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PAGE 4 GEORGIA BULLETIN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1963 ^ Archdiocese of Atlanta GEORGIA BULLETIN SERVING GEORGIA'S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES Official Organ of the Archdiocese of Atlanta Published Every Week at the Decatur DeKalb News PUBLISHER - Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan MANAGING EDITOR Gerard E. Sherry CONSULTING EDITOR Rev. R. Donald Kiernan ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Sue Spence Member of the Catholic Press Association and Subscriber to N.C.W.C. News Service 2699 Peachtree N. E. Telephone 231-1281 P.O. Box 11667 Northside Station Atlanta 5, Ga. Second Class Re-entry Permit Pending at Decatur, Georgia L'.S.A. $5.00 Canada $5.50 Foreign $6.50 Spare Preston Cobb Preston Cobb, Jr., a Negro, was 15 years of age when he killed a white man whom he had robbed. Today, some two years later, he awaits the electric chair for his crime against society. Timothy Wooten and Gary Priest, both white and 17 years old, killed another white man in a robbery. They were recent ly sentenced to life imprison ment. No death penalty was ask ed, mainly because of their youth. The inconsistency in the pun ishment meeted out to Cobb and the leniency shown to the older white youths, cries out for pro test by all responsible citizens. Equal justice under the law in Georgia becomes a hollowphrase in these circumstances. We do not challenge the ver dict in the Cobb case. After all, the Supreme Court of the land refused to reverse it. But we do question the punishment meeted out. All the more so, when older white youths are spared the supreme penalty fora similar form of murder. We would not change the sen tence of these youths, forthe im position of capital punishment is not always the just answer in murder cases. In the case of Preston Cobb, Jr., some believe Platform Communion Breakfasts are a wonderful institution. They can reflect the spiritual unity of or ganizations within the Church and can be an aid towards the goal recently set by Pope Pius XII - brotherhood and unity through the Eucharist. The very term "Communion Breakfast” denotes the spiritual and is a constant reminde r of that passage in the Acts of the Apos tles - “when we were assemb led to break bread...” We have broken the Divine Bread at Mass and have assembled in the pa rish hall or hotel dining room to break natural bread in uni ty. Christ has nourished us spi ritually and we take of the bodily nourishment. At these Communion Break fasts there is a sense of spi ritual uplift and we look forward in that vein to the special speak er who has been engaged in our behalf. The priest or lay speak er is expected to present a homily in keeping with the solem nity of Communion Breakfasts. They are indeed solemn occa sions with a definite spiritual purpose and a definite spiritual aim. It is, therefore, to be regret ted that in recent years, Com munion Breakfasts in some areas have degenerated into sounding boards for all kinds of quackery Disgruntled politicians, hysteri cal anti-communists, hysterical anti-anti-communists, so-called Catholic "liberals” and Catholic “conservatives,” all sfeem to get around to selling false wares un der the guise of truth. it borders on the barbaric to take his young life, just as they be lieve it would be if he were white rather than Negro. The prestige of the state of Georgia would be enhanced in the eyes of both the nation and the world, if the mercy meeted out to the two white youths con victed of murder could also be exercised in the case of Negro Preston Cobb, Jr, Our sin cerity in relation to the easing of racial tensions in the State could be expressed in no bet ter manner than in our working for the commutation of the death sentence awaiting Cobb. All of us reading the facts of this sad tale should do more than murmur a tsk-tsk of agree ment with those who protest that Cobb’s sentence should be com muted. We should not be guil ty of pitying the boy, then for getting him. Let us all actively urge our new Governor, Carl Sanders to intervene with the State Pardon and Parole Board not only in the in terest of justice, but also in the interest of our community tranquility. Let him spare Pres ton Cobb, Jr.’s life. Justice will still be served and the quality of mercy will still not be strained. Gerard E. Sherry For Quacks Worst of all, their very antics are destined to destroy thatunity in faith which is witnessed at the altar rails. They sow the seed of mistrust against all legitimate authority in the Church and in the State. In nearly all cases, theirs is the negative approach and contributes nothing to the solving of the important pro blems of the day. There may well be a place for the political demagogue, for the disgruntled "jjolitical” Catholic - but it is not a Communion Breakfast, nor, for that matter, at any Church gathering. Let s restore the Communion Breakfast to its former role in which we assemble "to break bread.” Historic BY FATHER R. DONALD KIERNAN It was high noon in Atlanta on Tuesday, January 15, and the bells of Atlanta’s mother church, the Immaculate Conception, were ringing the Angelus. It was at this precise moment that an Associate justice of Georgia’s Supreme Court was adminis tering the oath of office to the state's seventy- fourth Governor, Carl E. Senders of Augusta. It was likewise a historic moment in the state, for it was the first time in decades that the elected official had been the popular choice of the people whom he was to represent the next four years. Nor was there any vindictivness noted in the whole ceremony. The “keys of office” were being turned over by the former chief executiye in a manner of dignity and hope. The only thing to mar the event was an airplane circling overhead car- LITURGY AND LIFE Two Pictures of A Bible BY REV. LEONARD F. X. MAYHEW Two photographs suggest some thoughts about the Bible. At the opening ceremony of the Second Vatican Council a Bible open to the Gospels was solemnly enthroned in the nave of St. Peter’s Basilica where the bishops were to hold their discussions. A few days ago I saw a picture of a contemporary French church in which an open Bible is permanently exposed before the altar. The two examples symbolize a completely authentic and in deed essential facet of Catholic tradition. At the same time they may well occasion some sur prise to many Catholics, as well as to non-Catholics. The autho rity of the hierarchical Churc; as represented by the Council and the sacramental life of the Church exemplified by the altar and tabernacle are essentially bound to the position held by the Scriptures in Catholic faith. IF THIS is not immediately evident to many even within the fold of the Church, it is entirely regrettable and is a defect that demands prompt attention. The new spirit at work in the Church, that has given rise to the liturgical revival, the ecumenical movement, the renewal of theology, the apostolate of social justice, and which is so much in evidence at the Council, has largely been nourished by a reawakened awareness on the part of Catholic thinkers of the fundamental impor tance of the Bible in the life of the Church. There are many historical reasons why the place of the Scriptures has become obscured to some de gree. The low point of late Scholasticism placed such exaggerated emphasis upon speculation for its own sake that it largely lost sight of the ex ample of St. Thomas Aquinas who practically de fined theology as the science of Sacred Scripture. FOLLOWING the Protestant Reformation Ca tholic theology was involved in a “state of seige,” being necessarily bound to concentrate on the de fense of the role of tradition and the teaching au thority of the Church against the extreme posi tion of the Protestants. Too frequently theolo gians confined their use of the Bible to the quo tation of isolated texts to “prove” their theses. Scripture study, in spite of the outstanding work of scholars in the first century after the Council of Trent, became mainly a polemic against heretical views. The defensive freeze placed upon liturgi cal change removed what would have been the most effective stimulus to popular Biblical apprecia tion. The modern period of revived Scriptural scho larship had its beginnings at the end of the last century under Pope Leo XIIL The great landmark of the advance of Catholic Biblical study came under Pope Pius XII in 1943 when he gave offi cial approval to modern scientific methods and the study of the ancient languages for the interpre tation of the sacred texts. Since then progress has been steady on a scholarly level and the ef fect on the popular and devotional life of the Church is more and more evident. WE CATHOLICS, who form such a small mino rity in the South, run the danger of subconscious ly considering the Bible as “theirs,” alien ter ritory for us, useful principally to defend our faith against attack. The woeful ignorance of Ca tholics about the Scriptures taken alongside the almost sacramental reverence shown the Bible by our evangelical neighbors serves only to ag gravate and distort the division between us. We would be missing the point, however, if we urged more knowledge of the Bible only in order to convince our separated brethren. THE MASS liturgy is the besc indication not only of the Church's reverence for the Scripture but of the living influence that the inspired word should exert. In the Missal we do not use the Bible as a dead relic of the past. The psalms and readings are alive and meaningful in the context of the Mass. They effectively express the nature of true religion in fully human terms that bear the un mistakable mark of divine approbation. They speak to the whole man - reason, w ill and heart - of the good news of our redemption and our new life in Christ. We discover in them the means to articulate every nuance of our religious needs and hopes. The only path to knowledge of the Bible is to read the Bible. The Gospels, for example, will only have their full impact when each one is read as it was written - continuously from beginning to end. The pamphlet editions of the books of the New Testament with notes and commentary, pub lished by The Liturgical Press, are an ideal way to grow familiar with the divinely inspired and living revelation of our Faith. GEORGIA PINES Moment For The State ring with it a banner...the last vestige of the ad vocates of segregation. It was viewed with humor by a crowd who were interested in Georgia's future and the new horizons to be captured. This was a new era. The words of acceptance used by the youthful governor reflected this new era which had now be gun. There was a promise of honesty in government, a plea for cooperation among depart ment heads, a word of hope for Georgia’s education system, and a challenge to Industry and tourism. But first of all, Gover nor Sanders asked all to bow their heads in a moment of prayer for success in the great task lying before him. This message then closed with the words that in four years, “. . .Almighty God might smile upon our humble efforts”. It was a fine speech delivered by #fine Christian gentleman. By the time the ceremonies were finished on capitol lawn, most of the crowd went to the cham bers of the House of Representatives. Here the oaths ^ office were administered to the other elected officials, department heads, and the new members of Georgia’s General Assembly. It was an impressive sight, especially the oaths being administered to the department heads, who were the choice of Sander’s crew in guiding the “ship of state” for the next four years. General Hearn of Monroe, Colonel Connor of Roswell, Mrs. Bruce Schaffer of Toccoa and others stood before the television cameras and a battery of photographers. These were the staff who were chosen to aid the young Governor. If anyone in CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 SOME JOB Teachers- Parents BY GERARD E. SHERRY Some parents make me sick and tired. Es pecially those who are always talking about have, ing no say in the running of the parish school. I find the protests hollow, because many of the complainers are not doing their job as parents, and want to leave everything to the Sisters at the school. This was brought into sharpfocus this w eek with the disclosure that eighth graders in one of our parochial schools held a farewell party for a mem ber of the class leaving town. The party took place in a Catholic home. Instead of having fun, time was spent with some of these child ren (Let's face it— that is what they are) separating into boy- girl couplesforkiss- ing and the like. Don't be shocked, dear reader; it is happening all the time, and many parents don’t give a hoot, even when it concerns sub-teens. REAPINGS AT RANDOM The most galling part of this episode is how ever, is that some of the parents of the child ren attending the party complained to the Sister Principal of the school. One parent observed, “What are our Catholic schools coming to?” Shades of the Mad-hatter at the Tea party. The root cause of such conduct by our young sters lies not in the failure of Catholic teachers, but in the failure of Catholic parents. The Sisters are not the prime educators —- the parents are. This education includes spiritual formation, which gets its emphasis through the example of God fearing mothers and fathers. Let’s face it. Catho lic education is being undermined mainly in the home, not in the school. Let’s look at a few more reasons why teachers want to be left alone to teach, without having to assume burdens and re sponsibilities which belong only to parents. It is estimated that the life of the average stu dent can be broken down as follows: • 900 hours a year in the classroom • 3,285 hours a year in sleep • 4,575 hours a year “left over.” In other words, the teacher has the child for about ten per cent of his life each year, or at least should have, and during that 900 hours the same teacher is expected to produce a well- rounded, fully adjusted individual who will be able to read, write, subtract, divide, behave, and in all things be a credit to his family, Church and community. In spite of ever increasing demands and constant interruption our teachers perform wonders. Teachers must be qualified, credentialized, ap proved, screened, immunized, loyalty tested, in vestigated. Schools must be accredited, evaluated, affiliated, coordinated, centralized, decentraliz ed, superintended, supervised, inspected. Pupils must be tested for ability, reading readiness, for sight, hearing, TB, bad teeth. They must be immunized, indoctrinated against Communism, warned of the dangers of narcotics, taught the art of safe driving, and everything which the pa rents cannot or will not do. The teacher must at tend institutes, seminars, demonstrations, fa culty meetings, night classes, lectures, enrich ment courses. During class hours they will be requested to collect lunch monies, donations to worthy causes. In our Catholic schools they must promote the sale of Christmas seals and “pagan babies”. Which reminds us of the puzzled neo-pagan father who asked his pastor to please explain what was a “pagan baby.” “Leave us alone” is the justifiable plaint of our muchly badgered teachers but they are re signed to the fact that things are going to get worse before they get better# and all of the time they are going to be blamed not only for Johnnie’s illiteracy but also for his criminal wave and alarm ing delinquency. A few months ago a group was beating the drums to stop Christmas caroling in our schools and to help keep Christ and Christmas as far away as measles, polio and smallpox. Not long ago we read about a group of ministers who met with a certain City School Board in order to explain how teachers can teach “about religion” without necessarily teaching religion. A good trick if it works,but does not this remind you of the man who refused to go Into the water until he knew how to swim? So to the growing army of educationists who profess to know so much about education and so little about the problems of educators we say, leave them alone, which might be another way of saying mind your own business. Naturally, we are not telling the parents to mind their own business. After all, the education of their children is their primary responsibility. They need to cooperate with the good Sisters and lay teachers in both our parochial and public schools. They can make a vast contribution to the heavy- load on the teacher through a direct inte rest and a disciplined concern for their offspring. This, in turn, would make the concluding remark not to obvious. “And now, class, as I was saying before the last Interruption — excuse me, but there goes the fire alarm. Time for fire drill or is it nuclear survival this time?”