The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-01-17

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Pope Leo XIII declared that Catho-
lie laymen are mot free to choose
whether they will take up the cause of
the poor or not; it is a matter of sim
pie duty" Inasmuch as 'the cause of
the poor is to a large extent bound
up with social reform movements, and
inasmuch as the Knights of Columbus
represent che most influential element
of the American Catholic laity, an at
tempt to describe briefly their oppor-
tunities and obligations in this field
may have some value.
principles the members of our Order
have solid basis upon which to build
specific efforts and measures for the
betterment of social conditions.
Among these principles the most i'm
portant are the following: The State
exists for the individual, not the indi-
vidual for the State; material goods
are not an end in themselves, but
merely means to physical, mental,
and moral welfare; individuals and
families can have too much as we'll as
too little of these goods and means !;
the laborer has natural right to a
decent livelihood for himself and his
family; no person should be compelled
to work in conditions harmful to
health, mind, or morals; owners OF
property are not absolute proprietors
but only trustees of their possessions
and the actually prevailing prices and
profits are not always fair prices and
profits.
These principles cannot be put into
practice intelligently or adequately
without knowledge of the pertinent
facts of present industrial life. Fol
example: we may ask the question
whether the existing distribution OF
wealth is a bad distribution. Are the
conditions of employment oppressive
to the working classes? Is the ten
hour day too long? Is the eight-houl
! day too short? Are the great fortunes
of our time honestly earned? Are
the industrial resources of our country
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tants to live in abundant comfort
What is living wage in terms o1
money? What proportion of the
: workers are getting less than thi:
: amount? If a living wage were en-
forced universally, what would be the
: effect upon industry? Or if we hat
, g. universal eight-hOur day? Or
complete system of insurance agains
accidents, illness, and old age?
While the foregoing questions by NJ
means cover all the important fact!
that underlie the social question, the!
do give some idea of the necessit!
of knowing Industrial conditions be
: fore any serious attempt be made tt
promote measures of social reform
1t is scarcely possible to over-empha
size this question of the industria
facts; for again and again in discus
sions of social problems we find as
sertions and assumptions which woult
never have been made if the author
of them knew what they were talk
ing about We can make no progres
toward solving the social question s
long as we are ignorant of the fact
which create that question. What tn
pertinent facts of industry are in thi
! connection, can be learned with
r minimum of effort from such books a
Brooks Social Unrest" Adams
Labor Problems" Streightoff's ''Dii
tribution of Incomes in the Unite
e States" and many social refor1
q periodicals.
t Definite Reform Measures Necessar,
l. Having obtained some knowledge {
y the facts of our Industrial life, tn
q next important consideration is to rea
! ize that the utterance and reiteratio
of edifying platitudes are worse tha
Z useless. To assert over and owe
again that Socialism must be rejected
: and that Christian principles will solv
n the social question, is quite safe, bu
/, it will get us nowhere. The mai
|, result of such declarations is to col
f firm the contentious of Socialists tha
e we Catholics are not really in earnes
in our protestations of sympathy wit
n the oppressed sections of the populs
r ton. We need to be more specific
l. If our principles are correct they mus
Y also be efficient. They must enabl
t us to propose definite measures an
L definite reforms for definite situation
t and definite evils. To declare that tn
t laborer deserves just treatment fror
his employer and from society, is
n waste of words unless we make som
attempt to specify what just treatmen
l. means in the actual conditions |
a which we live. We must be able
y point out with some defniteness th
s measures that are to be adopted t
It secure just conditions. If a legs
l. minimum wage, an eight-hour day fc
4 women, system of workmen's con
), pensation or insurance, an effectiv
8 law for the control of monopoly,
Il reform in our methods of taxation
Ii or any other concrete proposal, seem
vi to be the thing needed we ought
say 50, and give such projects OF