The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-12-16
THE NEED FoR SOCIAL ACTION
BY Rev. j. c. Harrington.


dividual soul: but he is not as well ac-
quainted as he should be with the fact
that the same Church has very COM
prehensive and definite attitude tow
ards group life. There is such thing
as an authoritative Catholic doctrine
on industrial, social and political in
stitutions and relations. In other
words, there is a fairly definite Catto-
lie viewpoint in social science. Social
science is the systematic study of the
social organism. The social organism
is the very structure of society, with
the mutual action Of its various e1e-
9ments. made up of the individual, the
family, various private associations,
the Church and the State. To live and
thrive men must associate with their
+felloWmen. We mingle with our fam
lily, our friends and our neighbors. We
are companions of their toll and recre
alton. We are Influenced by local and
national authorities. We are more or
less dependent on a thousand func-
tions of labor, learning and play. The
Transportation Of goods and passen-
gers, the various public services, the
public utilities of post, telegraph and
railway form a most complicated net
work from which we cannot shake our
selves free even if we would. All
these things and more make up the
social organism The scientific, sys-
tematic study of this complex social
organism is social science.
The Voice Of Authority calls to Social
Action.
But what has the Church got to do
with social science? What has the
Catholic priest or the Catholic layman
got to do with social science? Have
we not been going along all right for
years without ever starting a single
social study club? This attitude of
mind in some quarters is considered
even pious! 1t is an index of the
mental and moral stature of men who
have never known the true spirit of
the Church, who have never been
thrilled by its harr1onies. Social sci
ence today is not mere hobby for the
priest. nay, it is a sacred duty placed
upon him by the highest authority in
the Church. Writing to the bishop of
Bergamo on the social question, Pope
Benedict XIV speaks of this clerical OBJ.
legation as follows: .Nows it is the
duty of priests and particularly ] OF
pastors to combat vigorously such per-
nieious enemies of Catholic and civil
society, with united effort among them
selves, and cooperating zealously un
der your leadership, Venerable Broth
er. Let no one of these think that
there is question here of an activity
which is foreign to the sacred minis
| try because it has to do with econom
les; for in this very social question
the eternal salvation of souls is i'm
perilled. Wherefore we desire that
they count among their duties to ap
ply themselves as much as they can
in their studies and by their vigilance
land actiyities,,to the theory and prac
tice of social science and that they
aid with all their resources those who
twere engaged in our organizations. y
Duty OF Catholic Laymen.
Piux x in an Apostolic Letter to the
bishops of Italy is equally emphatic il
intoxicating this duty on Catholic lay
men. He writes as follows on Catho
lie social action: I'm our first ency
rlical to the. Bishops of the world, in
which we echoed all that our glorious
predecessors had laid down concern
j ing the, Catholic action of the laity
4 we declared that this action was de
serving Of the highest praise, ant
\ was indeed necessary in the presen
1 condition of the Church and of soci
ETY.. And we cannot but praise warm
ly the zeal shown by SO many illustri
GUS personages who have for a Ions
time dedicated themselves to this labo
rious task, and the ardour Of so man,
brilliant young people who have Gag
erly fastened to lend their aid to tn,
same"
And Leo XIII writes in that llistori,
document the encyclical on the con
! dition Of the working classes: Meth
| er must it be supposed that the solici
tude of the Church is so occupied witt
the spiritual concerns Of its children
| as to neglect their interests Temporal
land earthly. Its desire is that tn,
| poor, for example, should rise .abov,
poverty and wretchedness, and shout,
| better their condition in life; and TO
i this it strives" In another Apostolic
Letter the same illustrious Pontit
i writes: 1T is the opinion OF some
4 and the error is already very common
that the social question is merely al
4 economic one, whereas in point of fact
4 it. is first of all a moral and religion
4 matter, and for that reason it's settle
ment is to be sought mainly in TIL
moral law and announcements O
religion"
american Problems.
II But after all, perhaps, these docu
ments had only conditions in Europ
in mind. The problem arising fror
Il Industrial and social relations Il
il America are not SO pressing for sc
! / 1ntion. Let us listen to the Hierarch
Of the United States. Here IS an. ey
tract from the Pastoral Letter OF tn
Archbishops and, Bishops publishe
q February 2, 1920. They quote tn
opening paragraph of the Rerum Nc
varilm OF Leo XIII: "That the spiri
of revolutionary change which ha