The Catholic times. [volume], February 06, 1953, Image 4

About The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current

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THE
CATHOLIC TIMES
Published Every Week by
The Catholic Times. Inc.
Columbus. Ohio
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Prii* ef Th* Cathob* Tw« i» tt c*- ’m- All
anbaeript'ens »fl»l1 b* nr***ni»i te our offic* throurh
th* paawra of th* parmhea.
Rmittaneaa »ho»M mad* parable to Th* Cath
•lie Tim*?.
JMtonymou* eatior* will b* «i -raga-d*^
W* dn not hold eur»*!»aa raaponaihl* for any *i**ra
ar noinior* *Tpr*a**r tn th* communication* of our
•orrwpondenta.
Altered a* Saeond Clan* Matter at Pott Office.
Columbu*. Ohio.
St Franeia fl* Sale*. Patron of th* Cathohe Pre**
and of the Dmceae of Columbus, Pray for I’a I
This Paper Printed by I nion Labor
A Telling Point
A familiar and deadly pattern is again being
unfolded in one of the Communist-dominated lands.
It is the culmination, ihe ‘endpoint’’ nl those who
would subject an entire people to a Godless, immoral
ideology It is. in the mind of its planners, the death
blow to the one great opponent: religion It is. in ef
fect the dissolution of the ‘•family.’’
Depriving the people or the free practice of their
religion is not enough. The Reds long ago found
this out There is. as long as there is the institution
of the family, the strongest resistance-bloc against
the inroads of Communism in the minds and hearts
of the people The family is the nurturing place and
the bastion of religion it. the lives of any people
The enforcing on the people of Hungary ot the
new “Family Act” is regaided by the Reds as a
major weapon in their fight to control the youth of
the land, who ha\e sc far stubbornly resisted
Marxism
An on-the-scene observer states that it is no
secret that the communists’ failure to attract the
young (and this they must do if Communism is to
live and thrive) has been dur to the sound family
life in this traditionally Catholic country, and to
the unquestioned authority parents have exercised
over their children. The new law aims to change
all this.
The Family Act provides that in the future
Hungarian children will merely be ‘supervised’’
by their parents. Following the familiar Soviet
model, the Hungarian Reds ha\e not only abolished
parental authority, but ha\e made even “supervi
sion” acceptable only so Inng as it coincides with
the interests of the Stale
The Family Act also attacks the foundation of
Hungarian family life by making divorce easy. A
couple may now be separated “whenever it is in
the interests of society or of the children con
cerned”
Another part of the act stipulates that the
term ‘‘child born out of wedlock is to be abol
ished. Every Hungarian child will be able to use
either the father s or the mother s family name
The announcement ot this devilish plot should
make all people pray and think. We should pray for
the poor souls who are the victims of this law Me
should think of how lucky we aie io be in a country
that preserves the institution of the family.
In all this, nothing should drixe home with
greater force the motto of this year’s Catholic Press
Month celebration: “The Catholic Tress helps good
families grow better!”
Happv Birthday, Scouts
America Is proud of its Boy Scouts who are cel
ebrating their 43rd birthday Sunday. Feb.
The rapid growth of the scouting movement,
especially among the Catholic schools, is attracting
much interest
More than 20.206 0(10 hoys have been members
of the scouting movement since its incorporation in
Todav there are more than 510,000 atholic
smuts and leaders in the Roy Scouts of America.
Thev stand readv in fair weather and foul in
play or tn emergency. They are trained to think-—
well and fast.
Diocesan scout committees have been establish
ed in 127 of the 134 atholic dioceses in this conn
try and there are 7.117 Cub Scout parks Boy Scout
Troops and Explorer Posts under Catholic auspices.
In the Columbus Diocese, the scout program is
under the auspices of the Diocesan \outh program.
The Rev. John Simon is chaplain of tht Columbus
diocesan scouting program which ha* moie than
26 troops in Columbus alone.
In all. scouting is sponsored hv 56 934 churches,
svnagogues. schools, and fraternal groups through
out the nation
This year Roy Scout Week is being observed
from February 7 13 Major emphasis is being placed
on “The Scout Family."
This s a two-way recognition It honors the
many fathers of Scouts among the 850.000 adult
volunteer leader* in the organization and it salutes
the 128 000 mothers who give generously of their
time as Den .Mothers in the Cub Scout ranks
It is here that the enrichment of family hie
is a mam objective Through doing things together,
hoys and parents learn tn know each other bettei
This emphasis upon strong family tics helps to build
a stronger America
The “Scout Family" nf scouting programs meets
the varying needs of hoys Cub Scouting is fnr
boy* IO Roy Scouting is for the*? 11 13, while
Exploring is for young men 14 and up
Most nf these 58,934 groups sponsor one nf the
three programs
Britain's hid Guest
The blind man on the corner peddling pen
cils for alm* has been a familiar sight to Ameri
cans for generations Although ho remains he has
been joined by a hnrde of foreign brethren who
beg for million* nnt for pennies Nor arc they
clothed rags. Their outward dress file them for
the role of guests of honor which our government
makes them on then arrival. We have grown some
what Cred nf this galaxy of disreputables
Nou Rntain is mutating our policy. Foreign
Secretary Anthony Edon has invited his new friend.
Yugoslavian Brot, Ixmdon He is better known
a* Marshal Titn This name is pure Russian mum
bo-jumbo Tito was Bros’ Comintern codeword.
The military tag was also conferred by the Soviets
Rroz prefers the fpreign importation to his own
Yugoslav name
Marshal Tito ha* not drawn an honest breath for
years. He persuaded Roosevelt and Churchill tn
arm him and his followers to battle all foreign in
vaders. That wa the beginning of the tragedy in
which wo betrayed Mihailovitch
False tn every cause he ever espoused he drop
ped the Soviets when felt strong enough in rule
alone. Again the West came tn his aid It is pro
foundly shocking to know that this aid has been
continued while Tito pushes his vicious pcrsecu
tion of everything Christian Hi* vile treatment nf
the intrepid Cardinal Steptnac has rightly shocked
the sensibilities of the civilized world
Eden’s invitation to Tito is an insult to all Chris
tian people everywhere Krmrd guards may pre
serve him from injury in England hut will not v in
him a welcome from Fn^'ishmen He will he richilv
regarded as a guest of dishonor. (Guest Editorial.
CBerelewd, L'ntverse Bull-tm).
Prayers And Pennies
The ever-increasing size and number of the
Church's missions throughout the world has placed
a tremendous burden upon the Holy Father and the
Bishops who cooperate in the work of the Society for
the Propagation of the Faith.
We are all bound some way. to spread the
word of God throughout the world. We must all be.
to some extent, “missioners.” This Society which
associates the faithful in regular prayers and
alms for th(? support of all the missions of the
Church, gives each one the opportunity to fulfill this
important obligation.
The fulfilling of this duty, according to th? plan
of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, is
simplicity itself. The Society asks everyone to offer
one Our Father and one Hail Mary each day for
the conversion of souls and also to give whatever
alms each may be free to give for the support of
the missions.
The Missionary Cooperation Plan, set up in
this Diocese at the direction of Bishop Ready and
functioning under the Society for the Propagation
of the Faith, brings to us all the opportunity of
sharing in a closer way the v^rk of the missions.
Under this plan, repi esentatives from each one
of the numerous missions aided by this Diocese will
appear in various Churches throughout the Diocese
during the coming months to explain the nature nf
their work and to ask for the prayers and funds
necessar. to carry out their work successfully.
Just Among Ourselves
Palling Comment Considered or Inconsiderate
A current review tells us of a person who feels
(as who docs not?) that TV advertising is overloaded
with praiseful superlatives. He asked one hundred
people their opinion The question was specifically
concerned with advertisements for cigarettes:
"Would you prefer cigarette ads with fewer adjec
tives?” It is said that thirty-nine of th? hundred
persons to whom th? query was put answered, “What
are adjectives?”
A very simple answer might be made fn that
challenging counter question. “What are adjec
tives?” you ask. We reply. “With reference to cig
arettes. adjectives are mild milder, mildest.” Any
TViewer, no matter how limited his acquaintance
with the old school grammar, would instantly
understand that.
It is amazing, when one stops to think nf it what
power is exercised in the language of advertisers
by the humble adjective. Indeed, in this language,
the adjective might reasonably resent the de
scription humble. For all advertising has come to
be a dashing of adjectives. Perhaps it must be so in
a world of free competition An advertiser ha* two
things to do to make people aware of the fact that
he has something to sell, and secondly, to convince
prospective customers that his product is more de
suable (han products of the same type offered by
other producers.
It seems unfair, as it certainly is undignified tn
cry down others a* you cry un your own wares. Rut
the open or veiled comparison is nearly always
present in advertising, especially in that offered
through the media of radio and TV. There was a
time, not long ago when an automobile could be
advertised effectively by so simple a declaration a*
“Just a Real Good Car.” We see and hear no such
advertising today. Currently, there must be a knock
for competitors with every boost for your own
offering.
Mayhe it would he a shrewd piece of business
fat an alert advertiser 1 go hack to the older fash
ion of announcing his product and letting it stand
nn its own merits Certainly, such a practice would
be a relief to the buying public, which now is
badgered by a ceaseless and confusing barrage of
claims and counter-claims A simple and non-com
parative advertisement wotdd be such a novelty
that it could hardly fail to win notice and approval.
“Try our product.” cries one advertiser, a
legitimate request. But instantly another advertiser
.shouts. “Try ours for seven days” Then up pops
a third with the intolerable hrazenness to suggest
that we use his product exclusively for thirty days!
That is “Listen to me. and pay no attention to these
other fellows try nunc, but don’t try theirs De
vote a whole month of your lime and money
tn the cultivation of a taste for my product Such
advertising is an affront to purchasers, not a legiti
mate request for their patronage. Rut so the game
goes on.
Every producer seems determined to make pen
pir understand that his product is not only a good
product, hut I he best product of its kind. And the
advertiser is not content with saying so he must
say so a dozen times in a dozen different ways, and
with exhaustive descriptions of endless wonderful
“features” which attach Io the product advertised.
Hence I hr advertiser has need of many words he
cultivates felicities of phrase he is no longer a mere
announcer hut a coiner of catch words and a lyricist
in purple prose.
There is competition in expression too. and ad
vertising men strive to outdo one another in fetch
ing twists of language. Again, it is largely a matter
of adjectives, nearly always in the comparative
or (he superlative degree To be sure, there is sonic
lack of imagination in the business. Cigarettes arc
always milder beers are always smoother shaving
creams insure more comfortable shaves hair crimps
are more lasting soaps and scouring powders arc
speedier everything is more economical.
Sometimes the advertiser loses all judgment
in his mad determination to win attention Then he
is almost sure to reach for the adjective famous
"Drink our Splendiferous Soda Pop in Ihe bottle
with the famous green and blue label!” And this,
mark you, in the very Inst public notice of the
Spl. Soda Pop. a product nobody has heard of
before, and a label no one has even thought of!
Vet the very label of this new guzzle is already
famous What is fame’ And how docs a label of blue
and green go about the work of achieving it?
There is an ancient saying that adverbs are the
most important of words, even in comparison with
verbs which arc the very skeleton, not alone th?
hack bone, of any language 4drerhm non verba
cornn'intur is the saying: “Adverbs not verbs, are
crowned” Thus, in the statement. "He worked faith
full) at his task.” ihe void faithfully i.s mor? no
table noble and significant than the word u orked.
Rut in the world of advertising verbs are hut
secondary in importance and adverbs are nowhere.
The adiectivc ha* taken over. It is the shouting
word of a language, and advertising is a matter of
shouting out claims and shouting down .competition.
Verb* arc used largely to express commands tone
cannot call them requests, they arc so loud) and
insistent) that wc keep the adjectives tn mind.
‘•Remember “Don't forget “Tell mother
to buy “Get a bottle to-day "Smoke Our Hay
maker* exclusively (ah, Here is an adverb!) for forty
years
Radio and TV advertising is a queer business It
irritates people nn end And yet it must produce re
sults pleasing to th? advertisers, fnr they keep at
it interminably, and pay heavy fees fnr the privilege
nf nagging us.
THE CATHOLIC TIMES. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY A, 1953
fl
IT ASHI\CTON LETTER
WASHINGTON—The need for
a clearly-defined, firmly-estab
li.shcd policy of United States re
lations with Ixitin America is
coming to the lore again. And
since it is, Latin Americans and
U.S. citizens familiar with Isatin
America are urging that it be
based upon a spirit of inter-de
pendence and understanding.
Such a policy, interested per
son* assert, could do much to
head oft Ihe vicious propaganda,
a good deal of it communist in
spired, which is being nurtured
ir. Latin America and is even
finding its way into the press of
this country.
This resurgence of interest
was greatly stimulated by the
television statement of policy
made to the nation hy Secretary
of State John Foster Dulles. Hr
promised that, in the future, the
United States will pay more at
tention to Latin America He
said that, because of preoccu
pation with Europe and Asia,
this country “may have some
what neglected” Latin America
and may have been inclined to
"take it for granted
Latin Americans, judging from
reports which have heon receiv
ed here over a long period of
time, do not feel that it has been
so much neglect as a matter of
lack of a stable policy, properly
grounded.
till er iiicci\s
Broadly speaking, there have
hern three successive stages in
the administration of postwar
American economic assistance to
the nations of
the free world.
During the
I rst stage,
starting with
e adoption
of the so-called
Marshall Plan
in 1 9 4 and
continuing for
a roximate
ly a year, the
program inevi­
tably dealt almost exclusively
with the staggering problem of
physical relief and elementary
industrial rehabilitation It ha*
been said by ECA officials and
correctly so. 1 should imagine
that this was by far the easiest
stage in the evolution of the to
tal program.
During the second stage, which
lasted unttil 1951 the problem
was one of encouraging the ben
eficiaries of American economic
assistance tn establish the pohti
cal and economic institutions
which would be necessary to car
ry out the underlying objectives
of the original Marshall Plan.
The overall objective was lhe
restoration or maintenance in
European countries of princi
ples of individ’.ia' liberty, free
institutions and genuine md?
pcndence based upon sound eco
nomic conditions and stable in
ternational economic relation
ships.
The 'Trickle* Theory
During this second stage,
which was much more difficult
than the first, (ne emphasis was
on greater production By 1951,
however, it was apparent—par
ticularly to the representatives
of American labor who were
Catholic Bible Week
Latin American Policy Needed
They point tn the fact that the
U.S. did have a Good Neighbor
Policy, hut claim that this was
abandoned once our European
and Asian markets picked up
again On the other hand, they
add, the U.S. Point Four Pro
gram has provided Latin Amer
ica with tang'hlc and durable as
sistance Technical aid to under
developed countries has helped
to provide bettor agriculture,
better roads, improved health,
education and tools. Moreover,
since it is a 50 50 proposition,
with each government putting up
50 per cent of the cost, it is held
tn possess the important ele
ment of inter-dependence.
Secretary Dulles brought Lat
in America into his discussion nf
the Russian communist policy of
encirclement In Latin America,
residents of that area rcporl In
cal communists are furthering
that policy through aeitation in
labor and industry and. tn some
instances, outright subversion,
penetration of government posts
and open revolution
Brazil, it has been reported
here for some time, is the tar
get of painstaking, long-range
effort on the part of the Reds to
gain control of the army and key
posts the administration Th?
press and leading Catholics in
Brazil have sounded worried
Labor And Foreign Aid
helping to administer the pro
gram or were cooperating with it
from the sidelines both in Eu
rope and the United States—that
this was not enough Production,
absolutely considered, was ad
mittedly increasing. But the gen
eral level of reemery in France,
Italy and Germany was not ac
companied by a corresponding
improvement in the workers’
standard of living, with the re
sult that American aid. to a cer
tain extent at least, was unwit
tingly playing .nto the hands of
the communists and thereby
serving to defeat its own pur
pose.
“Whether it was so planned
or merely happened,” the well
known labor economist William
Gomberg has written. “Marshall
Plan aid (during this second
stage of its development)
based itself on the ‘trickle’ the
ory. ‘Take care ot the top strata
and benefits will finally leak
down to the lowest group.' This
kind of policy was devised in
the early years nf our Great De
pression. and it rapidly proved
ineffectual The American peo
ple rejected it the election of
1932 .”
Productivity Assistance
In a press release of July 1951,
William Foster, the then Admin
istrator of ECA unexpectedly
announced a new productivity
assistance program, the philoso
phy of which was completely
contrary to the so-called ‘trickle”
theory. This new program which
was to usher in the third stage
in the evolution of ECA. was a
radical innovation terms of
European traditions.
Most of our dollar aid to Eu
rnpe is in terms of commodities,
raw materials, or machinery.
The counterpart funds that re­
k-
-*v,_
5^35^
warnings on this score,
hut, Brazilians say, the govern
ment of President Vargas does
next to nothing to check the
threat In fact, reports say. some
staunch anti-communist figures
have been ousted from their gov
ernmen. posts or molested in
srme way.
Guatemala has long been known
to present a particularly sore
spot in this hemisphere. Guate
malans who have been victimized
hy communist aggression say the
Reds in this country arc thriving
on the “do-nothing” policy of
other countries. In elections held
in January, the communists cap
tured a majority of the seats in
lhe Guatemalan congress. Oppo
sition groups, it is said, were r?
stricter! in their efforts during
the campaign and election
The great majority of th? peo
ple in latin America live in want
and misery, with very little hop?
for the future Communism has
mad? great advances in Latin
America because of these condi
Hons, and it is possible that it
ran go farther Al the same time,
the people are becoming more
and more aware of the fallacies
of communism, and there are
many well-to-do Latin Americans
who are working earnestly to
bring justice and charity into
the social picture.
sult from the sales of those com
modities by a participating gov
ernment are used in an invest
ment program designed to im
prove the wealth-producing base
of the country.
The philosophy underlying the
new productivity assistance pro
gram. dating from the summer
of 1951. was given statutory rec
ognition in the so-called Ren
ton Amendment which is now
Section 516 of the Mutual Se
curity Act. This Amendment de
clares it to he the American
policy to comhat cartels, to com
hat communist -abor unions, and
tn encourage the development
and growth of the free trade un
ion movement in Europe.
Greaiest Single Contribution
The third point in the Benton
Amendment is perhaps the most
important to encourage the de
velopment and growth of the
free trade union movement in
Europe In any event, it is this
part of the Amendment which
directly ties in with the subject
of our discussion. I think it
would be accurate to state that
the greatest single contribution
which American labor repre
sentatives have made in Europe
is to encourage European labor:
1) to consolidate its own
strength 2) to concentrate more
of its attention on productivity
as well as on an aggressive type
of collective bargaining over the
fruits of this productivity 3) to
center less of its attention on
sterile political remedies which
leave the basic economic prob
lems of Western Europe unsolv
ed and the basic economic sys
tem unreconstructed
The future of freedom in
Western Europe depends in
large measure upon the success
or failure of this program of
economic and industrial reform
INQUIRY CORNER
RICHARD PATTEE
What Do We Mean
By "Congregations?”
Q. What are the Congrega
tions of the Catholic Church?
A The Holy Father has various
groups of churchmen to assist
him in his office as Head of the
Uhurch. These various bodies
make up the Roman Curia, which,
reorganized by Blessed Pius X,
consists of twelve Congregations,
three Tribunals and five Offices.
The twelve Congregations are:
the Holy Office, Consistorial Con
gregation. that for the Oriental
Church, for the Sacraments, of
the Council, of Religious, for the
Propagation of the Faith, of
Rites, of Ceremonies, of Extraor
dinary Ecclesiastical Affairs, of
Seminaries and Universities and
of the Basilica of St. Peter.
Q. Does the Church approve
freedom of speech for teachers
e. g. atheists?
A. The Church fully approves
freedom of speech for everyone.
Freedom of speech, however,
does not include freedom to
destroy the foundations of
society. It is commonly overlook
ed today that teachers are mere
ly delegated by the parents to
teach their children, and they
must not impose their own moral
and philosophical views upon the
innocent. In his Encyclical on
Christian Education of Youth
Pope Pius XI pointed out: “In
this work the teacher, whether
private or public, has no absolute
right of his own. but only such as
has been communicated to him
by others. And whoever dis
turbs the pupil's faith any
way. does him grave wrong, inas
much as he abuses the trust
which children place in their
teachers, and take unfair advant
age of their inexperience and of
their natural craving for unres
trained liberty, at once illusory
and false.”
Q. What is a patriarch?
A. In the Old Testament the
title refers to the founder of a
family, tribe or race. In Chris
tian times it as an honorary title
given to certain bishops, espe
cially those of Rome, Constanti
nople. Alexandria. Antioch and
Jerusalem. There are patriarchs
of the different rites in the Ori
ent (e.g. Armenian. Chaldean,
Malchite and Maronite) and mi
nor patriarchs (e.g. Venice, Lis
bon)
Q. What is the "chair” of St.
Peter we celebrate January 18th?
A. Just as we speak of the
“county scat”, the "chair” which
wc address at a formal meeting,
or the “throne” which is over
thrown in a kingdom the "chair”
of St. Peter refers to his leader
ship “St. Peter s Chair in Rome”
Two Noteworthy
Books On Russia
Two outstanding books on Rus
sia have just appeared in Lon
don. It is io bp hoped that they
will soon be available in this
country.
7,ir Hr'*
Mirr-1 hohr/
sigmfi
K fll a n i I e
"R u s s i a and
Her Cn/nnir*.”
We* have rare
ly thmight of
Ilk Russia as a
''.Hmnal1 p(u
If 1 'pserv ing
no" *on-ir
jPx"11pi'll,f,ir
?S) Pvjue.s^Kin
for u na
tions as Great Britain and
France The fact that Russian
expansion was overland, that the
central authority was not sep
arated from the colonies by sea,
does not make Russia any less
a colonizing and a colonial state
in the ordinary 19th-century ac
ceptance of the word.
Most readers have a vague no
tion that to the east of Moscow
is to be found a vast conglom
erate of states and peoples, all
bound together in the thing call
ed the Soviet Union. In the old
days, when fellow travelers were
not subject to scrutiny and
praise nf the Soviet Union was
equivalent to a profession of
faith in democracy, we were in
undated with a considerable lit
erature depicting the blessed
slate of the peasantry in such
outlandish place* as Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan Kirghiztan and
Turkmenistan. Soviet propagan
da laid particular stress on the
liquidation of illiteracy as well
as the new culture which, under
Moscow’s benevolent influence,
was developing in these remote
corners of the globe. Neverthe
less these areas were, and are, in
the strictest sense. Russian colo
nies. It is, perhaps, opportune
that a competent book be devot
ed to the myth of Soviet enlight
enment among non Russian peo
ple.
Gigantic Hoax
The allegedly generous treat
ment of national minorities has
long constituted one of the for
midable legends regarding the
USSR. The recent anti-Semitic
outbreaks may start a revision
of this notion The present book,
inspired exclusively in Soviet
sources and producing innumer
able documents and reports,
tends to take th? glitter off the
standard thesis about Soviet lib
eralism vis-a-vis th? colonies. It
deserves to be widely known in
as this feast day is called com
memorates his establishment of
his place and power as vicar of
Christ in Rome.
Q. Catholics always pray for
their departed. How do you
know that a particular soul has
gone to purgatory?
A. We do not know the judg
ment of God in regard to any
one who dies, except those
whom the Church officially de
clares—by canonization—to be
in heaven. Saints are rare, so
we assume that most of us have
some temporal punishment due
to sin, and that the prayers of
the living the Communion of
Saints can help. If the person is
heaven (or in the other per
manent state after death, hell)
our prayers are not wasted. Lift
ing our hearts to God in prayer
is never useless, and He will
channel His graces to some oth
er soul, dear to us perhaps, who
is still in purgatory.
Q. W hat is the vestment that
hangs from the priest's wrist at
Mass?
A. It is called the maniple.
Originally an ornamental hand
kerchief carried the hand
(hence the name which means
"handful”). Now it is a narrow
band of the same material and
cloth as the chasuble, suspended
from the left arm near the wrist.
The prayer said when putting
it on connects it with tears and
labor perhaps from the hand
kerchief from which it originat
ed comes the idea of “the sweat
of our brow”.
Q. Does the confusing of tong
ues at Babel include all men
at the time"' Did the flood at
the time of Noe cover the whole
earth?
Probably not. The Confraterni
ty edition of the Old Testament
has this footnote on the tower
at Babel: “It is certain that all
living beings were not at the
tower of Babel. The story can
not mean that this was the only
cause of the diverstiy of lan
guages. Rather it shows God's
supremacy over man and the fu
tility of human attempts to cre
ate and maintain unity by ma
terial means alone, without God.”
(Genesis 11:1-9) The same source
comments on the extent of the
flood (Genesis 9:19) that “the
author has in mind, not the en
tire earth, but only that part
inhabited by peoples related to
the descendants of the patri
archs.”
Send questions to Rev. Edward
F. Healey, Inquiry Comer, The
Catholic Times. Box 636, Colum
bus (16) Ohio.
the light of tne appeal the
USSR is making to colonial and
semi-colonial peoples all over the
world. The volume deals at
length with som? of the cultural
experiments in outlying areas
and shows conclusively the gi
gantic hoax perpetrated by the
Soviet government in the name
of intellectual improvement. The
imposition of th? Cyrillic alpha
bet, the teaching of reading in
order to create a larger public
for Soviet propaganda all this
and much more are gone into
with admirable thoroughness.
The second volume. "Russia
Absent and Present'” by Wladi
mir Weidle, is a singularly lucid
“meditation on Russia”—that is,
an attempt to reach a balanced
and provocative view of the
place of Russia in the modern
world, especially over the past
three centuries.
Sometimes, when one is sur
feited by the deluge of techni
cal. statistical and highly docu
mented accounts of the so-called
Soviet enigma, it is well to stand
off at a distance and try to get
a bit of perspective This little
book pretends io do precisely
that. It follows the great lines,
the large threads, and does not
propose to introduce the reader
to the maze of contemporary
documentation which, quite liter
ally. clutters up the landscape.
Two CIHm Symbolic
I was struck particularly by
th? part that deals with Moscow
versus St Petersburg. The two
great Russian cities, in the view
of the author, symbolize and
summarize the struggle of the
Russian mind tu find a direc
tion Moscow was the old Russia
and. by th? same token, the
new—the “Slavophile” capital,
the introspective city, cut off
from the West and indifferent to
it. St. Petersburg was what Pe
ter the Great called “Russia's
window to the world.” The 19th
century, with its modernization
and occidentalization, was the
work of St. Petersburg and those
who thought of direct access to
the West.
Obviously, it is impossible to
give in a few sentences even the
briefest resume of a very note
worthy and extraordinarily stim
ulating book—one that should be
read by everyone concerned (and
who is not?) with the place of
Russia in our world.
Solid and thoughtful books on
Russia, a country about which
most of us have deplorably
vague ideas, ar? too few—and
likely to be fewer.