Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 1996 The American Catholic Sociological Review: A Reflection of the American Catholic Sociological Society, 1938-1968 Carol Tolson Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Educational Leadership Commons Recommended Citation Tolson, Carol, "The American Catholic Sociological Review: A Reflection of the American Catholic Sociological Society, 1938-1968" (1996). Dissertations. 3621. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/3621 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © Carol Tolson LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW: A REFLECTION OF THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 1938-1968 VOLUME 1: CHAPTER 1-3 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICY STUDIES BY CAROL TOLSON CHICAGO, ILLINOIS MAY 1996 Copyright by Carol Tolson, 1996 All rights reserved. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author is grateful to the many persons who provided assistance and encouragement during the conduct of this study. To my committee, I express my appreciation for their assistance in the development of this study. I am especially indebted to Dr. Steve Miller, my major adviser, Dr. Gerald Gutek and Dr. John Wozniak. The successful completion of the study depended to a great extent upon their support, encouragement, and expertise. I would also like to thank those past officers of the American Catholic Sociological Society who shared their insights into this organization so freely. The time that they spent and the memories that they shared helped make the ACSS come alive for me. To my parents, Ann and Lou Grabe, my husband, Michael, and my children Brian and Andrea, I express a special thanks. Without their love and encouragement, this process could never have been completed. To Rev. Thomas J. Job who procured the entire twenty­ nine volumes of the journal for me and has always been a source of support, I offer my thanks. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii LIST OF TABLES • . vi Chapter INTRODUCTION 1 PART I HISTORICAL ASPECTS 1. CATHOLIC THOUGHT AND SOCIAL ACTION 5 Father Ralph Gallagher • • • • . • • . 10 Catholic Identity and Catholic Sociology • 15 2. DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY, 1938-1968 ••.. • 30 The Beginning of the ACSS . • • • . 33 Purpose • • . • . 43 Conventions . • • . • • • • • • . • • . 46 Constitution • . • • . • • • . • 49 Affiliations • • . • • • . • . 68 Local Chapters • • • • • • • • . • • . 92 Shift in Power . • • • • • . • 97 3. THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW • . 112 Policies . • • . • • 120 Contents of the Review . 135 Finances • • • • • • • • • • • 146 Zahn Controversy . • . 154 Notification to Contributors • . • . 166 The Change to Sociological Analysis 169 PART II ANALYSIS OF THE REVIEW 4. SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF THE CONTENTS OF THE REVIEW: VOLUME 1 (1940) THROUGH VOLUME 13 ( 1952) • . • • • • 181 General Publication Information 182 Articles by Editorial Board Members 190 Contents of the Review • . • • • 200 Content Analysis Based on the ACSS Stated Goals • • • • 222 iv Chapter 5. SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF THE CONTENTS OF THE REVIEW: VOLUME 14 (1953) THROUGH VOLUME 29 ( 1968) . • . • . 228 Content of the Review . • . • • 230 The Switch to Sociological Analysis 254 Content Analysis Based on Shanas' Categories • . • . 259 Content Analysis Based on the ACSS Stated Goals . • . • . 273 Conclusion . • 278 6. THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE REVIEW TO THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY • • . • . • 280 Appendix 1. REPRESENTATIVES AT THE FIRST MEETING OF THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY . 311 2. ORIGINAL CONSTITUTION • • . • . 313 3. 1941 QUESTIONNAIRE . • . • . 317 4. 1948 MODEL CONSTITUTION FOR LOCAL CHAPTERS 320 5. REGIONAL DIRECTORS OF MEMBERSHIP IN ACSS (1958) . • • • . • • . • . • . 323 6. SURVEY - MAY 24, 1948 . • • . • • • . 325 7. OFFICERS OF THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC SOCIOLOGICAL SOCIETY . • . • . • 329 8. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS . • . 331 9. DR. PAUL MUNDIE'S LETTER OF APPOINTMENT • 337 10. SURVEY CONCERNING THE CHANGE IN NAME OF THE REVIEW • . • . • . 339 11. GORDON ZAHN LETTER . • . 346 12. PUBLICATION TOTALS BY ISSUE . • • 349 13. STATISTICS ON BOARD PUBLICATIONS . • • . • . 353 14. PUBLICATION TOTALS BY YEAR • • . • 355 15. TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE REVIEW . 358 REFERENCES 394 VITA 401 v LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Item-Entry Categories, 1940-1952 183 2. Page Totals by Section 184 3. Articles by Single Submission • 203 4. Totals From Item-Entry Categories . 207 5. ACSR Article Distribution by Category and Year 220 6. Distribution of the Item-Entries by Stated Goal . 223 7. Item-Entry Categories, 1953-1968 . • .. 231 8. Page Totals by Section 234 9. Item Totals by Period • • • • . • . 236 10. Article Quantity Submission by Author Type . • . 241 11. Totals of Item-Entry Categories ..• 260 12. ACSR Article Distribution by Category and Year 263 13. Distribution of the Item-Entries by Stated Goal • 275 vi INTRODUCTION The blending of religion and sociology in America was not as unusual as the professional sociological climate in the 1930s indicated. As early as the 1890s, two institutes of christian sociology had been formed. The American Institute of Christian Sociology was begun in 1893 and the Oberlin Institute of Christian Sociology in 1894. 1 While neither group experienced longevity, the fact that they existed indicated that a relationship between the religious backgrounds of the sociologists and the theories of sociology was addressed prior to the formation of the American Catholic Sociological Society in 1938. The second meeting of the American Sociological Society, held in 1909, was devoted to the topic "Religion and the Modern Society." Five of the fourteen papers presented dealt with various aspects of the topic. Even the presidential address given by William George Sumner, entitled "Religion and the Mores", was a synthesis of statements from Durkheim and Marx which dealt specifically with the scientific study of religion within sociology. 2 1William H. Swatos, Jr., "Religious Sociology and the Sociology of Religion in America at the Turn of the Century: Divergences from a Common Theme," Sociological Analysis 50 (Holidaytide 1989): 364-65. 2 Ibid., 371. 2 while there was little objection to the topic, this was the last time that any interest in religion would be dealt with in this fashion by this secular organization. After this convention, any interest expressed in religion by the members was treated more as representing or advocating a particular religious group's tenets rather than topical presentations given from a specific scientific viewpoint. It was Sumner, who as president, choose the topic which was then approved by his Executive Committee. After the planning sessions for the 1909 meeting, a memorandum was circulated to the members of the American Sociological Society. It read in part: The Executive Committee of the Sociological Society voted to take as the general topic of its next meeting the subject, - RELIGION AND MODERN SOCIETY. - It was held that all those who should be invited to take part in the discussion of this subject should be instructed that all reference to the Divine Authority of any religion, or of religion in general, is to be avoided for the very simple reason that such topics as this lie altogether and under the realm of scientific discussion. 3 The notice was to insure the scientific analysis of the topic and not allow the papers to become instruments for proselytizing. But, it is the second sentence that would later become the overriding attitude of the society about religion. This attitude was not based on competition between the major forces of Protestantism and Catholicism, for Catholicism was a minority religion in a Protestant American 3 Ibid., 370. 3 world. Rather, as the science of sociology became more positivist in nature, it was easier not to involve the issue of religions and values into the studies. It was also the secular society's attitude regarding this statement which became vexing to the Catholic members of the American Sociological Society. These Catholic members could not ignore nor subjugate to a minor role the issue of Divine Authority of the Catholic Church. Their writings and research were grounded in this concept of Divine Authority. To be Catholic meant that a person's belief system was ground in this concept and that it could not be separated at will. It was from this climate that the American Catholic Sociological Society was born. It must be noted that, in the summer of 1968, thirty years worth of documents pertaining to the American Catholic Sociological Society were sent from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. During transit, a truck fire consumed all the official records which included: financial documents, minutes of the general conventions and executive council meetings, membership file index, subscription records, 100 copies of Volumes 27 and 28, miscellaneous files, and various historic documents. The only documents