The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1919-02-22
WOULD KICK Y. M. CA,
into THE Deep SEA
Such Is the Present Mind Of Rome
When the Brotherhood Plea No
Longer Seems Expedlent

When we take into consideration
the enmity and opposition Of
Catholic priests and their papers
to the Y. M. c. A. before the war,
the insistence on using the Y. NJ.
G. A. as q sort Of big brother to
the X. Of C. during the war and
the demands made by the Catholic
press Of present dates that the
"Y" be Investigated, one can cas-
lily see the origin and animus Of
the concerted attacks on the Y. NJ.
G. A, at the present time. Espe-
eially so, when We take into con-
sideration such editorials from
Catholic papers as the following
from The Western Catholic Of the
7th inst:
AZ a dinner given by the Y. M. c..
A. to the Protestant preachers of St..
Louis, one Of them said very frank
ly that "the Y. M. C. A. is part of
the church-Protestant church, of
course-and the church is part Of
the Y. M. c. A. The two are In
separable."
Everyone with two eyes In his
head, Of course has known this all
all along. But apparently there are
Catholics without the necessary two
eyes. We haze neUer been able to
understand how any Catholic can, By
membership in this organization for
any purpose 4vhatsoever, give aid
and comfort TO a cause hostile to the
interests OF the church, There are
no two ways about it. The only
sufficient reason for the e1istence
of the Y. NJ. C. A. Is to promote a
non-Cathoic form Of Christianity.
It Is not merely part Of the Prot
estant church, as the preacher we
have quoted admits, It is Protest
antism-the only form Of vital
Professionalism IN existence IN this
country.
Catholics are admitted to member
ship; but they are not permitted to
hold any responsible Office. We find
no fault with Protestant organiza-
tions making and enforcing such a
rule. 1t is a matter of self-preser-
vation. But we find fault with the
Catholic who possesses so little self
respect---not to speak of conscious
ness Of his dignity as member of
the one true church--as to Join a
society in which he is regarded as
belonging to an inferior caste. We
trust that the K. of C. will soon re-
move the only pretext such Catholics
have for affiliating with the "Y''
(Italics are ours.-Editor MENACE }
The Y. M. G. A. was a bad in.
stitution in the eyes Of the priests
before the war. It was all right
during the war-that is, as long as
the K. of G. tOork needed its SYM
pathy and sheItering care. All right
as long as there were war drices to
be made for money, and all right,
when the X. Of G. wanted to ride
in the Y. NJ. G. A. band wagon in
the big November drive and rake
in the shekels. Now, that the
war is over, peace practically as.
sured, and all the welfare organiza.
tions find themselves in possession
Of more money than they can prob.
ably use as it was intended they
should, the priests discover that
the "Y" is bad, very bad, and
needs investigating; and a por.
ton Of the press is fairly lurid
with tales alleging Y. NJ. G. A
grating and incompetency. If the
"Y" was so bad, why wasn't il
exposed before now? Why did
they wait until after the big No.
vember drive to. make theil
charges? As it is, we are 90.
ing to make just one assertion,
and that is, that if the 'oY'
was not a Protestant organ.
| ization which they wish to discred.
it, and its officials and workers
Protestants whom they wish tc
ruin, all this clamor about thu
"Y" would never have beer
raised ThAre ara mono an hind a,