Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-12
FEDERATION OF CATHOLIC
SOCIETIES.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

LII by FTcQeT1c j. d0SKln. HI
The annual convention of the American
! Federation of Catholic Societies, now in
session in Milwaukee. is attended by dele
gates representing at least 1900, 600
Catholics. This federation is national
body which is composed of branch fed
erations in each of the states. The state
| declarations are all working in the same
direction as the national body. and
the convention will tend to spread over
the entire country the benefits of each
new activity undertaken in the states
The Catholic federation has been Off
cially approved by his holiness. the Pope.
and includes organizations of both the
church and the laity.
| A great civic meeting a feature Of the
! convention, will be opened by Thomas
| IS. Minnehan OF st. Paul, who will de-
J; live: an address upon The Catholic
] american Citizen The federation in
Guides hundreds of the organizations eX-
4 istiHg Tor various purposes under the
authority of the church. No sodalities
| or devotional societies are included. but
/ only such are regarded as social in
| their scope. The Knights of Columbus.
| the Knights of st. John. the Holy Name
! Society. the Catholic Total Abstinence
Society, the numerous charitable and
DeneNOlenC OrSdnlZdllOnS, as well as HlOSI
| of the educational clubs and institutions
| which flourish in Catholic localities. are
all included in the federation of the diff
| ferent states or in the national organi-
| zation.
The knights of St John are entitled
to the credit of originating the idea OF
decorating the Catholic organizations. At
| a meeting of the knights OF st. John
! held In Cleveland in 1880 the movement
| for the concerted action Of Catholic lay
/ Yoan firSt
preliminary meetings the first conven-
| ton for a national body was held In
! Cincinnati in 1901 at which go organi-
cations were represented. Since then the
| federation has grown in strength and in
| fiuence and has already been able to ac-
| complish much good. 1t does not disturb
| the purposes or methods Of any society,
| but seeks to unite all for cooperation
| and economy of forces. 1t dlsclaims all
right to be regarded as a political or
ganizatiOn and does not aspire to any
| special favors or privileges for Catho-
| lies, but is at all times on the alert to
protect them from injustice. J
| y x
The first avowed principle of the
| ties is the Chris
| AVOWed PRINCIPLES tian education
of the Federation. mic n.t;on The
i
second is THE correction Of error and
| the exposure of falsehood and injus-
tice, the destruction Of bigotry and the
placing of Catholics and the church in
their true light. thus removing the OBJ
/ stacles which have hitherto impeded
progress" The third is The infusion
| of Christian principles into the public
and social life of the country by con-
i HtoI,
threaten to undermine the foundations
of civil society. notably socialism, di-
vorce. dishonesty in business and cor
/ ruption in politics and in positions of
public trust"
| being given to the work of organized
| Catholic women in their numerous &C
tivities, a special council for the wom-
en- will be feature of this convention
Catholic women are interested In every
reform movement. At the Washington
federation meeting. recently held in
Seattle, a social reform session was
| led by DIR. Mary O'Brian Porter of
| Chicago, who presented the white slave
| subject and urged that the federated
Catholics take some steps to prevent
| the destruction of the LOO young girls
who are said to disappear each year
between New York and Chicago. The
| largest Catholic women's organization
| is the Ladies' Catholic Benevolent As
ISOLATION. which now claims member
| ship of 100000 The treasurers re-
| port, given at the annual meeting of
this organization held at Atlantic City
last month, gave the sum OF $142OO0.-
900 as having been raised and dispensed
by this body of women devoted to re-
ligious and benevolent purposes since
it's organization.
One of the works of the federation
is in the aid Of Catholics living in re-
gions remote from church privileges.
In some of the western states Catholic
churches are many miles apart An
organization known as the Society OF
Mothers Assistants has recently been
formed through the aid of state fed
Grafton. which has for it's purpose the
educatiL.l by correspondence of Cath |
Ollie children who are out of the reach
of churches and schools. Generous con- |
tributions have been made for the pur-
pose of supplying Catholic literature
and periodicals to Catholic families so
situated. Devoted Catholic women are
keeping close correspondence with chill
dren, who in this way are brought to
the knowledge of the Catholic religion. |
A little girl living ninety miles from
a Catholic church recently wrote a let
ter expressing her gratitude for the
aid thus received. which had been in
strumental in giving religious instruc-
ton to seventeen persons OF Catholic
parentage who otherwise would have
had none.
A feature Of this convention work Will
be a protest against certain scurriious
pub ca |
To Protest Against tons being
;, g.. per United |
ocurI1lOuS xuU11IdtAons' to pass |
through the United States mails. A new
publication has lately been issued IN new
York. published in the italian LANGUAGE
which has been cited as especially worthy
of attention on the ground OF indecency
and immortality. Other publications oD-
jected to are those which print absolute
" false statements concerning the Catn-
Ollie Church and its clergy. The HOLY
Name Society Of New Jersey Is the or
ganization which is especially Forwarding |
this work.
One of the greatest works undertaken