davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09

The arrival of American Education Week, which
begins Sunday and ends the nth, should be the
occasion of a renewed interest in the problems and
welfare of the psrochial school.
The past year has seen any number of attacks
on this institution vital in the life of every young
Catholic The school bus question the re-zonng IS
sue the OPS ceiling that affects only private"
schools and no aid from taxes-all of these points
have become more acute during the past year.
Federal and State legislation proposed during
the year has been designed to exclude the rights
and wishes of many tax-paying citizens merely be-
cause they are Catholic and demand the right to see
that their children receive integral religious
education
The problems which face the parochlal schools
are the problems which face every Catholic citizen.
They are common property. No Catholic can plead
ignorance or an uninterested attitude on the issues
which affect his schools To do so would mean dis
aster for the schools Let George do it. will have
to be replaced with Let me do it," or the enemies
of the parochial school will surely have their way
Parents of children in parochia schools are al
feeted by adverse legislation both as Catholics ana
as citizens II citizens and Catholics that they
must demand what is rightfully theirs To do this
every Catholic must be we'll informed.
All the factors of transportation to and from our
schools should be known. The amount OF tax money
anpropriated for such use should be known. The
names of legislators who introduce and support
bills limiting the use of such money should be
known The amount of money that the government
is saved by our school system should be known.
a asst year it amounted to $679630, l76, Ohio ac-
counting for S36,000000D
Make the week of Nov IL week Of study and
time of preparation to defend your rights as citl
zens and Catholics.
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09

not left to man to further determine in the
matter. II only left for man to choose to obey
disobey, with The resulting sin and punishment
for his dsobedience.
This is just what happened in many instances
Those groups that broke away from the authority
of the Church. refusing to believe this or that doc
trine; those who demanded what they called their
freedom to believe as they chose to interpret the
Sacred Scriptures they fit-all had the free
dom to take such action just Adam and Eve were
free to disobey Gods particular regulation regard
ing the fruit of tree in the Garden of Paradise.
And those who broke away from the authority
of God Himself should have expected the resulting
confusion and further departure from His teachings
and from His commandments; further exile from
His truth exile that eventually makes them quite
unfamiliar with His real teachings, sincere though
they may be.
True and lasting freedom comes to those who
obey the laws of God. His laws are those of kind
and loving Father He knows what is best for us.
And He gives us the rules to protect us from our
selves and from evil. Exercising freedom to
cept reject His rules, implies the willingness to
accept the consequences.
1t would seem that His children would first ask
what God wants, what His will is, before presuming
to say what they will will not believe what they
will or will not accept as religious doctrine, what
they will or will not accept as His authority The
true follower of Christ asks first What does God
wish me to do? What is His will, His law?" 1t is
not for the creature to tell the God of the Universe
how to run things, much less to rise up and say Il
want my freedom, my rights"
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09
WASHINGTON LETTER

WASHINGT0N-(NC)-Inter-
est in the meeting of the United
Nations General Assembly open
ing this week in Paris is begin
ming to deepen. A number of in
cidents, seemingly unrelated for
a long time, are beginning to
fall into pattern which sup
ports the contention of some OBJ
servers that the forthcoming
sessions may have widespread
repercussions.
For one thing, there are OBJ
servers who insist that the fact
that the meeting is being held in
Paris instead of the United
States is of considerable import
ance. They believe it will en-
bolden Russia, if Russia needs TO
be emboldened, to try for
deal" which il might not seek
l. the deliberations were being
held at United Nations, NY.
The deal, it is said, will be the
admittance of Red China to the
u. N. This proposal would be
like a red flag to the American
people at this time, If made at
the permanent site OF the United
Nations, observers hold. But,
they add, made in Paris. which
is still some thousands of miles
from New York, and with dis
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09

tance lending some enchantment
to the scene, Russia probably
feels it will have a chance of
success.
That, these observers main
tain, is at least one reason why
the Kremlin has not let the truce
talks in Korea have any more
success than they have enjoyed
to date. Peace in Korea once
more will be the bait dangled be-
fore peace-loying nations to get
them to vote to admit China to
the U.N. II the truce came be-
fore haggling started in the U.N.
General Assembly, Moscow would
have lost its bargaining point.
Statements by some high us. Of
ficials that they feel a truce In
Korea will come about, but they
don't know when, seem TO lend
credence to this point of view.
AS a second development, the
General Assembly meets when
there is a strong and constantly
growing belief that Russia is
presently waging the only kind
of war she ever intended to
wage, and is doing right well
with it. There are observers who
say Moscow does not want
"hot" war; fears it more than
anything else, because it could
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09
RICHARD PATTEE
Guns And Butter?

guage. No one seemed disposed
to point out the extraordinary
urgency with which the situation
must be met, or the fact that
enormous sacrifice will probably
be the only way to see the coun-
try through. Just as in this coun-
try we have the steady harping
on high standard of living, on
security, on safety and on con-
tinuation of the same trend to-
ward a constantly more abund-
ant life.
1t must be plain to the most
obtuse that the abundant life
definitely does not lie ahead of
us under the present dispense
ton. No one yet has managed
to explain how increased arma-
ments production, a huge army
and bristling defense can pos
sibly 60 hand in hand with
standard of living that is continu-
ouslysbecoming more abundant.
Even the economists who man.
age to explain almost everything
can hardly make this particular
contradiction palatable.
1t is trite to say that the Brit
ish are probably in somewhat
more precarious situation than
we are. They live on an island;
we live on a continent. We can
mismanage affairs with consider
ably more freedom than they,
since our errors heretofore have
never been so costly as to break
the national economy. Great
Britain is evidently faced once
more with one of the recurrent
crises of this postwar period.
And in the midst of it there does
not seem to appear from any of
the political parties a clear,
courageous, far-sighted call to
duty, with no sugar-coating and
no punches pulled.
DisssreeabIe But True
Whatever the results of the
British elections, the official
statements that have preceded
them do not throw very much
light on basic intentions. Per-
haps the Conservatives will pro-
ceed to undo much of the mis-
chief that doctrinaire socialists
have created. Perhaps, on the
other hand, the fear of any step
that seems a reduction of that
new fetch, the all-powerful
state that guarantees security.
will prevail and nothing at all
will be done.
We have reached point
where. it is becoming almost inn
possible to run opposition to the
cult of material prosperity and
to that mystical thing called a
''high standard of living"
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09
U.N. Paris Meeting May Bring
Bold New Russian Moves

lead to the rapid disintegratlon
of its Iron Country possessions,
and even of the crumbling of
the Union of Soviet Socialist Re-
publics itself. The "cold war"
which makes weapons of phony
peace talk and subversiye fifth
columns within friendly nations
is paying off even better than
any armed conflict could.
Just what effect this growing
belief will have upon the U.N.
meeting is anybody's guess. But
students of such matters hold
it possible that, if the UN. del
egates should come to the con-
yiction that they have been de-
voting their time and energies
to combating mere threat, while
Russia accomplished her pur-
pose in another way, a funda-
mental change in thinking in the
UN. may take place, and a deep
change in thinking could lead to
different course of action.
Another factor in the picture
is that Great Britain has new
government as this meeting of
the u. N. General Assembly
starts. No one can foresee what
this change in regime will mean.
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09

Sometimes one gathers the impression that there
are some Americans who believe that Catholics had
nothing to do with the freedom Of religion which IS
one of this nations proudes boasts Sometimes, too,
one has the feeling that Catholics are suspected OF
maneuverng to bring about the loss of this precious
heritage.
Now the truth of the matter is OF historical rec
ord The thirteen original colonies included the
Catholic settlement of Maryland Like many of the
other colonies the little band on the Chesapeake
came to our shores seeking freedom OF religion
for themselves Some of the other colonies however,
determined that they would not give sanctuary to
settlers unless of their own particular religion.
These had 10 seek haven in other colonies. Mary
land became sanctuary for these people The Cath"
ocs had no barriers for those of any other religion
They believed in religious freedom for all
But 10! Before too long their new residents be-
came strong enough TO gain control OF government
in the colony and dsenfranchised the Catholics!
What irony of fate Many of the settlers OF Mary
land fearing another persecution left for other
parts Some went TO western Maryland, others went
on west to Bardstown. Kentucky. II was at that time
that some OF the families later prominent in the
Catholic history OF Kentucky migrated over the
mountains and down alone the Ohio River. From
those families two OF the Churchs distinguish
ed preates, the Bishops Spalding.
So IL goes. Eventually freedom Of religion did
come TO all the colonies But now the role played
by the band of Catholic settlers gathered at ST,
Marys, Maryland, is too little known. 1t is hoped
that II is not deliberately ignored
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09

long time ago man was created by Almighty
God and placed on this earth. Man recognized that
God was his Supreme Lord and Master. And then
man sinned by diSobeying God. II is true God had
given his creature freedom of will; man was free to
obey or not as he chose. But the law there
made BY Almighty God who had full authority TO
make such and any regulation 1t was mans freedom
TO choose to obey or not II was Gods to grant and
lake away privileges But they privileges, not
things merited
And SO through the whole history of man. God
revealed His will, His law The Ten Commandments
are Gods law. The establishment of His Church by
God Himself gave her the authority to teach and
direct lie did not give this authority TO each and
every individual, he vested il in his Bishops. and
even appointed one of them to be His special Wis.
ibls representative on earth. Having done this II
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09

tion, If you will-to enter into
temporal affairs and, in the very
act of sanctifying himself as
an individual. to Christianize his
environment.
He is obligated, in other
words, to bring about that re-
form of social institutions"
which Plus XI says is just as
necessary or almost as neces-
Sary as the reform of morals.
The priest is to assist him, of
course, and has the duty to pre-
pare him spiritually for this diff
ficult assignment. In the final
analysis, however. the response
bility rests upon the layman if
only for the reason that the lay
man is directly involved in the
temporal affairs (labor-manage-
ment relations. for example)
whereas normally the priest is
not.
This means, among other
things, that social reform is
more than hobby or an extra
curricular activity for those lay
men who just happen, by tenn.
perament or special training, to
be interested in social problems
Social reform, on the contrary,
is the responsibility of all lay
men, according to their oppor-
tunities and talents. 1t is just
as important for the spiritual
development as prayer and fast
ing.
Spiritual Vseuvm
There is nothing new about
this teaching, but Father de
Montcheuil is probably correct
in suggesting that we have all
too often failed to understand it
properly and put ii into practice
effectively. How else explain the
fact that even daily communl-
cants can withdraw into com
Portable spiritual vacuum and
consciously disassociate themsel.
YES, in the name of virtue, from
the never-ending struggle for So
cial Justice? These people are
not necessarily hypocritical.
They may be perfectly sincere.
They may honestly believe that
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09

findings of outsiders to the
Faith when they back up one of
the Church'S demands on us,
and one that is among the very
hardest to fulfill: the injunction
not to pay much mind to other
peoples sins.
Sometimes we are inclined to
think that this sin against char
ity can be avoided only by those
devoted to heroic virtues in the
Way of Perfection. Taking a look
around us, and putting one thing
with another in such century
as ours-reading the editorials
that attack the idea of the Holy
Fathers deserving an Ambassa-
dor, for instance-we are apt to
let some pretty harsh criticisms
flood our minds and to feel that
we are doing well to keep them
off our tongues.
But we are not doing we'll if
we stop at that. We are not only
not doing well, from the view
point of supernatural Charity,
but we are not even doing well
enough to keep our human ma
lures in order. Testimony is
available from two non-Catholic
sources to prove the point that.
even for those who lack the
Faith, lack of charity towards
others has dangerous and I'M
pleasant consequences.
Dresry Business
Nobody needs wait for the Last
Judgment to find out what
harshness to his neighbor does
to him: he can make the discov-
cry next Tuesday afternoon.
There has been for many years
a hoSpital-run Boston institution
called the Worry Clinic" to
which chronic worriers bring
their troubles every week. 1t is
strictly undenominational af-
fair, open also to pagans and
atheists, who are offered help on
their own terms. And what do
you think the Worry Clinic case
histories show, after many years
of filling files with them2 They
show that 1t is criticism of 9TH
er's defects which leads us to
worry about our own problems!
Then there is the added testi-
mony of Alcoholics Anonymous,
who have found that resentment
of other people is the invariable
prelude to any members binge.
Forgive your enemies" is not,
for them, a pious ideal: it is a
grim necessity, 4 rule of every
day living they dare not dis
obey, and they will tell you so.
Why? Well, preoccupation with
sin is one of the dreariests acts
in which a human mind can in
dulge, even if it is ones neces-
sary work. Priests are unani-
nous in agreeing that hearing
other peoples sins in the confes-
sional is q tedious and difficult
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09
FATHER HIGGINS
Spirituality For Men of Action

spirituality can only be devel-
oped in sort of religious hot
house protected against the
storms and stresses of the out
side world.
Regardless OF their personal
sincerity, however, they are SER
iously mistaken. Their sincerity
and their good intentions need
to be educated, as it were, by
careful reading of Father de
Montcheuils little masterpiece
and similar treatiseS on the Spir-
itual formation of the modern
layman. Their desire for person
al Sanctification is admirable in
deed, but "the wish for personal
sanctification," Father de Mont
cheuil tells us, requires not
only an inner struggle against
personal faults and, in social re-
latlonshipS, an effort of individ-
ual charity for those with whom
Providence has placed us in con-
tact, but also fight against all
the injustices. all the distorted
institutions which are opposed
on the human plan to the com.
munion of men and which give
rise to isolation, envy, hatred"
This means, among other
things. that 'the about struggle
against injustice should be in
culcated in all Christians. IL
should appear so established a
duty that it becomes inconceiv-
able that there could exist a
deep Christian life which might
fail to take an interest in it. :"
Maybe that means that we
priests-the shepherds of the
flock-are the ones who ought
to study Father de Montcheuils
treatise. After we ourselves are
persuaded of the necessary I'M
ion" of the spiritual and the tenn
poral. we will be better prepar-
ed to persuade the laity. Until
that time we will have no reason
to be surprised when we read
that Catholics, too, discriminate
against the Negro without any
qualms of conscience and in 9TH
er ways give scandal to the Gen.
tiles.
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09

correction of morals"
This column is probably open
to criticism for concentrating on
the former to the possible neg
lect of the latter. Partially to
make up for this lopsided en-
phasiS, we are happy to call at
tention today to new book de-
devoted exclusively TO the Spir-
itual formation of lay apostles:
For Men Of Action by Rev. Yves
de Montcheuil, 81. (FideS Publ
cations, 81 West Superior Street,
Chicago 10, Ill. $500. We rec
ommend it very highly to priests
and laymen alike. It's the best
thing we know of on the subject
of lay spirituality.
Like Yet Different
Is there such thing, howev-
er, as LAY" spirituality? Isn't all
spirituality the same-for lay
men and priests alike? Yes and
no. 1t is basically the same, of
course, in its essentials, which
are to love God and to love our
neighbor as ourselves for the
love of God. II is different, nev.
ertheleSs, in one respect and a
very important one at that.
The layman, much more than
the priest or the religious. is
called upon TO sanctify himself
in and, as it we're, through the
world with all its manifold dis
fractions and temptations. The
Trappist monk, on the one hand,
is obligated by his vocation to
withdraw as much as possible
from the ordinary pursuits of
the temporal order. The layman.
on the other hand, is obligated
by his state of life-bu his voca.
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09

The British great debate, which
has the merit of being short and
intense instead of long and
drawn out as is ours, will have
terminated at least for a period
of months.
In looking at the British scene
and especially the manifestoes of
the two major parties, the for.
eign observer is Impressed by
numerous analogieS with our
own situation. The British par.
ties appeared as reluctant as our
own really to come to grips with
the realities of life and to offer
the voters an honest appraisal
of the situation. Both British
parties seem to have gone about
attacking the other with about as
much originality and flair as our
own Presidents ability to at
tribute all evils that beset the
land to some vague thing called
''the interests"
The Conservatives, to be sure,
did insist in their statement of
policy on the need for thrift,
hard work and return to GER
tain of the homely virtues that
partisans of the welfare state,
in Britain and elsewhere, con-
slider outmoded and archaic:
There is. nevertheless, a very
large insistence on the errors of
the Labor administration and the
extravagances that have dis
tinguished it. One does not get
the impression of a vibrant, NOV
ing appeal to people to change
totally the methods they are en-
ploying. Labor's manifesto on
the other hand is an amazing lit
tie document of SNUG complacen-
ey, quite comparable in its ex-
preston as well as intent to any
thing that might emanate from
the councils of the present Wash
ington administration.
No Plain Talk
The amazing thing about the
British approach is that no one
seems to have dared to speak
out in plain, unambiguous Ian.
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09

task. Theologians, like confes-
sors, study sins to classify and
cure them. Both groups exert
their wills and intellects in the
opposite direction to the said
sins; there are not merely con-
templating them or wallowing In
them. These two classes can and
do dwell on other peoples de-
fects without damage to them
selves.
But the rest of us are very diff
ferently placed: when we think
of someone else from the high,
dangerous crag of righteous ine
dignation, we are meddling with
something that is not our bus
mess. We are SO many Peeping
Toms, furtively staring into an
other soul which has its rights of
privacy from such intrusion. We
are setting ourselves up as moral
arbiters, like any back-fence gos-
sip. So, we get our come-up-
pance, and we get it fast.
Virtue, Not Vice
One of the effects we suffer
from such moral Summing is q
negative one--a loss. None of us
has more than a single mind,
capable of concentrating on a
single theme at any time. If we
choose to fill our minds with
Johns bad temper or James ten
dency to lie, we are excluding
all the lovelier things we might
have thought about. We have
cheated ourselves of what might
have been joyous and enlarg-
ing idea if it had found an empty
space to enter in. Nature abhors
a vacuum; but an even more i'm
portant law was revealed when
Supernature found no room at
the inn.
And there is another, positive
result of dwelling on other peo-
Piles frailties: they soon become
our own. A member of a relig-
ious order whose members are
allowed to report the defects of
the others to their Superior has
said, Whenever one of the men
comes to tell me the awful thing
he has caught another doing, /
can predict the consequences.
Within six months the righteous
tale-bearer will fall into the iden-
tical fault"
But what can we do in such q
world as this, where we are con-
stantly stumbling over one an
others lapses, being forced to
face some neighbor's sin? The
answer, of course, is simple: we
can pray for them. For as soon
as we allow God the slightest
elbow-room into our over-critical
minds, we have ceased to con-
centrate on evil alone. And quite
soon, if we give Him half a
chance, he will have taken over
the whole mind, and we shall
have forgotten the terrib1e-thing-
that-woman-said and the wicked
ness-of-that-man. We shall then
have freed ourselves from the
contagion of other peoples sins.
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09

BY the time
this gets into
print the Brit
ish elections
will have taken
place. Either
the Labor Par
ty will be back
in p o W e r, or
t b e Conserva-
tives will have
b e e n charged
by His Majesty
with the for
m a ito n of a
& o v e rnment.
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09
FATHER HIGGINS

For the es-
tablishment of
a Christian So
cial order, says
Pope Plus XI
in QuddrdgeS-
! M o A n n o,
two { hi n gs
are especially
necessary: re-
form of insti-
tutions an d
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09
GRETTA PALMER
Beams and Notes

Catholics do
not need to
receive cir
m oral theol-
ogy from any
outside source,
Heaven knows
(and He'll, too,
l dare say, by
now.) But it is
interesting to
discover h G
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09
Forty Hours Devotion

Week OF Nov. 1918
ST. Peters Church, Columbus
ST. Anne's Church, Philo
Our Lady Of Leurdes Church, ot-
way
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1951-11-09

The amazing thing about the
British approach is that no one
seems to have dared to speak
out in plain, unambiguous Ian.