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PAGE 2 GEORGIA BULLETIN BOOK SUPPLEMENT
Jesuit Essays Project Image Of Church
IN THE EYES OF OTHERS
Macmillan, $3.95
In this collection of eight
essays the Jesuit authors seek
to project a public image of the
Catholic Church that will modify
the popular image. The areas
singled out for exploration are:
historical, political, sociologi
cal, authoritarianism, biblical,
birth control, censorship, and
woman.
TEEN-AGE Tyranny By
Grace and Fred M. Hechinger
Morrow, 259 p. $4.50
Has the Teen-ager replaced
the adult as the focal point of
attention in the wide worlds of
education, commerce, and lei
sure? Many parents have been
thinking this privately for the
past generations. Now the hus
band and wife team of Grace
and Fred M. Hechinger come
up with facts and figures to
support the thesis. They are
no mean authorities on the sub
ject, and their case is docu
mented in clear language.
“Teen-age Tyranny” is a
double-edged title because it
refers to the relinquishment
of adult prerogatives, and Is
concerned with the adolscent
craving for popularity through
mass confirmity.
THE HECHINGERS blame
much of our current troubles
on Progressive Education —
whatever that really means.
Such things as sel-expression,
classroom culture, and the
world of the “child-centered”,
all are part of the general ex
cesses which have led to the
flight from reason and logic.
The authors lay great stress
on the irresponsibility of adults
With the exception ofthefirst
essay, the authors do not set
out the popular image and then
refute it, but they honestly set
forth what the Church holds as
its own, even at the risk of
mis-understanding. The essays
are restrained, quiet, not ped
antic, and as easy to read and
comprehend as an evening con
versation.
THE FIRST essay by Father
who abdicate their rights and
privileges “for the convenience
of the immature**. They also
point to the great mistake made
in treating adolscence as a
separate way of life, rather than
a period of transition in which
the immature have the oppor
tunity to eventually become ma
ture — and not only biologi
cally.
They treat early marriage,
teen-age drinking, use of auto
mobiles, and the billions of
dollars worth of investments
made by business angling for
the teen-age market. Out of all
this comes the terrible amount
of waste and extravagance which
is portrayed to the teen-ager
as a virtue, not a vice; and on
the sidelines there are the huck
sters ready to jump in and
exploit.
This and much more is of
fered in “Teen-age Tyranny**.
If adults are to learn anything
from the Hechingers* presenta
tion, it is that first and fore
most we have got to stop act
ing like teen-agers. Our teen
agers, alas, have got to learn
to enjoy the experience of be
ing young before they are dra
gooned into growing older.
GERARD E. SHERRY
Vincent C. Hopkins traces the
historical aspects of anti-Ca
tholicism in the United States.
Although it would be unrealistic
to accept his picture as modern
even here in the South, yet an
understanding of misunder
standings is obtained. Father
Gustave Weigel follows along
to dispel the notion that the
Catholic theory of Church-
State relations is dictatorship
of the Church. His comments
on Boniface VIII cannot be ig
nored by honest men. He scores
a point with: “The theologians
can only discuss the relation
ship of Church to State if one
can define for him what kind of
state is meant.*’ If that raises
objections, they are quickly an
swered by an exposition of three
absolute principles.
The contribution “Catholics
and Corruption** by Father Jo
seph C. Fitzpatrick will bring
a sign of relief to the Catholic
social workers as well as to the
Newman Club student in a so
ciology class. He gives a cogent
explanation to the innuendoes
that our Christian people are
by and large, hypocrites. Call
ing attention to the factors of
immigration, changing values,
conflict of interests, and tech
nology, he sketches a road to
follow: cultivation of a personal
sense of justice and clarifica
tion of ethical norms in a plu
ralistic society.
IN AN excellent essay, one of
the best in the book, Father W.
Norris Clarke addresses him
self to the inquiring and disturb
ed mind - must a Catholic sur-
1. Taste a book or magazine
before reading, it may be bitter
or even rotten. The mind is
more important than the sto
mach. Just as some food is
fit only for the garbage pail,
so some reading is not fit for
the mind.
2. A mind that does not per
fect itself by good reading does
not remain the same; it becomes
duller. White fences do not
remain white fences; muscles
that are not used atrophy, and
a mind that does not take men
tal nourishment can starve.
3. An opposite extreme is to
do all the studying in one dire
ction. Over- specialization,
Darwin said, ruined his mind,
for he thereby lost all taste
for music, poetry and the arts.
Many theses in universities are
on such a specialized subject
that they profit neither the stu
dent, the university, nor the
general public.
4. To limit one's reading to
the newspaper and to popular
magazines is to fall in to un
iformity and the dullness of the
ant-hill When everone knows the
samething. No one knows any
thing.
5. The best time for study
depends on one's constitution.
Some are born roosters and so
their best work in the morning;
others are owls and have their
best mental activity at night.
6. A student who is not liv
ing a moral life, will frown
on all reading which calls his
moral bankruptcy to account.
A bank robber does not like to
render his freedom of con
science and use of reason in
submission to the authority of
the Catholic Church? In his
essay, “Authority of Private
Judgment*’ he quietly and lu
cidly answers so many ques
tions. His essay brings up a
question - what about The
Church’s attitude toward bib
lical studies? This interest is
taken up in “The Study of Scrip
tures” by the editor, Father Ro
bert W. Gleason.
In twenty pages Father Glea
son has telescoped interesting
historical developments in the
biblical field, as well as a
clarification of the “literary”
forms** which still bothersome
professors. To be regretted
here especially, and this holds
for the entire book, is the fail
ure to satisfy the serious read
er with a suggested bibliogra
phy. The bibliography in each
of these areas is too extensive
for the ordinary reader to know
what to choose. Books, like
rabbits, do multiply.
“The Catholic Church and
Birth Control” by Father Jo
seph S. Duhamel is perhaps the
best essay. Here is one that
ought to be meditated upon by
clergy and laity alike. Every
one knows the image of The
Church toward this modem
scourge which destroys moral
fiber so subtly. Father Duhamel
hides behind no emotional trees,
nor does he discount the serious
problems involved. This essay
is quite thorough and clearly
written.
have a searchlight on him as
he blasts a safe;- neither does
an evil man want the light on
truth shining on his evil deeds.
7. As food is chewed, so must
reading. As the mouth has gas
tric juices, so does the mind
have mental juices to convert
reading into Knowledge. As
wood must be chopped before
it is burned, so reading must
be meditated on to get its full
flavor.
8. The eye is not always see
ing; every now and then it winks,
or goes into temporary dark
ness. So the mind has to take
itself away from what it is read
ing in order to reflect on the
knowledge, and thus understand
it better when one returns to
the book.
9. Do not always keep an “open
mind,” that is read everything
without making decisions. An
“open mind” that never de
cides on anything as true, can
turn out to be nothing more than
a hole in the head. The “open
mouth” that never closes on
food starves.
10. If the book is your own,
read with a pencil; mark the
important passages for a se
cond 0 a third reading, if the
book is not your own, forget
the suggestion. This would have
been no help to Anatole France,
who said that the only books
he had in his library were those
that he borrowed from friends.
11. The Book of the Month
is not necessarily the book
worth reading. If you have never
read Plutarch’s Lives, it is the
same as if it just were off
ANOTHER thorny subject fol
lows in Father Harold C. Gar
diner’s essay on “The Catholic
Church and Censorship.” Fa
ther Gardiner is quite aware
of his area, since he is liter
ary editor of America. His
discussion of criticism versus
censorship does much to lay
the foundation for the real im
age of the Church in this area.
Throughout the authors have
dealt very well with some*
difficult subjects, but the most
difficult and the most dange
rous was left to Father Joseph
Donuel. He bravely takes his
stand with the other seven Je
suits in his essay, “Man and
Woman in the Church.” He
does a creditable job, but seems
to fall victim to a popular im
age (mostly masculine) of wo
man that will not be shared by
many (mostly feminine) - such
as “Woman's mind is somewhat
hazier and more nebulous be
cause. . .” Women, however,
will probably concede that
where his thumb is on the scale,
he discounts more liberally.
Father Hopkins renders a
service to truth in pointing out
an important factor in most hate
literature - human greed.
This book can be recommend
ed widely. It would be an excel
lent gift for your inquisitive
friend and especially for your
son or daughter in college.
They will not be disappointed.
T. T. McNULTY, O.F.M.
the press. Emerson suggested
never reading a book until it
was out a year. What is the
latest fashion is not necessar
ily the best. What ever happen
ed to the sack dress?
12 Reading novels exclusively
or looking'at television dramas
and Westerns exclusively, stirs
up the emotions against objects
that are purely fictitious and
unreal. Later on, when emotions
should be aroused toward a
real object, it will be discover
ed that they have become jad
ed. The modern would has thus
lost the power of moral indig
nation.
13. Students would do well to
recall that a number of classes
in colleges are not worth foll
owing; principally among them
are classes where the pro
fessors dictate their notes; also
a class in which statistics are
given for that year only. A good
book is worth more than some
college courses.
14. There is no short cut to
knowledge. No easy path exists
toward acquiring a foreign lang
uage or mathematics. The taste
for everything that is fine
and noble is the result of dis
cipline and hard work.
15. A man may be very cle
ver, know much, publish much,
astound quiz masters and be a
devil. Knowledge of and by itself
is not sancitity. Goodness is in
the will, not the intellect.
16. Pray before studying, for
though knowledge comes from
bttks, wisdom comes from God.
PRAYER BOOK
AND RITUAL
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HELICON PRESS
BALTIMORE 2, MD.
TEEN-AGE MORES
Young Tyrants
Ways To Improve Mind