The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-01-17
Continued from Page ~
KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS AND
SOCIAL REFORM.

Very many of these concrete pro-
posals are now actively promoted by
various social organizations and agen-
cies. The knight of Columbus who
is willing to do practical work in the
field of social reform will not hesitate
projects in the community in which
he lives. For example, a movement
for the abolition of night work for
women, or for the establishment of a
legal minimum wage, ought to count
in it's ranks the majority of the
knights of the community or the
State. The members of our Order
ought to cooperate not merely as in
dividuals, but should identify them
selves with those social organizations
which are engaged in furthering these
schemes of social reform. Prominent
among such organizations are the
Child Labor Committees, the American
Association for Labor Legislation, the
Consumers Leagues, the Labor
Unions, and the Charity Organization
Societies. In none of these, except the
labor unions, is the proportion of Cath
olics commensurate with the Catholic
strength in the population. Indeed,
there is good deal of truth in the
charge that American Catholics have
not yet developed social sense.
They participate actively, and on the
whole adequately, in religious move
ments, in political movements, and
in the charitable activities which are
under Catholic auspices; but they
have not yet begun to identity them
selves sufficiently with those general
movements for social welfare which
are non-religious and non-political, and
which are concretely and effectively
represented by the organizations
enumerated above. AS consequence,
the latter are deprived of the as
sistance and the guidance that they
should receive from a strong Catholic
membership, while Catholics them
selves are without adequate agencies
of expression and achievement. More
over, the absence of Catholics from
these societies leads a large proper
ton of our non-Catholics to the con-
clusion that we are not vitality in
terested in works of social better
ment.
Social Reform Legislation.
Of all the phases and proposals of
social reform, the most difficult is that
which involves legislation. A very
great part, perhaps the greater part,
of the betterment measures that we
desire to see realized, can be brought
about only by legislative bodies.
Thus we are Immediately confronted
of us are probably afraid of politics.
One of the consequences of this timid-
ity is that Catholics have been to
considerable extent misrepresented by
their fellow Catholics in public life
For example, how few of the Catholic
members of Congress during the last
twenty years have been conspicuous
for activity on behalf of measures con-
ducive to social and industrial justice?
More frequently they have been found
in opposition, and among the sup
porters of special privilege. Happily
there has been change in this sit
uation, and we can now point to at
least three senators and large num-
Der of representative who can be re-
lied upon to promote all reasonable
proposals of legislation making for
social betterment and the lessening of
exploitation. What is most needed
now is a more general conviction
among the rank and file of Catholics
that the solution of the social question,
and the removal of the bad conditions
surrounding large proportion of the
laboring population, must to great ex-
tent be effected by laws, and keener
consciousness of our duty to support
the men and the measures that will
best promote this end.
In this matter of legislation and in
other phases of social reform work,
the knights of Columbus are in posi-
ton to bring forth invaluable results
They are mostly of the middle class,
which means that they will naturally
be inclined to moderate the excessive
radicalism of any reform movement in
which they participate. On the other
hand, they are not sufficiently affilia-
ted with the elements of reactionary
and unjust conservatism to desire to
oppose reasonable and necessary re-
form measures. Occupying the sane
and safe middle ground, they can, if
they will, become tower of strength
to the cause of genuine social progress
and Christian justice. They can do
much, very much, to prove to the world
that the moral and social teaching
of the Church is as effective and per-
tinent, as practically fruitful, to-day as
it was in the centuries when it freed
the slave, and set up the benef1cent
Industrial arrangements of the later
Middle Ages. But if they are to take
advantage effectually of their oppor-
tunities, they must do more than utter
edifying generalities. They must
know something of the actual condi-
lions of industry, and in every legiti-
mate way give active support to
those concrete proposals and measures
which make for larger instalments of
social justice.