The Catholic times. [volume], January 18, 1957, Image 4

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4—THE CATHOLIC TIMES Friday. Jan. 18.1957
WASHINGTON A decision
of some importance in the
fight against communist ma
chinations in this country has
just been handed down by a
high court here.
Just how important the de
cision is must yet evolve, but
it seems to have expanded and
not contracted the resources
'.available to Congress in its
fight against Red infiltration
in our domestic affairs.
A U.S. Court of Appeals, the
highest authority in this juris
diction, has ruled that Con
gress can properly inquire into
a person's “political beliefs
and associations, “so long as it
is pursuing its legislative func
tion. The decision was given
in the case of a college instruc
tor who refused to answer five
questions put by the House of
Representatives Committee on
Un-Amcrican Activities. The
appeals decision said the right
of Congressional inquiry was
subject to the constitutional
protection against self-incrimi
nation. The defendant in the
case at hand had not sought,
the protection of the Fifth
During the past two or three
years, the Administration has
been under continuous pres
sure to take the United States
out of the International tabor
Organization, the oldest of the
go-callcd specialized agencies
ot the United Nations. The at
tack on I.L.O.—spearheaded by
William L. McGrath, U.S. em
ployer delegate to the Govern
ing Body of the Organization—
has mounted in intensity since
the Soviet Unton was admitted
to membership the year before
last
In Mr. McGrath's opinion, the
admission of Russia to the
1.1*0. was the straw that broke
the camel’s back. “The I.L.O.,”
he reported recently to the Na
tional Association of Manufac
turers and the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce which jointly
nominate the U.S. employer
delegate “is now to all in
tent# and purposes an inter
national organization run main
ly along political lines under the
domination of advocates of col
lectivism, with free employers
possessing no influence of any
consequence and serving as
whipping boys for the commun
ists and socialists."
Not Impressed
Accordingly Mr. McGrath
again recommended, as he had
frequently done in the past,
that the N.A.M. and the Cham
ber of Commerce refuse to
participate any longer in the
nomination of employer dele
gates to the I.L.O. "The U.S.
Government,” he said, “will no
doubt press us. as they have
before, to stay in the I.L.O.
I am not impressed by Govern
ment arguments
The fact that the Adminis
tration has been able to with­
The Washington Letter
Congressional Investigators
Aided By Court Ruling
^IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM
Making Marriage Click
So many children are horn
In hospitals, they are educated
in colleges, they court in auto
mobiles (they marry in Church),
they live in apartments, they
eat in cafeterias, they play golf
in the afternoon, bridge in the
afternoon and go to the movies
at night. When they are sick
they go to a clinic, when they
die they are buried in a ceme
tery! Why a home???
This may make a little more
sense than at first appears.
Many of us have heard some
child remark: “What does
mama mean, when she says I
was an accident” Home must
he the one place we are wanted
and accepted as we are. Every
child should feel for at least
five minutes a day that he is
the only child. He should get
that type of attention from
both parents. This does not
mean that the child should be
hand fed indefinitely and never
disciplined.
When parents have children
principally because of the com
bination of love of God and of
each other and of children, and
not principally for their own
parental whim and glory, they
will wean their offspring as
soon as possible and teach them
to he independent.
A Good Parent
It is the old true story of the
cocoon: if we split its shell and
help it to emerge, it will he
I
Amendment. He contested the
right of Congress to ask the
questions its committee put to
him.
“Though we, of course, agree
that Congress does not have a
general power to inquire into
political beliefs and associa
tions-” the court said in a unan
imous decision, “it does have
that power where the answer
to the question posed can be
and is regarded by Congress as
having value in the exercise of
legislative duty.
“Congress can legislate on
the internal security dangers it
has declared to have arisen
from the activities of the Com
munist party in this country.
It can and it has.”
“If Congress can legislate
against a threat of commun
ism which is reasonably appre
hended,” the court continued,
“it can, consistently with the
meaning of the Constitution
inquire of a witness
whether or not he is a commun
ist, subject to the constitutional
limitations imposed by the priv
ilege against self-incri i n a
tion.”
I Parents’ Love Means More
I Than Gifts to Children
By Msgr. Irving A. DeBlanc
crippled and never fly. Chil
dren should have their own
room as soon as possible, be
by themselves for at least half
hour a day, buy their own
clothes as soon as they can. A
good parent is rearing that
child eventually to lose it.
When parents have done a good
joh as parents, the child always
comes back iu a different way.
hut ho does come back. Some
Oriental families make a small
deity of the father. That is not
Christian Children are not
to be constantly looking back
hut rather forwards They are
to give to their children what
their parents have given them.
Unless there is a necessity chil
dren are not to pay back their
parents for education and so
on.
“Re it ever so humble there
is no place like home" should
not evoke“But I never dream
ed if would be that humble!”
Home in any normal condition
spells security and for that
quality it will always he unique,
loved, needed.
Psychiatrists say that when
children scream in their sleep,
it could very well be an indi
cation that they are afiaid that
their parents do not love them.
Parents should use every means
possible to guarantee that af
fection.
If a child feels really wanted
it is a greater gift than leav­
stand this kind of anti-I.LO
pressure is largely due to the
statesmanship of Secretary of
tabor James P. Mitchell, a man
of extraordinary ability and
personal integrity. Mr. Mitch
ell, who himself comes from
the ranks of management and
has ready access to its councils,
has taken advantage of every
possible opportunity tQ defend
the I.L.O. against the relent
less and exaggerated criticism
nf Mr. McGrath and to dem
onstrate the advantages of con
tinued U.S. participation in
1,1*0. in spite of its admitted
imperfections and in spite of
the fact that the Soviet Union
is now a voting member of the
Organization.
Defense From Labor
The Secretary, in his defense
of I.L.O., has had the enthusi
astic cooperation of the Ameri
can jabor movement, which is
brilliantly represented on the
I.L.O. Governing o y y
George P. Delaney. He has also
been supported by a number of
newspapers and voluntary or
ganizations, notably, for exam
ple. the Catholic Association
For International Peace. Until
recently, however, he has re
ceived very little if any public
support from the American
business community. On the
contrary, the business commun
ity, for all practical purposes
and if only by default, has dele
gated Mr. McGrath to be its ex
clusive spokesman on the sub
ject of the I.L.O.
To be sure, a number of in
dividual businessmen and in
dustrialists for example.
James Zellerbach, our newly
appointed Ambassador to Italy
—have spoken out in defense
of I.L.O. from time to time
“So long as competent evi
dence establishes a substantial
legislative purpose in calling a
witness before congressional
committee, and its examina
tion of him, we will not balance
this purpose against other moti
vations.” the court also said.
Seemingly, this means that a
witness can still plead the
Fifth Amendment, but must
*ake this refuge if he is going
to refuse to answer questions
put by congressional commit
tees. Some witnesses have de
clined to invoke the Fifth
Amendment, and it seems safe
to say that most witnesses call
ed in subversive inquiries would
prefer not to have to rely on it.
Had the Court of Appeals
held otherwise than it did wit
nesses in subversive inquiries
might have ignored the Fifth
Amendment and simply pro
tested that Congress had no au
thority to inquire into their po
litical beliefs and assocciations.
This door has now been closed,
subject to an appeal to the Su
preme Court of the United
States, which it has been as
serted will be made.
ing him an immense fortune.
Parents do not give security to
their children by giving them
gifts. They must give them
selves. Parents must teach their
children constantly by word
and example or they eventual
ly lose them. Security for a
child does not mean that par
ents will tell them “Oh, my
darling, you can do no evil."
No, that is straight deceit. Of
all people, children themselves
know better. Hungarian youth
bavc demonstrated that in their
revolution against Communist
they pierce sham immediately
and despise deceit especially
when they are involved. Chil
dren demand just punishment.
Once they are sure they are
loved, they will take any reas
onable reprimand.
One father gave his son a
sense of security by just put
ting his newspaper down some
times in the evening and listen
ig to him. Few things boost a
youngster more than to know
that what he thinks and says
arc quite important. Io his dad.
When a youngster has some
thing personal to say, as Indians
of old discovered the right path
hy a twisted twig parents should
sense it Parents should listen
to him right there and then. To
pul off is often to lose. Any
parent who is not easily ap
proachable is not a good par
ent.
hut, because they were speak
ing as isolated individuals with
out the backing of an organiza
tion. they were unable tn com
pete effectively with Mr. Mc
Grath for public attention.
Fortunately, however, this
situation was suddenly revers
ed last month when the Indus
trial Relations Committee of
the Commerce and Industry As
social ion of New York formally
approved a report entitled
“American Employers and the
International tabor Organiza
tion." (Commerce and Industry
Association of New York, 99
Church Street, New York 7,
New York.)
Not Perfect
The sponsors of the report
all of whom, incidentally, are
nationally prominent in the
field of commerce and indus
try are the first to admit
that the 1.1*0. is an imperfect
organization but, in contrast to
Mr. McGrath, they arc firmly
convinced that it would be a
serious mistake for either the
U.S. Government or U.S. em
ployers to withdraw- from the
Organization.
“Our future rote in the
1.1*0.," they say, “must be
weighed in the context of our
country's total foreign relations
policy. The United States as the
natural leader of the free
world is committed to active
involvement in a whole series
of constructive international
undertakings."
Moreover instead of wring
ing their hands over the imper
fections of the I.L.O.. the au
thors of the New York report
outline a number of very prac
tical recommendations design-’
ed to correct these imperfec
tions.
4 Ari
it
It seems to us that there is abundant evidence
of a mounting wave of criticism of America’s
schools. Within one week, for example, we have
run across three attacks on current educational
practices or mal practices made by non-Catholics
in public life. We add "non-Catholic" lest the
super-sensitive National Education Association,
which so often brands critics as “enemies of the
public schools," think we have some Catholic
axe to grind.
To select only parts of the criticism, listen
to the testimony of Admiral Rickover, chief of
the naval reactors’ branch of the Atomic Energy
Commission, who was instrumental in develop
ing the first atomic submarines. Or hear the
testimony of Dr. Herbert Scoville, Jr., assistant
diuector of the Central Intelligence Agency.
To put it bluntly, said the Admiral, “our
schools do not perform their primary purpose,
which is to train the nation’s brain power to the
highest potential." Addressing more than 300
educators, industrialists, and government of
ficials at the seventh Thomas Alva Edison
Foundation Institute in New York, he proposed
with the aid of industry, labor, and education
to set up a series of 25 free secondary schools
for the education of the talented youths now
caught in the lock step methods which he de
cries. By talented, he said he meant the top 15
to 20 per cent of the children the brilliant two
per cent, he alleges, are the only ones receiving
special attention in current programs.
These schools would require a different type
of teacher, he implied, “teachers truly capable
of teaching talented children teachers whose
qualifications place less emphasis on training
in teaching methods and more on graduate study
Father Healey's
Q. Is it a sin to miss saying
■morning and night prayers?
A. Neglect of morning and
night prayers is generally a
sign of carelessness all relig
ious duties and attitudes. To
neglect prayer entirely for
some length of time would be
sinful. To omit morning or
night prayers at one time or
another is not a sin at all. The
chief danger in any omission
in this basic prayer beginning
That All May Be One
mbtcBE
'--'W
3#.
For Holy Matrimony
An obscure village, Cana of Galilee, was the.
scene of Christ’s first miracle: a miracle that
has left to Christians of all time a lesson on the
sanctity and dignity of marriage. There was a
wedding at Cana, the Gospel relates, “and the
mother of Jesus was there the Savior was there
Himself, as well as His disciples. No one knows
now. the names of the bride and bridegroom, and
it may be assumed that they were humble,
simple folk yet their marriage was one of the
most famous in history. For by inviting Christ
and His mother to be guests on that vitally im
portant day this nameless couple set an ex
ample that the Church urges all her children
to follow, if they would have happiness and bless
ings.
When the wine ran out at the Cana wedding
It was a difficulty such as most marriages en
counter, sooner or later, something to worry
the husband and wife, something to cloud the
joyousness of their nuptials, something to de
tract from the desire of their friends to help
them make an auspicious beginning of their life
together. And when Christ, complying with
Mary's request, changed water into wine at
Cana that day it was a manifestation of her
intercessory power and of His willingness to ex
ercise His divine might to smooth the rough places
in matrimony.
Can it be doubted that whenever Mary’s in
tercession and Christ’s assistance are sought
they will he forthcoming? And how can there
be such a thing as a marriage "failure" where
such powerful spiritual protection is at hand?
The minunderstandings. the bitterness, the
broken homes, the divorces that cast their tragic
Education in the United States
and ending the day is that we
will expose ourselves to temp
tations which morning or night
prayers wpuld have protected
us from and that we will slide
into general neglect of prayer
altogether.
Q. What is the importance
of the early Fathers of the
Church?
A They are witnesses of the
teaching of Christ and the
Apostles because they were
Ki®
CHURCH UNITYOCTAVE
OF PRAYER
shadow over so many modern homes reveal that
the wine ran out during the wedding feast, and
that no one was there to renew it. Whatever
elaborate preparations the couples had made
for the great event, they had forgotten—or re
fused—to invite the most important' guests—
Jesus and Mary.
The liturgy tells of the miracle of Cana just
a week after presenting the story of the Holy
Family at' Nazareth, a reminder that, just as
the family is the basic unit of society, the Sac
rament of Matrimony is the bond through which
the family exists. When the bond is treated
with disrespect the family is weakened and so
ciety suffers this we know from the records
of the courts, the newspaper accounts of juvenile
delinquency and the many violations of the
moral code that can be traced to marriages that
were not regarded as holy, resulting in homes
that lack spiritual vigor. God’s blessing upon the
marriage vows is the first requirement if so
ciety is to have moral strength, and all must
join in maintaining conditions under which the
sanctity of marriage and of family life is pro
tected."
St. Paul in Sunday's Epistle nutlines a
course of conduct for husband and wife, parents
and children, for public officials and private citi
zens his admonitions point the way to hap
piness in homes and nations “Love one another
with fraternal charity ... Be not slothful in
zeal be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,
rejoicing in hope. Be patient in tribulation, per
severing in prayer Bless those who perse
cute you, bless, and do not curse. Rejoice with
those who rejoice weep with those that weep ...
Hate what is evil, hold to what is good.”
in their fields.” To deny this kind of education to
an elite minority is, according to the Admiral,
unfair and undemocratic, “as well as a waste
of our most valuable national asset.”
Mr. Scoville approached the question from a
more practical point of view as a civil servant
worried about meeting a desperate current need,
and. in line with his office in the C.I.A., aware of
what is being done in the world of our enemies.
The fear of the government about its school in
adequacies has been voiced earlier, for example,
by General Twining, head of the Air Corps, who
seems to have set the pattern here.
Comparing our secondary education with the
system of the Soviet Union. Scoville warns us
that we have apparently "missed the boat.” He
noted that Russia’s broad man power base is
actually being supplied by the secondary schools.
In Russia, the emphasis is placed squarely on
the national need for science all students re
ceive a comprehensive outline regardless of their
individual objectives. Like Admiral Rickover, he
made the point that Russian teachers concen
trate on the subjects they teach rather than on
the jnethodology of teaching. In a system which
ruthlessly looks for result's, effective teachers
enjoy social prestige and receive high salaries.
On the other hand, they have to produce or they
are eliminated. Every five years they must sub
mit to competitive examinations which keep
them alert and insure high standards.
One can only wonder how much longer we
will be able to afford the luxury of our present
educational setup, out of touch, as it is, with
basic realities, still living in an outmoded dream
world.
holy men and recognized au
thorities on Christian teach
ing in the period nearest the
time of Christ. Just as we inter
pret the Constitution by light
of previous decisions, including
the writings of the founding
fathers of our country (Wash
ington, Jefferson, etc.), so does
the Church. The Fathers of the
Church, representing many
countries, cultures and periods
in the early Church cannot be
wrong when they agree on some
teaching or practice as official
for the Catholic Church.
Q. Is it true that St. Paul
helped stone St. Stephen to
death?
A. Yes. We have no details
but the Acts of the Apostles
indicate that he was there and
that he took part at least indi
rectly: “And the witnesses laid
down their garments at the
feet of a young man named
Saul and Saul approved of
OURSELVES
P0£Sne comment
Co
inconsiderate
This year’s octave of prayer for the unity of mankind in the
one Church will have an intensity of devotion in view of the
current state of world affairs. For an age of persecution must
arouse in the faithful a strong spirit of love and loyalty, and a
mighty desire for the extension of God’s kingdom on earth.
And ours is undeniably an age of persecution.
It is only the true religion of Christ which manifests the es
sential value of a human being. This value is sometimes called
“the dignity of man.”—a fine phrase which is currently tossed
about without carrying much meaning to the average ear. But
the value of a human being is very clearly and meaningfully ex
pressed by the Church.
One measure of the value of anything is what is paid for it
by a wise and knowing purchaser. Now' what has been paid for
each human being by the all-knowing God is the Precious Blood
of God-made-Man. That is to say, the Divine Redeemer has
bought each human soul by suffering and dying—“the good
Shepherd giveth his life for his sheep."
For while human worth, value, or dignity (and the words,
rightly understood, have the same meaning) is discerned in th*
fact that man is made in God’s image, and is God s child, it is
most impressively manifested in the incomparable love which
brought about man’s Redemption. To know the value of a human
being, to grasp what is meant by “the dignity of man,” it is
necessary to look understandingly at the crucifix.
And it will hardly be denied that the only institution which
holds the crucifix before men’s eyes and begs them to consider
its meaning is the Catholid Church. By that token, the only in
stitution which understands and preaches the true dignity of
man is the same Catholic Church. And when that human dignity
is assailed by inhuman persecution of minds and bodies, the
Church, and only the Church, can grasp the extent of the iniquity
that is perpetrated.
And therefore the Church, and the children of the Church,
are moved strongly by the evil of persecution to implore God to
manifest His mercy and His power by bringing all men into
His one Church. Conversions alone can bring an end to persecu
tions conversions alone can awaken in human hearts the aware
ess of human dignity.
Catholics are required to pray constantly for the welfare of
mankind. They are required to pray for the bad as well as for
the good, for enemies and persecutors as well as for themselves
and those who are of the household of the faith. But there is
need for occasional special emphasis upon what is a matter of
steady requirement first, that the requirement may not be forgot
ten or neglected second, that appreciation of the character of the
requirement may be renewed in those upon whom it rests.
Therefore we have the octave of prayer for the unity of all
Catholics, for it arouses in them .love of fellow’men, and a new
awareness of the indispensable treasure of truth which God has
given to themselves. The octave is of benefit for non-Catholics,
for it seeks to win them to active and effective membership in the
Ark of Salvation.
The object of the octave of prayer for Church unity is mani
festly the spread of the Kingdom of God. It is the object we all
have when we pray the Our Father, and say, “Thy Kingdom come."
Our object is not a mere drive for increased membership, as
though the Church were only a club, or a civic or social organi
zation dependent on popularity and numbers for its effective
ness. Our object is not the conduct of a successful campaign to
bring in some hundreds or some thousands. The object of our
effort in this octave of prayer is the unchanged and unchanging:
object of our Catholic lives it is the conversion, not of hundreds
or of thousands, but of the whole non-Catholic world.
We pray that all men may be saved and come to the knowl
edge of the truth, thus fulfilling the will of God. ft is, to be sure,
a joy to welcome one true convert' to the Church but the joy is
not that of adding another name to the list, of boosting the count
by one. No such arithmetical notion attaches to the Catholic de
sire to extend the faith to all mankind, nor to the fulfillment
of that desire in any instance or any instances.
As has been indicated, or at least hinted in what we have
already said, an important element in the activity of this octave
of prayer is an increase of Catholic fervor and. in consequence,
an increase of virtue in Catholic lives. We must realize, as we
implore God to bring all men into His Church, that we who are
already in the Church are the living facts by which the Church
is manifested to our fellows. We hear Our Lord declare to us,
as He declared to our brethren of an earlier dky, “Let your
light shine before men. that seeing your good works they may
give glory to the Father.”
And thus it is apparent that the Catholic effort of this special
time of prayer is calculated to awaken Catholics to a new, and per
haps fearsome, awareness of their tremendous responsibility.
his death." (Acts 7:58-60) In
the next chapter Saul (Paul)
shows his feelings at that time:
“But Saul was harassing the
Church entering house after
house, and dragging out men
and women, he committed
them to prison.” (8:3)
Q. Were SS. Peter and Paul
rivals for leadership in the
early Church?
A. No. We know from the
Gospel accounts that St. Peter
was given the first place among
the Apostles (Matthew 16:13
20 Luke 22:31-32 John 21:15
17). St. Peter presided over
meetings of the Apostles before
St. Paul joined the Church
(Acts 1:15) and afterward (Acts
15:6-12. There were discus
sions but SS. Peter and Paul
visited and wrote to the same
Churches (cities), assuming in
these letters that it was all one
Church. St. Peter speaks of St.
Paul in these words: “Just as
our most dear brother Paul
also, according to the wisdom
given him, has written to you
(2 St. Peter 3:15). St.
Paul notes that there were
factions in Corinth and “each
of you says, ’I am of Paul, or I
am of Apollos, or I am of Ce
phas (Peter) or I am of Christ.’
Has Christ been divided up?
Was Paul crucified for you? Or
were you baptized in the name
of Paul?” (I Corinthians 1:12-13)
Q. Are serious New Year
resolutions binding in con
science?
A. Not unless they have
something in the nature of a
promise made to God (or pos
sibly to someone else) included
or implied when they are made.
If they include resolutions to
avoid sinful habits, of course,
such actions would be sinful
but not primarily because of
violating the resolutions. A
promise made to God e.g. a
pledge to refrain from drinking
alcoholic beverages is binding
under sin if it is taken with
that in mind and so accepted
by the priest, but ordinarily
such promises bind us in honor
and violations are imperfec
tions.
Send questions to Father Ed
ward F. Healey, Inquiry Comer,
The Catholic Times, Box 638,
Columbus (16), Ohio.
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