The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-11-29
Address Of Pope Benedict XIV.

wish that. the numerous members of
the Catholic Women's Union, today
united in our presence, should COM
bine themselves into a league for
combating indecent fashions, not
only in themselves, but also in all
those persons or families whom their
Influence can affect. 1t would be SUI
lperfiuous to say that a good mother
must never permit her daughter to
yield to the false eXigencies of a
fashion which is not perfectly mod
est; but it will not be superf1uous to
add that every lady. the more ele-
| waited be the position which she occu-
pies, has the more strict duty of not
tolerating that those who visit her
should dare to offend modesty by an
indecent style of dress.
A warning given in due time would
prevent the renewal of such daring
| impertinence which violates the rights
of hospitality properly understood;
and perhaps the echo Of the censure,
opportunely reaching other incautious
supporters Of unbecoming fashions,
would induce them no longer to dis
| figure themselves with indecencies
similar to those which the wise lady
| had reproVed as soon as she per-
ceived them. We believe that this
| league against the evils of fashion
would be well received by the fathers
and husbands, the brothers, and all
the relatives of the courageous cham
| pions; and certainly we would wish
that the Bishops and all the priests
who are entrusted with care of souls
would promote and encourage it in
every way, wherever the fashions
have exceeded the bounds of modesty
and they have thus exceeded them
in too many places.
Mission in Society.
| Let it not be thought that good
example benefits only the educational
work directly belonging to woman,
| both within and outside the family
The Christian courage which gives
life to the good example of woman
amid the vitiated surroundings of our
epoch, and in front of the food of
indecent fashions, also facilitates the
mission of woman in the midst of
society, as is even expressed in
popular proverb.
Education of Youth.
We have heard with pleasure that
| the Catholic eWo1nen's Union "profn
| ises in a special manner to dedicate
| itself to the education of youth, and
| the betterment of the family and the
school," 1t is principally here that we
may say how pleased we are to have
| been forestalled in our desires, be-
cause if we had had to draw up
program of feminine action we could
not have traced rules different from
those that are indicated for the well,
| fare of the family and the children
OF our schools. Not only do we
praise the end, but we applaud the
means to be employed, as has been
so well said, by introducing into the
life of the country a clearer vision
of justice and of charity" Oh, if the
new generation were to grow up inn
bued with these virtues; above all, if
| justice and charity were less talked
of in theory, and more exercised in
| practice, these hotly debated and for
midable social questions would soon
have their perfect solution In order
| to secure so desirable an effect, let
Catholic women appeal to the duty
! that parents have of demanding re-
ligious instruction for their children;
let them appeal to the obligation of,
the civil authority not to put any
obstacle in their way; but above all
| let her show herself convinced of the
| necessity of seeking from the Church
| the most opportune rules of action
and putting them at once into
practice.
| Pope Is Pleased
| In speaking thus we do not mean
! to say things unknown to the Cath
olic Women's Union, nor is it our
object to inculcate new rules or
| directions, because the sentiments eX-
pressed in the noble address present
ed to us are in conformity with our
own. We are pleased instead to de-
clare that we know that the program
enunciated is already carried out in
not few Italian dioceses: the good
fruits which it has already produced
/ in some parts encourage us to hope
that this woman's activity may soon
have similar organization in all the
dioceses of Italy. The enthusiasm
with which the new juvenile section
has come in to complete the work of
the pre-existing and meritorious
l"Unipn of Catholic Women" justifies
four hope that feminine organiza-
| tion may be completed throughout
i Italy at no distant date.
/ 1t was not without a special mo-
i tive that we have reserved for our
Iselves the task of the material needs
of the Social Weeks which are to
be the sequel of the first Wemen's
Congress recently SO successfully
celebrated. From this congress and
from the succeeding Social Weeks