Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-08-09
CATHOLIC LEADERS
PLEAD FOR WORK
Activity Urged at Closing Ban
quet Of Catholic Young Mems
Union at Hotel du Pont.

time in their history and that the
greatest danger TO their faith now Is
the inactiviey OF the members, while
tose opposed arc seeking to destroy
their greatest asset In the way Of the
future by legislation against tho par
ochial schools. was brought 10 the
attention OF the diners at the banquet
given in the du Barry. room OF tho
Hotel du Pont last night. which was
tho closing feature OF tho for'ty-eighth
annual co1vention OF the Catholic
Young Menu National Union.
Tho speaker waA Michael b. Will
liams. newspaper man. correspondent
and author, OF Washington, u. c. 1t
is Mr.. Williams business to watch
and observe what Is going on In the
world in connection with tho Catholic
! faith. His announcement last night,
| no said, was not made after n hasty
or cursory review OF conditions. He
had travelled to Europe and back
again. He had journey throughout
the breadth OF America, interviewing
leaders. and this was the consensus
OF his opinion. Hie statement was cor
| roborated by facts, he said. In ten states
the coming fall efforts will be made,
ne stated, to destroy the parochial
schools, about which Catholicism builds
for the future. In two western states
the efforts OF the opponents Of Cathol-
icism. whm he termed bigots. had
been partly successful. What he de-
plored most of all is that in states
where such antagonism to tho Catho-
lies has developed, It has heen the in
/ l,.t&, 80 49, -
brought about their downfall. Wherev-
or tho Catholics have. through pub
licity of various kinds, interested the
Protestante IN the struggle being
made to destroy the religious liberty
of the church. these Protestants have
aided the Catholics and defeated the
bigote, Mr.. Williams announced. This
effort 70 crush the future OF the faith
and the rebirth OF the sect since the
war, were the two principal events
now occurring In Catholic history. this
newspaper man-author said he had
observed.
The Layman's Job.
: Mr.. Williams shared the honors o.
the evening with Judge William Is
Cunningham OF New York state. Judg,
Cunningham, who - a member Of tn,
| faculty Of Fordhaln College, also hat
some harsh sounding things to say
/ His address, which WAS enthusiastic
as were all the speeches. humorous
serious when forcing home warning
r and caustic enough when the ide>
1 was to arouse his hearers to the nee
! essity for action, occupied the bes
part OF an hour. and when he had fin
4 ished the applause which greeted hin
= continued for more than a minute.
e Judge Cunnn.ngham. liko other lead
i ing Catholic layInen, takes the affair
f OF the church very seriously. He tol
n the diners that this was the time fo
d !aymen. That II WAS the parents an
r laity OF the church working with tn
S priests who would have Q dominatin
n influence IN working out the comin
& Catholic Church IN America. But
i decr1ed any effort to make the activit
81 local. He thought the laity ought I
y acquire a missionary spirit that woul
lead 10 their accomplishing big thing
Y Among the big things ne pointed {
&c the Negroes OF America; eleven mi
n hon blacks, who, he said, the Catholic
had not attempted to aid. He referre
10 one section where Ave priests unde
take to care for nine million Negroe
He brought no special plea for Il
Negro, but did think II was the du-
Of the church to see that their soul
salvation wac looked after. Anoth
Is big field for effort. which tho 1uri
r thought Catholics OF America ougf
&c to enter into, was that Of educatio
10 He cited instances OF his own e.
81 perience where those OF other demon
N nations, particularly the Jews, a
"a forging ahead because Of their ed
cation. In his own college. Fordhal
H. be showed that IN a graduating ella
a, in pharmacy last spring. OF the
- graduates sS We're Jews. He show
'e from statistics OF his own state in
own town OF Kingston, where the
should have been 233 students in /
~ high school class there, We're less thi
= 20 and many Of these dropped out h
-. fore graduation time. The Judge a
n, serted that unless parents and t
,a laity took this matter seriously a
of got to work. the next generation
, Catholics would be hewers OF wo
ha and carriers Of water for the other !
n. l!gious sects, because OF their lack
aa education.
on NJ. J. McEnery's Appeal
OK With two such orators as Mr.. w
iiams and Judge Cunningham, It "
J. difficult for an old-time Irish attorn
ry like Michael j. McEnery OF Philad
Oh phia to get started. But when he
'o' for half hour there coursed from
- lips flow of the kind of speech II
q" warns the heart Of every con Of
Erin. and with many he made I
biggest hit of the evening. Mr.. \
Emery placed particular emphasis
rn the attempt made to rob Commodt
John Barry OF the laurels due him
80 father Of the American Navy
~ Once during his address he turnsa
,s former Mayor william q. Taylor a
40 then to Mayor Harvey and said u
m the Catholics wanted nothing but wi
lxo was their right and just due. TT
no they would not claim anything Il
ac- was not theirs, but that they would
ar- mand what was due them In the wa
he religious rights and liberties. His ,
M "S Nd WIZ 'h D'cnS
old evened by his reference to the +
nd that Wilmington's present and form
chief executives have. he said,
in ways seen that the Catholics OF I
of city received fair play.
ar Mr.. McEnery spoke at much lenl
nd about what a proud possession
sic WAS to be a Catholic and also
ME American citizen and urged HIS he,
In ers never to deny. the faith.
Michael J. Slattery, reelected pre-
dent of the National Union for