The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1952-07-11
Just Among Ourselves
Passing Comment Considered or Insonsidsrsts

There is an excellent little Catholic magazine
which has served the Faith nobly for many years.
II would be impossible TO say too much in its praise
Month after month, it presents truth in simple and
attractive forms. In essay and article in editorial
and instruction, in answer to queries and in rebutaI
OF attacks it fights the good fight. Even in verse
and fiction it manages to meet human needs and
dismay the thinbrained nelligentsia by teaching
needed lessons.
In thousands of Catholic homes this magazine
is a welcome and most wholesome monthly visitor.
And on the library table of many sophisticate
it lends a needed air of health and sanity to the
company of many slick, and Shiny, modern pictor-
ias and materialistic reviews 1t has never gone
arty as many of religious publications have
done; it keeps dignity, and serves ends, how
ever noble, by posed and professional photography.
To be sure. this little magazine like all of its
kind, has had to seek support in the Shoddier sort
of national advertising. 1t inevitably tells you how
TO powder the plumbing, and hawks such items
luminous crucifXes, moorng cement for false
teeth cures for superfuous hair Ga complaint utterly
mystfying to the smoohdomed thousands of our
baldheaded electorate), Christmas cards, bookends
land even shrinesD made of babys shoes II has, of
late descended to the hitherto unsounded depths
of advertising books of cartoons about priests and
to- and can say little except that is too bad that
this is So But there is another matter upon which
comment is due and overdue. 1t is the matter Of
advertising for religious and presty vocations Sure
~ in this increasingly prominent feature the splen-
did little magazine is at fault In this it loses dig
nifty. There is something here uniting and I'M
worthy; something that "rasps" the Catholic sense
OF what is right and proper.
Certainly, it is good and worthy thing in any
Catholic publication, to list the names Of religious
communities with description of their special pur-
poses and the types OF work they do for God and
Certainly, il is splendid service TO the faith
ful to furnish detailed information in stories and
articles, about religious societies. and to publish
inspirational biographies Of sanity religious found
ers. But just as certainly il is unworthy and i'm
proper TO advertise" communities one would
advertise rival business firms; il is unworthy to
hawk vocations as one would hawk refrgerators or
automobiles.
Now. in this fine magazine of which we have
been talking there lin the issue for July 1882
several pages of relgousvocaton advertising These
pages frankly headed Vacations just as
other pages of advertising are headed Camps
and Colleges and Academies" There no less
than Al distinct advertisements for religious voca
tions of women, and 25 for men.
If these 66 advertisements were only 66 simple
ltstingS of names descriptions and addresses how
welcome they would be- But no; they are "ads."
They cry Wear Our Ladys Blue" They ask Tin
a really questionable manner who Wants Career
with Christi" They saw "YOU as -- Brother, can
be Follower of Christ" Surely, surely, there
is here al least a violation of Christian taste and
in some sense, Of Christian reverence. One can
hardly help thinking of the chant. "Whatll YOU
have2" The answer, OF course, is not blue-ribbon,
but supposedly "Our Lady'S Blue" This sort of
thing is an outand-out offense.
Some features of this advertising are really
ludcrous.-not merely dSmaiyng. For instance. one
of the % ads for vocations for men invites
applicants to address Vocation Department NJ"
Nothing like the nurseryplay exactitude of modern
businessl Think of the CONSERVATION OF the Brother
in charge it, among the thousands of letters that
arrive daily, should by reason of improper or
insufficient marking, slip into the wrong De-
partment! What a confusion if letter intended
for Department Nj should turn up weeks later in
Department 2! Calamity
Another thing Many of the "ads' for men land
boys have this statement Lack of funds no OBJ
staele" II is good for young men to know that want
of money will not bar them from the needed school
ing which prepares them for holy orders. Announce
ment of this fact is regularly made in our Catholic
papers, students for the diocesan priesthood, we'll
as candidates for religious communities, know that
their vocation does depend upon available cash.
But il is wrong to put this matter in the form
here presented 1t is uniting to have religious
lad" address its prospects in the fashion of a
cheap gadgeteer: "Send No Money!"
Even here the lads" are not without their comic
phases One of the IS "Vocations Wanted--Male
ads becomes remote and austere and remarks with
chilly aoofness. in its final line Worthy boys un
able to nay board and tuition, will be given consider
alton" II does not say what else they will be given
You cans go far these days on consideration
II is too bad that what is sacred and personal
should have TO be made public and commercial
II is altogether regettable that heads of religious
organizations should succumb to the ZeteeiSt anc
enter into the Grass competition of modern adver
tsing. There should be change here There shoulc
be an immediate taking UP of slack"