The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1957-11-29

and Christian tradition and
from the basic norms Of the
moral law. These are the stand
ards on which our nation was
founded and their preservation
will be a safeguard TO national
integrity. A Judgment of moral
values in these areas is W
prime Importance TO the whole
nation.
Although the Church is pri-
marily concerned with morals
and not aesthetics, the two are
clearly related. Art that is false
to morality is not true art.
While good taste cannot supply
the norm for moral judgment
on literature or art, yet it must
be admitted that good taste will
inevitably narrow the field of
what is morally Objectionable.
DEFINITE MORAL PROBLEMS
Who can deny that in mod
ern American life there are
many grave moral problems?
This is not the judgment sole
ly of the Catholic Church.
When a Select Committee of
the US. House of Representa-
tives calls pronography big bus
mess, a national disgrace and
a menace to our civil welfare;
when the National Council of
Juvenile Court Judges attacks
vicious and evil publications as
a major cause of the change
of Juvenile delinquency from
the thoughtless and mischievous
acts of children into crimes of
violence, armed robbery, rape,
torture and even homicide;
when the New York State Joint
Legislative Committee at the
end of its five-year survey as
Sures us that by actual count
trash and smut on the news
stands have the advantage of
numbers and that those same
stands reflect an acceptance of
and growing concentration on
leWdness-in the face of all this
we can only say that we are
confronted with conditions
which are fraught with peril.
Through the National Legion
of Decency and the National Of
flee for Deceit Literature, we
Catholics give public express
sion to our opinion on this sub
Sect. Through these agencies
we voice our concern over con-
Gitions which, tolerated, merit
expression of public indigna-
ton. But we assert that our ac-
tivities as carried out by these
organizations cannot justly be
termed an attempt to exercise
censorship.
RIGHT TO PROTECT MORALS
The right to speak out in fav-
or of good morals can hardly
be challenged in a democracy.
such as ours. 1t is a long-stand-
ing tradition of this country
that groups large and small
have given expression of their
concern over injustice, political,
social and economic. Their eff
forts, put forth within the
framework of the law, have
been directed toward dislodg-
ing evils against which the law
itself is powerless. In many in
stances such efforts have made
a valuable contribution to the
community.
In is in full accord with this
tradition that the work of the
Legion of Decency and the Ma
tional Office for Decent Liter
ature is carried on. The rights
these agencies seek to protect
are among the most important
and sacred-the right of par
ents to bring up their children
in an atmosphere reasonably
free from defilement, the right
of children to be protected
from grave and insidious, moral
danger, the right of all not to
be assailed at every turn by a
display of indecency. Through
the work of these agencies, the
Church is able to give concrete
expression of her concern.
The evslvafors Of these
agencies have been . guide to
our Catholic people. At the
same time. they have enlisted
the support Of many others
who share ovr concern
No one can fail to be stirred by
the evident desire Of so many
people to remedy an vnwhole-
some situation. And surely all
those who Gre conscious Of The
gravity Of the problem will ap-
pIsvd the efforts Of the Church
to safeguard the moral stand
ards Of the society in which we
live.
It would be most gratifying to
find it unnecessary to carry on
this work. One could wish that
the sense of responsibility of
those who write and those who
produce motion pictures would
make superfluous action of this
nature. Past experience, how