February Catholic Press Month

~---------------------------~ • --- FEBRUARY CATHOLIC PRESS MONTH By Rt. Rev. Philip R. McDevitt, D. D. " THE CATHOLIC PRESS "-WHAT IS IT? By Admiral William S. Benson SOME FACTS ABOUT THE N. C. W. C. NEWS SERVICE By Charles A. McMahon A SOCIAL CREED FOR PROTESTANT CHURCHES By Rev. John A. Ryan, D. D. THE ONE-ACT PLAV-A NEW COURSE IN COLLEGE "ENGLISH By Robert I. Gannon, s. J. THE PROPOSED "BACK TO THE PEOPLE" AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION w. J. Cochran Regular Bulletin Departments With two added Features "CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION" "RECENT EVENTS IN THE FIELD OF SOCIAL AND CIVIC ACTIVITY" Volume VI, No. 9 FEBR U AR Y, 1925 Published Monthly by the. NATIONAL CATHOLIC WELFARE CONFERENCE 1312 Massachusetts Avenue N.W. Washington, D. C. 2 THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC WELFARE CONFERENCE BULLETIN Catholic' Press Month By RT. REV. PHILIP R. McDEVITT) D.D. EBRUARY has been named by the Hierarchy . of the United States as F Press Month, a period when the faith ful should be told of the high mission of the Catholic Press and their duty to support it. The Catholic Press needs the help of the Catholic laity who in turn need the Catholic N. C. W. C. Press, for it has an important part in teach ing the doctrines and practices of the Church, BULLETIN in making known to Catholics their duties and obligations, in instructing them as to Published Monthly by the their rights and privileges as citizens; in mak NATIONAL CATHOLIC WELFARE ing known the position of the Church on CONFEREN.CE BISHOP McDEVITT public questions that touch faith and moral Chairman, N. C. W. C. Entered as second·class matter October 6, Department of Press ity, and in defending the Church against ag 1921, at the post office at Washin~on, D. C, and Publicity gression and misrepresentation. under the Act of March 3, 1879. Accepted for mailing at lpecial rate of postal'e proYided THE CATHOLIC papers and magazines in America deserve the for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, support of Catholic because of their purpose and their superior authorized October Z1, 1921. Subacriptioo Price: One dollar per year in adYance; out· worth. The Catholic Press supplies every week the news that is of side the United States, $1.25 per ,.ear. special interest to Catholics and likewise articles dealing with Cath olic truth. N. C. W. C. Administrative Committee WITH A News Service that is provided by special correspondents MOST REV. EDWARD J. HANNA, D.D. in all parts of the world, the Catholic paper is able to tell the Archbishop of San Francisco true story of Catholic happenings and to correct the misrepresenta Chai,.man tions which too often are found in the secular pre concerning the Church and her Supreme Head. MOST REV. AUSTIN DOWUKG, D.D. Archbishop of St. Paul CATHOLIC magazines compare with the best secular magazines. Indeed, Catholic papers and magazines are immeasurably better Chai,.man D~pa,.tm~nt of Education than many secular publications that claim a high standing and that RT. REV. P. J. MULDOON, D.D. have a large circulation. Bishop of Rockford Chai,.man D~pa,.tment of S ocwl Action T HE NEED of the Catholic Press and of Catholic literature of all RT. REV. JOSEPH SCHREKBS, D.D. kinds is imperative to provide a counter force to those publications Bishop of Oeveland in which Catholic truth is distorted, sound morality is sneered at, and a perverted philosophy of life is advocated. Evidence of the Chai,.man D~pa,.tmmt of La, truth of these charges can be easily had. But recently specific testi O,.ganizations mony has been given as to the character of the reading matter now RT. REV. EDKUND F. GIBBONS, D.D. in great demand and that is without principle and decency. The popu Bishop of Albany lar writer, Hendrik vVilIiam Van Loon, in a signed article published Chai,.man Depa,.tment of Laws and in The Commonweal) the new Catholic weekly, writes: L~gislation ! shall proc1air,n here and now, and as loudly as I can, that our country is RT. REV. PHlLIP R. McDEVITl', D.D. ~e.m~ overrun WIth and by a putrid stream of the most despicable, the most Bishop of Harrisburg ImqUItous, and on the whole the most dangerous form of a degraded variety Chairman Department of Publicity, p,.ess of literature; that this stuff is being publicly sold and publicly sent through th~ .mails; and that so far no authority, public or otherwise, seems to be and Literature wIllmg or able to stop the dissemination of this literary garbage . RT. REv. THOMAS F. LILLIS, D.O. Bishop of Kansas City AS THE civil law appears unable to regulate or suppress the vile literature that is defiling the imagination and corrupting the REv. JOHN J. BURKE, C.S.P. hearts of young and old, there remains the duty of con cientious and Gene,.al S ec,.eta,.y right-thinking Catholics to avoid the evil and to support clean, whole some, and instructive literature. One sermon in each church of the country on the Catholic Press would go far to create a sound public opinion concerning one of the great forces in the Catholic life of CHARLES A. McMAHON, Editor America. No better text could be taken for the e sermons than the Office of Publication words of the saintly Pius X: 1312 Massachusetts Avenue In vain will yOH bttild churches, give missions, found schools-all your Washington, D. C. works, all 3'ottr efforts will be destroyed, if you are not able to wield the defensive and offensive weapon of a loyal and sincere Catholic Press. THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC \tVELFARE CONFERENCE BULLETIN 3 AROUND THE CONFERENCE TABLE "Corne 'nOw, 'that we may ta.ke counsel together."-2 Esdras, Chapter VI: 7. contained in a pamphlet entitled "Take and his authority the Institute of Religious and N INESTIMABLE LOSS has been Read," recently issued from the Franciscan Social Research, Mr. Athearn stated that in A suffered by the American Hierarchy Herald Press, 1434 West 51st Street, Chi the United ·States u over 58,000,000 people, and the Catholics of the Cincinnati Arch cago, Ill. Father Faustin, O.F.M., author nominally Protestant, are diocese in the death of Most Reverend of the booklet, is to be congratulated upon Spiritual not identified in any way Henry Moeller, D.D., compressing within a com,paratively brief Illiteracy with any church; that Death of Archbishop of Cincinnati. compass such a vast ar over 27,000,000 American Archbishop Born and reared in the Appeal for ray of constructive and children and youth, nominally Protestant, Moeller see city of the archdio- the practical suggestions for under 25 years of age, are not enrolled in cese over which he was Catholic Press the consideration of our any Sunday School and receive no formal destined to exercise spiritual rule, Archbishop Catholic people relative or systematic religious instruction, that Moeller became one of America's most dis to this important topic. The obligation of 8,00Q,000 American children, nominally tinguished churchmen. His achievements in Catholics to take an active part in the great Protestant, under 10 years of age, are the fields of social, charitable, educational, warfare between the vicious and the good growing up in homes of non-church-going m,.issionary and religious endeavor have been press is clearly stated. It is Father Faus parents or guardians; and that, taking the equaHed by few American prelates and prob tin's contention that the spread of the Cath country as a whole, seven out of every ten ably surpassed by none. Receiving the olic press in every country is an unfailing children and youth of the United States, pallium in February, 1905, he extended the criterion of the Cathot"ic life in that land. under 2S years of age, are not being touched number of churches in twenty years' time Wherever the Catholic press is well sup in any way by the religious-educational from 184 to 221; increased his clergy from ported, he claims, there the Church makes program of any church." 313 to 450; and developed in every way the marked progress and wins the admiration "How long," asks Mr. Athearn, "maya resources of the archdiocese. The mag even of its most bitter enemies. nation endure, seven out of ten of whose nificent, new Mt. St. Mary's Seminary, the The pamphlet warns Catholics against the children and youth receive no systematic matchless Fenwick Club, Crusade Castle, St. so-called "illustrated" periodicals and maga instruction in the religious and moral sanc Rita School for the Deaf, the launching of zines which the author states often Ute em tions upon which its democratic institu the Purcell High School project-these are with pictures and advertisements that must tions rest?" And continuing, he says: "If . only a few of the accomplishments of this drive the blush of shame to the face of any you would place your finger on the weakest zealous Metropolitan. modest and pure--minded person. In this spot in the American Protestant church, it A thorough believer in utilizing the ser category belong the big popular magazines should be burned into the minds of the vices of the laity, Archbishop Moeller or that are seen at every turn and that ar'e leadership of the church that a church ganized in the Cincinnati Archdiocese a so eagerly read by the youth of the land which cannot save its own children can most efficient unit of the National Council to the great detriment of law and order." never save the world." of Catholic Men, in the activities of which Catholics, often through ignorance, have To remove the spiritual illiteracy of which he took the greatest interest and toward such magazines about their homes, uncon he compl?-ins, Mr.

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