Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1918-11-06
UNITED WAR WORK PLAN EN-
DORSED BY CATHOLIC BISHOPS.

The Right Rev. James Davis. D. D.,
Bishop Of Davenport, in letter to his
priests asks that on the first opportun-
ity which may present itself, and es-
pecially on the reopening. Of our
churches, to please read from the al
tar the following joint appeal of the
Archbishop and Bishops of Iowa urg-
ing earnest and generous cooperation
of the Priests and people of our state
in contributing our quota towards
the National War Council Fund" for
thirty million dollars. Iowa has gone
"over the top in all war activities,
concludes Bishop Davis, let us stand
by this record till the war is won"
The appeal is hereby appended:
October 2S, 1918.
The United War Work campaign,
which will be conducted throughout
the entire country during the week
beginning November 18th, deserves
the very active support of all Catho-
lies. In Iowa the sum of $4,600,000
must be raised to reach the not un-
reasonable quota assigned to this
state. Prosperous as is our commun-
ity and equal to the heavy financial
burdens imposed by this war, it yet
will fail to raise this very large sum
unless the entire citizenship of the
state works together and to the limit
of it's capacity.
A very able and experienced organi-
zation will undertake the direction
and the details of the campaign in ev-
cry county and township of the state.
But the prevalence of sickness neces
stating the closing of churches and
the abandonment Of public meetings
ficiency by shutting up many avenues
of publicity and seriously interfering
with the elaborate preparations re-
quired by so extraordinary a CAM
paign.
We feel it therefore duty and a
privilege to use whatever influence
we have among our people in the in
terest Of so good cause--to RECON-
end it to their generosity and to bid
them surpass on this occasion the high
level they have hitherto reached. We
have been assured that very equit-
able and satisfactory apportionment of
the funds has been made by which the
sum Of $30,000,000 will be assigned to
the National Catholic War Council for
war work We are in honor bound to
raise this vast sum since we are not
in the habit of asking others to do our
work. TO reach this high goal the
Catholic body in this state must con-
tribute an amount not far from $780,
600 to this campaign. That means
that we must give two dollars and a
half for every one dollar contributed
to the Knights of Columbus campaign
in 1917. 1t also means that every par
ish must be interested and that many
must give large donations.
OF course they will not be asked to
give as Catholics any more than 9TH
ers will be asked to give as Protes-
tants or Jews, but we must do a very
notable work or the campaign will be
a failure.
We therefore recommend to priests
and people the livliest interest in this
drive, urging them to become solicitors
and speakers if invited to do so and
to lend whatever other assistance is
within their power.
More than a years experience in
cantonment and camp and in various |,
other quarters where soldiers and sail
ors foregather in large numbers, has
demonstrated the wisdom of the policy |
which determined the government |
while providing against the moral haz-
ards of army life to hand over the
work of amusing the boys in their
hours of idleness to the benevolent |
agencies with which they are familiar
at home. This is not the time to tell |
what splendid work has been done for
our boys by the volunteers and thei
specialists who have followed them in |
all their wanderings and mitigated |
wars horrors by keeping them in
.ouch with home.
There is only one opinion of this
work even now though its extent is
not fully comprehended or its quality |