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PAGE 4—The Southern Cross, August 1, 1963 Laws With Teeth’ Needed There is small comfort in the statistics revealed by Postmaster General J. Edward Day in his statement that arrest and convic tions for violation of mail laws against ob scenity set a record the past year. He re vealed that there were 761 arrests for vio lation of mail laws with 637 convictions, which represents more than a 25% increase over the past year. The report obviously is meant to strike: an encouraging note, because it confirms Postmaster Day’s view that "criminal act ion" against offenders is made more effec tive than "administrative penalties." How ever, its total effect is anything but encour- agind, although everyone appreciates the zeal and alertness of the Postmaster and his aides in attempting to dam the flood of obscenity. For one thing, it is obvious that there is far more traffic in filth in the mails than ever before. The prime target, we are told, is the teenager. Any child now can receive the lowest kind of obscene literature without ever finding out how his or her name got on the mailing list. Adults are not ignored by any means, but since they would be more inclined to throw the stuff away or report it to the authorities, they are not considered a good risk. To see an indecent book or magazine in a rack where you can exercise the right to accept or reject it is one thing, but to find even worse material brought to your home un requested through the United States mails is a problem of far greater proportions. We begin to realize something of the magnitude of the evil when J. Edgar Hoover’s words are pondered: "Filthy literature is a great moral wrecker . . . it is creating criminals faster than jails can be built." A great many people believe that court decisions in recent years concerning litera ture and motion pictures have encouraged these brazen publishers of hard core por nography to blanket the country. It was a fed eral district judge who over-ruled four years ago the post office ban on "Lady Chat ter ly’s Lover," a decision which came a few weeks after the Supreme Court had stated that, in effect, it is lawful to teach adultry and the breaking of marriage vows. Mr. Day states that 637 offenders were fined a total of $53,530.00. This averages only about $80 for each offense, so it ap pears as if the Court is still only smacking wrists and clucking tongues at the violations. Obviously, something more than chasing peddlers of filth needs to be done. Should not public opinion be aroused so that citi zens not only will report every instance of such abuse by the mails, but will appeal to legislators to put some teeth in the laws governing pornography in order to protect our young people against the filth merchants. —(The Voice—Miami) There Are Many Kinds Of Thieves God’s World (By Leo J. Trese) Justice is the virtue by which we render to every person that to which he has a right. Con versely, injustice is the vice by which we deprive a person, against his reasonable will, of that to which he has a right. Justice is one of the four car dinal virtues— one of those four "hinge" virtues upon all other mor al virtues de pend. Textbooks of moral theology, which are studied by candidates for the priesthood, give more space to the consideration of "Justice and Rights” than to the treatment of any other vir tue. This is not surprising, since no other virtue gives rise to as many questions as does the virtue of justice. "Is the theft of $25.00 a mor tal sin or a venial sin?" “Am I obliged to restitution if I have knowingly accepted a stolen ar ticle?" "Is it a sin to cheat on my income tax?" "What must I do if a store makes a mistake in my favor on my bill?" These and a thousand similar ques tions resolve about the virtue of justice. Such questions can best be left to one’s confessor or to the Question Box of our dioces an newspaper. It is not our pur pose to discuss them here. Neither shall we dwell here on that aspect of justice which so plagues our contemporary scene: racial justice. The moral evil of denying a person his ec onomic, educational or social rights because of his color, is undeniable. Just as undeniable is the fact that few of us are without blame in this area. North, South, East, and west, most of us have sinned either by active discrimination or by passive acquiscence. How ever, there already is enough being said and written on this subject to stir the conscience of anyone whose conscience still is functioning. It is not my present purpose to add to that body of admonition. I should prefer for the moment to direct attention to the practice of justice in a more limited area. Physical belongings are not a person’s most precious pos sessions. There may be abnor mal individuals who consider money to be the highest good. Most of us will agree, however, that happiness is far preferable to wealth. Happiness is a com pound of many things—a feeling of self-worth, a confidence that one is loved by some and res pected by many, contentment with one’s lot, peace of mind— these are a few of the ingre dients. Now here is an oddity of hu man behavior. We readily ad mit that we gladly would ex change our worldly pos sessions, if faced with such an alternative, in order to obtain or preserve our happiness. (Many, in fact, do just that by embracing voluntary poverty.) Yet, we who would not dream of stealing so much as a dime from anyone, will disturb or destroy the happiness of others with scarcely a twinge of conscience. There are many ways in which we can rob others of happiness and thereby sin against justice. Gossip is one very common thief of happiness. If, by gos sip, we whittle down a person’s reputation and diminish the res pect in which he is held, we sin against justice as well as against charity. If, by sly digs and insinuations, we set neigh bor against neighbor, we are as much a bandit as a man with a gun. If we go into a sulk at home and cast a spirit of gloom and unease over the family, we are fliching happiness from our own flesh and blood. There are many other ways, too, in which we may defraud people of their happiness. Harsh and unfriendly criticism, ri dicule, snubs, sharp answers to well-meant questions: all there are, in varying degrees, as assaults upon the happiness of family, acquaintances or fellow workers. Mindful of the infinite com passion of our Lord Jesus to wards all who suffer, we have reason to be concerned if we have been an unjust aggressor against the right to happiness of any other person. The thief of money will have an easier time of it, in judgment, than the thief of happiness. We shall do well to pray that no one ever may weep upon his pillow or clench his fists in mental pain because of any act or word of ours. (Father Trese welcomes let ters from his readers. The in creasing volume of letters pro hibits personal answers but problems and ideas contained in such correspondence can be the basis of future columns. Ad dress all letters to Father Leo J. Trese, care of this news paper.) Stories Of Greatness "Let me not leave my space of ground untilled. Impress this truth upon me ... that no one can do the portion that I leave undone." THE WORLD is a wonderful place for those who see, can walk and carry on the normal everyday life. It is only when we are taken to the sidelines that we seem to see things in true perspective. Human nature perhaps in perverse. We do sel dom take time out to say 'thank you, God, for letting me see and to walk and to hit a golf ball and to be able to go swim ming and rush for the bus and move about by myself. Yet sickness takes on a purifying ef fect not only for the one strick en but those who know and love him. Both are able to reach a heroic height if illness is ac cepted with the proper spirit. There have been those who like St. Therese have blessed the Lord for an affliction. Yet most of us find it hard to accept any limiatation be it a week in bed with a cold or the fact that a loved one has incurable cancer. There are some philosophers who have felt that illness and By BARBARA C. JENCKS disease is easier borne by the victim than by those who must look on and watch the painful process. When sickness and death come, the nobility of the human spirit is seen in one of its most glorious moments. We see man, the image and likeness of God, in his full stature. The stories of those who suffer are all around us. There are those who suffer ills of the body and there are those who suffer a worse disease the sickness of the soul. There are the vic tims of disease and there are the victims of prejudice and hate, these latter ones suffer a particular painful existence as they move in the world of the physically well. * * * MARGUERITE DONNELLY, A shut-in herself, wrote me recently of two blind friends. I had written a column about blindness being my idea of the hardest of all handicaps to endure—never being able to see a loved one’s face, the host raised at Mass, a sunset, blue skies, read the world’s great literature. Miss Donnelly wrote to tell me about Assunta Fossa, and Tom Henry ‘ ‘two unsung heroes of our time," according TO Miss Donnelly. Mr. Henry has been blind and without both legs for several years. He is now 57 and is called "Mr. Coura geous.” The Henrys who have three daughters have built ramps around their doorways so that Tom is able to get out and "enjoy" the outdoors. Mr. Henry and Miss Fossa are said to bring joy, not sadness, wherever they go and have turn ed their afflictions into an in strument for cheering others. Assunta has been blind and crippled for 36 years. RECENTLY ‘TIME’ maga zine featured the story of the Peace Corps and its operation after two years being almost too good to be true. Again there is the story of generosity which is particularly im pressive when it is exhibited by young people. At a time when the younger generation was being written off as shallow, beat, self-centered, college students by the thousands signed up to give two years of their lives without pay to the service of their country in the underde- (Continued oil Page 5) ALL HANDS WELCOME - DIRTY OR NOT A Rose is a Rose is a— It Seems to Me "A rose is a rose is a rose," wrote Gertrude Stein; and I must say she was right about that. But I, being no literary pioneer but a mere hack of a journalist, will take one rose at a time. What I want to know is s omething that philoso phers have asked them selves for centuries: "Why is a rose a rose?" I mean to say, why is a toma to a tomato? Why are cats cats, and cabbages cabbages, and hu man beings human beings? To put the query in fancier terms, what explains the un changing stability deep down in the "whatness" of things? ONLY ONE ultimate answer is possible, and sooner or later every mind must either come to it, or leave the mystery forever unsolved. As G. K. Chesterton said with his brilliant simpli city, in the final analysis grass is green because Some One with the necessary power pointed at it and commanded: "Begreen." Which means that the Some One not only was the creator of grass, but the creator also JOSEPH BREIG of the human eye which sees grass as green. That, as I said, is the ulti mate explanation. But what is the machinery of it—of the cat- ness of cats and the cabbage- ness of cabbages? How does nature go about the business of obeying nature's God? By what means are His direc tives conveyed? FOR RESEARCHES in that field three scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize—Har vard’s James D. Watson, and Britain’s Francis H. C. Crick and Maurice H. F. Wilkins. "They have shown us," said a previous Nobel winner, Hugo Theorell, "how to read the se cret language of life." Other scientists said that as a result of the work of the three, man may some time "play God" by "creating life in the test tube." Let’s make a distinction here. Man may alter the instructions contained in molecules, but man will never create life in a test tube or anywhere else. THE MOST that man can pos sibly do is to trigger the po tentiality for life that lies hid den in matter because the Crea tor hid it there. Creation—real creation—is a field into which man cannot ever step. Creation is making something out of nothing. More preceisly, if is bringing something into ex istence when previously nothing at all existed. God can do that because God is almighty. No creature can do it neither angels nor men. All that scientists can do is to discover, in matter brought into being by God, hitherto unknown laws of nature which also were brought into being by God. THE THREE Nobel winners were honored for their studies of the acids known for short as DNA and RNA. RNA, they found, is a "messenger" which carries the "code" which determines what a thing is. Watson, with refreshing hum ility, said he didn’t think the work involved "very profound thought or great intellectual insight. We followed three or four steps and were lucky they turned out the right way.” Neither now or in future is there any question of "crea tion," but only, possibility of alteration. God made the mole cules; Watson and Crick and Wilkins merely studied them to find out what God wrought therein. Filipino Cardinal Says Council Will Bring Untold Advances To Mission Lands MANILA, (NC) — The ecumenical council will un doubtedly bring untold benefits to the vast mission territories of Asia and the Pacific, Ru- fino Cardinal Santos, Arch bishop of Manila, said here. He added that laymen will play a major role in bringing these benefits about. Cardinal Santos spoke in an interview given to theN.C.W.C. News Service. Asked why he thinks the council will aid the missions, he answered: "Because the council is de voting considerable attention to the expansion, promotion and maintenance of the missions. The bishops of the council will give impetus and stress to all constructive programs for the spread of the word of God in all these countries that long have hungered for the benison of light." He added that the council will unquestionably consider the creation of new ecclesiastical jurisdictions in mission areas, discuss ways of helping them financially and deal with the problem of how to convert their peoples effectively and per manently. He said that the council is deeply aware of the shortage of missionaries. Thar ip probably one of the reasons why, he con tinued, there has been some dis cussion in the council of the possibility of ordaining spe cially trained laymen as dea cons to help in the missions. Cardinal Santos said he is also convinced that devoted and dedicated lay apostles, inspired by the teachings of the council, will be able to bring the mis sions closed to the Holy See. He stated' "Fired with a new zest and a true sense of mission, the laity will be inspired to par ticipate more actively and ex tensively in the apostolate of the hierarchy. "Specifically, the laity will increasingly find its place not only in the doctrinal field but also in the administration of the Church and in the coordi nation of missionary activities, which must reach the farthest nooks and corners of the world." Cardinal Santos was asked if the council will have any ef fect on the discipline of the Church. He replied: “Yes. Surely the council will revise certain rules and de crees, and this revision will affect the regime of the bishops and the life of the clergy.” This, he continued, will be of vital importance to the life of the Church, and will necessitate the adaptation of present-day society to the Church, which always desires the welfare of human society. The next question was: "Do you envision radical changes in the rituals and practices of the Church as a result of the coun cil?" The Cardinal answered. "There will certainly be some changes, but not on fund amentals, We can befairly cer tain that the council will bring to our times the life of the first era of the Church as of ten expressed and described in the writings of the Apos tles, especially St. Paul." Queried about the use of ver nacular languages in the Mass, he said: "That is no longer a matter for discussion. The decision has already been reached in the council that only some parts of the Mass may be rendered in the vernacular for greater fa cility in understanding, for instance, the Gospels and the Epistles." Speaking on Christian unity, he declared: "Pope John XXIII appealed to all our separated brethern. In doing this he was just try ing to fulfill the example of Our Lord when he prayed at (Continued on Page 6)a Catholic Colleges Ask More Urgently Needed Catholic Schools PORTSMOUTH, R. I., (NC)— Sister M. Madeleva, a former college president, said here she favors the elimination of primary and secondary paro chial schools if this would make Catholic colleges the best in the country. The former president of St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., said that a basic goal of Catholic education is to Chris tianize and humanize the world, and this end is best achieved by high quality college educa tion. Sister Madelva spoke at a seminar on Christian human ism sponsored by the Spiritual Life Institute of America at Elmhurst Academy here. Unusual Background VIENNA, (NC) — Church au thorities in communist-ruled Hungary are negotiating with government officials for per mission to increase the number of Catholic high schools there, it has been reported here. The negotiations follow a large increase in the number of applications for places in the eight Catholic high schools now operating in that country, re ports said. Meanwhile, for the first time since the Communist party came to power in Hungary fol lowing World War II, graduates of Catholic high schools are being permitted to enter state universities following protests by Catholic parents who charg ed their children were ebing discriminated against, the re ports stated. BOSTON, (NC)—A linotypist, a former Trappist monk, a high school teacher, a tailor, a mul- tilth operator and a U. S. Army atomic weapons specialist will begin their studies for the priesthood in September at St. Philip Neri’s School for Delayed Vocations here. Others beginning their priestly training include an air plane pilot, a youth supervisor, a varsity football player from Notre Dame, a movie theater manager, a biochemical engin eer and a native Irishman who worked as a butcher and saloon keeper in Dublin. The future priests will concentrate on studying Latin and religion during the nine- month preparatory course. Applaud Message OVIEDO, Spain, (NC)— The 300 delegates here for the 16th national convention of Young Christian Workers strongly ap plauded a Vatican message which called for a "Christian uplifting of the world of labor." Auxiliary Bishop Laureano Castan Lacoma of Tarragona, episcopal advisor for social movements, read a cable which Amleto Cardinal Cicognani, Pa pal Secretary of State, sent to the convention. Coadjutor Archbishop Segun- do Garcia De Sierra y Mendez of Oviodo told the delegates that the movement is striving to bring to reality the social des tiny of the Church. Aid Quake Yictims NEW YORK, (NC)—Catholic Relief Services—National Ca tholic Welfare Conference, act ing immediately upon reports of a "catastrophic" earthquake in Yugoslavia, sent $1,000 to aid victims and offered more help if needed. The U. S. Catholic overseas relief agency dispatched the $1,000 to Msgr. Alfredo Botti- zer, head of the CRS—NCWC office in Trieste, Italy, to aid victims of a huge quake in in Skoplje, Yugoslavia. $1.3 Million Loan WASHINGTON, (NC) — The Federal government will lend St. Mary of the Plains College, Dodge City, Kan., $1,350,000 to finance constructine of two residence halls and remodeling of dining facilities. The Catholic college is lent the money by the Community Facilities Administries of the Federal Housing and Home Fi nance Agency under the College Housing Loans Program. Serve As Hostesses CAP DE LA MADELEINE, Quebec, (NC)—Members of the Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate are serving as hos tesses to pilgrims visiting the shrine of Our Lady of the Cape here. The hostess-Sisters wel come pilgrims, furnish infor mation, and organize and guide groups taking part in the per petual Rosary devotion. Name School For Bishop Walsh HONG KONG, (NC)—A school for children of refugees from Red China scheduled to open here in September has been named in honor o Bishop James E. Walsh, M. M., Am erican missioner serving a 20- year sentence in a Red Chinese prison. The school, built in the pa rish of Father Howard D. Trube, M. M., of the Bronx, N. Y., in a refugee resettlement area of Kowloon, will hold close to 2,500 pupils in double session and evening classes. QUESTION BOX Q, Someone recently tried to tell me that Cape Canaveral was the site of a Catholic mission founded a half-century before the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth Rock, Could this be true? A. What is now Cape Cana veral, Florida, was the first stretch of land sighted in 1565 by the explorer Pedro Menen- dez de Aviles, who had set out from Spain to find a perman ent colony in the New World. The date was August 28, the feast day of St. Augustine. ON SEPTEMBER8, 1565—40 years before the English settle ment at Jamestown and 55 years before the Pilgrim landing at Plymouth Rock—Menendez led his band on to the beach at a place several miles (30leagues, at the 30th parallel of lati tude) to the north of the Cape. The event was recorded by Fa ther Lopez de Grajales, who had put ashore the previous evening: " . . .1 took the cross and went to meet him, singing the Te Deum Laudamus. The Ad miral, followed by all who ac companied him, marched up to the cross, knelt, and kissed it. A large number of indians watched these proceedings, and imitated all that they saw done." A MASS of thanksgiving was then offered by Father Lopez. An altar now marks the spot where these rites were held. THE MISSION of Nombre de Dios (Name of God) was estab lished at the site of the land ing. The nearby settlement, America’s oldest city, was call ed St. Augustine, because the Cape first came into view on the saint's feast day. A description of old St. Aug ustine by a visiting bishop in 1674 revealed that it had more (Continued on Page 5) The Southern Cross P. O. BOX 180. SAVANNAH, GA. Vol. 44 Thursday, August 1, 1963 No. 4 Published weekly except the last week in July and the last week in December by The Southern Cross, Inc. Subscription price $3.00 per year. Second class mail privileges authorized at Monroe, Ga. Send notice of change of address to P. O. Box 180, Savannah, Ga. Most Rev. Thomas J. McDonough, D.D.J.C.D., President Rev. Francis J. Donohue, Editor John Markwalter, Managing Editor Rev. Lawrence Lucree, Rev. John Fitzpatrick, Associate Editors