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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.