The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1960-02-26

Edward Graham and Jim
Shea, now the Telegraph Reg
lister, and the Boston Pilot
under the guidance of Mon
signor Francis Lally have a
running debate over which
is the Oldest Catholic publ
cation in the United States.
We won't attempt to solve the
dilemma but observe that
both of them have been pub
fishing for more than 80
years.
The Diocese of Columbus
has always had close ties to
the development of the Catho-
lie Press in the United States.
OUR FIRST BISHOP, Syl-
vester H. RosecranS, was once
editor of one of the oldest
publications, The Cincinnati
Telegraph and when he came
to Columbus, chose st. Fran
els de Sales, patron of the
Catholic Press as patron of
the Diocese.
JUST SEVEN YEARS after
his arrival in the See city,
Bishop tRosecrans approved
the establishment of The
Catholic Columbian. Named
after Christopher Columbus,
the newspaper was under the
supervision of Dennis Angus
tine Clarke, a seminarian at
the Diocesan seminary, st.
Aloysius, where the Holy Fam
lily school now stands. AS
sisting Mr.. Clarke was anoth-
er seminarian and future
priest-editor Lawrence Null
hane.
Bishop Rosecrans had an
active interest in the neWspa-
per and often wrote editorials.
One of which was found on
his desk on the day he died.
THE EDITORIAL was a
friendly barb at a Scotch
Catholic lay editor by the
name of McMaster, who had
taken a jab at Diocesan "or-
gans" as newspapers were
often called.
BISHOP RoSEcRANs
squelched Mr.. McMaster's edi-
torial fires with his last Epis-
copal pun, can organ can play
a better tune than a Scotch
fiddle any day."
Father Clarke, who had as
sumed full control of the pa
per at the bishops death later
sold the business interest to
John Kuster, a Newark native
who ran the Columbian until
1905, with editorial control
still in the hands of Father
Clarke and later Father Null.
hane.
DURING THEIR JOINT
reign, the Columbian was
praised by secular as we'll as
Catholic publications as lone
of the best Catholic newspa-
pers in the United States"
The publishers of a New York
daily once commented that
their only complaint with the
Columbian was that it was
published in Columbus and
not in New York.
Content Of the Columbian
might surprise some of the
more timid Catholic journal.
lists of today as the Columbian
truly Catholic. commented or
civic and Church affairs with
a strong editorial style.
MANY OF US JOHNNY
come latelies' seldom think
of the fourth Bishop Of Co
lumbus, James j. Hartley as
having an active interest il
the Catholic press beyond
the yearly reminder to sub
scribe to the Diocesan paper
But Bishop Hartley was one
of the founders of the Catho
lie Press Association, nearly
fifty years old now, and wa:
elected permanent honorary
president at the organization,
first convention, which wa
held in Columbus in August
1911.
ALSO NAMED TO AN of
flee at the first convention
was James T. Carroll, wh'
had purchased the Columbian
from Mr.. Kuster in 1905. Mr.
Carroll, who operated the Co
lumbar until its demise il
September, 1899, was named
to the Board of Directors dur
ing the CPA meeting,
Mr.. Carroll also was instru
mental in aiding anothel
Catholic publication in tn,
Midwest, the present Indiana
polls, Indiana Catholic, wa
a merger of two publica
tons there by Mr.. Carroll il
1910.
To-day IL is considered on
OF the finest newspapers il
the United States.
AS MARGARET HAMMER
who would be a legend il sh'
weren't so active, pointed on
in last weeks issue, The &C
lumbar was never lacking TO
MI