Newspaper Page Text
1
y
4
Southern Cross Also Nome Of Early Newspaper
(By Edward A. Egan)
Catholic journalism in Geor
gia, with which the Diocese of
Savannah was coterminous
from the time of its erection,
in 1850, by the Holy See, had
its early beginnings in the late
months of the Civil War and
during the years of the Recon
struction Period.
The Pacificator was launch
ed in October, 1864, and the
Banner of the South, edited by
Father Abram J. Ryan, poet-
priest of the Confederacy, en
tered on the scene in March
1868. Both made their appear
ance while Bishop Augustine
Verot was the Ordinary of the
See of Savannah, and the two
were likewise published in
Augusta.
The rigors of the war, the
hardships which were for
some years the aftermath of
the conflict, and the relatively
small Catholic population in
the state were greater odds
than the two weeklies could
long withstand. The Pacifica
tor suspended publication in
July, 1865, and the Banner of
the South died in October,
1870, as a Catholic journal.
Disappointing and monetari
ly unsuccessful as were the
first two ventures in Catholic
journalism in Georgia, they
were no deterrent to Bishop
William H. Gross, a Redemp-
torist missionary, who took
over the government of the
Diocese of Savannah, in 1873
following appointment by Pope
Pius IX. Before long, he con
cluded that his flock of about
25,000 souls, scattered
throughout the state, should
have the benefits of Catholic
newspaper.
Accordingly, the Catholic
press of the country began to an
nounce that plans for the new
weekly were progressing. The
Morning Star, New Orleans, La.
reported, in its issue of July
25, 1875, that “Bishop Gross’
new Catholic paper, shortly to
be established in Savannah, is to
be called the Southern Cross
The Ave Maria, Notre Dame,
Ind., stated in its pages on Sep
tember 25, 1875, that it had
“a few weeks ago” presented to
its readers a "prospectus” of
the Southern Cross.
Certainty as to the date of
publication of the first issue
of the newspaper is lacking
The only known extant copy,
currently the valued posses
sion of Miss Clara L. Gross,
St. Louis, Mo., daughter of Joe
J. Gross, later publisher of the
journal, and niece of Bishop
Gross, later Archbishop of Ore
gon City, Oregon, is dated Sa
turday, March 3, 1877, and im
printed as "Vol. 11, No. 23”
This numeration would place the
date of publication of the first
issue on Saturday, October 2,
1875.
Earlier publication is, how
ever, advanced by at least three
contemporaries of the Georgia
weekly. The Ave Maria, Sep
tember 25, 1875, spoke of "The
first number, now before
us . . .” and the Pilot, Boston
of the same date, said that it
had "received the first number
of the Southern Cross .
But even prior appearance is
supported by the Morning Star
which, in its issue of Septem
ber 25, 1875, reported that it
had "received the second num
ber of this Catholic weekly
established at Savannah, Ga. ..
In the absence of the first issue
of the Southern Cross, the di
versity may be laid either to
inclusion of more than fifty-two
numbers in the first volume or
to faulty numeration, some
times present in the volumes of
the Catholic press of long by
gone years.
Launched under the auspi
ces of Bishop Gross, the news
paper was first published by
William Rankin, who was also
connected with the Savannah
News in the capacity of book-
keener, and edited by a group
of priests and laymen organiz
ed under the name of the Sav
annah Catholic Literary Soci
ety. William Rankin has other
wise proved elusive as to his
identity. Indications are, how
ever, that he belonged to the
same family as did Ella M.
Rankin and Margaret R. Ran
kin who for years had been
teachers in the now discontin
ued St. Patrick’s School, in Sa
vannah.
Later, Joe J. Gross, who op
erated a printing job shop at
135 Bay Street (now 15 West
Bay Street, occupied by John
D. Robinson Co.,) where the
Southern Cross was published,
became publisher. Brother of
Bishop Gross and Father Mark
S. Gross, of Wilmington, N.C.,
who declined appointment by
The Pope as Vicar Apostolic of
North Carolina, he was born in
Baltimore in 1835, married
Clara F. Atherton of St. Louis,
Mo., and died in the latter city
in 1907.
With a motto, "The Cross
Standeth Whilst the World
Passeth Away,” extended
across the top of its first page,
under its title, the Southern
Cross was an 8-page newspa
per, 28x20 inches in size, sub
scriptions to which were $3.00
per year. According to Row
ell’s American Newspaper Di
rectory, 1875, it was publish
ed on Saturdays, and its esti
mated circulation was 1200. To
promote circulation, the week
ly maintained a network of
twenty-six agents in cities and
towns of Georgia, Florida,
North Carolina and South Car
olina.
The contents of the Savannah
paper, like those of Cath
olic journals of the times, were
local, general and foreign
news; literary and scientific
items; correspondence from
various cities in the United
States and abroad; editorials
on diocesan and general Cath
olic subjects; fiction and poet
ry. Almost two of eight pages
of an issue were devoted to
the Savannah market, ship
ping and railroad schedules
and a sizable number of ad
vertisements, including some
from Catholic colleges and
academies in the South.
When the Southern Cross took
its place in the ranks of
the Catholic press of the coun
try, its appearance evoked
from its contemporaries wel
comes, and wishes.
The Catholic Advocate, Sep
tember 23, 1875, expressed it
self in the following words:
"We welcome to our table a
neat, new Catholic paper nam
ed the Southern Cross, publish
ed in Savannah, Ga. . .
This is the latest birth of the
still growing Catholic press.'
It reads well and we hope it
may have a prosperous career
as its ‘get -up’ seems to de
serve.”
From the Morning Star,
September 25, 1875, came the
following: ". . . It is . .. print
ed in large, clear type, and
contains a judiciously selected
assortment of reading matter,
besides several well written
editorials and letters from cor
respondents in different quar
ters of the globe. We wish the
Southern Cross success com
mensurate to the importance
of the cause it was established
to defend and propagate.”
'. . . The first number ...”
wrote the Ave Maria, Septem
ber 25, 1875, "gives evidence
that the best talent has been
called into requisition in fill
ing its pages, and if succeed
ing numbers but keep up to this
standard, the Southern Cross
will undoubtedly be a fit repre
sentative of Southern intel
ligence and culture, as well as
an able exponent of the teach
ings of our holy Church. The
paper is edited by an association
of literary gentlemen, \lay and
clerical, organized under the
name of the Savannah Catholic
Literary Society . Besides this,
the editors have secured
regular correspondents in some
principal European * capitals.
With such material, and under
such management, the Southern
Cross cannot fail to give an ex
cellent and well diversified ta
ble of contents. It is well
printed, on good paper . . .”
Within eight months after
its establishment, the Savan
nah Catholic paper figured in
a merger with the first, and at
that time the only, Catholic
Best Wishes
To
The Southern Cross
St. Anthony’s Church
SAVANNAH
journal in Tennessee. The
Southern Catholic, founded in
Memphis in 1874, had for some
time been tottering. In April,
1876, when its circulation hit
a low of 200 subscribers, it su
spended publication, and, in the
words o£ the Ave Maria, Ap
ril 15, 1876, "united inter
ests with the Southern Cross
. . . ” Until that time, it ac
tually had been a competitor of
Bishop Gross’ weekly, including
Georgia in its field of ope
rations, in its drive for a larger
circulation.
For almost another year, the
Southern Cross came off the
press weekly and continued in
its work of faithfully and ben-
efically serving the clergy and
laity of the Diocese of Savan
nah. However, its stability was
seriously shaken, late in 1876,
when Joe J. Gross, the pub
lisher, lost his wife. While vis
iting relatives in St. Louis, she
accidentally suffered critical
burns and died on December
12, 1876. Mr. Gross himself
was so badly burned in his ef
forts to extinguish the flames
that caused the death of his
wife that he was temporarily
deprived of the use of his hands.
According to his granddaughter,
Miss Clara Provenchere, St.
Louis, he thereafter returned to
Savannah only for the length of
time he needed to close his bus
iness affairs and remove his
effects to the Missouri city,
where he resided the rest of his
life. His departure from Sav
annah, combined wuth the bad
economic conditions and the
lack of financial support, hast
ened the Southern Cross to its
eventual demise.
On the basis of available
data, the issue with which pub
lication of the paper was sus
pended is not definitely de
terminable. However, since the
only known extant issue is dat
ed Saturday, March 3, 1877,
and the Catholic Advocate,
March 29,1877, already report
ed that "the Southern Cross
. . . has suspended,” publica
tion must have ceased with one
of the issues which appeared on
one of the intervening Sa
turdays, namely, March 10, 17
or 24, 1877.
Expressing regret that the
Southern Cross suspended
publication, the North-West
ern Chronicle St. Paul, Minn.,
April 7, 1877, further said:
"The Cross was doing an ex
cellent work in an admirable
manner. We will miss it among
our exchanges; but, above all,
in the interests of a growing,
enterprising Diocese. We hope
this suspension will be but brief
— a breathing spell before tak
ing a fresh and healthier start.”
Unfortunately, the suspension
is permanent. Thereafter,
Georgia had no other Cathol
ic weekly, published in the En
glish language, untff'the pub
lication of the Georgia Catholic,
in Atlanta, in the mid-1890’s.
In his comment on the Sou
thern Cross, in "The Early Life
of William H. Gross, C.SS.R.,
Fifth Bishop of Savannah, 1837-
1885” an unpublished M. A. dis
sertation submitted to the Ca
tholic University of America,
in 1949, the Rev. Andrew H.
Skeabeck, C.SS.R., stated that
"Gross’ short-lived newspaper
was, like his college, a pet pro
ject that was endowed with zeal
and ardor, but not with finan
cial stability or long life.”
Says State Can’t Close Private Schools- -But
Can Enforce Rules On Accreditation Of Teachers
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa, (NC)
- A judge ruled here that the
state has no power to close two
schools operated by members
of the Amishsect, but that the
Amish must obtain accredited
teachers for the schools or
send their children to schools
which have them.
"The state has no power to
close a private school,” Dis
trict Judge Peter Van Metre
said. “The only power the state
has is to enforce the attendance
laws by proper action against
parents of the individuals in
volved.”
The case centers on two pri
vate schools operated by the
Amish in northern Buchanan
County, Iowa. County officials
had sought a temporary injunc
tion to close the schools be
cause they lacked certified tea
chers.
The effect of Judge Van Me
tre’s ruling is to leave the
schools open while requiring
them to obtain accredited tea
chers or face the loss of their
students. County officials said
they would ask public school
district authorities to take ac
tion to see to it that the child
ren in the Amish schools are
educated by certified teachers.
Iowa state law provides that
children must be in attendance
in a school under a certified
teacher. A college degree is
necessary for such certifica
tion.
At a hearing here, a spokes
man for the Amish contended
that the religious liberty gua
rantees of the U. S. Constitu
tion gave them the right to
operate their schools as they
wish.
The spokesman said they be
lieve the morals of their child
ren had declined previously
when the schools had non-Amish
teachers; that certified tea
chers are too expensive; and
that the Amish consider an
eighth grade education suf
ficient for their simple life.
Negro Couples
To Host 5,000
White Visitors
CHICAGO, (NC) - A mass
exercise in interracial under
standing and good will is sche
duled here for January 6, when
1,000 Negro couples will play
hosts to some 5,000 whites
visitors.
The Negro couples will wel
come the visitors into their
homes for informal living room
discussion of racial problems.
This will be the largest of
these annual visits in the seven
years since the program began
in 1955 with some 50 visitors
participating.
Sponsor of the January 6
program is Friendship House,
a Catholic interracial move
ment headquarters here.
ed Do
The Southern Cross
St. Mary’s On-The-Hill Church
Si. Mary’s School
Augusta
PUBLISHED 1875-77
The Southern Cross, Jaiiuaij
•i.