The Irish standard., 1915-09-01
The Knights of Columbus in Minnesota
Written A.

large factors in the progress of the
order.
The success of the Knights of Co.
lumbus in Minnesota is we'll shown
in the permanent homes which they
have established All the larger coun-
ellis now either own buildings or have
acquired long leases on property upon
which improvements may be made
furnishing substantial and comfortable
quarters Besides the ordinary audi
forum and lodge rooms, some of the
councils have provided a gymnasium,
swimming pool, shower baths, bowl
ing alleys, billiard rooms, library and
reading rooms. In these the men,
bers may obtain beneficial physical
development, innocent amusement, or
opportunity for mental Improvement.
In the brief account here offered, it
is impossible to give any record of
the work done by individual councils
within their own districts. The one
cause in which all most prominently
unite is that of promoting education.
Several years ago there was inaug-
urated in this state under the au-
spices of the State Council lecture
bureau The aim of this bureau is
to provide every council in the state
at least once annually a superior lee
ture on a question of general inter-
est. Among the lecturers furnished
within the past few years were Mr..
Peter w. Collins and Mr. David Cold
stein, both of whom lectured before
nearly every council in the state upon
the subject of Socialism. This edu-
cational campaign has been produc-
tive of great good, and has served
especially to emphasize the position
of the church with reference to social
questions. More recently, Professor
E. NJ. Lehnerts, of the faculty of the
University of Minnesota, has lectured
before each council upon "Our State
and Its Resources
Council directed special attention was
that of combating the tide of scur-
rilous attacks made upon our faith
and our order. In this work they
were greatly aided by the pamphlet
issued under the auspices of the Su-
preme Council, which gave an accu-
rate account of the agitations which
promoted religious bigotry in differ
ent parts of our country and the re-
suits which these agitations brought
about. The state officers, believing
that our fellOW-Citizens who are not
of our faith, are fair enough to weigh
plain facts, and generous enough to
concede to their fellow-c citizens the
same privilege they themselves ask,
caused to be distributed thousands of
these pamphlets. These were sent to
all public officers within the state, to
the editor of every newspaper, to
every non-Catholic clergyman, and to
the officers of every non-Catholic fra
ternal society. In great number of
instances, replies in the form of per-
sOnal letters were written to the state
officers, and in every case the person
who took the trouble to reply highly
praised and commended the work.
Minnesota does not afford fertile
soil for the development of the seeds
of malice undertaken to be sown by
the foul maligners of TRUTH A notable
example of this fact is found in
trial recently had in Waterville, Min
nesota, where two of the principal
agitators were prosecuted for libel in
the municipal court in one of our
smaller country towns. In connec-
ton with this trial, it is significant to
know that the foreman of the jury
which tried the offenders was a
Methodist clergyman, and that one
of the principal witnesses for the
state in the prosecution was a Con-
oreoatinnal minister. that not q 1nem-