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4—THE CATHOLIC TIMES Friday. Feb. 24. 1956 THE CATHOLIC TIMES Published Every Week by The Catholic Times, Inc. Columbus. Ohio NOTICE: Send All Changes ol Address to P. O. Box 636 Columbus. Ohio Executive and Editorial Offices. 246 E. Town Street. Columbus 15. Ohio Address all communications tor publication to P. O. Box 636 Columbus 16, Ohio Telephones: CA. 4-5195 CA 4-5196 Price of The Catholic Time* i« IS p*' year. Al) «ub»criptiona ahonld he presented to oi.r offtee through the pastor* of the pariahea. Remittance* ahonld be made payable to the Cath hc Time* Anonymon* enmmumrationa will be disregarded We do not hold our*el»ee responsible for any opinion* expreaeed in the communication* of out correspondent*. Entered a* Second Clan* Matter at Poet Office Columbu* Ohio. SL Francis de Sales. Patron of the Catholic Prase Pray for us! This Paper Printed by Union Labor Church I rges I s To Get Tough If i quite true that thp dead arc our masters and that the heritage we |ea\p in the world will greatly influence the generation of tomorrow for good or evil. Men in our times, however, seem to have abandoned the old norm of judging great -ness Wp admire civilization through guide hooks and picture post cards, and do very little to make the contributions to the world that were made in •past centuries. We love the monuments of old, .’or at least boast that we do, but we are incapable of the action that built them I'he very gentleness of our sedentary culture ha- led us to love and admire the extraordinary heroes and accomplishments of another day, and ’.this same lo\c initiated our decadence We are nnt marked hy an active original, rough, strong civilization. but hy a \erbal initiative, insincere pacific one The man of action yields to the man of words, the book takes the place of the sword, and great words- win the honor that was hitherto *accorded only to great deeds. We certainly stand in admiration ol the austerities and stren uous deeds of history’s heroes, but only in s-a(e seclusion From a civilization of muscles, stone, and iron, we have succeeded to a civilization of nerves pens, and papers. Perhaps today will be known to future gen erations as a period of weakening and decline And if wp would return to a lite more intense and more energetic than that which wp now live, we must forget the lust foi ornament and return to deeper and more hitter springs. Thprp was a time in the history of the Church when men and women took it for granted that Lenten la«r( and abstinence should he rigorously prat iced Today we look for every excusing i ause to exempt ourselves Indulgence is the characteristic of our day self denial is virtually forgotten if we do not plead that fasting will harm our health, then we likely trump up the old gag that our work is too strenuous to permit us to fast. Strangely enough the substandard diet im posed of necessity on millions of Europeans has not notably reduced their productivity, and in many instances it has improved their health We, of course, regret the tragedies abroad and do not coun'-el the status quo as a permanent condition, hut it is obvious that a little fasting can bring a definite promotion of health If is often by physical austerity that we grow spiritually and certainly the Church' recalls us in the rigors of I xml for this reason We arc ad monished to toughen ourselves, voluntarily to en Huie privations that will strengthen us against the inevitable temptations ahead If we allow the opportunities for building our spiritual health to escape us during the next few weeks, I .ent will not be a lime of tebirth and it may br a time of death Soft living usually indicates spiritual flab hiness and it is hard to conceive of thp dilettantes nf today being saints tomorrow 'I’he stairway tn heaven is pretty steep, and each step is an act of self denial Courage for the Struggle The Gospel of the Second Sunday of I .ent fells the story of the Transfiguration of Christ, Which took place in the presence of three of His disciples He took them away with Him into the silence and seclusion of a high mountain, 4nri there let them have a glimpse of His di Vine glory. They saw His face shining “like the »un they saw His garments become “white as Snnw and out of a height cloud which came over them they heard a voice saying “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased ilear Him!” How natural it was for Peter, one of the three chosen to witness this revelation of the Savior's glory, to cry, “Lord, it is good for us to be here!” They had been lifted out of their ordinary cares yy this contact with eternal splendor whatever Jouhts or perplexities may have assailed them it times would now fade into insignificance Although they would return to their worldly con cerns and the hard conditions of daily life, +iev would not allow themselves to be overcome jy them, they would be fortified and .sustained Uh ays hy the realization that He Whom they pad served was Master of all things By the trans figuration they wore strengthened .even for that day when they would sec Him nailed to a gross, for they knew that death could not achieve yictory over Him and that He would unfailingly rise again. Something of the feelings that exalted Peter |nd his companions should be experienced now jy those ol us who are making an earnest ef ort to observe Ix-nt Like the chosen three, we Save responded Io Christ’s invitation to come gparl from the distractions of the world (or short time, to stay dose to Him, on the height tn hi our sell denial and prayer helps us glimh. Yes, through the graces of a worthily lived lx»nt His Holy Face shines upon us the words of the Father come clearly to our cars, gs we hear them uttered in the liturgy of the Church The allurements of the world, ao false and unsatisfying, lose all attractiveness when looked down upon from the mountain where Christ is with us: the world's temptations and threats Jose their terror Cheered and inspired by the brightness which Lenten practices have brought Us. we feel obligated to echo the words of Peter "Ixird. it is good for us to be here!” And if we have not yet heeded the invita tion of the Master, and have not ascended the mountain to he near Him that is, if we arc al lowing the entanglements of the world to keep U* from sharing in the graces He offers at this holy season the message of St. Paul, in Sun day’s Epistle, should serve as both a fresh appeal And a warning "This is the will of God. your sanctification: that you abstain from all immor ality because the Ixrd is the avenger of all these things For God has not called us into uncleanncss. but unto holiness in Christ tesus our I-ord O God' It is a fearful thing to see the human Mill take uing in any ‘-hape. in any mood— Lord Byron (1788 1824), ’“Prisoner of Chillon.” The relations that exist between man and his Maker, and the duties resulting from those rela Hons, arp the most interesting and important tn every human being, and the- most incumbent nn his study and investigation.-^-Thomas Jefferson (1743-1825). “Report of Board of Visitors for the University of Virginia," submitted to Virginia Legislature Oct. 7, 1822. We think that Paradise and Calvarie, Christ's Cross and Adam’s tree, stood in one place. Ixioke. Ixird, and finde both Adams met in me. As the first Adam's sweat surrounds my face, may the last Adam’s Blood my soule embrace, John Donne. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philos ophers and divines. Ralph Waldn Emerson 1803 1832). “Self-Reliance.” Emerson thought is often distorted by the omission of the important modifier, “foolish,” in repeating this quotation. Just Among Ourselves Pasting Comment Considered or Inconsiderate There comes to hand, all free of mailing costs, Senate Document No. 13. This document, as we learn from printed notation on inside cover, is the fruit of S.Con.Res.20. Interpreting these mystic signs hy what follows in full print, we judge that the meaning is “Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 20.” We learn further that this Concurrent Resolution was “Agreed to August 1, 1955.” Our lawmakers, both senators and repre sentatives, beset as they are with endless na tional, international, and cosmic problems, have nevertheless found time to come amicably to gether for the purpose of agreeing to S.Cn.Res.20, on the Kalends of last August. Ixt no one say, in the irresponsible spirit of an election year that our august legislators (capital L) arc not alert and eager in their drive to serve all the people all the time. Not snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor the gloom of night, nor barber’s itch slays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. The agreement reached by the Senate and House of Representatives in S.Con.Res.20 of August 1, 1955, was “That there be printed three hundred thousand copies of Senate Docu ment Numbered 13. Eighty fourth Congress, en titled ‘Our Capitol,’ ’of which one hundred thousand copies shall be for the use of tthe Sen ate and two hundred thousand copies for the use of the House of Representatives.” Senate Document Numbered 13 is a pamphlet of 57 pages, about 9 by 6 inches in size, done on heavy calendered paper with cover of the same. Its front cover bears the title “Our Cap itol,” with the picture of the flag in colors, and the following sub title: “Factual information Pertain ing to Our Capitol and Places of Historic Inter est in the National Capital.” Pausing upon that sub title for a moment, we may ask. “Is there any information about things and places that is not factual information? Why then is the word factual set needlessly into the sub title of this descriptive booklet?” We do not wish to quibble or fuss about trifles, but we expect anything that comes officially from our national government and its agencies to be cor rect in all respects we have a strict right to such expectation. This booklet contains a great deal of infor mation, every item of which is readily available in travel books, history textbooks, and encyclo pedias without end. The present digest (Senate Document No. 13) has no particular merit as a digest, for it is far from being exhaustively com plete it presents some objectionable extraneous matters its illustrations are inadequate Io com plctc the text it is not too carefully done in point of English. style, or spelling (in one place for example, a statue is referred to as a statute (p. 7, line 1). The thoughtful citizen might well inquire just what purpose this pamphlet or booklet is meant to serve. Out of a joint resolution of Senate and House a person naturally expects something important and significant. Why, ex actly. did the great Eighty-fourth Congress sol einnly decree the printing of 300,000 copies of this booklet, assigning one third of all the copies to the use of the Senate and two-thirds to the House? For the cost of the publication.—while it may seem negligible Io a congressman or a sen ator. appears considerable to the man who pays for it. Certainly $100,(MX) and more likely a sum nearer $200,000 was spent in printing and broad casting this manifestly inferior piece of work. And what on earth can the Senate want with 100.000 copies, and the House with 200,(XX)? Well, wc can only suppose that the senators and representatives want these copies to send out to the constituencies. For what? To make the con stituencies aware of the fact that they are not for gotten by the Brass which represents them and acts for them in government. Rut a simple postal card “franked" to escape mailing charge, -with some such message as “Dear Constituency: We love you. We think of you. Vote for us again sometime," would have served as well as this pamphlet, and would have come to only a frac tion of the cost. And no Concurrent Resolution would have been required to justify the broadcast of the message. We have said that the booklet,—Senate Document No. 13. contains some objectionable matter. It is this. The laying of the cornerstone of the (’anilol by George Washington. September 18. 179.'1, is described not as a national event, but as a Masonic event. A silver plate deposited in the stone explains that the time is the year nt Masonry 570.7. A note is added to the text that “the President wore a Masonic apron em broidered by the wife of General Lafayette." To millions of Americans Masonry is a false religion, or. at all events a religion. If the founders of our republie were so imprudent and so inconsistent as to set up a symbol of liberty and equality of all the people and attempt to do so in the name of a very restricted sect, there is surely no reason for the Senate and House to commemorate the infelicity in an expensive booklet meant to be a solace or sop to the elec torate Rut there the infelicity stands. And again, on page 41 of the booklet, we read that the lay ing of the cornerstone of the Washington Monu ment was done “with elaborate Masonic ceremon ies," The citizens who read this booklet have a right to resent the intrusion of such inept material. Americans honor George Washington as a great man and a great citizen. If some honor him as a great Mason, with or without embroidered apron, that is their own business. It is distinctly not the business nf the people at large. And the people's Congress has nn right tn use the people’s money tn broadcast what is purely Masonic in the name of what is purely national. WASHINGTON LETTER WASHINGTON—A document which has received renewed attention here in recent months serves to recall some interest ing facts regarding the early days of this nation. They are particularly timely around Washington’s Birthday. The document itself is a pros pectus drawn up in 1786. look ing to the establishment of Georgetown in this city as the first Catholic college in this country, an aim achieved in 1789. It reflects the great spir it of tolerance that has flour ished at Georgetown since that day, and it draws attention to the importance which has al ways been attached to religious instruction in th*- United States. The year that Georgetown was founded, 1789, also saw the inauguration of George Wash ington as the first President of the United States. The same year saw' Father John Carroll, founder of Georgetown, named as thr first American Catholic Bishop. The Society of Jesus Was suppressed at the time Georgetown was founded, hut Father Carroll had been a Jes uit and he entrusted the new school to the Society of Jesus as soon as its members were able to come together again, in MARY SYNON by MARY SYNON During the next few uceks, while Msgr. George G. Higgins meets with Catholic social ac tion groups in Mexico, Miss Synon is serving as "guest" columnist. A new book from Boston is causing wider discussions than any of the books banned by the censors of that city. For in his novel. "The Last Hurrah,” Edwin O’Connor has painted a panorama of an Irish Cath olic’s domination of the poli tics of a great American city. Although that unidentified city is very apparently Boston, the condition depicted has existed elsewhere and has sometimes created a difficult problem for the Church in the United' States. The situation in the O'Con nor book is motivated by an emotion deeper than one man’s greed. Skeffington, the long powerful boss of his city, has gained and held his power largely because he sympatheti cally understands and cleverly capitalizes the resentment of his constituents against the anli-lrish and anti-Calholic at titude of former social and economic leaders. Though Skeffington remains a nominal Catholic, his code is not based on Catholic concepts of good citizenship. The menace of his power is best stated by another Irish Catholic in the nook when he says, “Skeffington's crime is not what people think it is. It is not simply that he has let down the community. Oh. hr'a done that, all right, hut in my humble opinion he's done much Time to Awake! .1 Tolerance at Georgetown U. the early 1800’s. Bishop Carroll and Washing ton were friends. Washington, and Lafayette, too, visited Georgetown College. Congress selected Bishop Carroll to give the eulogy ol George Washing ton on the February 22 follow ing the death of the first President. The then existing States were still ratifying the Constitution of the United States in 1789, but the ninth state, the last required tor its establishment, had ratified in 1788. The Fed eral Congress of the new Gov ernment granted Georgetown College a charter which Presi dent Madison signed on March 1. 1815. This is believed to have been the first grant of a uni versity charter by the Federal Government. At the commencement exer cises of Georgetown University held in June, 1955, Robert Mur phy, Deputy Undersecretary of State, told a large audience that tolerance flourished at Georgetown even before it be came the Constitutional right of the people as a whole. This is borne out by the 1786 prospectus, to which attention has recently been directed here. The intention of Bishop Car For God and Gauntry worse than that. He has let down his community, yes, but first and foremost he has let down his inheritance, his people and his religion. That’s what he has done, and that is his crime. It’s what he’ll have to answer to his Maker for!” Teaching by Example All political reporters know venal public officials are bribed by representatives of powerful organizations. This does not lesson the crime. The political boss who sells out his bailiwick is no less criminal than the bank robber or the highwayman and. as his fic tional critic has said of the fictional Skeffington, if he is a Catholic he has committed a crime against his religion. For the Catholic Church in the United States has not only taught but has emphasized the teaching of good citizenship. She has done this by example as well as by precept. The Car rolls. Gaston, Taney. White and Benson head a long and distinguished roll of Catholic citizens who hase served our country as a service to God. What is the basis of the idea of citizenship which has animated both groat and hum ble Catholics in their service? Mind of th« Church The Catechism of Christian Doctrine, used for the instruc tion of Catholic children in the United States, establishes it: “A citizen must love his country, he sincerely interest ed in its welfare, and obey its lawful authority." These words express (hr mind nf the Church in reference to the obligations of citizenship. roll in founding Georgetown (which takes its name from its location. “George Towne, Poto moc River, Maryland”) was, it has been stated, to establish a specifically Catholic institution, for the education of youth, and as a seedbed (or Future Catho lic clergymen. Al the same time, it was his desire that “the Benefit of this Establish ment should be as general as the attainment of its object is desirable.” He put the tollowing para graph in the prospectus: “Agreeably to the Liberal principle of the Constitution, the College will be open to Students of every religious Pro fession. They who, in this re spect, differ from the Super intendent of the Academy, will be at liberty to frequent the places of Worship and Instruc tion appointed by their par ents but with Respect to their moral Conduct, all must be sub ject to general and uniform Discipline.” Today, it is estimated that of the some 5,(MM) students registered in the various schools of Georgetown Univer sity, one-fourth are adherents of other than the Catholic faith. The Catechism goes on to sa\ that a citizen shows a sin cere interest in his country’s welfare by voting honestly and without selfish motives, by paying just taxes, and, when necessary, defending his coun try’s rights. He must obey the lawful authority of his govern ment because that authority comes from God. Every Cathohc who has had any kind of Catholic training knows all this, and a great deal more. Knowledge, hou' ever, is definitely not virtue. Civic education is not acquired by listening or even by read ing. Discussion may clarify an issue hut it does not translate it into dynamic action. Educa tion of citizenship is acquired by living the life of a citizen. “We must leann by doing,” wrote Msgr. George Johnson. And in working out the educa tional plan of the Commission on American Citizenship, he translated the Catholic creed of citizenship into a road map of action that is helping to strengthen Catholic doctrine. From the first grade through the eighth of the Catholic ele mentary school, this map indi cates the development of the understandings attitudes and habits necessary for the prac tice of good citizenship. For Christian Social Living, citi zenship means more than re lationship between the indivi dual and the State. It means his relationship to his fellow citizens. In this educational plan he is taught not only his rights and his obligations, but how to use thr first and prac tice the second. Inquiry Corner -------------------Father Healey-------------------- Q. A friend of mine writes that the true spirit of Jesus would demand a spirit of char ity and meekness which he fails io see in church members. He advocates pacifism and argues that all who do not fail in the Christian spirit. A. Charity means love and love of God is the first and greatest commandment. That commandment includes obedi ence to ALL of God’s com mands: “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14: 15) Your zealous friend, while advocating charity is guilty of rash judgment in summarizing the charity and meekness of church members. Apparently he has concentrated on the weak members and the weak ness of all members without recognizing that Christ came, as He Himself said, “For I have come to call sinners, not the just.” (Matthew 9:13) As for obedience to God’s commands this man’s rejection of Christ’s desire fbr “one fold and one shepherd" and of His many statements empowering the Apostles to speak for Him (“He who hears you. hears me and he who rejects you. rejects me" (Luke 10:16) shows that he is in no position to criticize anyone in the mattei of love of God. Pacifism is admirable in intention when practiced out of charity, as it has always been by priests and religious of the Catholic Church, but it could be a grave sin for those who have responsibilities such as those of the father of a fam ily not to defend that family against aggression. In essence a just war is such *. defense of the families of the nation. Peace is the constant goal of the Catholic Church but not “at any price”. Q. Should a Catholic be buried in the section of the cemetery provided for mixed marriages? Should a Protestant be buried there after Protest ant services have been held for him? A. The section that is not consecrated is usually set aside for infants who die without baptism and for non-Catholic members of mixed marriages. “Besides the blessed cemetery there should be, if possible, a separate w’ell-erclosed and guarded place for the inter JOHN C. O'RRIEN One Way Out For the two major political paries and the presidential candidates, no issue in the forthcoming campaign is likely to prove more vexa i u s than racial inte gration. Not .since yw 4 the e Scott decision drama z S ii e ni e jgEfR Court deci sion unleashed more divisive passions than the decision calling for an end to segrega tion of the races in the public schools. It is clear by now, of course, that the court’s decision did not solve- the problem. The question of implementation of the decision remains. On- this neither party can afford to he silent. When they meet this summer to draft a platform and select a candidate, the poli ticians of both parties must take a position. No Easy Task Needless to say. neither par ty will find the writing of a segregation plank an easy task. Not since repeal of the prohi bition amendment was an issue have the platform writers had to deal with more violently explosive and antagonistic pres sures. On the one side, they will be beset by groups who de mand nothing less than a forth right pledge to bring about im mediate implementation of the court’s decision in all parts of the country. This is the posi tion of the Negro leaders, the spokesmen for organized labor, and many of the liberals. On the other side arc arrayed the white leaders of the South, who seem resolutely determin ed to block integration at all costs. Already Southern oppo sition has ranged all the way from highly legalistic “inter position” (virtual nullification of the court’s decision) to di rect mob action driving the first Negro student admitted to the University of Alabama from the campus. Statesmanship—S O SI Obviously, the charting of a wise course in the crisis pre cipitated by the ban on segre gation calls for statesmanship of the highest order. A course dictated by political expediency or demagogy could be disast rous. It might even lead to a state of national disunity such as the country has not seen since Reconstruction days. We .•ust hope that wise heads will prevail, but, poli ticians being what they arc, we cannot be sure that they will. When rival parties are seeking votes, they are prone to look for the solution to e controversial, issue that they ment of those to whom eccleii- iastical burial is denied.” Can on No. 1212) This canon would imply that Catholics should not be buried there, but sometimes it is done so that the man and wife may be buried together. There would seem to he no rea son why the non-Catholic part ner in a mixed marriage who is buried in -such a section should not have the church ser vices of his religion, Q. Could you tell me some thing about the saint or saints named Wilfrid? A. There are several. St. Wil fred, martyr, was an English missionary to Sweden, who died there for the Faith in 1029. Another Englishman ig noted only as St. Wilfrid. Arch-' bishop of York, whose feast' day is April 24. He died in 709 A.D. A later St. Wilfrid, Bishop of York, has a feast day on April 29. and he is known ag St Wilfrid, the Younger. Hg died about 744 A.D. His prede cessor, St. Wilfrid of York, al so has a feast day on October 12. He had been a monk at Lindisfarne and after years of trial which included exile and persecution he turned his at tention to missionary work in Holland and finally to special care of the monasteries he had founded. Q. When is the world going to conic to an end? A. In St. Matthew's Gospel we have Christ’s statement that “of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven.” (Matthew- 24:36) While He did indicate some of the signs when He said: “For false christs and false prophets will arise But immediately af ter the tribulation of those days the siu will he darkened, and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken” (Mat thew 24:24-30). There are addi tional prophecies in the Apoca lypse (6:12-17: 20:1-10) but for each of us the important thing is expressed in the words of Christ: “Watch, therefore, for you do not know at what hour your Ixird is to come.” (Mat thew 24:42) Send questions to Father Ed ward F. Healey, Inquiry Cor ner, The Catholic Times. Bot 636. Columbus (16) Ohio. believe will enhance their chance of victory. At stake in the North are the votes of millions of Negroes, who, in many industrial states, may be said to hold the bal ance of power. Also at stake are the votes of the Southern states, tradi tionally Democratic but Ips« stable in their party affiliation than they w'ere before Presi dent Eisenhower broke through the Mason and Dixon line in 1952. Grave Dilemma For success in November the Democrats need the votes of both factions—the advocates of immediate enforcement of the antisegregation decision, as well as the Southern states which are violently opposed tft it. i But, if the Northern indus trial states are necessary for Democratic victory next fall, they are scarcely less neces sary tor a Republican triumph. The Republicans do not need the support of the Southern states. Rather they are pinning their hopes on holding the farm states and most of the populous Northern states, where th* Negro vote is such an import ant factor. One way out for both parties would be to eliminate segre gation from the campaign al together. And this is precisely what Adlai E. Stevenson, th* front-running candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination, has proposed. Stevenson has roundly con demned segregation in th* public schools. He has taken the position that the decision of the Supreme Court should not be flouted. But. keenly aware of the inflammable sit uation in the South, he has warned against extreme mea. sures to force Southern com pliance. The use of force, h* said recently, could bring th* country to the brink of an other civil war. If it should turn out* that Stevenson and President Eisen hower are the candidates of their respective parties, the chances are that there would be no sharfi cleavage between the two parties on the segrega tion issue. Mr. Eisenhower, in' recent news conferences, has taken a position roughly par allel to that of the Democratic standard bbarer in 1952. Unquestionably, removal nf the segregation issue from th* campaign would ease the rapid ly mounting tension betweeg the factions arraigned on either side of the question. That wold seem to be the states* manlike thing to do. But if the politi.al strategists prevail, if as the campaign warms up the two parties start out promising nnp thing or another to win votes, an ugly situation could result.