Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1919-03-15
ACTIVE
Enemies of Solid Christian Reform
of Society Are Every
where About.
Social Reconstruction and the Duty
of Our Schools Task of
Hour
Must Begin the Training of Our
Future Workers in
Lower Schools.
COMING YEARS LOOM LARGE

Reconstruction is the watchword
of the hour. 1t is our duty as
Catholics 60 work "constructiveiy"
| in this movement. But while the
enemy and those bitterly opposed
| to Catholic teaching are working
with might and main to assert their
principles, many of us have been
content with falling back upon 1.-The
excellence of the general principles
| of Catholic social reform"
Evidences of the activity of the
enemies OF the solid Christian re-
form of society are everywhere
about US. Even tie much-lauded
social reconstruction programme of
the British Labor party bears ele-
ments of danger. Its COMBINATIONS
of the present social order are too
sweeping. 1t favors MARKHAM so
cialism. Il offers the old Socialist
programme OF Government opera
ton of farms, factories, mills, mines,
stores, banks, etc Again coming
more directly to the vicious social
teachings" now inculcated IN our
schools Prof. Elwood. of the Uni
versity of Missouri, in a work first
published in 1910, speaking of "The
Sociological View of Morality" says:
LIT is evident that moral codes
from the social point of view are
simply formulations of standards of
conduct which groups find II con-
venient or necessary TO impose upon
their members" A series OF articles
| is now being published in Central
Blatt and Social Justice, pointing
out the vicious tendencies of this
and a number of other soclologic
texts widely used in American
schools. A preacher-sociologi
B, /. Bell, in a work called Fright
and Wrong After the War" boldly
advocates teachings of the most per-
verse and anti-Christian kind.
Bolshevism In spite OF the reign of
terror it has inaugurated in some
countries, is looked upon by not
few as practical method Of gain
ing certain much-needed reform
measures.
To give an instance bearing more
directly upon the present article.
|socialistic catechisms have been pub
lished in several languages, adapting
the teachings Of Marx and Engels
10 the child mind A New York
Socialist paper prints a weekly page
for children. The youngsters write
their own stuff for it and draw their
own cartoons.
Now one reason why Catholics
are not ready 10 take part in the
urgent work of reconstruction now
going on in every phase of modern
life is that they have not been as
we'll prepared as those who are
looking forward to "the great revo-
Iution."
Some Of our leaders now realize
that Catholic young women should
enter the ranks of social service
workers and are urging them to
take up such activities. But the
work is becoming every day more
specialized, demanding an exacting
and even technical preparation. In
view Of the dangers mentioned it
would be unwise to send them to
centers where pernicious teaching
Is the order of the day. But
preparation of some kind they must
have. Margaret Fletcher. one OF
the best known Catholic social
workers Of England, says that the
girl of today will be practically
compelled to mingle in a society
where views prevail that are far
uiucAcuJ llom those uclu IN the
days of their grandparents. And
yet these girls must ''be there" and
some OF them must even associate
continually with persons holding
these advanced" views In case they
take up social service.
We must admit that unless we
FIRST teach our teachers how to de-
velop "the social sense" of their
pupils in the earlier years, we may
not at all succeed in equipping we'll
trained and well-balanced social
workers. This seems to have been
the idea which inspired the calling
of conference by our English
brethren of the faith for the pur-
pose Of studying this very question.
At the London conference the
unanimous opinion of those present
was this. we must begin the train
ing OF our future workers in the
lower forms of our schools. But
as SO many English Catholic girls
are being educated In convent