davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1955-02-12
Letters to The Star.

graduates to enter into variety OF po-
sitions within the shipping industry.
This system, with the cadet. the State
and National Government sharing the
expense, is our most economical source
of merchant marine and naval reserve
officers.
The unprecedented change in mari
time policy sought in the forthcoming
appropriations would prolong indef1-
nitely the World War II emergency pro-
gram while terminating the traditional
State system. This means the continued
operation of the huge United States
Merchant Marine Academy at Kings
Point, an institution financed solely by
the American taxpayer at an annual
cost of over So million. Cooperation in
the efficient State program costs only
a fraction of that amount.
Jack Staff.
Evening star., 1955-02-12
Questions and Answers

A reader can get the answer to any
question of fact by writing The Evening
Star Information Bureau. 1900. Eye St
NV Washington D. c Please inclose
Evening star., 1955-02-12

Your letter from that impoverished
western Congressman certainly set
up some factors for consideration in
public life. One can grant measure of
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30
Brought to Christ

SUNDAYS Mass opens with a prayer for peace
framed by the Psalmst centuries ago--a prayer
that has been echoed by generation after genera
ton and that represents the hopes and desires OF
our own times in particular. And the Gospel selec
tion brings home to the fact that the peace we so
long for must indeed, be sought in prayer, as
gift OF God II is account Of one OF Chrsts MIR
acIes dealing with human suffering ncurabie by
human means, as is true of so many OF the allie
tions that the world suffers from today.
The paraytc who was brought lying on pal
let" and SET at the feet of Jesus, was blessed IN
having friends concerned for his welfare that
they refused TO accept the verdict that his case
was hopeless. after great difficulty they got hm
into the presence of the Master with the result that
their faith and the afflicted mans faith were re
warded by a double manifestation Of divine mercy
and omnipotence First Christ spoke the. words re
storing life TO the soul of the paraytie; Take ennr
age son thy sins are forgiven thee.
And then came the lesser miracle, which arous'
ed lear and awe in the hearts OF the crowds stand
ing by. Rise" the Savior said, take up thy pal
LET and go to thy house" And the man who had
been helpless found life and strength courslng
through his wasted limbs "he arose and went away
10 his house" The mans need had been desper
ate his soul was stained with sin, and his body
was stricken with a maady which was living
death. bringing him to Christ meant the solution
for all that had seemed hopeless
II all the world could be brought to Christ as
this paraytic was how swiftly would the woe and
distress that weigh so heavily upon civilization
be dispeledl The paralysis that has descended
upon men and nations rendering them unable TO
free themselves from the trials that enmesh them
is not alone physical, or mental: moral disorders
indifference TO spiritual values the basic cause
OF the confusion and helpesSness, Faith in Christ
q turning Ia Him for aid and direction obedience
10 His teachings and commands--theSe would bring
the glorious message; THY sins are forgiven; arise
and walk"
The fact that nations and the world whole
ere so indifferent TO the saving power of Christ
means that His followers those who profess to know
Him and trust in Him. are mol sufficiently jealous
in bringing the afflicted to him. they fail to turn TO
Hi.l when they encounter desperate cases of Splr
itua and physical suffering Their own faith should
be strong that il would inspire faith on the part
Of others; the vigor OF their faith should be ev-
denced in the uprightness OF their lives in their
charity, their Justice so that the world would want
20 know the Source of the grace that fires them
We csnno' look for peaceful, happy world until
men, helpless in their sins and their Affections,
brought to Christ
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30
Religion and Brainwashing

Education without religion is not education.
That ought to be clear by this year OIL 1900. zen
turies OF progress have not dmmed TINS isci anu
modern progress only serves to make 1t more APP
narent fo those who care to know it, Only the blnd
of mind and the opponents Of religion refuse 10
realize what is plainly before them
PERHAPS this truth was never more apparent
than when a priest and Rhodes scholar came oul
of the depths of Communist emma recently inc 10y
man intellectual was good example OF the success
of "branwashinpn by his Communist captors ne
was confessng his guilt and processing the Vaiue
Of Communism He even felt sorry because ne was
not worthy or did not measure up 10 the S%oin %
munist ideals In contrast to TINS SAD oeiaul'iis
on tile part OF the Rhodes scholar was tne quiet
reserve and patience of the priest he told report
ers. Il fought Communism. ! fought sabotage
strikes Generalization and progressive pro-
COMMUNIST actions at my university.
Now all can be quite sorry for the long months
Of suffering endured by both these former prison
ers NJ the Reds But il would seem quite apparent
that intellectualism alone was not sutflclenl 10
withstand the mental and physical tortures oil lhe
Communists Without moral values, Wlthout ihteF
lectua discipline without seli-control and framing
in spiritual fundamentals, without devotion 10
truth how can stand up under attacks such Ss
those made by Red prosecutors of religion?
The revelation in Congressional investigation
some weeks ago that two-thlrds OF the hlgh school
children Of New York City had not so much as
heard of the Ten Commandments, must give pause
to the people who are concerned about the fulure
moral and social fabric OF our great nation IL there
is moral training in the school, and If (as seems
apparently the home does not instruct in such iunda
mentals as the Ten Commandments, then whence
will the future citizens derive the conscience, the
moral principles with which to conduct themselves
and thereb" keep society from complete delerof
alton and ruin?
Something more than knowledge of material
things is evidently necessary The priest in his long
years of training had sought Truth. His devotion
to God Who is Truth and TO sound moral and spIr-
tual principles made his the truly educated mind
The Rhodes scholar needed more than knowledge
to withstand the tortures of "branwashng.' 1t
may he well TO see il the beginnings of "bralnwssh-
ing in \ moral way are not already under way on
A large scale in our very midst |
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30
LETTER
Reds Miss Chance to Use 'SmiIe

lege in Paris, where exiled Ru-
manians are taking courses, was
walking slowly toward the New
man House in Dublin to have a
meal. He came upon DR.. Deme-
tresco, a friend of some 35 years.
The two were about to shake
hands and embrace, when PRO
fessor" Dinulesco interyened,
laid firm hand upon DR.. De-
metresco, and led him away.
DR.. Donici was not only star
tied, but was also saddened.
When be gould regain his com
posure, he told associates that
he had never heard of "Pr0fes-
sor" Dinulesco as an astrono-
mer. He added that the man who
"shadowed" DR.. Demetresco so
constantly was not protector"
but had purged the Rumanian
Academy of Science when the
communists took over Rumania.
DR.. Donici said Professor" Din
ulesco had stricken his name
from the list of Academicians.
other delegates report in word
received here that it was impos-
sibler for them to talk alone with
DR.. Demetresco. As soon as the
respected Rumanian astronomer
would begin to engage in conver-
Sation with a scientist from the
West, professor" Dinuleseo
would appear out of nowhere
and become third member of
the talk. And he insisted on be-
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30
WASHINGTON LETTER

WASHINGTON - Perhaps the
most interesting story to come
out of the recent International
Astronomical Congress at Dub
lin, Ireland, has reached here by
private correspondence.
1t serves to cast new doubt
on the authenticity of the
smile" which communists make
such great effort to exhibit
to the world in recent days.
Registered at the Dublin meet
ing as representatives of com
munist-dominated Rumania were
two delegates. One was DR.. G..
Demetresco, 67-year-old director
of the Bucharest Observatory
and a known antl-communist.
The other was Prof. d. Dinules-
co, whom nobody could identify
as an astronomer and who even
tually became known as com
munist leader, political commits
sar and sort of undefcover man
at the Dublin meeting.
Professor Dinulesco's princi-
pal function at Dublin proved to
be to keep DR.. Demetresco from
having any contact with the
West.
What brought the whole thing
into the open was a chance meet.
ing between DR.. Nicholas Donici
and DR.. Demetresco. Mr.. Donici,
81 years old and at present a
professor at the Rumanian Col
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30

mindful of the great work which
has been accomplished by Cath
Ollie lazy women in the social
apostolate. We are thinking, for
example, of such a woman as
Lima Bresette, who, as the tire
less field secretary of the Cath
olic Conference on Industrial
Problems, did as much as any
other single American of our
generation, to promote the So
cial teaching of the Church.
Miss Bresette. who was forced
to retire few years ago for
reasons of health, lived out of
a suitcase for more than 25
years, travelling constantly from
one end of the country to the
other to arrange for more than
100 national, regional and dio-
eesan conferences IN the field
of industrial relations. Between
conferences she represented
NCWC on countless committees
and agencies concerned with eco.
nomic and social problems.
Neglected Pioneer
Many other lay women could
be singled out for honorable
mention in this connection. But
they themselves, | am confident,
would want us to concentrate at
this time on the unheralded con-
tribution made in the field of
Catholic social action by so many
teaching Sisters, now living or
dead. As a matter of fact, one
of these lay women - Mary Sy-
non of Catholic University's
Commission on American Citi-
zenship is Immediately re-
sponsible for our own belated
interest in the work of Sisters in
the social apostolate.
Miss Synon, who in her own
right has contributed much to
the cause of social justice in. the
United States, recently published
biography of Mother Emily,
first Mother Superior of the Sim
Sinawa Dominicans, a neglected
pioneer in the history of the
Catholic social movement in this
country, Mother Emily of Sin.
sinawa American Pioneer"
Bruce. $3.75).
Vision and Initiative
Mother Emily was indeed a pi-.
pneer. Long before the majority
of lay people and many of the
clergy had awakened to the inn
portancs of the social problem
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30

ing counted in" More than once
the professor" took DR.. Deme-
tresco by the arm and steered
him elsewhere.
Rumanian exileS here said
they had heard of Professor"
Dinulesco, but not as scientist.
His behavior at the Dublin meet
ing seemed to cause them no
surprise. They were far more in
terested in hearing about DR..
Donici, whom they remember
ed as former Professor of Astron-
omy at the Kishineff University
of Bessarabia and founder and
director of the Starya Doubos-
sary Observatory in Bessarabia.
They we're also interested in
hearing about the Paris school
for Rumanian refugees where
DR.. Donici now teaches.
There is some speculation as
to why the communists let De-
metresco take part in the Dublin
meeting at all. One explanation
is that perhaps they thought it
would be taken to be a part of
the communist new look" If
so, they must have counted on
Professor" DinuleSco doing
less obtrusive job of gumshoe-
ing. The Professor" seems to
have fallen down on his assign
ment, and the Reds have failed
10 make friends of some of the
worlds top astronomers.
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30
Inquiry Corner
Father Healey'

Q, The recent return of air.
man Schmidt and the netCspa-
per accounts of the remdrridoe
of his aoife, who believed him
dead, has raised the question as
to lohether such a set of circum-
stances could arise among Ca
tholscs. What is the lac of the
Church concerning the remdr-
ridge of a Catholic under Sim-
liar condstsoaS2
A. A situation OF this kind
would be very rare among Cath
olics for the Church is strict in
permitting a second marriage
even when there is a civil dec
laration of death. If such mar
riage were to be performed
among Catholics, however. and
the person who was presumed to
be dead should return, the sec
ond marriage would be invalid.
There certainly would be no
question of the person who re-
married making a choice, for the
first marriage would endure sun
til death" A civil declaration of
death (e. 6. prolonged absence by
reason of wary would not be suf-
ficient evidence for remarriage.
There would have to be docu-
melt or the testimony of wit
nesses, etc, to give moral GER
tainty of the fact. Ordinarily the
bishop would decide whether the
evidence was conclusive. There
are some well known instances
where (e.g. an explorer) man
has been missing for years, but
for lack of evidence of his death
the wife is still held by the
Church to that marriage.
@. Is 1T correct for Catholic
couple to be married at lou
Mass? | thought the NuptidI
Mass should be said so that the
NatptiuI Blessing could. be re-
ceiued?
A. Ordinarily the Mass offer
ed after the reception of the Sac
rament of Matrimony is a sung
Tor high. Mass. Unless circum-
stances prevent it this Mass,
whether a high Mass or a low
Mass, will be the Nuptial Mass
Missa pro sponsis). Within this
special Mass is the nuptial bless
ing. The Nuptial Mass and the
nuptial blessing have special
power to bring appropriate bless
ings upon the newly-married Ca
tholicS. On some of the major
feast days the Mass of the day
prevails and the Nuptial Mass is
commemorated and the nuptial
blessing is given. During Advent
and Lent the "closed times")
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30
Religious Russia
And the Realities

Sometimes we feel sure that % our own
United States is The most naive nation in world
history. 81 that there was never a country so in.
clined TO shut its eyes TO unpleasant realities 90
that the first effective eolored glasses tunless
the Russians claim this discovery too) we're invent
ed and reached their widest distribution right here
at Lone.
This possibly cynical reaction was brought on
by the statements of some Pollyanna wanderers
who have recently returned from a carefully con-
Quoted tour Of religious" Russia Everything was
fine Religion fourshng. There are 1900
people said one
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30

Fortunately, our cynicism is considerably check
ed by realistic report from some down-to
earth business men who saw what they saw, not
what they wanted to see. Their report, too. has
its side the recommendations of logic and ordinary
horsesense. How could religion flourish in Russia?
Recently interviewed in the U. S. Ne,cs and
World Report the business men answered the fol-
lowing questions:
O. Did you visit any churches?
A. Most of the churches are abandoned Some
of the ancient churches being restored. few
churches are being used.
O. Were there many young people in the
church,
A. Not many. Having heard that it was only
the older people who go to church, we we're sur
prised to see as many as did. There were per-
haps 10 or Is youngsh and women and maybe
dozen children out of about 300 people alto
gether
O. Did you see anything that looked like
marked religious revival?
A. No. During the war period there was re-
vived interest but our impression is that religion
is on the decline 1t has been maintained by the
old people The gotng people with W h IN we
talked scoffed at religious belief (italics ours).
The influence of the schools is antireligion, and
teacher who was religious himself would not
dare exert a religious influence any of the
pupils
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30

ion, the survey was extremely
well done. Given the limited
space at their disposal, the edi-
tors of Jubilee covered the sub.
ject of religion-and-labor com
prehensively and, for the most
part, accurately. Their selection
of photographs and cartoons was
particularly good.
One Big Flaw
1t occurred to us recently, how
ever, that there was one big
flaw, one major gap, in the
Jubilee survey: 1t failed to men
ton the contribution which the
Catholic women of the United
States have made in the field
of religion. n.and.iabor, With the
single exception of Dorothy Day,
founder and guiding spirit of the
Catholic Worker, every person
mentioned in the article was
man, and the majority were
priests or bishops.
As one of Jiibilee'S consult
ants and therefore partially re-
sponsible for this unchivalrous
oversight, the present writer
would like to make amends, as
gracefully as possible. to what
the Liturgy so frequently refers
to as the "devout feminine sex"
More specifically, he would like
TO make amends to the teaching
Sisters of the United States who
have done so much to prepare
the way for the priests and lay
men who blandly take the lions
share of the credit for whatever
the Church has been able to ae-
complish in the field of social
action, as we'll as in every field
OF endeavor.
Lay Women. Too
In paying special tribute to
the good Sisters, we are not un.
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30
HIGGINS
HOnOr--Whe ODerdue

in the United States, she had
started to prepare her associ-
ates at Sinsinawa to take sym
pathetic interest in this problem
in the light of Catholic social
teaching. As member of Re-
ligious Community, she was not,
of course, in a position to en-
gage in social action as such.
But she did everything possible,
within the limits of her relig-
ious calling, to encourage pro-
gressive movements in the field
of social reform. More specifi-
cally, she demonstrated extra
ordinary vision and initiative
in preparing the Sisters of her
community to pass to their stu
dents an intelligent awareness
of the social problem and deep
interest in Catholic social teach
ing.
Generally" Miss Synon says,
Mother Emily's method was
Socratic rather than formal. She
established no classes for the
study of the Rerum Novarum but
she found other methods of in
doctrination. She used the Con-
gregation custom of oral reading
in the refectory to submit sec
tions and interpretations of the
Pope'S letter. She gave copies
to those whom she thought best
fitted to become its apostles.
She mentioned to individuals, as
they told her some particularly
flagrant social condition, that
Pope Leo had seen and sought
to cure these evils"
Better Late Than Never
God alone knows the good ac-
complished by this sanity wom-
an and her devoted followers
and by thousands of like-minded
Sisters in many other Religious
Communities throughout the
United States.
We know enough about it,
however, to be able to say that
in this field, as we'll as in many
others, the women's religious
orders of the United States are
deserving of much more recog-
milton and gratitude than they
generally receive from those of
us who have benefited so much
from their training, their encour-
agement and-most important of
all-their unceasing prayers. II
is little late to be saying thank
you, but better late than never.
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30

Jerusalem is profoundly, vehem-
emily, even raucously Arab, as
anyone who listens TO the blare
of Arabic music for hours on end
over the loud speakers can at
test. The city outside the walls
partakes of the twentieth cen
tury. This is strikingly true of
the splendid new Ambassador
Hotel which, aside from maitre
d'hotel in white robe and tar
bush, might be located in Rich
mond or Minneapolis. The old
city is just what the seeker af-
ter the exotic wants: narrow,
thronged streets, covered alley
ways, and the hodgepodge of cos
tunes and garments that makes
for about as picturesque sight
as one is likely to find anywhere.
j was prepared for oyer-com-
liberalization of the Holy Plac-
es but, fortunately, in the late
summer the tourist crowds seem
to have thinned out and will not
appear in gaping hordes until
Christmas rolls around.
Crossing the Line
In the week spent in Arab Jer-
usalem, as it is commonly called,
| hustled about to make all the
arrangements for crossing over
into Israel. This takes bit Of
doing. One must get his exit PER
nit, then apply at the American
consulate for authorization to
cross the No Mans Land that
divides the city in two parts.
A day, the precise hour, is
fixed. Once the papers come
through - in my case the con-
Sulate got them Is minutes be-
fore my hour was due-the trav-
eler ruShes to the Mandalbaum
Gate not gate at all and,
apparently, having nothing to do
with anyone named Mandalbaum
and proceeds TO cross the line.
In Jerusalem, with becoming del
icacy, the person contemplating
entering Israel is always asked
if he plans to cross over"
Lugging my handbags and
portable typewriter, | got
through the Jordanian authori-
ties and proceeded to walk the
couple of hundred yards to
shack that housed the ISraelis.
Here | was met by a husky
young man, who looked like
something straight out of the
British Ninth Army. and was
amiably welcomed to Israel Mr..
Hahn Zohar of the Press and In
formation Department of the Is
rael government was on hand
and announced that everything
The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1955-09-30

the solemn nuptial blessing ID
forbiddeny but the bishop may
permit it even during these times
if he judges there is sufficient
reason.
Q. Hol0 can "a non-Cntholic
attend a Catholic ioeddinq as
a bridesmaid I thought all the
attendants should be Catholic,
not Just maid Of honor and the
best mani
A. The whole wedding party
should receive Holy Communion
and take an intimate part in the
ceremony and the Mass, so or
dinarily all the attendants of the
bride and groom should be Ca
tholics. The Fifth Synod of the
Diocese of Columbus makes clear
that 1.-The principal witnesses
(groomsman and bridesmaid or
maid of honor) are to be Catho.
lies in good standing" Since it
does not seem to be explicitly
forbidden, however, it would
seem to be possible to have an
attendant (e. G. a brother or sis
ter if one party is a converO
who was a non-Catholic. Such
decision should be left to the
pastor From the synodical leg
islation it is clear that a nom
Catholic cannot be best man or
maid of honor.
@. If person keeps q SIN back
in confession and later confesses
1T, is it necessary to make gen.
erdI confession?
A. If a mortal sin is deliberate
ly withheld in confession that
constitutes bad confession. All
later confessions are bad il the
person does not correct the de-
liberate omission. Consequently
when the sin is finally confess
ed it is necessary to confess all
mortal sins Cat leasD since the.
original bad confession. II
would not be necessary to make
a general confession, involving
an examination and confession of
all sins of a whole lifetime, but
all serious sins not properly con-
fessed must be repeated. In par
ticular cases it is well to ask the
priest for advice after explain
ing simply and honestly what has
happened. The confessor wants to
help the penitent gain peace of
soul and even the shame felt
over a series of bad confessions
should not stop person who
wants to make a good complete
confession.
Send questions. to Father Ed.
ward F. Healey, The Inquiry Cor
ner, The Catholic Times, Box
636, Columbus Q6) Ohio.