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SCOTTISH RITE NEWS BULLETIN
ISSUED BY AUTHORITY OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL, 33°, SOUTHERN JURISDICTION, U. S. A.
1735 SIXTEENTH STREET, NORTHWEST, WASHINGTON 9, D. C.
The sentiments expressed herein do not necessarily carry the endorsement of the Supreme Council.
No. 12
December, 1953
EIGHTH NATIONAL CONFERENCE
ON CITIZENSHIP
T HE Eighth National Conference
on Citizenship, under the auspices
of the United States Department of
Justice and the National Education As¬
sociation, was held in Washington,
D. C., September 17-19, 1953.
The attendance was the largest of
the eight conferences. Great interest
was marked throughout. The theme,
“What Price Freedom,” vitalizing the
group sessions not only invoked much
discussion as to what freedom really is,
but thinking was pointedly clarified
in a summarization of the various
thoughts expressed by the groups on
this most important question. Dr.
William S. Vincent, Executive Officer,
Citizenship Education Project, Colum-
P bia University, summarized the discus¬
sion sessions.
The conference was officially opened
on the morning of the 17th with an
address of welcome by the Honorable
Herbert Brownell, Jr., Attorney Gen-
; eral of the United States, who said,
in part:
“As we come together for the Eighth
Annual National Convention on Citi¬
zenship, I am happy to join Doctor
Early, President of the National Edu¬
cation Association, in extending to all
participants not only an official wel¬
come, but also warm personal greetings.
“This conference of patriotic citizens
meeting in a spirit of unity is a stirring
and convincing manifestation to the
enemies of our democracy, whether at
home or abroad.
“ ‘What Price Freedom' is a chal¬
lenging theme for this assembly. To¬
day's perplexing world situation is an
impelling reminder that freedom must
be constantly guarded. Now, more than
ever, our country needs a loyal, cou-
' rageous and an awakened citizenry.
I “To be a citizen of the United States
is to be a part of the greatest national
fc family on earth dedicated to the ideals
9 of liberty. In the quest for freedom,
I *he thrilling story of this country has
I been written.”
Dr. William A. Early, who followed
I ±e Attorney General, said, in part:
“It is entirely fitting that the na¬
tional organization of the great teach¬
ing profession and our national De¬
partment of Justice should be joined
in the observance of Citizenship Day,
which, by the deliberate purpose of
Congress, coincides with Constitution
Day.
“It is fitting because it is to our
teachers more than to any other group
that our communities, states, and the
nation have connected the sacred ob¬
ligation of preparing each young gen¬
eration for assuming the privileges,
duties and responsibilities of citizenship
on the adult level. Without the con¬
tributions of our teachers to the edu¬
cation of the young, the qualities of the
more than two and a half million young
men and women reaching voting age
each year would have been far less
desirable and substantial than they
are: their ideals, their patriotism, their
ability and willingness to discharge the
duties of citizenship are, in a large
degree, the product of the lessons they
have learned in the classrooms and on
the playgrounds of our schools.
“It is fitting also because it is to
the Department of Justice that Con¬
gress has committed the w r ork of ad¬
ministering our naturalization laws by
which citizens of other lands, after due
preparation, may declare their allegi¬
ance to the United States of America.
American freedom will come through
your own character. To you we pass a
torch of freedom. It is yours to hold it
high.”
Then followed naturalization pro¬
ceedings conducted by Honorable
Luther W T . Youngdahl, 33°, Judge of
the United States District Court for
the District of Columbia, when the
members of a naturalization class from
other countries were inducted into citi¬
zenship. Judge Youngdahl spoke in
part, as follows:
“Prospective Citizens of the United
States: You are here today not because
of compulsion but because of a sincere
wish on your part to become a citizen
of the greatest country on earth.
“The most spectacular movement of
humanity in all recorded time is that
of millions of men, women and children
from other lands to these United States
—the land they made their own. . . .
“In this hour of history there is no
prouder title than ‘Citizen of the United
States.' This declaration is powerful
today because in this country there is
stressed the philosophy that every in¬
dividual is created in the image of God
and has dignity, and because of the
reverence accorded to every human
life.”
An address of welcome to the class
was given by Miss Nancy Watkins,
fellowship winner. Rotary Interna¬
tional, which was responded to by
Miss Miriam Werth, member of the
naturalization class, formerly a citizen
of Austria.
■ - . c ^Remarks on the responsibilities of
“This is a day of dedication to the citizenship were made by Miss Ger-
continuous and ever unfinished’ task
before us of perfecting our performance
of the duties of citizenship in our great
free republic and of strengthening our
community institutions in their w r ork
of aiding the youngest generation of
Americans to develop those qualities,
attitudes, knowledges, skills and de¬
votions necessary to the perpetuation
of our national ideals and institutions.
“To the millions of young Americans
now entering the threshold of voting
citizenship and the men and women of
foreign birth w*ho are now becoming
Americans I would say that the test of
trude S. Carraway, President General,
National Society of the Daughters of
the American Revolution, who de¬
clared, in part:
“The common defense depends not
only on military preparedness but also
on a strong citizenry, earnestly devoted
to America, Americanism and our
American way of life. It means polit¬
ical integrity economic stability, psy¬
chological alertness, moral stamina,
and religious faith. It means voting in
each election—voting, after careful
study, for the candidates we believe
will be best for our nation.”
In extending the naturalization class
a welcome to citizenship, the Ht noruble
Argyle R. Mackey, Commissioner of
Immigration and Naturalization, said:
“It is my privilege, as Commissioner
of Immigration and Naturalization, to
represent the Executive Branch of the
Government in this ceremony in which
you, as new citizens, are being wel¬
comed to active participating member¬
ship in the body of freemen that is the
United States of America. . . .
“This is a solemn moment for us
citizens and for each of you new citiz¬
ens! Today, Citizenship Day, Ameri¬
cans all over our land are hording cere¬
monies similar to this one and the one
we will witness this afternoon at
the George Washington Monument
grounds.”
At the Citizenship Day ceremony
held at the Monument grounds, the
Honorable Herbert Brownell, Jr., At¬
torney General of the United States,
said in the course of his remarks:
“When our nation honors its youth,
it also honors the youth of all yester¬
days. American youth have won this
honor, in peace and in war. Thev have
participated on every battlefield of
freedom, from the War for Independ¬
ence to the battlefields of Korea.
“After the tolling of the Liberty Bell
in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, had
summoned the people to hear the read¬
ing of the Declaration of Independence,
eleven long and trying years passed
before the Constitution was signed. It
is to the signing of the Constitution
by representatives of the thirteen orig¬
inal states, 166 years ago today, that
we now pay homage.
“The Declaration of Independence
gave us liberty. The Constitution made
us a nation. The Declaration pro¬
claimed the independence of those per¬
sons who came to a new world seeking
religious, civil, and political freedom.
It paved the way for the American Bill
of Rights in the Constitution upon
which our nation was built, and has
risen to undreamed heights. The prin¬
ciples set forth in these two sacred
documents serve as beacons of light and
symbols of hope for all freedom-loving
peoples everywhere. These two docu¬
ments are inseparable. Each reinforces
the other.
“There is no fear of the future if our
citizenry remains alert, enlightened and
dynamic in fighting Communists and
Fascists who conspire to overthrow our
government by force and violence.”
The Honorable John J. Parker, Chief
Judge, United States Court of Appeals,
Fourth Judicial District, spoke on the
theme of the conference during the
second session on September 17th
E. R. & N. S. M.
PROTESTANTS REPLY TO
ARCHBISHOP RITTER
People are lonely because they build
walls instead of bridges .—The Villager.
T HE following is the statement at¬
tacking recent Catholic criticism of
Attorney General John M. Dalton's
ruling on bus transportation for paro¬
chial school children. It was issued by
Rev. J. Edwin Hewlett, pastor of the
Southwest Baptist Church of St. Louis,
Mo., and president of the St. Louis
chapter of Protestants and Other Amer¬
icans United for Separation of Church
and State:
“According to recent newspaper ac¬
counts, Archbishop Joseph E. Ritter
and the Archdiocesan Council of Cath¬
olic Men and the Archdiocesan Council
of Catholic Women have condemned
the opinion of Attorney General John
M. Dalton, holding that the State De¬
partment of Education lacks legal
authority to apportion state funds for
transportation of parochial school
pupils.
“The statement of the Archdiocesan
Councils contends in substance that the
Attorney General ought to be ashamed
of himself for following an opinion of
the Missouri Supreme Court specifi¬
cally ruling that public funds could not
be used to pay bus transportation of
pupils to parochial or other private
schools. In other words, the Attorney
General should violate the law. This
is a strange position for a church group
to take. It hardly needs any further
comment on our part.
“The attack of Archbishop Ritter on
the Attorney General is, however, more
subtle. The Archbishop contends in
substance that the Attorney General is
discriminating because he will not per¬
mit public school buses to carry chil¬
dren to parochial or other private
schools. This, says the Archbishop, is
unfair to children and leaves them to
shift for themselves on hazardous pub¬
lic highways.
“The difficulty with the Archbishop's
argument is that it completely over¬
looks the fact that it is he, himself, and
the parents who follow his instructions
that their children must be sent to
parochial schools—rather than the At¬
torney General or the State of Missouri
—who actually brought about the sit¬
uation which he now condemns. No
one compels Missouri children to go to
parochial or other private schools. If
parents wish to send their children to
such schools, they have a perfect right
to do so. But they have no right to
compel the general public to help them
finance such an undertaking.
“The Supreme Court of Missouri
said in a recent decision on which the
Attorney General based his opinion,
and which is conveniently ignored both
by the Archbishop and the Archdioc¬
esan Councils, that to argue that pub¬
lic funds should be used to transport
pupils to parochial schools, as the Arch¬
bishop does, is both bad law and bad
logic.”
“Said the Supreme Court:
“ ‘We must and do hold that the pub¬
lic school funds used to transport the
pupils part way to and from the St. Den¬
nis parochial school at Benton are not
used for the purpose of maintaining
the public schools and that such use of
public funds is unlawful.'
“Furthermore, when the Archbishop
argues that Catholic parents ‘have the
same rights as those who send their
children to public schools,' he actually
does not mean this. What he does mean
is that the general public should assist
Catholic parents in sending their chil¬
dren to parochial schools. This is not
equality. It is the rankest sort of in¬
equality.
“It hardly becomes one in the posi¬
tion of an Archbishop to plead for such
inequality with cries for the safety of
innocent children on public highways.
We agree that the children are inno¬
cent; but the Archbishop is not.
“Furthermore, it is apparent that the .
same argument for the welfare of chil¬
dren can be applied to compel free
lunches and free textbooks for paro¬
chial schools. From this it is but a
short step to complete support of paro¬
chial schools by taxation. Such, of
course, is the Archbishop's goal; only
he would hardly admit it at the
moment.”
GOOD WILL
The most precious thing anyone can
have is the good will of others. It is
something as fragile as an orchid, and
as beautiful. It is more precious than
a gold nugget, and as hard to find.
It is as powerful as a great turbine, and
as hard to build. It is as wonderful
as youth, and as hard to keep. It is an
intangible something, this good will of
others, yet more to be desired than
much gold. It is the measure of a man’s
success and determines his usefulness
in this life.— Exchange.
Each of us has in his heart a little
try square, called a conscience, by which
to test each thought and word and
deed, and determine whether it is true
or false. By as much as a man honestly
applies that test to his own heart, and
his relations with his fellows, by so
much will his life be happy, stable and
true .—Masonic Historiology.
CHRISTIAN MISSIONS IN KOREA
T HERE are four, and some say only
four, possible solutions to the Ko-
n question. One is the resumption of
:ilities; another is the triumph of
principles; a third is the triumph of
Communist principles and program;
iie fourth is a mixture of these many
inflicting ideas and, like all com-
mises, not wholly satisfactory to
y group but the best arrangement
der the circumstances that could be
obtained.
Thoburn T. Brumbaugh, writing in
fee South Carolina Methodist Advocate
: Columbia, S. C., expresses the view
Idiat the fourth of the foregoing proposi¬
tions is the most likely to be the out¬
line of the Korean Conference. Writ-
~g for a church paper, quite naturally
Mr. Brumbaugh is interested in the
subject of Christian missions and their
rfaance for rebuilding and growing in
xar-demolished Korea. He points out
•hat there was a time when “Korea
learned that Christianity, democracy
snd freedom were interrelated, and that
m attack on one meant onslaught
sooner or later on all those principles.”
The Koreans, Mr. Brumbaugh points
out, have also learned that “Commu¬
nism is but another type of repression
of the free spirits of men and of
nations.”
Were American and UN diplomacy
lo leave Korea to the control of her
neighbors to the north, south or west it
Tould be well nigh disastrous so far as
Christian missionary effort is con¬
cerned, according to the views of Mr.
Brumbaugh who is a member of the
Board of Missions of the Methodist
Church and, therefore, in a position to
inve first-hand information on the
subject.
He feels that it would be advisable
a neutralize or internationalize Korea,
presumably under UN authority. This,
course, would mean that no one na¬
tion or group of nations would domi-
te Korea in the years immediately
ahead and that, under international
•ervision, there would be “a constant
erplay of cultural and political ideas
systems.”
Theoretically, it is true that on an
ergroup or internation supervision
one nation would dominate, but
practice the strong, the shrewd,
perpetually alert nation might
ner or later dominate the group,
tory has furnished many examples
this. Every" nation is good, and
cooperative, until it considers
national interest to be imperiled or
secs an opportunity to gain control.
in human affairs a beginning has
be made if peace is to be achieved
even for a short time. Alliances that
have started off well have, on more
than one occasion, broken up, but
definite good was accomplished up to
the time of dissolution.
Korea at the moment is regarded by
some observers as the crossroads of
Chinese, Russian, Japanese, American,
British and other influences in Eastern
Asia. Mr. Brumbaugh is convinced
that “Christian missions and the Ko¬
rean Christian movement are the hope
of the future in that troubled land.
Korea may be destined to become the
new Holy Land of East Asia.” Time
alone will reveal whether this predic¬
tion and estimate of conditions there
are correct.
Many religious sects exist in the
world, *f?ach with millions of followers,
and it is well to recall Oliver Crom¬
well’s great principles, namely, “separa¬
tion of Church and State, toleration of
different church societies alongside one
another, the principle of voluntaryism
in the formation of these churches, and
liberty of opinion in all matters of
world view and religion.” Will these
various sects and faiths work in the
spirit of brotherhood and friendly
rivalry, or will their zeal lead to bitter¬
ness and perhaps eventually to armed
strife? The paths of history are strewn
with wreckage from such conflicts. The
last few years have seen the develop¬
ment of a more humanitarian spirit in
many of the churches and in their in¬
terpretation and practice of Christian¬
ity. If that spirit prevails, great hopes
for world peace and betterment may be
justified. S. W.
INDIAN ANSWER TO COMMUNISM
Gordon Graham
Special Correspondent, Bombay
The Christian Science Monitor
PROGRESS of India’s answer to
* Communism was commemorated
recently at the tiny village of Pocham-
palli, 25 miles from Secunderabad, in
the State of Hyderabad.
From Pochampalli two years ago set
forth Gandhi’s disciple, Acharya Vinoba
Bhave, on his mission of Bhoodan
Yajna (land-giving). Starting out
through the Communist - dominated
country of Telengana, lie has walked
in these two years 7,000 miles from
village to village, begging landowners
to donate land for India’s 10.100,000
landless laborers. So far he has col¬
lected and redistributed half a million
acres.
Sharply contrasted with the Com¬
munist method of depriving the land¬
lord of his property through violence
and intimidation—which cost $20,000,-
3
000 and 8.000 lives in Telengana—
\inoba’s march through the country¬
side is accompanied by chanting and
prayer, and is arousing more enthusi¬
asm than India has witnessed since
independence.
The frail and essentially lonely old
man is accomplishing more than a
mere agrarian revolution. As he has
explained, ‘‘The evil of the caste system
can be destroyed if everyone is engaged
in a great and noble work. Political
opponents can then settle their dif¬
ferences and absorb what is good in
each other. Personally,” lie adds, “I
see the light of God in every heart.”
On May 18, 1951, Acharya Vinoba
Bhave set out, more or less unnoticed,
from Pochampalli to show the govern¬
ment how land could be returned to the
starving peasant without litigation,
without bloodshed, even without legis¬
lation.
Two years later, not only has he
won official recognition and support but
he has brought together the leaders and
spokesmen of India’s two largest poli¬
tical parties—the Congress and the
Socialists—in a movement leading to
merger talks between Jawaharlal Neh¬
ru, Congress President, and Jay a
Prakash Narayan, leader of the Social-
ist Party.
The Government of India now has
set up legal machinery for the proper
and permanent redistribution of the
gifts collected and is following this up
by helping the new owners with ferti¬
lizer, seed, and loans whenever neces¬
sary.
Criticism, however, fails to move the
author of this nonviolent revolution.
Speaking after one of his daily prayer
meetings, he explained his philosophy
this way: “Since it was God,” he said,
"who owned all the earth, to give and
take land was merely a gesture. Neither
the giver nor the taker has any right
of possession.”
Meanwhile small farmers and big
landlords, beggars and cripples, Moslem
widows and harijan (untouchable)
girls flock around the new mahatma,
giving land, cattle, food, and money in
a never-ending stream. Vinoba Bhave
has touched and moved the people as
only Gandhi ever moved them before.
Friendship is of so great value that it
cannot be estimated. In fact, the mo¬
ment an attempt is made to estimate
what it means it suffers from the
thought. It is peculiarly sensitive to
any form of selfishness and cannot
thrive under affliction of much of it.
Once lost, friendship is the most diffi¬
cult thing in the world to regain. It is
truly one of the great prizes of life.—
The Orphans’ Friend and Masonic Jour-
nal.
WHY I BECAME AN
AMERICAN CITIZEN
Juan A. Valentin, 32°
P. 0. Box 2450, Honolulu, Hawaii
FJ VERY naturalized citizen sometime
■*—' asks himself why he sought Amer¬
ican citizenship, and, without a doubt,
each one has his own answer. Every
individual, through life, tries to iden¬
tify himself with someone, or some¬
thing, or to some ideal, and when he
does this, he unconsciously seeks some
sort of security and strives to attach
himself to that particular ideal. A sense
of “belonging” is important to every
man, for it is with this feeling that men
desire to become citizens of not only
this country but perhaps of others. It
is the desire to feel secure to belong to
that certain ideal.
Our American way of life permits us
to seek out these ideals and to find
ways in which we can “belong” to them.
I sought American citizenship because
it meant for me certain freedoms which
other people could not enjoy—not only
freedoms mentioned in the Bill of
Rights, but also personal freedoms that
only the individual can feel in his heart.
Acceptance of American, citizenship
opens the way to new opportunities and
adventure into more fertile fields of
endeavor. It also creates a new way of
life, for there are responsibilities that
make one feel proud to be a citizen of
a free and advancing nation.
This is an appeal to all new citizens
to use their new-found rights to the
best advantage, not only for themselves
but for the betterment of their com¬
munity and country. We, in America,
are fortunate indeed to be able to avail
ourselves of all the wonderful oppor¬
tunities which are ours as citizens of
the United States.
I also wish these new citizens God¬
speed. and much luck in their new life.
"MARTIN LUTHER”
A short time after the film Martin
Luther began its box-office record-
breaking run at the Guild Theater in
New York, the Catholic News, pub¬
lished in the dioceses of New York,
said that the picture “offers a sympa¬
thetic and approving representation of
the life and times of Martin Luther,
the sixteenth century figure of religious
controversy. It contains theological
and historical references and interpre¬
tations which are unacceptable to Ro¬
man Catholics.” It was given none of
the customary “A,” “B,” or “C” ratings,
but the Roman Catholic Legion of De¬
cency explained that this “did not mean
that Roman Catholics were barred from
seeing it,”
Films in the Class “A” group are
morally without objection. Class “B”
films are morally objectionable in part.
Class “C” films are condemned. The
special class of films into which Martin
Lather apparently falls is described as
being not necessarily morally offensive
to Roman Catholics, but “require, for
their proper interpretation, specialized
training.”
Just how a historical film of this kind
is to be “interpreted” is not made clear,
but it may be safely assumed that,
regardless of the facts, it would be done
to the advantage of the hierarchy. The
necessity for specialized training in
order to accomplish this with an easy
conscience is obvious.
SCOUT MOVEMENT WHOLESOME;
THUS WINS RAPID GROWTH
HE second Sunday in February,
1953, was set aside by the Protestant
Churches of this countiy to point up
the partnership of spirit between the
Boy Scout movement and Christianity.
There are 3,250,000 members of the
Boy Scouts of America, with 84,300
Scouting units. The 25,000 units char¬
tered to Protestant churches are guid¬
ed by trained leadership supplied from
the local congregations.
The year 1953 marked the 43rd an¬
niversary of the Scouting Movement
in the United States of America. Those
of the public who have not had an op¬
portunity to study the Scouting Move¬
ment may wonder how, in less than
half a century, a private organization,
nonpolitical in character, could grow
to such gigantic proportions. There
are many explanations. First and most
important, it is an organization which
is wholesome in character and appeals
to the love of adventure implanted by
nature in all healthy normal boys and
youth. And, because it is an organiza¬
tion with wholesome principles and
guidance, it has received the cordial
endorsement of parents and teachers.
There are some misconceptions about
the purposes of Scouting. First, it is
not a Junior Cadet Corps nor a military
organization. Scout members often
wear a uniform on public occasions—
in fact, they are encouraged to do so.
However the purpose is not military,
but for its effect on the morale of the
Scout member. The uniform is said to
be a symbol of the whole Scout Move¬
ment. It gives the Boy Scout a sense
of belonging to a large and influential
organization composed of thousands of
boys of his own age and held together
by the Scout’s Oath:
“On my honor, I will do my best to
do my duty to God and to my country,
to obey the scout law, to help other
people at all times, and to keep myself
physically strong, mentally awake and
morally straight.”
Since 1910, it is stated that upward
4
of 20,000,000 past and present mem¬
bers of the Boy Scouts of America have
pledged their acquicsence with the
Twelfth Scout Law, which reads: “A
Scout is reverent. He is reverent
toward God. He is faithful in his re¬
ligious duties, and respects the con¬
victions of others in matters of custom
and religion.”
Of course Scouts also receive in¬
struction in such practical, everyday
matters of usefulness to themselves and
others as woodcraft, camping, hiking,
cooking in the open, trail-making and
trail-following, map-making and read¬
ing. Important as all these matters are
to any boy or youth who loves nature
and the great outdoors, yet the primary
aim of Scouting is character-training.
S. W.
GENERAL CLARK SUCCEEDS
GENERAL SUMMERALL
General Mark W. Clark, 33°, after
receiving the usual hero’s ticker-tape-
confetti welcome in New York late in
October, accepted the position of Presi¬
dent of The Citadel at Charleston,
South Carolina, succeeding General
Charles P. Summerall, 33°, Sovereign
Grand Inspector General in South Car¬
olina and Grand Minister of State of
the Supreme Council, Southern Juris¬
diction, U.S.A.
The Citadel, one of the South’s most
outstanding military colleges, has an
enrollment of nearly 1,400 students. It
was established ninety-two years ago,
and is on record as having played a
considerable part in the annals of the
Confederacy at the opening of the Civil
War in 1861. It has educated many
well-known military figures, a number
of them having become generals of
renown.
General Summerall, a former Chief
of Staff of the United States Army, re¬
tired at the age of eighty-six on June
30, 1953, after twenty-two years as
head of The Citadel. General Clark,
who gained fame in World War II as
Commander of the Ground Forces in
the European Theater of Operations,
in planning the invasion of Africa, and
as Commanding General of the Fifth
Army in the invasion of Italy, has re¬
ceived many honors both foreign and
domestic.
Stability flourishes only when men
are held responsible for the develop¬
ment of their own lives. When men are
told what to think, they become de¬
ficient, and soon are unable to think
for themselves. Excuses become the
order of the day. Difficulty is never
squarely met. Irresponsibility marks
behavior. Weakness in men becomes &
virtue. Vital aggressiveness is lost, and
men become subservient slaves.— Em¬
ployer-Employee Digest.
SPAIN-VATICAN CONCORDAT
A T A meeting in Rome on August
27th, representatives of Francisco
.Franco, Dictator of Spain, and Pope
Tius XII signed an agreement making
it clear without a doubt that Roman
Catholicism is “the only religion of the
Spanish nation.” The concessions made
by the hierarchy in payment for this
vital declaration include virtually an
equal voice with the State in the
naming of bishops and also in the
power to appoint a commission for
“The Upkeep of Church Buildings.”
In Article I of the Concordat it is
stated that the rights of non-Catholics
shall continue in force as “established
in Article 6 of the Spanish Bill of
Rights.” While this guarantees that
a non-Catholic in Spain will not be
‘molested on account of his religion,
creed, or the private practice of his
cult,” he may be arrested for any
public activity whatever having a non-
Catholic implication.
In Articles III, IV, and V of the
Concordat the “international juridical
entity of the Church” is recognized,
and a Spanish ambassador to the Holy
See and a Papal Nuncio to Madrid are
to be permanently continued. Article
XXVI states that teaching in all schools
c “shall be adapted to the principles of
F dogma and ethics of the Catholic
Church,” and that “books, publications
and teaching materials contrary to
Catholic dogma and ethics” shall be
either not permitted or withdrawn.
Article XXVII “guarantees the teach¬
ing of the Catholic religion ... in all
teaching^ centers,” except that children
of non-Catholics may be excused when
this is requested by parents or guar¬
dian. Many of the cultural activities
of the nation are to be Church domi¬
nated, particularly radio and television
programs, which are to include suitable
time and opportunity for the “defense
of religious truth by priests and re¬
ligious.” In Article IX the State pledges
itself to contribute special subsidies
toward organizing and supporting new
dioceses, particularly for building new
churches, prelates’ residences, and allied
buildings. Article XIV makes it oblig¬
atory for public employees to obtain
the “nihil obstat” of the hierarchy to
obtain work or to continue therein.
Articles XIX and XXX make it oblig¬
atory for the State to assure a patri¬
mony for the clergy and to support
training centers of Roman Catholic
religious orders.
Exactly one month after the signing
T the Concordat, a treaty between the
United States and Spain was signed at
Madrid by which Spain, for sums of
j money not publicly stated, is to grant
United States the use of certain
sea and air bases, the technical work
there to be done by United States per¬
sonnel but the bases themselves to be
under Spanish control and command.
So far as at this time can be deter¬
mined, no demand was made on the
Spanish Government for freedom of
worship equivalent to that granted all
persons and denominations in the
United States. Thus far no one has
indicated whether or not, since Spanish
law applies, the American personnel
employed in technical positions at these
bases will be subject to suppression and
arrest by the Vatican-controlled Span¬
ish authorities if they attempt to ex¬
ercise their right to "worship as they
please in such building as they may
choose.
A Sliort time before the Spanish
treaty was signed, Representative Sut¬
ton of Tennessee offered an amend¬
ment to prevent any funds from the
Mutual Security Administration from
being used in any countries “that do
not guarantee religious freedom.” He
said that he felt it to be only right that
we should not appropriate money for a
country that does not guarantee the
same religious freedom that we offer
every denomination in the United
States. His amendment was defeated
by a vote of 92 to 40. No publicity
whatever was given to this amendment
or its purpose when it was proposed.
We cannot help but feel that this
neglect of a demand for reciprocal
privileges is regrettable largely because
of the psychological effect it must in¬
evitably have on others who look to
this country for moral leadership. Un¬
questionably some will believe stronglv
that it can serve only to open the way
for further oppression. All that is
needed for the triumph of evil is apathy
or indifference on the part of justice
and truth. N. S. M.
WOODEN CHURCH CRUSADE
' I ’ 11E present Communist crisis in
A Europe has brought about a strong
movement for the construction of a
number of church buildings in Western
Germany as one important means of
combating the rising tide of propaganda
of hate from behind the Iron Curtain.
This. Crusade is a nonprofit, nonde¬
nomination effort by a considerable
group of American citizens of various
faiths incorporated in Wisconsin. It
was inspired by Baron Henning von
Royk-Lewinski of Munich, Germany,
who came to America for this purpose
with the approval of the Occupation
Authorities in Germany, the Govern¬
ment of Western Germany, and various
church dignitaries.
The Crusade has as its primary ob¬
jective the construction of forty-nine
simple, frame houses of worship to form
a “spiritual wall'’ against Communism
paralleling the Iron Curtain. These
churches, designed to have the dignitv
and natural beauty befitting all such
buildings, are to be constructed as
nearly as possible on or near the sites
of churches, cathedrals or synagogues
that were destroyed during World War
II, and are estimated to have a prospec¬
tive cost of around §25,000 each.
It is believed that by bringing to
fruition a movement of this kind, the
United States, as one of the company
of free nations, can strike a positive
blow against the evil and godless forces
of Communism and add to the spiritual
strength of Germany’s resistance. It
is of the utmost importance to provide
again places of worship where Christi¬
anity can be introduced to the young
people of Germany, some of whom have
never had an opportunity to know any¬
thing about it.
The true and generous meaning of
a gift of this type cannot be twisted
and warped by the lies inherent in
communistic propaganda.
Baron von Royk-Lewinski is a
Lutheran layman, originally from Ba¬
varia, and was at one time on Rom-
mell s staff in North Africa during
World War II. He has, as his Central
Committee, such outstanding American
citizens as Richard A. Kinzer of Bur¬
lington, Wisconsin, as president; Rich¬
ard B. Skeen of Milwaukee and the
Rev. George B. Cady of Kenosha as
vice-presidents; and Elmer Ganswindt
of Burlington, Wisconsin, as secretary-
treasurer. The Honorary Committee
includes U. S. Senator Robert C. Hen¬
drickson of New- Jersey, U. S. Congress¬
man Lawuence H. Smith of Wisconsin.
Hon. Hugh Gibson and Dr. George E.
Rosden of Washington, and others.
The only source of income enjoved
by the Crusade is donations by'its
friends. The organization, which has
been incorporated under the law's of
Wisconsin, exists by voluntary effort
alone. It has no paid employees and
operates at a bare minimum of expense.
Contributors are urged to specify
whether their donations are to be used
for Protestant, Catholic or Jewish con¬
struction, and all such contributions
are deductible from taxable income.
The mailing address of the organi¬
zation’s headquarters is The W’ooden
Church Crusade, Inc., Burlington,
Wisconsin. N. S. M.
He who helps a child helps humanity
with an immediateness which no other
help given to human creature in any
other stage of human life can possibly
give again .—Phillips Brooks.
5
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS ARE
EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS
Mrs. Newton P. Leonard, President
National Congress of Parents and Teachers
T HE public schools are everybody’s
business. What the schools are and
what they do are matters that directly
concern every American. Why is this
thought, expressed so many times and
by so many people, being repeated here?
Simply because we who are deeply con¬
cerned with the public schools know
that there are still large numbers of
taxpayers who are apathetic—apathetic
not only about the overwhelming im¬
portance of an educated citizenry to
the welfare of our country, but about
the individual citizen’s obligation to
his schools.
The National Congress of Parents
and Teachers, that mutual interpreter
of home and school, strives always to
awaken and maintain the interest of
citizens in their schools. Our member¬
ship is open to all citizens, as are the
public schools to the children of all the
citizens. As a democratic organization
the National Congress has never failed
to appreciate the public schools as in¬
struments of our democracy.
Fortunately, many organizations
whose major interests are not primarily
centered on education have become
aware that the public schools cannot be
slighted without great loss to the na¬
tion. Consequently, these groups are
now placing great emphasis on the need
for vigorous, cooperative effort on be¬
half of our educational system. Among
them are the General Federation of
Women’s Clubs, the League of Women
Voters, the C.I.O., the American Farm
Bureau Federation, and the National
Citizen’s Commission for the Public
Schools. The National Congress of
Parents and Teachers is cooperating
with these groups. Well-coordinated
team work is our goal, for we all know
that neither our schools nor our children
can wait. We cannot afford to waste
time or energy for lack of concerted
effort to solve the problems that deny
an adequate education to all America’s
children and youth.
Moreover, because the public schools
are the product of the local community,
all organized community groups, such
as the lodges, chambers of commerce,
women’s clubs, service clubs, and the
rest, have a responsibility for alerting
their members to the needs of their own
schools. Those members are taxpayers.
Are they satisfied w r ith their invest¬
ment? How t can they find out more
about it? How can they safeguard it
most intelligently? How can they make
it pay off in healthy, happy, educated
youngsters who will be able to accept
the challenge of mature citizenship in a
maturing democracy?
Many communities have found that
the best way to answer these questions
is by setting up a coordinating council,
made up of representatives from each
local organization. Such a council may
be a continuing group or one that func¬
tions for a specified period of time. But
in either event its major purposes are
to study the needs of the public schools,
to promote a secure understanding of
the aims and methods of modern educa¬
tion, to win the strongest possible sup¬
port for the educational program, and
to work for whatever improvements are
necessary.
Words alone, even the most stirring,
are not enough. Only action—group
action based upon intelligent study and
planning—can solve our educational
problems. And solve them we must if
we are to give our cherished children
the kind of education that will enable
them to become the strong, resourceful,
purposeful men and women America
needs .—Citizens arid Their Schools.
VATICAN REPRESENTATION
OPPOSED IN CANADA
Recently Prime Minister Louis St.
Laurent of Canada expressed a belief
that a representative to the Vatican
would be appointed by his government
in the not too distant future. He said
that, while he did not wish to divide
Canada on this question, he believed
that a majority of the Cabinet favored
the appointment.
Various church organizations pro¬
tested the Prime Minister’s statement,
notably the Baptist Convention of On¬
tario and Quebec, and the group reaf¬
firmed its “unalterable opposition” to
any such move. The resolution passed
by it, as worded, stated that it wished
to make church people understand that
“'religious liberty and the separation of
Church and State are not inalienable
possessions” but that they needed con¬
tinuous and untiring defense “lest we
lose those precious principles for which
our forefathers fought and died.”
It was later reported by the Canadian
Baptist that the Canadian Council of
Churches and other groups shared and
supported this view. This paper urged
that the government “take no step that
will lead to the most determined oppo¬
sition by all in Canada to whom the
appointment of an envoy to Rome
would mean both a political and a
religious affront.”
What success a protest from any
non-Catholic group might have is con¬
jectural because of its political impli¬
cations in the strongly Roman Catholic
portions of the Dominion. It seems _
certain, however, that the church hier-^^|
archv will make every effort to persuade .
the appointive power to its viewpoint.
PRAYER OF A CHRISTIAN UPON
UNDERTAKING A WORLD TASK
Upon taking office on July 4th as Di¬
rector General of the United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization, Luther H. Evans, former
head of our Library of Congress and a
Jeffersonian lover of freedom, asked
the privilege of offering the following
prayer, according to his own faith.
“Almighty God, make my heart and
spirit humble in the face of the mighty
tasks which have been placed on my
shoulders. Make me realize always
that the power man exercises springs,
not from himself, but from approval of
his fellow men. 0, God, make me
realize that, the work of UNESCO is
the work of many men who believe in
many different Gods or systems of be¬
lief; make me tolerant of all men, and
make me respect their right to follow
the light shed on their respective
prayers by their respective creeds or
beliefs. Make me forever observant
of the truths which wise and great men
have made plain in many ages, that al¬
most without exception the great re¬
ligions and philosophies of life have
much in common and would, if prac¬
ticed well, lead men forward toward
peace and understanding. 0 God,
cleanse my heart of selfishness, petti¬
ness, enmity, revenge, anger and un¬
justified mistrust, and give me strength,
wisdom, and goodness in greater meas¬
ure than before in order that I may
help my fellow men reach Thy goal of
peace.—Amen .”—Report from the Cap¬
ital.
COMIC BOOKS
An education committee in Cincin¬
nati, Ohio, has just completed a study
of 418 comic books. The survey was
made by 84 trained interviewers. They
found “no objection” to 27 per cent of
the books studied. However, the re¬
mainder was classified 22 per cent as
“some objection”; 34 per cent “objec¬
tionable”; and 16 per cent “very objec¬
tionable.”
This means that when your child
buys a comic book, he has only one
chance in four of finding one to which „ {
you would find “no objection .”—South
Carolina Methodist Advocate.
No wise man ever wished to be
younger.— Swift.
6
THE CLERICAL TREND
T UST before the end of World War II.
J Dr. John A. Mackay, President of
Princeton Theological Seminary, wrote
yor Christianity and Crisis, a magazine
">f which editorial staff he is still a
member, an article concerning the ob¬
jectives of the Roman Catholic hier¬
archy. The methods employed to reach
these objectives he branded'collectively
as a peril to the Church of Rome, and
he then compared them to a similar col¬
lective peril becoming increasingly ap¬
parent in the Protestant Church. He
said:
“The Protestant Churches and the
Church of Rome are both subject to
administrative perils of a sinister kind.
The constant peril of Protestantism is
Bureaucracy; that of the Roman
Church is Clericalism. Bureaucracy is
the concentration of power in the hands
of a few officials who use it to control
the Church; Clericalism is the pursuit
of power by a bureaucracy which, al¬
ready in control of the Church, aims
also to control the State. Protestant
bureaucracy concerns only the religious
community which suffers it; Roman
Catholic clericalism affects society as a
whole.
“Clericalism constitutes one of the
most menacing social phenomena in the
^United States at the present time. What
P> s it? It is the pursuit of power, espe¬
cially political power, by a religious
hierarchy, carried on by secular meth¬
ods, and for purposes of social domina¬
tion. Clericalism, so defined, should be
carefully distinguished from the great
mass of Roman Catholic people, from
the Christian as distinguished from the
Roman elements in the Catholic tradi¬
tion, and from many members of the
Roman priesthood.
“We do not mean that the leaders of
the great Roman communion in this
country should be challenged or curbed
in their religious freedom. Let them
expound, with all freedom, the great
Roman Catholic dogmas and outline
the Roman program for meeting the ills
of our world. There is a rivalry in
evangelistic fervor, in theological' de¬
bate, and in the social application of
Christian principles, which, when car¬
ried on in the proper spirit and in
accordance with established proprieties,
is spiritually healthy and can greatly
benefit the cause of religion. But the
situation changes and the verdict is
different when Christian leaders, aban¬
doning the recognized channels of reli¬
gious propaganda, attempt, by anti-
religious methods, to capture and con¬
trol the springs of secular power. This
is what the Roman hierarchs are pro¬
ceeding to attempt in the life of the
United States at the present time.”
What Doctor Mackay wrote is even
more applicable today than it was in
1945. It may be that Protestantism
has been forced to employ somewhat
parallel measures in advancing its cause
and in order to give the weight of its
opinion greater advantage. " Perhaps
the motive has been merely that of a
desire for greater opportunity for evan¬
gelization; or it may have been some
other motive not clearly defined. In
any event, the thoughts expressed by
Doctor Mackay are, upon analysis, dis¬
turbing, because the trend toward cler¬
icalism has grown in strength and has,
for the most part, been accepted with
no great show of resistance.
Love for one’s country and a deep
and abiding concern for its welfare
occupy a high place in the good life.
Since before the beginning of recorded
history, men have sacrificed their
worldly possessions as well as their
lives, without regret, that what they
and their fathers established in strength
might be preserved in beautv for those
who were to follow them. What they
gave was a pledge to the future, a
tribute to an ideal, seen perhaps only
dimly, but which was to them very real
and of profound importance. In the
founding of this country, that ideal en¬
visioned freedom under the law and a
concept of national integrity never be¬
fore visualized.
!\e have already discussed in these
columns the Vatican-approved state¬
ment of Cardinal Ottaviani with refer¬
ence to the policy of the hierarchy as it
applies to freedom of worship not only
in Spain but in all other Roman Cath¬
olic countries. We have also noted the
Lightening aplomb with which the
tolerance of Protestant countries is used
to their great disadvantage. It is earn¬
estly hoped that all our citizens. Cath¬
olics, Protestants and others alike, will
anew a closer approach to the
ideals of our Founding Fathers and
p Doctor Mackay’s warning in the
light of the heritage we can so easily
lose - N. S. M. '
WHAT IS HONOR?
"Honor is a chain with many links.
It leads from the simplest transactions,
like leaving our pennies on the counter
of the blind newsdealer, on up to inter¬
national treaties involving the lives of
minions of people,” said Philip Reed in
"What’s Happened to Our Honor?”
If we want to stay civilized, then
each of us has the job of keeping that
chain unbroken. For staying civilized,
m the last analysis, depends on making
promises—and keeping them.”— Proph-
etable Ideas.
ALLEGHENY COUNTY PLANS
AID FOR AGED ILL
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, of
which Pittsburgh is the countv seat,
has instituted a service for achieving
tw r o highly useful purposes. One is to
provide medical care for chronicallv ill
and aged patients. The other is to' re¬
store to the community, through re¬
habilitation, as many individuals
possible.
The work is in charge of Gerard P.
Hammill, M.D., who is Director of the
Allegheny County Institution, District
of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It
includes tw*o units. One is a home
located at Woodville, Pa.; the other is
a hospital at Mayview which serves as
an infirmary for the home. The institu¬
tion houses between 1,700 and 1.S00
persons, and of this number about 1.200
are sixty-five years of age or over. Ad¬
mission is on the basis of medical need.
Doctor Hammill and his District laid
down a program that embodied five
aims which, at the start, were mere
hopes. Outlined as follows, they were:
1. Certain patients might be dis¬
charged to return to productive em¬
ployment or at least to their homes.
, Those unable to leave the institu¬
tion might move about with greater
facility if properly trained and advised.
3 A feeling of self-reliance might be
inculcated to offset the danger of "in¬
stitutional apathy.”
4. The incalculable asset of restored
self-dignity and the moral uplift to in¬
stitutionalized patients might prove
very satisfactory.
5. The labor of nurses and attend¬
ants might be redistributed by activa¬
tion of some patients so that more com¬
plete nursing sendees might be extended
to the acutely and terminally ill.
Doctor Hammill pointed out that the
institution is intended to meet three
classes of patients, namely, the hospi¬
tal, the convalescent and the infirmary
patient. He feels that each patient who
is changed from a handicapped indigent
to a taxpaying wage earner is a saving
in public expense.
The foregoing information was fur¬
nished by the Commission on Chronic
Illness, an independent national agency
to study the problems of chronic dis¬
ease, illness and disability. Its offices
are at 615 North Wolfe Street, Balti¬
more 5, Maryland, and it issues a
monthly leaflet reporting on its wmrk,
entitled Chronic Illness News Letter.
At its masthead it carries the common-
sense plan: “Prevention, Care, Reha¬
bilitation—An Integrated Community
Program.” s. \\\
Children are all foreigners. We treat
them as such.— Emerson. ^
7
Sec. 34.65-E, P. L. SC R.
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There is no charge for the Scottish Rite News Bulletin, which is sent without any obligation whatever upon
the part of the recipient. It is the property of the Supreme Council, 33° (Mother Council of the World), Ancient
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Grand Commander Thomas J. Harkins, 33°, with Grand Secretary General Claud F. Young, 33°, Business Manager.
This Bulletin is published as a contribution to the welfare and happiness of the nation by diffusing informa¬
tion concerning education and civics, and it is hoped the widest use may be made of the data contained therein.
Any of the material may be used at any time, with or without credit to the Scottish Rite News Bullletin, but
where it is noted that excerpts have been made from other publications, proper credit should be given. A marked
copy would be appreciated when our material is used.
Freemasonry has ever been the friend and supporter of constitutional government. Fourteen of the Presidents
of the United States have been Masons, and the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United
States were largely formulated by Masons. Freemasonry seeks to inculcate and deepen a sense of duty and re¬
sponsibility in a patriotic citizenry and, as a primary consideration, the Supreme Council desires to stimulate an
earnest and intelligent interest in public education as fundamental to patriotism.
The Supreme Council Favors:
1. The American public school, nonpartisan, nonsectarian, efficient, democratic, for all of the children
of all the people.
2. The inculcation of patriotism, respect for law and order, and undying loyalty to the Constitution
of the United States of America.
3. The compulsory use of English as the language of instruction in the grammar grades of our public
schools.
4. Adequate provision in the American public schools for the education of the alien populations in
the principles of American institutions and ideals of citizenship.
5. The entire separation of Church and State, and opposition to every attempt to appropriate public
moneys — federal, state or local — directly or indirectly, for the support of sectarian or private
institutions.
n