The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-02-15
SECRET EDITION
OF THE MENACE
In Which the Editors "TaIk Over
Things That the Catholic Press
Ought Not Get Hold Of"

In addition to their organ, the
Menace" and the Menace Clubs, the
people behind that publication also
make use of another means to further
their purpose, a so-called private
edition" of the Menace. The Central
Bureau of the Central-Verein informs
us of the appearance of this private
edition, bearing the date of January
25, 1918. The issue is printed on bet
ter paper than the regular issue of the
Menace and contains no advertise
ments, a mark, if you will, of it's pri-
vate character.
The twofold object of this secret edi-
ton is briefly this: to encourage the
men on "the Firing Line" to greater
efforts for the success of the publica-
ton, and-to quote from the issue
mentioned-"to talk over things that
we would not care to have the Cath
Ollie Press and the world at large get
hold Of" (Col. 1, p. u. The state
ment that the Menace" people have
things to talk about that neither the
Catholic Press nor ''the world at
large" shall know, is charming in its
simple frankness. The statement, too,
that the Menace" has thousands of
readers" who probably would
not understand-even after an ex-
PLANTATION" (col. 1, page u the things
that the Private Edition has to say, is
beautiful in it's childlike candor, but
not bit fiattering to the rank and file
of the Menace" readers. We wonder
what they would think of the men
ace' if they were to discover what it
thinks and says of their mental quail
fications. 1t is a rare thing indeed
for publication to speak thus dispar-
agingly of the mental caliber of it's
readers. Such an attitude reflects
strangely upon the paper itself, which
appeals to people whom it considers
incapable of understanding things
even after explanation.
1t is characteristic of the Menace
that it uses this private edition rather
than a regular edition to acquaint
some of it's readers with its platform
In column 2, page 1, it announces it's
Position and Platform" taking up
three-quarters of column. In column
3, page 1, the "Bugles are calling" to
the "Old Guard" calling the men to
the grand and glorious fray against
political Rome" Some facts about
Menace subscriptions, the mailing list,
the equipment, the question of adver-
Using, are treated in several columns
of the four-page issue, and "Our An
swer to the Catholic Press" takes up
no less than a column and a half of
page 5.
All in all matter that the average
reader would understand quite read
lily, unless indeed-and that is an open
questionable Menace reader is intel
lectually below the level of the aver
age newspaper reader, condition the
Menace itself seems to take for
granted. But on page 2, COL 2, there
is an article which the Menace read
ers probably should" not read. In
the article entitled 1.-THE Menace and
the Union Label the editors make a
feeble attempt to reply to the query:
Why doesn't the Menace bear the
Union Label, a question that had been
put to the Menace by a number Of
trade union papers. They try to per-
suade their readers that they have
only three compositors and one
printer-pressman in their employ, who
could come into consideration as pos
sible members of Union. Mind you;
four men handling an edition of al
legedly 100000 copies! In the same
issue are shown several pictures, one
of them representing "our two big
Goss presses in action" Everyone
can readily imagine that one pressman
can not possibly run two presses
alone! If he doesn't handle them
alone, there should be some help eligi-
BILE for membership in Union And
apart from this misstatement or
partial concealment of fact there Is a
deception implied in the assertion
that these men could not form a Local,
the reader being led to believe that
the matter must rest there. The edi-
tors conceal the fact that such men
can take out travelling cards and be
members in another local, say in Kan
sas City, st. Louis, Chicago, or some
other city. The fact is that "The
Menace" is trying to hoodwink its
10000 "men on the firing line" in this
private edition as well as its 100000
readers.
Apart from the misstatements made
and the concealment of this issue from
the regular readers the fact remains of
general interest to Catholics that the
Menace can and does employ such
means as secret edition for the pur-
pose of carrying on its propaganda
and furthering it's own cause. Cath
olics should learn at least this much
from this fact, that non-C Catholics and
opponents of the Church are far more
energetic and much keener for the adj
vancement of their press, to further
their destructive work, than Catholics
are for the good, constructive work
their own press stands for. There is
such a thing as an apostolate of the
press, and it deserves the warmest