The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-12-21
OFFICERS ATTACH SHOW, COLLECT $261
REV PLUNKETT ON
 LOST LEADERSHIP
Addressed Holy Name SO= ciety of St Francis
 Xavier Society
SCULLY ON LEGISLATION

last night drew very large at tendance, and 1t is believed that the attendance would have been larg- CT if all the people had known the rare treat in store in the lecture given by Rev Andrew Plunkett of Shelton, who talked on St John the Baptist. Father Plunkett said in part:
 the wisdom of divinity and the experience of the centuries, year after year, holds before us the fig- ure of John the Baptist for our study and contemplation. Of him 1t was said: "No man born of wo- man is greater than he, and I vii send my angel before thy face to prepare the way before thee. Call ed by Almighty God for a great mission, John spent the greater part of 30 years in the wilderness in prayer and fasting and self de- nial in preparation for his work. His food was the locust and wild honey, his drink the cooling waters of the secret spring. Living in a cavern with dried leaves and rushes for his bed, John communed with his God. He became immortal at the age of 33.
 "When the time was ripe, the Baptist came down the hillside to Judea and the surrounding coun- try. John was a Jew and he loved his country and people, whom he found cast down in suffering and poverty and depression by reason of the Roman conquest. Going about he preached to his people of the Kingdom to come. He bade them cast off their sadness and look up. He gave them a new doc Urine of baptism and penance and held out to them new courage ana hope for the forgiveness of sin and the salvation of Israel. To him was 1t given to point out the Christ who would redeem his race and his country. Then going before Herod, the betrayer of the people, John cried 1t is not lawful for you to outrage your nation. And then Her. or ordered Johns head to be cut off. He was murdered at the De. quest of a lascivious dancing girl
 Continuing Dr Plunkett said "Would that Almighty God would send to the American people an. other John. Would that He would raise up a leader who would lift the dropping spirit of this great nation and people, and direct us out of the slough of despond into the peace and contentment for which we long with great long. ing. What has come over America Yesterday riding in triumph and glory: today cast down and fearful. Never before in our national life have we been bereft of leader !n a crisis. Today we look In valn from the White House at Washing ton to the meanest officer of the smallest village for 0 leader to bring us safely from the wilderness; for one who loves America anu and Americans beyond all others.
 we are experiencing what the Christ visioned when He declared this generation shall not pass LII all those things be fulfilled. we are that generation and we are Wit messing those direful prophecies, m fact and in our own lives; Meh withering away for fear of what IS to come upon the whole world, Yes. men and women and children withering away for fear or munger and cold, idleness, men Witnerlns away because of the trembling un- certainty of what Is yet to come; because confusion has entered into fine councils of the nation. There can he no wise councils because We ,. have no counselor; no leader W,tn the courage of the Baptist IS to oe- clare it Is not lawful for you to oc this thing Those to whom we gt for advice seem lost in maze U, doubt. Ask the business man wna' ia inc matter with business ana he looks at you hopelessly and repne' Ina does not know Inquire Of tne manufacturer and he covers m. confusion with something abo9' ssuppiy and demand Deman1 Whv the people are crying out tnell demands for food. clothes, sheiter tha necessities of life. Demand l, voicinr itself on every hand. Ane suppiyl Who shall talk Of suppiy when the granaries ana stort houses of the country are burstinl with God given food stuffs. ana tn' fields are laden with unspun >cotton .Sunpiy and demandI We nave not Dot tha courage and the leadershir to feed the one and release the other to the suffering pople.
 "Speak to the banker, he answers xy,th a platitude of technical con. dition' or 'readjustment. ASK m
 what has become of the nation vaiues and why are securities SINK
 ing. he may tell you because there is m one to buy. And there IS nc one to buy for the reason that nay inp induced and goaded our people to purchase their securities tne
 nrops were kicked from under tht financial edifice and hundreds ol
 thousands of the investors were imnoyerished. Babylon has peer reanacted in America, with all ol lie confusion and wreckage.
 "Who is to blame? We all mus share n part of the responsibility
 Wa all were so engrossed in fol' lowing strange gods, and seekine
 the root of evil; we all were st
 hent on bling up uneared wealtf
 that we too became confused. All
 ves. Laborer and employer; bank
 iavman and cleric, every one of u.
 sought the golden calr ana wen into the wilderness. we loSt ouI
 way because we first had well nigf
 we might have had a leader but we refused him. We broke mn down by falsehood and lies sne siander. Dancing in glee and gut, ted with wealth we recked no s, that the pyramid was cracking: til
 1t tumbled about our ears ana al
 but destroped us. Let us arise iron our sadness; let us confess oul
 waywardness; let us in humilit!
 and prayer turn to God and asi Him to forgive us and send us an other prophet. another John, a maI | of heart and brains and fortitud'
 and fearlessness to compel us t'