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PAGE 4—The Southern Cross, October 24, 1963
Ribicoff Approach Is Right
A thoughtful, constructive approach to the
disputed question of federal aid to students
attending non-public schools is exemplified
in the address which Senator Abraham Ribi
coff gave this week at the Conference on
Religion and Law held in Chicago. The senator
observed that the subject is hotly contested
instead of being coolly investigated, and that
extreme positions, pro and con, tend to domi
nate the debate and prevent sensible and
helpful discussion. But such discussion is
urgently required and he provided matter
and a model for it in his remarks.
He pointed out that decisional law on the
subject is scanty indeed. Actually, only the
Everson case of 1947 has specifically dealt
with the problem, and in that case it was
decided merely that publicly financed bus
transportation for children attending a paro
chial school is not unconstitutional. “The
benefit didn’t even get inside the schoolhouse
door,” says Senator Ribicoff.
When and if it does cross the school
threshold, there surely will be court tests
and more decisional law. The senator ven
tures the guess that the Supreme Court will,
at that point, indicate a much wider area of
permissible assistance than is now in effect.
But he asks whether we should be in a hurry
to precipitate such tests. Instead of pressing
the court for definitive answers as soon as
possible, “would it not be better to pursue
the political process further, to explore new
approaches to the problem and try to develop
a consensus within this country as to what
should be done?”
In promotion of this consensus, certain
facts should be more widely recognized than
they are at present. One is that it is the
constitutional right of any young citizen to
attend an accredited school of his choice.
Another is that no one can be penalized, or
suffer deprivation or diminution of due bene
fits, because he exercises his right to attend
such a school which is non-public. Still
another is that an already large and ever
increasing proportion of the nation’s youth
is attending accredited non-public schools,
many of them church-related. And another
yet is, as the senator puts it, the fact
"that the education of each of these children
means just as much to the strength and future
of this nation as the education of every child
in a public school.”
Complete public subsidization of non-public
education is commonly considered to be out of
the question. It is certain to be declared un
constitutional, should it ever come before the
Supreme Court for decision. But that does
not mean that all forms of aid are unconsti
tutional. And it is precisely to consideration
of various other forms of aid that Senator
Ribicoff would invite the serious attention
of the American people.
In this connection, he repeats proposals
which he first broached some time ago. They
are:
1. Income tax deductions for college and
private school expenses. For the former, the
maximum would be $1,500, and for the latter
$100.
2. Public financing of shared time. Children
in non-public schools would go to public
schools for some subjects and activities,
and the facilities in the public schools used
by them in such instances would be at least
partially financed by federal allotments.' ‘The
payment is made to public school authroities
for education of students who attend public
schools on a part-time basis. This is plainly
constitutional and sound policy as well.”
3. Assistance for special purposes. These
would include mathematics, science, foreign
languages.
4. Teacher training programs. These would
extend to the provision of scholarships to
enable teachers to pursue advanced studies.
5. Auxiliary services. Meant here are such
services as school lunches, health services,
transportation.
6. Higher education. There is no difficulty
about this, because a mass of precedents
indicates constitutionality and general accep
tance.
Senator Ribicoff reports that these pro
posals have been received favorably in many
quarters. To our way of thinking, they do
not exhaust the possibilities. But, in any
case, they should be further considered, and
his criteria for handling and discussion
of the entire subject deserve to be adopted
by the citizenry as a whole. They offer a
sound approach to a subject of vital concern.—
(THE CATHOLIC TRANSCRIPT)
Let The Priest Speak
It Seems to Me
Dictator Tito Gets
Correct, Cold Welcome
WASHINGTON (NC) — Mar
shall Tito of Yugoslavia was
received with prescribed proto
col on the south lawn, but mar
chers on the north side of the
White House carried placards
that roundly denounced him.
Diplomatically correct
speeches were made at a lun
cheon for the Yugoslav dicta
tor in the executive mansion,
but members of Congress de
plored the visit in remarks at
the Capitol at the other end of
Pennsylvania Avenue.
These were only some fa
cets of a strange visit by a
chief of state.
Tito was here only about six
hours. He arrived by helicop
ter from Williamsburg, Va.,
and returned there the same
way. There was no White House
dinner, although there was a
luncheon; there was no invita
tion to address a joint session
of Congress.
Tito said before departure
that President Kennedy had ac
cepted an invitation to visit
Yugoslavia. White House offi
cials were somewhat more
vague; one said President Ken
nedy had expressed the hope to
visit that country sometime, but
that there was nothing definite
about it.
Military aides got between
President Kennedy and Tito as
they approached to shake hands,
and it was not known for a while
whether anyone had made a pic
ture of the event.
One local newspaper said edi
torially that the city should be
"correctly hospitable” to Tito
and his wife, and another paper
here interpreted President
Kennedy’s welcoming speech as
an indirect appeal of the same
kind. The President said he
would like to "reciprocate some
of the hospitality” Tito had
shown to American officials,
and he added: "I am sure you
will be warmly and hospitab
ly treated and welcomed.”
President Kennedy offered
Yugoslavia some old army bar
racks for shipment to Skoplje,
to house survivors of the July
earthquake. It was estimated
that the barracks, dismantled
and stored in eastern France,
would shelter about 10,000per
sons.
At the White House luncheon,
President Kennedy said "dif
ferences of viewpoint separate
our governments," but he
praised Tito for his efforts to
keep his country independent in
“an area of great importance,”
and expressed the hope that,
during his 10-day stay, Tito
would arrive at a "greater un
derstanding of the very clear
desire of the people of the Unit
ed States to live in peace.”
Tito responded that he thought
his visit would ‘ 'further our good
relations and pave the way for a
constant and stable relation be
tween our two countries.” He
said Yugoslavia no longer need
ed the direct aid which the Unit
ed States has furnished it since
World War II. Some estimates
place this aid at three billion
dollars.
Pickets marcing on the north
side of the White House were
quiet and orderly. They came
from Cleveland, Chicago, Phil
adelphia, New York, Milwaukee,
Pittsburgh and other places.
They described themselves as
being of Serbian and Croatian
(Continued on Page 5)
Christians Must Be Color-Blind
God’s World
It is not only the people, it is
also and specially the priests
who will benefit from the ecu
menical council’s decision to
put greater stress on preaching
as an integral part of the Mass.
It is true
that we can
not by taking
thought add
one cubit to
our physical
height, but
the contrary
is true of the
mind and the
soul. Our
spiritual and intellectual sta
tue is determined in part by the
gifts God gives us, but in con
siderable part also by the effort
we put into developing our abi
lities.
The mind like the body needs
exercise: the mind is not ex
ercised unless it is worked—
and worked hard. Numberless
writers have testified how they
wrote and rewrote and re-re-
wrote; how they labored like
stevedores or ditch-diggers;
and how from such striving and
straining came greater skills
and deeper insights.
It is so with the preacher; it
is easy to give a poor or a
mediocre sermon; it is nose-
grindingly hard to come up with
a good one.
THE PREACHER must be like
the writer, or the golf player,
or the musician. Weperfectour
capabilities by practice, we rise
higher by repetition, like a man
jacking up an automobile. May
be a poor sermon is the best
sermon we can produce the first
JOSEPH BREIG
time, or in the first year; but
if we really try, poor can be
come better, and better can be
come good, and good can be
come excellent, and excellent
(if we have real talent) can be
come superb.
The priests, I trust, will ab
solve me of wanting to lecture
to them. I am only trying to
say a helpful word. And the most
helpful word I know is this:
the worst sermon in the world,
technically speaking, can en
lighten and fire souls if only it
comes from the heart and is the
product of prayer and honest
labor, and is not merely tossed
off the top of the mind. God’s
grace and the good will of the
people can see to that.
ONE OF THE great goods
which the ecumenical council
can bring to us, as I see it,
is that of a re-balancing of our
understanding of our Faith. For
instance, we are acutely con
scious of the sacredness of Holy
Orders. We are not equally
conscious of the sacredness of
marriage, which like the priest
hood is a sacrament.
We have not really grasped
the sacramentalism of mar
riage as we have the sacramen
talism of Baptism or the Eu
charist. Who among us has ever
felt an impulse to kneel in the
presence of a bridegroom and
bride, because in them a sacra
ment of Christ is newly incar
nated?
THE COUNCIL will remind
us of such things, as it has now
reminded us of the importance
of preaching—Christ-centered,
Scripture-enriched preaching
—the speaking and hearing of
the Word of God in the assem
bly of the Christian people.
The council will re-balance
many things in the Church—the
need of the people to be taught
and inspired by the litugry, as
against the ancient dignity of
Latin; the relations between
pope and bishops, bishops and
priets, the clergy and the laity;
between Church and state,
Church and world, religion and
science, freedom and authority
and so on.
The council is to re-balance,
renew and refresh all of us, so
that we will see the old things
as new, and the new things as
desirable. In this light, the
priest who works at his sermons
with the dedication and deter
mination with which a great
golfer works at his approach
shots and his putting will find
himself growing spiritually
taller.
HE WILL DISCOVER in the
Scriptures new depths and illu
minations because, seeking en
lightenment in order to en
lighten the people, he will listen
with a profounder attentiveness
and a greater caring to what God
is saying to him in the sacred
writings. He will grow in grace
and wisdom; and his people will
grow with him.
Good sermons—not neces
sarily models of oratory, but
successful sermons that go to
the hearts of the listeners—are
perfectly possible to any priest.
And for some priests, and per
haps many priests, sermons
rising into greatness are within
reach, if only they will stretch
out their minds to grasp them.
Racial prejudice, like any
other kind of prejudice, is an
attitude acquired in childhood.
In most instances prejudice is
not deliberately taught to a
child. It simply "rubs off” the
adults in his
little world
and on to the
child.
It is evi
dent that if
racial preju
dice is to be
e 1 i m inat-
ed, the task
must begin in
the home. Perhaps we adults
never can wholly rid ourselves
of our prejudices; the roots are
too deep. We can try, however,
to make sure that our preju
dices do not show. We can
strive to make certain that we
do not pass our prejudices onto
the next generation.
If we are to avoid the perpe
tuation of racial prejudice we
must keep a vigilant watch over
our conversation. Even parents
who pride themselves on their
lack of prejudice can manifest
their bias in many covert ways.
The use of the derogatory word
"nigger,” for example, is it
self a prejudice-promoter. Such
(By Leo J. Trese)
phrases as, "There’s a nigger
in the woodpile,” or, "black as
a nigger’s heel,” may be used
quite innocently. Yet, the words
have a downgrading inference to
the little ears which hear such
phrases.
To young ears, too , such
casual remarks as, "I hear
that a Negro family has moved
in on the next street” (usually
spoken with a note of anxiety)
or, "She’s Colored but she’s
nice,” or, "He’s very well-
spoken for a Negro,” all have
overtones of prejudice. All in
fer that there is something es
sentially inferior about a dark
skin.
By united and determined ef
fort we adults can do much
towards eliminating ingrained
prejudice from the rising gen
eration. There still remains,
however, another aspect of the
situation. This is the fact that
the Negro himself, in the mass,
does present a picture of infer
iority. He is poor, he is unedu
cated, he is uncultured.
For this reason the Negro
frequently is told, in his drive
for equality, "You must first
educate and elevate yourself
so as to be deserving of recog
nition.” The Negro is reminded
that other groups have done so.
Many of our immigrant groups,
for example, were looked down
upon when they first came to
America. Today their descen
dants move in the best social
and political circles.
This has a reasonable sound
until we remember that the
Irish, Poles, Hungarians and
other immigrant groups did not
have black skins to mark them
permanently as "different.” It
was comparatively easy for
white Europeans to escape, in a
generation or two, from their
unfavored status. They did not
have a color barrier to cross.
It is hypocritical to tell the
Negro that he has only to better
himself in order to find accep
tance. This simply is not true.
There already are many well-
educated and cultured Negroes
who still find themselves the
victims of discrimination.
Moreover, if the Negro is to
better himself, the question re
mains: where is he to begin?
Because of his poverty and lack
of parental interest the Negro
child cannot get an adequate
education. Because of his lack
of education he cannot get a
well-paying job, perhaps not any
(Continued on Page 6)
To Cover Vatican Council
Jottings
Lead, kindly light, amid the
encircling gloom,
The night is dark and I am
far from home.
Keep thou my feet: I do not
ask to see
the distant scene, one step en
ough for me.
I loved to choose and see my
path, but now
Lead thou me on . . .
Cardinal Newman
* * *
PEOPLE these past weeks
have stopped me to bid
me farewell and a good jour
ney. They ask me if I am ex
cited about the proposed Rome
trip. Up until the last few days,
I would honestly answer ' 'no,
I’ve been too busy.” Besides
shopping, working to get col
umns written ahead of time,
collecting documents, and ga
thering material for press
credentials for the Council, I’ve
been spending evenings read-
By Barbara C. Jencks
ing up on the Council. While
my companions bask in the lux
ury of vacation freedom, I’ll
be working overtime in Rome
getting news stories. The thrill
of being in Rome for the great
est news story of the century
has not made its impact fully
upon me. Probably not until I
see Bishops from every land
and clime and race mounting
the steps of St. Peter’s or I
am admist the feverish activity
of the Vatican news offices will
this great privilege fully re
gister. My press credentials
for the council are being ar
ranged by Father Edward Hes
ton, C.S.C. who is in charge of
the American press corres
pondents under the NCWC, the
Catholic News Service. A pro
visional press pass has been
granted me until my credentials
are approved by Monsignor
Fausto Vallanic, chief Vatican
press officer. As soon as I get
to Rome on Sunday, go to Mass
and settle in the hotel, I must
contact Father Heston at the
Holy Cross Fathers Generalate
to complete necessary forms
which will bring me, I hope,
the coveted Vatican Council
press pass. I do not know how
many women have been issued
these official council press
cards in Rome but I do know
that it is small enough to be
unusual. I’ve had press pass
es from Presidents Eisenhow
er and Kennedy but this will be
cherished even more.
IT HAS BEEN ten years since
I’ve been in Rome and Pope Pius
XII was reigning. Each time I
come upon a photograph of
Pope Paul I am struck by the
great similarity in looks and
bearing with Pius XII. Yet one
of the first places I wish to
(Continued on page 5)
Prayer Ban Scored
WASHINGTON (NC) — Rep.
Frank J. Becker of New York
questioned whether the nation’s
public school children were
permitted to observe the Oct.
16 national day of prayer pro
claimed by President Kennedy
with ceremonies in their
schools.
"I assume that because of
constitutional restriction de
creed by the Supreme Court,
they were not permitted to do
so,” Becker told the House of
Representatives (Oct. 16).
He called for action on a dis
charge petition that would bring
to a vote in the House a pro
posed constitutional amend
ment intended to counter the
affect of the Supreme Court’s
rulings against prayer and Bi
ble reading in public schools.
New Approaches
To Vocations
CHARLESTON, S.C. (NC)—
The need for updating vocation
programs in line with the spir
it of the Second Vatican Council
was stressed at an eastern re
gional meeting of diocesan vo
cations directors here.
The conference brought to
gether 15 directors for three
days of discussions (Oct. 15-17)
of aims and techniques in seek
ing religious vocations.
Explaining the need for new
approaches , Msgr. Michael
McLaughlin of Rockville Cen
tre, N.Y., stressed the changes
in current candidates for the
priesthood as compared with
candidates before World War
II.
He pointed to he effects of
new patterns of family life, tel
evision and population mobility
and said: "All these tend to
leave their imprint on today’s
candidate for the priesthood.”
Serra Medal Bill
WASHINGTON (NC)—Presi
dent Kennedy has signed into
law a bill to strike 300,000
medals in honor of the 250th
anniversary of the birth of Fa
ther Junipero Serra, O.F.M.
Father Serra, born Nov. 24,
1713, in Majorca, Spain, was
a pioneer missionary in Cali
fornia.
L. A. Favors
Permanent Diaconate
ROME, (NC)—Latin Ameri
can bishops generally favor re
storation of the permanent dia
conate, Auxiliary Bishop Mark
McGrath, C.S.C., of Panama
told a press conference at the
council press office.
Reviewing the past week’s
council activities, Bishop Mc
Grath said that “toward the
end of the discussion on the
diaconate, the position of those
who were speaking for Latin
America was made indreasing-
ly clear, in the sense of fa
voring the restoration of the
diaconate as a function by it
self and without the obligation
of celibacy.”
“Forgiveness”
Request
HEIDELBERG, Ger
many, (NC)—Pope Paul’s re
cent "request for forgiveness”
from non-Catholic Christians
should be acknowledged by the
Lutheran Church, a leading
Lutheran theologian has declar
ed here.
The theologian, Dr. HansAs-
mussen, wrote to his Church’s
top liaison official with the
Catholic Church that to ignore
such a requrest would be “sin
ful intransigeance.”
The statement by the Pope
was made in his address at
the opening of the second ses
sion of the Vatican council in
these words: “If we are in any
way to blame for that separa
tion, we humbly beg God’s for
giveness and ask pardon too
of our brethren who feel them
selves to have been injured by
us.”
Warns ILO
On Birth Control
GENEVA, (NC)—A spokes
man for Belgium’s Christian
trade unions said here that the
International Labor Organiza
tion would “exceed its powers”
if it were to present birth con
trol as a desirable solution to
employment problems.
Joseph Keulers, first deputy
secretary of the Belgian Con
federation of Christian Trade
Unions, spoke to the ILO’s Pre
paratory Technical Conference
on Employment Policy which
met here to draw up general
principles on full employment
policy.
QUESTION BOX
(By David Q. Liptak)
Q. " Newsweek’s feature arti
cle last week on Catholicism in
the United States refers criti
cally to Question Columns in
diocesan papers which are
always attempting to give the
"Church’s position” in re
sponse to queries on subjects
ranging from "electric-shock
treatment to the "moral pro
priety of grammar-school boys
and girls attending parties to
gether.” Is this a valid criti
que?
A. Question Columns which
attempt to give "the Church’s
position” on anything and ev
erything are definitely open to
severe criticism.
THE MOST EDUCATIVE ap
proach to correspondence de
manding "what Catholics ought
to think” on subjects which of
themselves are clearly non-
theological (i.e., what attitude
to assume regarding surrealis
tic painting or the hypothesis of
mental telepathy) is through
emphatic affirmation that there
is no official position per se.
YET THE FACT remains that
Catholicism has relevance to
every phas e of human activity,
as well as to all creation,
in whole or in part. The most
sterile scientific experiment
has theological implication. And
art is but the representation of
truth, which is founded in God.
THUS, WHEN so-called "po
sition” questions are put by
Catholics, they are frequently
motivated by an intellectual
curiosity as to how certain
facts, discoveries, events or^
movements relate to the Chris- i
tian premise.
THE THEORY OF EVOLU
TION for example, is of itself
a non-theological matter, a
carefully formulated supposi
tion which stands or falls on
the basis of scientific evidence.
But is has theological implica
tions. Thus, evolution cannot
contradict the theologically
known truths that (1) Adam was
one person, not several; and
(2) the human soul, being spir
itual, cannot have evolved from
matter.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE is that
of the anovulants. Originally
developed for perfectly licit
medical reasons (i.e., to pre
vent miscarriage, to rectify 4
certain functional disorders),
they can also be used for con
traceptive purposes; and, ac
cordingly, have serious moral
aspects.
THE WORLD OF women’s
fashions may seem as far re
moved from theology as any
thing can be. Yet fashions per
tain to modesty and luxury,
both of which are moral con
cepts.
Hence there is "a Catholic
position” — as distinguished
from “the Catholic position”
—on everything and anything,
since nothing in creation can,
in the final analysis, be di
vorced from a relationship to
God.
The Southern Cross
P. O. BOX 180. SAVANNAH. GA.
Vol. 44 Thursday, October 24, 1963 No. 16
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