The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-01-18

I. A child when making his First
Communion had to make several prom
ises. In every parish these promises
are not made. Is it mortal sin to
break any of these promises willingIy?
2. Is it sin to go up in an air ship
or balloon when you are risking your
life?
l. We presume you refer to the
promises which child has to make
when receiving first private Com
munion. The letter of the Holy Father
in regard to the admission of children
to private Communion at a very ten
der age provides, among other things,
that the child and it's parents sign
written promise to attend the religious
instructions to which the children of
the parish are invited in preparation
for their Solemn First Communion.
This promise must be formal and writ
ten and ratified by the father and
mother of the child. The purpose of
this promise is to secure the attend
ance of the child at the religious in
Oh Wh4Nh al SANOA Sb0 q pAS
requisite to the Solemn First Com
munion. The danger is that many
children after they have received their
private First Communion will neglect
to attend the instructions in Catechism
which are now, as formerly, demanded
before admission to Solemn First Com
munion. In this country it is recog-
nized that the only adequate means
of obtaining this fuller instruction in
Christian Doctrine is an education in
a Catholic school and the promise CIV
en- by the child and it's parents con-
tains formal and explicit declaration
that the child will attend Catholic
school whenever it is possible for it
to do so. These promises are de-
manded in every case and there can
be no question of their omission in
we'll regulated parishes where the let
ter of the Holy Father is put into
effect in accordance with the instruc-
tons of the Bishop of the diocese.
Parents are expected to live up to
the promises made by them and see
that their children attend Catholic
school wherever possible and take adj
vantage of catechetical instruction be-
fore the solemn reception of Holy
Communion. Wilful neglect in this
important matter can scarcely be con-
doned. 2. We subjoin the gist of an
article by Rev. Henry Woods, S. j., on
THE Morality of Aviation" 1t ap-
peared in America" and it offers a
sufficient explanation of the point
raised in this question. Aviation has
taken hold of the world. 1t is in
everybody's mouth, and the newspa-
pers give it large space. Multitudes
flock to exhibitions of it. The man in
the street concerns himself with rec
ords and prizes; more thoughtful men,
considering the dreadful proportion of
fatal flights, begin to ask how far the
new art is lawful.
"It is unlawful to expose ones life
to grave danger for the sake of show
ing off ones daring or dexterity.
Hence theologians condemn such ex-
hibitions as rope dancing, looping the
loop, the flying trapeze, and so forth.
DuI IACy dUu IudI IL, O1IhC1 NY p1O-
cautions or by his own skill, an in
dividual so lessons the danger to life
that it is no longer grave, these, so
far as he is concerned, are permissi-
BILE.
I'VE may now apply these principles
to aviation. The record Of the past
year shows that the number of deaths
resulting from it bears a shocking
proportion to the number of persons
engaged. Hence these take part in it
at the imminent risk of their lives.
Can they do so in conscience?
There may be two classes of avia-
tors; those who study aviation scien-
tifically for the public good, and
those who make it a source of gain.
The former are to be subdivided into
those who study it of their own initia-
tive, and those, military men especial
ly, who study it under orders. To
answer the question with regard to
the first class one must consider the
good to be obtained and the POSSIBLE
ity of reducing the danger of death.
Aviation clearly offers no such uni
versal good as would allow it's in
vestigators to expose their lives with
out limit to serious danger. On the
other hand, it seems within certain
limits to promise some utility to So
ciety, hence experimenting in it would
be lawful, provided the risk of death
can be reduced.
Gas to the aviators who use the art
for gain, we do not see how, as things
are today, their practice can be ap-
proved. Aviation is far more danger
Gus than rope dancing or the flying
trapeze, and the constant recurrence
of fatalities shows that the aviators
neither have acquired the skill nor
take the precautions to eliminate or
lessen the peril. No useful end can
be conceived as the result of their
records and downward swoops and
plunges, as the more scientific aviators
admit. These and similar feats are
undertaken only for the purpose of
moving admiration by the skill and
nerve they require. We admit the
value Of skill and nerve in men with a
good prospect of life; and if such
spectacular aviation can be made as
safe as hunting and polo, we should
be glad to see young men exchanging
the hunter and the pony for the mono
plane and biplane. But skill and nerve