Evening star., 1940-04-21
Newman Clubs Close
18Th Convention
Today With Prayer
American Youth Group
Attacked at Session as
'OrgonieoIIy Unsound'

Or9dnicdlIy UnSouno
The 18th annual convention Of the
Middle Atlantic Province of the New
man Clubs Federation will close with
a benediction at the Franciscan
Monastery at $3.50 pm. today after
sessions yesterday at which dele
gates elected George Washington
University student chairman for the
coming year and heard the Amer
lean Youth Congress attacked as
"organically unsound"
The approximately $50 delegates,
Catholic students in 18 non-sectar-
ian colleges, selected Edward v. XII
ley chairman and another George
Washington student, Rita Roley,
corresponding secretary.
Gathered at Hotel 240O for the
sessions, the students listened via
radio to a talk by the Rev. Vincent
Mooney, executive secretary of the
National Council of Catholic Youth
here, in which he declared that the
American Youth Congress and 10Th
er so-called youth movements do not
in any sense represent the whole of
American youth or even a major
portion of our youth population"
Contrary to the impression which
has been given in some quarters" !"
he said, "the sponsors, the leaders
and the membership of the Amer
lean Youth Congress and it's aff1li-
ates, have not monopolized think
ing and planning when 1t is ques-
ton of solving youths problems. :"
He added that Newman Clubs and
other Catholic youth groups had
been working in unity and with
singleness of purpose" long before
the congress came into existence.
Need Common Principles.
After reviewing briefly the ses-
sions of the congress here recently,
the Rev. Mr.. Mooney said:
"As you think these things
through do not lose sight of the
fact that it is not only the Com
munist and radical elements within
the American Youth Congress which
prevent Catholic youth groups from
collaborating with this SUPERIOR
ganization. The American Youth
Congress is organically unsound
The Catholic Church and millions
of true Americans of other faiths
believe that no constructive work
can be done without a minimum
OF common principles"
The speaker declared than an
"unfavorable reaction" took place
among the Nations legislators in
Congress to the sessions Of the
Youth Congress and then turning
to the sessions of the Newman Clubs
Federation, said:
Let me remind you that the
members of Congress, who unques-
tionably are deeply conscious of
their obligations to the youth of
America, will interpret your pres
ence here as refreshing, construc-
tive effort rather than an attempt
to intimidate members of Congress
and Government officials"
Suffrage of Selfishness."
DR.. John K. Cartwright, pastor of
the Immaculate Conception Church
and chaplain of the George WASH
ington Newman Club, told the gath
ering at luncheon session that
three fundamentals of the tradi-
tional American character are being
attacked both openly and by under
mining. -
He said that democracy is being
diverted into a suffrage of selfish
ness," that education is sometimes
changed into merely a form of
curiosity" and that religious free
dom is interpreted at times as being
the freedom to gravitate toward
materialism."
IF these things happen on a
large SCALE" he said, '"our institu-
tions, our Constitution will be
powerless to halt the downward
trend toward hopelessness.
DR.. Cloyd Heck Marvin, president
OF the George Washington Uni
versity, told the delegates that he
has followed closely the work of
the club at that school and that
the organization had the "full con-
fdence" of the school officials
Presiding at the luncheon ses-
sion was Thomas Mccarthy, first
VICE chairman.
Aspects of Youth Problems.
Three speakers presented aspects
of youth problems at forum in
the afternoon presided over by
Albert Rinehart, newly elected
president of the George Washington
Club.
Charles Ferry, president of the
Washington Alumni Association,
discussing Youth and Labor" de-
clared that unemployment could
not be solved by the Government
alone, but only by cooperation be-
tween all groups in the American
economic system.
Advocating a gradual change"
in the economic setup, he said that
there is danger for democracy" If
the unemployment problem remains
for long unsolved.
In response to question from the
floor as to what plan the Catholic
Church is advocating for solving
the problem, the Rev. Edward Nc
Gowan of the National Catholic
Welfare Conference said that it
favored meeting of employers and
representative of labor, agricul-
ture and the professions to confer on
more evenly distributing income
and balancing of prices"
Youth and Education.
Daniel Zero, president of a Phila-
delphia Newman Club, discussed
youth and Education" declaring
that it was among youth that propa-
ganda agents in Germany and
Russia concentrated in their pro
gram of hate and distribution"
"The American Home and Family
was the topic of Paul Taggart, jr.