older
people before we ourselves ex
perience their problems. Fi'om the
author’s sincerity and humility
we can learn how to cultivate
the virtues of faith and trust, how
to remain in the background al
ways ready to serve. She shows
how the unchanging God, ever
patient and merciful, gives us
ample time- to prepare for the
evening of life.
TIPS FOR TEENS, by Alvena
Burnite, (Buice SI.25), reviewed
by Wenonah Chambers: This
book was written with the hope
of improving low standards pre
valent among many modern
youngsters. We agree that a
knowledge of sex is helpful to
teen-agers, but it is difficult to j
know how much is good for early,!
t e en-agers and it remains the
right and duty of parents to
choose carefully what their own
children need at each period of
their lives. We feel that some of
the information in this book
might better be reserved for those
about to be married or to become
parents.
YOU TOO CAN WIN SOULS.
by John A. O’Brien, (McMillan
$3.50), reviewed by Margot At
wood: Eight methods of leading
churchless people to the Church
—not high pressure salesmanship,
but sanctity: “example, prayer,
sacrifice, mortification, humility
and unfailing love.” The methods
naturally overlap and there is
much repetition, as converts and
convert-makers tell of their ex
periences. The reader is led to
examine his own activity in shar
ing the precious gift of Faith.
BIOGRAPHY
THE MAID OF ORLEANS, by
Sven Stolpe, translated by Eric
Lewenhaupi, (Pantheon $4.00),
reviewed by Cecilia L. Hines. Au
thor Sven Stople, well known and
praised in his native Sweden and
also in Germany and Switzerland,
pictures St. Joan of Arc in the
light of modern scholarship with
out taking anything away from
the supernatural aspect of her
life. It is his first book to be
translated into'English and the
work of the translator is a re
markable accomplishment. Fluent
in the use of the English idiom, he
preserves the author’s vivid, pic-
tui’e of contemporary France as
well as his believable portrait of
the saint. The facts of Joan’s life
are set forth and substantiated
with sound evidence. Joan is pre
sented as “a keen-eyed, healthy
girl” who has a saint’s contact
with the supernatural. For ex
ample, she was never a great
military commander. The facts
which are supported by docu
mentary evidence show clearly
that the things she did were ir
rational from a military point ot
view but depended solely on Di
vine inspiration. This book is a
valuable contribution to hagio
graphy and will be" welcome to
the modern Catholic reader who
is seeking to improve his know
ledge of the saints.
PLAYED BY EAR, the auto
biography of Daniel A. Lord, S.J.,
(Hanover House $4.00), reviewed
by Cecilia L. Hines. In the medi
um he used so much and so well,
Father Lord has set* before us
the picture of a life filled with
effort and accomplishment. After
considerable thought he called
his autobiography, written at the
request of friends during the last
months of his life, “Played by
Ear.” The title is peculiarly apt
and the book is friendly, gra
ciously written and easy to read.
The author’s expression of himself
is quite meager, but he talks
volubly of his family in two let
ters to young parents. More than
letters these — Catholic social
principles in action! The same
theme is again “played by ear”
in the letters about Jesuit train
ing i?hd teaching. Father Lord
had many preoccupations, teach
er, writer, lecturer, reorganizer
of the Sodality of the Blessed
Mother, producer of pamphlets,
plays and pageants, author of the
Motion Picture Code. His versa
tility and prodigious output is
dizzing to think about. Through
it all, his predilection for youth
is always evident. He felt that by
speaking their own language he
could make them understand the
Reality of Christ and the Truth of
His Teachings. To that end he
wrote and taught and loved and
entertained and even died.
THE LIFE OF JAMES CARDI
NAL GIBBONS, by John Tracy
Ellis, two volumes (Bruce $17.50),
reviewed by Leo J. Zuber. James
Gibbons, bora in Baltimore in
1834, lived to
become this
country’s most
d i s t i n guished
churchman. His
priestly career
spanned the
times of three
Iwars; his - serv
ice in the North
1 Carolina mis
sion territory prepared him for
writing his most famous book,
“The Faith of Our Fathers.” Gib
bons rose quickly to prominence
in the American hierarcy; ordain
ed in 1861, he became Bishop
within seven years; by 1877 he
was Archbishop and by 1886
Cardinal. The problems of the
Church in America during the
period of Gibbon’s life were those
of the church growing up, of
achieving stature, of coming of
age in the new world; they were
the problems symptomatic of fast
growth. Gibbons was constantly in
demand to exercise national, even
international, leadership when
ever church matters were con-
ceimed; he was similarly in de
mand within the -body of the
Church to arbitrate causes, to
settle disputes, to calm troubled
waters. This biography is de
scriptive, factual, informative, de
tailed. The author indicates he
worked on it for a little more
than six years; the marvel is that
he could do it in that time. It
covers the length, the depth and
the breadth of the Cardinal’s life
and work. There are spots of ana
lysis and of criticism in which the
author seeks to evaluate and ap
praise the Cardinal’s work and
his decisions in the light of the
information tire Cardinal had at
his disposal. Monsignor Ellis,
While perfectly respectful, is per
fectly fair and frank and spares
neither the word of criticism nor
the word of praise when either
seems merited. This is biography,
not a panegyric. While it possi
bly is not the definitive biogra
phy of Cardinal Gibbons, it must
come close to being that. It is
a substantial historical and bi
ographical work and will stand
without equal or peer for an in
definite period insofar as its sub
ject is concerned.
SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS,
by G. K. Chesterton, (Image 75c),
reviewed by Virginia Mathews.
Thomas Aquinas was dubbed “the
Dumb Ox” by his fellow students,
as they observed this bulky man
who said little but thought much.
His “bellowing”, however, was
heard throughout medieval
Christiandom when he matched
his profound logic against agnos
tics. For he was a man intoxicated
by inner reflection who believed
that “the study of the humblest
fact will lead to the study of the
highest truth”. To this day he is
considered the greatest bulwark
of our Catholic Faith. Chesterton
claims to give only a sketch of a
great historical character in the
hope that it will lure readers to
the brilliant writings of the saint
himself.
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, by
Johannes Jorgensen, (Image 95c),
reviewed by Margaret G. Smith.
This, work first appeared in 1997.
in French, German and Danish:
its , first English printing was in
1912. The work -is most complete,
giving the reader a clear picture
of St. Francis himself, as well as
a carefully compiled history of
the Order of Friars Minor. One
is left slightly dazed at the ter
rific austerity St. Francis imposed
on himself in order to live com
pletely in Christ, in the world but
not of it. This book, while ob
viously a labor of love, is pre
sented without sentimentality,
clearly and intelligently.
THE METAMORPHIC TRADI-
DION IN MODERN POETRY by
Sister Bernetta Quinn, (Rutgers),
$4.50.
(Reviewed by Flannery O’Connor)
According to the introduction,
“the principle aim of ‘The Meta-
morphic Tradition in Modern
Poetry’ is to give a sense of di
rection in the exploration of what
to many readers is a New World,
the world of contemporary verse.”
Such a statement might suggest
that Sister Bernetta’s essays are
for the uniformed or for those who I
are only now being introduced to I
modern poetry; however, only the 1
well-informed reader already ac- ‘
quainted with the longer works
of Pound, Stevens, Elliot, Yeats,
Crane, Jarrell and Williams will
be interested in these essays, be
hind or in which lurks the not
very well laid ghost of a doctoral }
dissertation. The newcomer to}
modern verse will be frightened
away.
Sister Bernetta considers these
seven poets according to a variety
of metamorphic elements which
appear in their work and she does
it with scholarship and thor
oughness and with a sympathy for
the poetry for which we may be
grateful. The essays seem to be
valuable ground work but to lack
what would stimulate an inter
est in these poets if one is not
already present. Remarking that
the book does not have a definit-
enough underlying structure, R.
W. B. Lewis, writing in the Ken
yon Review, says that the “dif
ficulty is not at all any ‘Catholic
bias’; oddly enough it is rather
the contrary. Sister Bernetta
does not by any means impose
a Catholic structure on her ma
terials- In my opinion, she muz
zles her Thomism overmuch.”
This is interesting, particularly to
the reader who has often seen a
‘Catholic structure’ used like a
bulldozer to undermine the work.
It may be an awareness of this
danger, that has made Sister Ber
netta overcareful in avoiding tools
that she might otherwise have
made good use of. In any case,
we may be grateful to find a Sis
ter of Saint Francis writing with
sympathy about the poetry of Ez
ra Pound and Hart Crane and
hope that this foreshadows some
happy metamorphosis in the gen
eral state of literary appreciation
by Catholics.
Borrowed Gown r
Donated Bings
Aid Marriage
URBANA, 111., (NC)—A borrow
ed weddihg gown and rings
donated by a jeweler helped to
speed the wedding here of a
Hungarian refugee couple who
fled from Russian troops in Bu
dapest.
The newlyweds are Istvan, 23,
and Gabriella, 21. In order to pie-
vent retaliation against relatives
in Hungary, the couple asked that
their last names not be publish
ed. The wedding took blare in St.
Patrick’s church and was wit
nessed by Father J. W. McGinn.
Istvan, . a chemical engineer,
took part in the fighting against
the Russians in Budapest. He later
hid in the home of Gabriella and
her parents in the capital city.
The couple decided to escape
when the Russians crushed the
Hungarian revolt. They fled across
the Austrian border at night.
Their intention to get married
was revealed when they were
processed at Camp Kilmer, N. J.
Arrangements for the wedding
were made here by Father Ed
ward O’Rourke, refugee resettle
ment director for the Peoria dio
cese. He helped find a furnished
apartment here for the couple. A
St. Patrick’s parishioner supplied
the wedding gown and a Char:
paign, 111., jeweler supplied the
wedding rings as a gift.
Istvan obtained a job with the
Illinois geological survey division
in Champaign. The employees
sponsored the wedding breakfm
and reception for the newlyweds
in St. Patrick’s hall here.
SOPHOMORES
STAGE PLAY
BELMONT—“Nine Girls” is a
murder mystery set in a. sorority
lodge high'in the Sierras, which
will be presented by the- Sopho
more Class on Thursday, Novem
ber 29 in Sacred Heart’s Au
ditorium.
Appearing in the play will be
the following: Yvcinne Moody,
who is a hard-working sorority
member; Faye Howard who ap
pears as Jane, a sporty medical
student who spends most of her
time reading Who-dun-it books;
Pat Covington is portraying Alice,
very pretty, but not very smait:
Gaye Horton takes the part of
Eve, a debutante who exhibits a
great curiosity. This character s-
tic pays off in near-disaster. Nina
Macri plays Freida, an intellectu
al girl who looks at the world
through “red” - tinted glasses;
Jean Boone portrays Sharon, a
glamorous budding actress, un
loved by all; Nan Ayers appears
as Shotput, noisy, athletic and
nonchalant; and Mary Brightbii!
and Jean Rhyne are cast as the
pledges who initiation turns into
a murder inquest.
Play rehearsals are now being
held, and the outcome promises to
be one of the best plays presented
at Sacred Heart.
Miss M. E. Moynihan
Services At Augusta
Mrs. Annie Ray Deacy
Services In Savannah
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Funei./
services for Mrs. Annie Ray Deacy
were held December 20th at the
Cathedral of St. John the Bap
tist.
Survivors are three daughters,
Mrs. W. E. Kavanaugh, Savannah,
Mrs. W. P. Murphy Jr., Norfolk,
Va., and Sister Mary Patricia of
Richmond, Va., a son. E. J. Deacy,
Savannah; five grandchildren and
several nieces and nephews.
AUGUSTA, Ga.—Funeral serv- j Every man has some aim in life
ices for Miss Mary Moynihan}—what he hits is another thing,
were held December 17th at St. — —
Mary’s-on-the-Hill Church, Rev.
John J. Kennedy officiating.
Survivors are a sister in law.
Stand up and be counted—tee
} vote you cast makes democracy
j last.