Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-03-16
Family Environment
Vital, President Tells
Catholic Conference
By cospor Names
Siar Staff Correspondent

SioF Sfoff SoFrespondenf
ST. PAUL. Mar. l6.-President
Eisenhower declared today in q
message to the 23d annual Ma
tional Catholic Conference on
Family Life that family en-
vironment is the first and most
important influence in the for
nation of the character Of our
people"
TT is in the homes Of the
Nation that loyalty and integrity
and devotion to the truth can
first be taught to the young"
the President said, such ethical
and spiritual qualities In indi-
vidual Americans are fundamen-
tai to our continued progress as
. Nation"
The statement was addressed
to the Rev. Edgar Schmiedeler
of Washington, director Of the
Family Life Bureau Of the Ma
tonal Catholic Welfare Confer
ence.
5000 From Over u. s.
More than 5000 persons from
nearly every State are expected
at the three-day meeting, which
opened this morning with a mass
In the Cathedral of st. Paul.
The Most Rev. John G. Murray.
Archbishop of st. Paul, was cele-
brant. The Right Rev. Msgr.
Howard j. Carroll of Washing
ton, general secretary Of the Ma
tional Catholic Welfare Confer
ence. served as assistant priest.
The Most Rev. Karl j. Alter,
Archbishop Of Cincinnati.
charged in his sermon that
broken homes were the primary
cause Of juvenile delinquency. :
Notwithstanding the expendi-
ture of millions Of dollars and
the multiplication Of child guild
ance clinics and other social
agencies, the ratio Of juvenile
delinquency during the past five
years has increased IS per cent"
said Archbishop Alter. who also
is chairman of the National
Catholic Welfare Conferences
Episcopal Board.
1.-THE chief cause is found to
be the broken home" the prelate
asserted. This is not a new
discovery. Social students have
been familiar with this phenom-
enon for quite some time.
Unfortunately, the remedies
which are proposed consist
merely Of more and more APP
preparations of money. more So
cial workers, more diagnostic
clinics, and more probation serv-
ice. Although these recommended
tons are good in themselves, they
fail to come to grips with the
underlying causes. To prescribe
remedies is good, but to remove
the cause OF evil is better"
Restates Church Concepts
The Archbishop then listed
several concepts the Church
holds on the family and said
their observance would help
solve the problems now resulting
from broken homes. Among them
were:
Christian marriage is mot
merely a civil contract but is
fundamentally ~ religious con-
tract, and for Catholics a sacra-
mental one. =. It is one and
indissoluble. Therefore polygamy
is repudiated. Divorce unfor-
tunately has become an accepted
part Of secular legislation, but
1t remains nevertheless an alien
institution in our social struc-
ture. 1t is recognized by many as
q source of great evil, due espe-
cially to its rapid increase dur
ing the present century"
Since Christianity teaches that
the primary function of mar
riage is ''the generation Of chill
dren." the church REJECTS THE
practice of birth control as in
trinsically evil. It may be cup
Realistically called planned par
enthood, but it violates the very
nature of man and is condemned
by the divine law"
Christianity teaches that the
father is the supreme author
ity" in the family. The church
is therefore against "the equal
rights amendment" as well as
the employment Of mothers in
industry"
Christian teaching places "au-
thority and responsibility" over
children in the parents and re-
jects the concept that "the child
is creatupe of the State. The
legal basis of the entire parochial
school system rests on the valid
ity Of this proposition" It is
the duty, right and function Of
parents to oversee the health,
the training and the education
Of children"
Ill HI Smnnruienr Nnnhfe