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; CATHOLIC WORKER · Subscription: VOL. XL No. I JANUARY, 1974 25c Per Yea r P r ice le He Will Bring Justice to the Nations. Property Persecution California agriculture comes close to These are sad days in Refice, in the being a disaster area in the nation's eco Brazilian Northeast. On July 24, Opera nomy, but no one could reach this con tion Hope, a self-help organization spon clusion simply by a visit to the state. Its sored by Dom Helder Camara, Arch fertile valleys are heaping up produce bishop of Refice, was holding a regular for the tables of Americans, while its meeting at the Episcopal Palace. During fruits are famous throughout the land. a break, Vieira and Dida went out for Where, then, is the disaster? This ques a short walk in the night air. They did tion could be answered by doing a little not return. They have not been heard of farming, but it w.Duld be safer, easier, since. Vieira, an agronomist, lived • and and quicker, to do some reading and at worked at the Taquari sugar plantation, tend a meeting or two--such as the Na a 16-farm project owned and directed by tional Conference on Land Reform Operation Hope. Dida was a young mem which was held last April in San Fran ber of the Local Residents Council of cisco, under the sponsorship of the Na Bairro Coelhos. Coelhos is one of the tional Coalition for Land Reform. poorest favelas in Recife. Police and mili Is land reform needed in the United tary authorities, wnen questioned, had States? Sheldon Greene, general coun no information-and no interest in look-· sel to the Coalition, who spoke at the ing for the two men or their "kidnap Conference, told his listeners: pers." Their abduction was simply a "We know that each year 100,000 "non-fact." farms are abandoned, and that rural On August 29, Biu disappeared in the America has sustained a population loss same way. A seminarian at the Regional of 40 million people in the last 50 years. Institute of Theology, he helped co-ordi Concomitant with the abandonment of nate the Bible study groups known as small farms and the migration to the "Encounters of Brothers"-another pro cities of a heretofore agriculturally de motion of Dom Helder-and was work pendent rural population has been the ing in Youth Pastoral. increasing entry into agriculture of mul Next it was Amorim's turn. In his own tipurpose business interests, bringing favela-bairro he had organized Operation with it an increase in farm size and ab Hope-bringing the people toge_ther to sentee ownership of the land. Once press for piped water, garbage-removal, populous areas occupied by independent sewage and other services. When local small landholders interspersed with authorities failed or delayed intermina small rural service communities are be bly, they pitched in to do the work them ing transformed into feudalistic estates selves, and they . are now completing, -possibly one. of the most significant from their own resources, a civic center economic and social transformations to where 1hey can have meetings training be experienced in our history." · ON PILGRIMAGE 1 courses, medical assistance, a primary The obvious comment is that transi By DOROTHY. DAY school. A week before, Dom Helder was tions of this sort are "normal" in a com a popular guest at a party thrown by the petitive society. Survival is for the Perkinsville, Vermont. cipline aimed at the common good most "!l'illingly accepted by all. I've admired neighborhood to celebrate the birth of strong, the most efficient producers. But Outside my window the snow is still Amorim's first baby. On the morning of the strength .of these enormous farms, falling from a sky which is grey. The this New England school for years and am happy that Hilaire has been a_ccept October 4, Amorim awoke to firid a car Mr. Greene says, is not due to their ~orecast is rain and sleet to follow. Early with three men parked outside his house. ability to produce food more efficiently m the morning Mary's Jim was called ed there. Happy too, to find one of Graham Carey's daughters one of the No official plates, no uniforms, but in at less expense: to clear and sand the roads. He works Recife there is a saying: "Beware of the "Studies have demorl"strated the family for the town, and is on call as -.early as p~pils,. Gra?am. Carey was a great car with three men!" Eventually he had farm to be the most efficient unit of 2 a.m. Martha is taking care of the ani friend of Enc Gill, whom Peter Maurin held up to us as one of the leaders we to leave for work. On the way he was agricultural production. Summarizing mals. Maggie and Katy are chopping forced into. the car and has not been ~ould ~ollow. Gill played a great part the studies made on the subject of farm wood for the kitchen stove, and in the heard of since. Another "non-fact"! 1~ shapmg what Peter called his syn efficiency, G. P. Madden concluded dining room the big wood stove which Like the raid on the building which holds four large logs is heating the liv thesis of Cult, Culture and Cultivation 'All of the economies of size could b~ houses the Curia of th~ Archdiocese, the achieved by modern and fully mechan ing room as well as taking the chill off and Graham not only lived it but als~ helped us to get started on the farms we Regional Secretariats of CNBB and ized one-man or two-man farms.' The the three bedrooms which open out from CRB. This occurred soon after release of study concluded that the major dif it. have lived on, helpi11g us purchase them and supplying us with our first cows o~ the protest document "I Have Heard the ference between the small and medium- " I am very comfortable in my room Cries of My People" signed by Dom Hel sized farm and the large farm was which used to be Eric's (he lives in several of them. The East Hill School is not far from my daughter's, and Hilaire der and most of the Bishops and Reli simply that the latter had the potential Springfield ten miles away with his lit gious Superiors of the North-East. Later to produce more profits for the · farm tle family). Becky, her husband John runs home now and again to borrow bis own saw. It is also near Weston Priory the Federal Censorship Bureau in Rio owner." and four-year-old Sheila are in their sent the followfag warning to the Press: This becomes true, not necessarily newly built three-room cabin down the where the Benedictine monks are friends of ours. Dr. Bliss's school is not a Catho "Be it forbidden to make any or every from more efficient farming, but through road in the next field. There is already reference to or commentary on the in t~e power of the conglomerates and syn a woodshed and a work shop added on lic school or a Quaker school or a Men nonite one or anything else, but a fine vasion of the Metropolitan Curia of Re dicates which go into agriculture to con to their little house. Have I accounted ~ife and the taking bf documents per du.ct vertical operations, supplying ma for all my grandchildren? Nickie is with example of a New England school where young people delight in the variety of taining to the CNBB, since such is abso chmery and other equipment fertilizer us while his wife and three children are lutely false and without foundation." seed, and feed ' at one end, they occupations. We sang a grace before the ~hile visiting her people in Connecticut· and (Continued on page 3) also process and market the product at Susie and Jack and the two chiidren Sunda,Y dinner, "Praise God from Wl:tom the other end. Profits taken as suppliers Tanya and Kachina, are at Tivoli. ' all blessings flow,''. and I was glad that and distributors make up for any losses there was singing there and folk danc- Hilaire is at the East Hill Farm in iJ)g, too. ' TAX RESISTANCE LITERATURE in the farming, which are frequent. But C~ester, Vermont, a school run by the the small farmer must live on farining A note about singing: both on the War Tax Resistance's latest pamph Bhss family, a school which combines let is entitled "The Fiscal 1974 Budg alone. He cannot sell his produce at a academic work and farming. Tamar and picket line and at the Masses with the loss. Meanwhile, the agribusiness while United Farm Workers, and in the farm et: Who Benefits?" The work details I visited it Sunday, and though most of where taxes go and how even larger sustaining a farming loss, may find its the children were home for the holi prison where I spent almost two weeks real estate increased in value. "Last last summer, we sang each evening at amounts are being expended for mili days, some of the students had to stay tary purposes. Compiled by Robert !ear," M~. Greene remarks, "the largest to take care,of the animals, sheep, horses, the Mass, one Spanish hymn after an Calvert, it is available from War Tax item of mcrease of agricultural assets cows and so on. It is a school under the other.

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