The Irish standard., 1916-10-28
women TO
BECOME A
GREAT FORCE
SOME ORGANIZATION THOUGHT
SUGGESTED FOR THEM BY
HONOR WALSH - AMERICAN
CATHOLIC WOMEN POSSESS
THREE STRONG BASES OF HAIR
MONY.

Honor Walsh, possess three strong
bases of harmony. AS Americans
they are citizens of the glorious re-
public made up of the many-in-one-
the individuals grouped in families,
the families grouped in communities,
the communities under the jurisdic-
tion of an autonomous commonwealth,
and the forty-eight great common
wealths directed by the central power
of the legislative ana executive gov
ernment in the capital of the nation.
AS Catholics our women. are units
in the immortal unity of Mother
Church, and in perfect accord with
the historic continuity and with the
universal order radiating from the
Holy See to the most remote mission
on the farthest edge of the world
one in all, all in one.
AS women they are united by the
very laws of life. To them is entrust-
ed the upbringing of the race. When
ever and wherever they are true to
themselves and true to one another
there the race is race of super-men
in the best significance of the term,
a race of men and women of superior
spirituality, superior intellect, superior
physique. And this, not by crushing
the manned, as was done in Sparta of
old. but by helping .the helpless, by
Strengthening the weak, by sheltering
the outcast, by giving hope to the hope.
less-in a word, by fulfilling the spirit
ual and corporal works of mercy in
living action.
The work is waiting to be done,
the workers are willing. Are they
ready? Are they ready to set aside
certain surface distinctions in order
to learn the deeper qualities of their
co-workers? Who can organize good
works more efficiently than the active,
clever, resourceful women whose
parish enterprises have helped to build
SO many churches and schools through.
out the United States? These women,
old and young, are Of no one class !;
the rich and the poor put the shoul.
der to the Wheel" and the wheel rolls
on smoothly to the goal of success.
The organization of Catholic WON.
ell can be strong only by inclusive.
ness. The hackneyed term exclusive -
beloved of second-class lodging houses
and third-rate society reporters, should
have no place in the vocabulary of
Catholic social SERVICE We must in.
clude enthusiasm, patience, energy,
loving kindness, skill, judgment, pru.
dence, order, economy, enterprise and
experience, and these we shall possess
only by including their possessors.
That sort of inclusiveness is a guar
antee of enduring strength.
And what of harmony? Discord-
ance there may be. That is human
trait not wholly feminine-witness the
present disagreement of the doctors
and the perennial disputes of the
colonels. Are we to eliminate every
discordant instrument from the or.
chestra? Would it not be wiser to
keep them in tune? Sometimes it
takes patience and diplomacy and
sometimes-well sometimes from
bone or cornet, let US say, is all the
better for little shaking up. When
patience ceases to be virtue spirit
ed discussion may serve to clear the
atmosphere. Too much diplomacy is
a waste of time and debasing of ef
fort. It can not live long in the free
air of truth, and so it becomes en-
cased in a transparent film of insin
cerity, absolutely infuriating to the
!! party of the other part. AS Monsignol
Benson said so wisely, visible tact is
worse than no tact at ALL" Our best
friends are those who have the cour
age to oppose US frankly whenever
opposition means justice and fair play
Congeniality, the basis of all true
friendship, may be applied to socia
service by selecting or electing TO,
certain works women of kindred &C
tivities. All these problems work
themselves out in a systematic organi
zation which assigns to each worker
that which she can do best for the
helping of poor humanity and for the
greater honor and glory of Almight,
God. Actuated by the noblest motives
pursuing the highest ideals by tn,
most practicable methods available
one for all and all for one, the Depart
ment of Catholic Women in Fedora
tion is sure to become great fore,
for good today and greater fore,
in the day 10 come when women vii
have the power as we'll as the inclin
alton to make life better worth livinl
for the victims Of social injustice.