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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