The Catholic bulletin., 1917-12-08
Continued from page IL
Catholics Doing Their Share

The assistance that Catholic France
gave in men, ships, munitions and
money led Washington to declare that
the generosity of France must inspire
every citizen of the states with senti-
ments of the most unalterable graft
tude.
The financial cost to France amount
ed to $24O,0O0,00O when the purchas-
ing power of gold was nearly three
times what it is now. The French
clergy voluntarily contributed $6,000,-
600 to the king to help the American
colonists. Ours is indeed a>deep debt
of gratitude to France in the achieve
ment of our liberties.
In the Civil War.
| At the outbreak of the Civil War in
| 1860, the Catholic population of this
country was 100000, in total popu-
lation of 31,5OO,000. The population
of the free states was 1928, 40S, and
these states sent into the field 1885,
999 men. There is, of course, no way
of officially estimating how many of
| these were Catholics, as the United
States government never inquiries into
nor keeps records of the religious be-
| lief of those enrolled in it's military
service
If we apply the proportion of men
in military service to the total popu-
lation of the free states, we have in
round figures one to every seven.
Using this as basis for the Catholic
population, without considering the
Catholic population of the slave
states, we may compute the number
of Catholics in the federal armies at
642, 900 in round numbers.
1t is possible there may have been
larger number as the greater portion
of those in service were volunteers,
and if we may take the proportion of
| Catholics at present in the enlisted
service as fair criterion of the patri-
otism of American Catholics, we may
| justly say that the number of Catholic
soldiers in the military service of the
nation, during the Civil War, was even
greater than the proportion of one in
every seven.
This statement has no means of ver-
ifcation. 1t is based analogously upon
conditions that obtain today, viz, the
proportion of enlisted Catholics, i. e.,
volunteers, now in the military service
of the nation, for am not now speak
ing of the drafted men.
The Catholic population of. the coun-
try is something near 1S,000,000 out of
a total population somewhat over 100-
100000. Out of every hundred people
eighteen are Catholics. We would
then expect that out of every hundred
in military service eighteen would be
Catholics. But, as nearly as can be
ascertained by such means as are
available, the proportion is as high as
35 per cent, and is reckoned by some
even as high as 40 per cent.
Secretary Baker, in statement
September %, 1917, regarding the
work of clubs, societies, fraternal or
ganizatfons, etc., in relation to mill
tary training camps, explaining the
War Departments action in allowing
the Young Mems Christian Association
and the Knights of Columbus to erect
recreation buildings inside the lines
of the cantonments and national
guard training camps, says:
"The Young Mems Christian Associ-
alton represents the Protestant de-
nominations, which will roughly con-
tribute 60 per cent of our new army.
H. $ The Knights of Columbus
i1nr h. To4l
which will constitute perhaps 35 per
cent of the new army"
The Secretary of War does not say
| by what means he arrived at the esti-
mate of 35 per cent of Catholics in the
service. But he must have based his
| figures upon some reasonable and ap-
proXimate data, ready to his hand as
Secretary of War.
EnIistments in Catholic centers.
In letter of September %, 1917,
Paul r. Martin, director of publicity
for the Knights of Columbus commit
tee on war activities, in reply to an
inquiry as to the proportion of Cath
Olics now in military service, says:
"Such reports as we have received
would lead us to believe that there
4 must be at least 40 per cent. The
i navy chaplains, who. have done more
statistical work of this kind than any
one else, say that the United States
navy today is 60 per cent Catholic.
The regular army has been in the past
as high as Is per cent Catholic. This
was owing to the fact that the great
bulk of enlistments come from Cath
olic. centers, such as New York, Illi-
lnois, California and Massachusetts,"
The Rev. Louis J. O'Hern, G. S. p,
official representative of the American
Hierarchy at Washington for the
placement of Catholic chaplains in
military service, states in an address
on "The Chaplains and the Camps: ::
u 1T is an actual fact that the ratio
of Catholics in the volunteer army is
far out of proportion with our popu-
lation, which speaks well for our pa
triotism. Both the regular army and
: the national guard contain SO many
Catholics that I honestly believe 40
per cent is not an overestimate"
II The DroDortion of Catholics in the