The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-07-12

Tie SOCIAL VOCATION OF Iu0
Christian woman in modern
times" and outlining the scope of
her helpfulness and activity in the
ample field of social service and
reform.
The rapid development Of social
conditions during the last twenty
or thirty years has brought
woman, her condition, vocation
and work, so prominently into the
foreground of modern society that
Catholic women are compelled, as
much as men, to adopt means for
united and concerted action by
which they shall be able to assert
and maintain the strong and vast
influence given by God Almighty
to the Christian woman for the
protection and promotion of
humanity's highest interests. She
is to be, in Gods providence, the
auxiliary of the Church Of Christ
in redeeming modern society from
it's evils and miseries. But she
can accomplish this glorious work
only under the guidance Of the
Church and by combined efforts.
This work of the Christian woman
in our days is manifold, quite
complicated and not without great
difficulties. 1t reaches into all the
walks and recesses of modern life
it looks to the religious rights
and blessings of man; it goes out
on the byways and paths of
Christian charity; it fights and re-
pels the attacks and inroads of
moral corruption; it helps in the
uplifting of the downtrodden and
fallen; it softens the hardships
and removes the oppression of the
laborer and the poor; it brings a
motherly help to the forlorn and
dependent child; it strengthens
the arm of authority and pleads
for public order; it assists the
men of the country in shaping the
destinies of society by good and
just laws in state and city"
For the better accomplishment
of these purposes it is proposed to
federate local women's societies
into a National League that will
serve as a sort of clearinghouse
for their activities along social
lines. The movement has much to
commend it to the thoughtful con-
sideration Of Catholic women who
are interested in the problems
that confront them in the complex
life of America. Already women
have begun to organize for mutual
benefit and for the greater effect
iveness which is begotten of
united effort.
There is no dearth Of women s
societies, clubs and organizations
Of one kind or another in every
State of the Union. In the major
ity Of States each society is labor
ing in it's chosen field Of activity
independent of others and to a
great extent unfamiliar with
what they are doing or seeking to
do. Each is, as it were, an
isolated unit, specializing along
certain lines and accomplishing
it's object without the enthusiasm
or inspiration begotten of a
knowledge of what others, i'm
bued with like spirit Of social
helpfulness, are doing. This iso-
lation often results in frittering
away of energy which, if rightly
coordinated, would accomplish
everything short Of the impossible
for the common good.
Protestant women have long
ago learned the value of con-
certed action and have formed
declarations for the promotion of
the social, intellectual, and charit-
able projects in which they are in
terested. Not few Catholic
women's societies are affiliated
with these declarations which are
professedly non-sectarian, but in
reality, Protestant. The at
mosphere is far from being con-
genial to Catholic interests.
There is no reason why Catholic
women's societies should not
unite among themselves for
mutual encouragement and profit.
Even if they did nothing more
than form state or diocesan unions
it would mean much, for such
unions would beget a sense Of
solidarity and develop an esprit
de corps more potent than any
thing else to teach them their
numerical strength, their intellec-
tual fitness for graphing with the
problems that concern their well
fare and their social prestige in
the community of which they
form part.
The State Federations would
form the basis of a National
League if it were deemed advis-
able to organize one. Apart from
that, they would make it unneces-
sary for Catholic women to ally
themselves with non-Catholic or