CATHOLIC m 1 - Vi AM ET AJ Mimr*:« I w 1 EL I Prophylactic Vending Machines October THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR CATHOLIC MEN 1953 Red China and the UN Rhythm in Marriage God's in the Kitcherr Too! THE NEWS MAGAZINE FOR CATHOLIC MEN mm CATHOLIC MEN, pub- lished monthly by the No- trono! Council of Catholic Men, Washington 5 , D. C. FRANCIS I N A U Y , President MARTIN H. W' Executive J O H N G . BOWEN, • W f f l » . Second-Class 19, 1948 , at Entered o«. Second-i matter March the Post Office at Wash- ington, D. C , under thè Act of Morch 3 , 1879 . The views of the writers are not necessarily the views of NCCM. Issue No. 5 5 , Oc- tober, 1953 , 20 contents Washington Reporter 3 How Come, J o e ? - - _ 5 Book Burning £ Admit Red China to U.N. 7 Men in the News _ _ 9 Alert 10 Action Awards- . ; 12 Facts on Faith 13 Headquarters—Radio & TV 14 Rhythm in Marriage (Fact Sheet) 15 God's in the Kitchen, Too 17 Book Verdicts 18 On Target 18 Perverted Vending Machines 19 Goofing-Off __•_ 20 Military features published for Servicemen in cooperation with National Catholic Com- munity Service, Member Agency of USO. (Hoskikftok Hetunte* WASHINGTON, D. C., Oct. 1.—As youtaiCw Congress adjourned August 4. A special session is very unlikely although many a legislator would welcome it—not to raise the national debt limit as asked by President Eisenhower, but to cut the Second Session short. Reason: 1954 is election year for all Representatives and one-third of the Sen- ators, and they want to get back to the hustings as fas t as possible. But in any event the Second Session of the 83rd Congress must s tart not later than January 3, 1954—the law says so. We're not partisan of course, but in the interest of good citizenship here's a quick look at the Administration's accomplishments so far— from the Republican and the Democratic viewpoint: THE REPUBLICAN: We have accomplished much. Congress, in sus- taining the President in the field of foreign policy passed the Refugee Relief Act; authorized $100 million worth of surplus food distributed overseas; while at home it gave the Tidelands to the States, as we promised. The Administration has set up a badly needed Department of Health, Education and Welfare and has otherwise revamped the government in the interests of economy and efficiency. Furthermore our campaign pledge of economy has been kept. Con- gress appropriated only $53.5 billion in new money—a sum nearly $13 billion less than the budget estimates of the previous administration. The administration has insisted on efficiency in Government and a reduction of employees wherever non-essential. Above all we have won a truce in Korea and ended the shooting war. THE DEMOCRAT (looking at the same scene): Campaign promises made by the Republicans have not been fulfilled. For example, taxes have not been reduced, but on the contrary the Excess Profits tax has been extended; basic immigration laws have not been improved; Ha- 3 4 CATHOLIC MEN October, 1953 waiian statehood has been ditched; the Taft-Hartley labor law has not been amended and far from balancing the budget the national debt has been pushed to the highest in our history with the President actually calling for a hike in the legal ceiling so they can spend more. General Eisenhower has shown an inaptitude for dealing with domes- tic issues. Furthermore, for advisors he has picked men closely assoc- iated with those big business interests which had supported him. But he is our president, and, we have supported him time after time, saving him from defeat by his own party members.. Examples are public housing, school aid, reciprocal trade, etc. CONGRESSIONAL MILL: With 435 Representatives in the House and 96 Senators in the Senate, and every one wanting to show results back home, you can see why the volume of bills and resolutions intro- duced in Congress is so staggering. During the Firs t Session, 9,463 bills and 1,223 resolutions were intro- duced (in both houses). Of these, 1,896 bills and 385 resolutions were passed. President Eisenhower vetoed ten bills. The House spent 117 days in session; the Senate 125. INVESTIGATIONS: Everybody is talking about investigations and investigators—and almost everybody asks us: What is the Catholic position on Senator McCarthy? Of course, there is no "Catholic position" on him or his work—or any other similar matter. And the plain, bald—and in this case, unsatisfy- ing—truth is that there is so much more heat than light generated when the McCarthy question is up that it's practically impossible to get a good objective view and fa i r appraisal of it. But apart froHn that, you'll be interested in knowing that a bill has passed the Senate setting up a Congressional sub-committee to study legislation to prevent witnesses from refusing to testify on the grounds of self-incrimination (Fi f th Amendment). U.S. SUPREME COURT: The Court has before it five explosive cases regarding the constitutionality of segregating Negroes in public schools. Anticipating a decision against segregation, Georgia's Governor Herman E. Talmadge, has announced that his State could t ransfer public schools to private operation "in a few days." In South Carolina (Governor James Byrnes) a referendum last November eliminated from the State constitution the free public school system. The State legislature is set to give it the needed ratification if the Supreme Court's decision is against segregation. How Come Joe? . . . "Joe, this morning I took my wife to the funeral of her uncle. He was a Catholic—and this is the second time I went to a funeral in a Catho- lic Church. "I didn't want to say anything the first time, but I couldn't make out anything the preacher was saying again this morning. ''It was all in a foreign language. How come Joe?" "Oh that was the Priest saying the prayers in Latin. Of course for a sermon, it's in English—or what- ever the people talk. "The Catholic Church is every- where in the world. The services are the same thing in the jungles of Africa as in St. Patrick's Cathe- dral on F i f th Avenue. "Because she doesn't belong to any one country she uses a lan- guage that doesn't belong to any one country. And that 's Latin. "Futhermore, Latin's a 'dead' language. I mean its not the ordi- nary talk of any country. So it doesn't change like 'living' lan- guages do, and the meaning of something in Latin is just exactly the same today as it was a thousand years ago. That's a big point in re- ligious matters because gradual changes might wind up in teaching something that Christ never meant. "Furthermore, there's nothing se- cret about Latin. Anybody who wants to can study it just like any other language. And then they could understand everything the priest says. Or, for a buck or so you can get a prayer book which has the prayers in both Latin and English side by side. That's what I do and I get a kick out of being able to follow what's going on." NOTE: Servicemen can get a free NCCS Prayer Book by contacting a NCCS or USO Club — or any Catholic Chaplain.—EDITOR For the enclosed $1 send 7 issues 0* CATHOLIC MEN to: N A M E miMmM WMmm STREET- H P l E A S E P R , N T — * $ * PLEASE PRINT CITY: - Z O N E : - . . State j g & M - "Order a subscription far''a Serviceman today" 5 Book Burning! By V . REV. FRANCIS J . CONNELL, C . S S . R . Dean, School of Theology, Catholic University of America There is a lot of talk today about "book-burning," particularly in re- spect to the banning f rom our Government-controlled libraries of reading material tha t might give foreign readers false notions, es- pecially about Communism in the United States. "Book-burning," or censorship of l i terature in any of its aspects, strikes fire among those who declare tha t the people should be allowed to read anything they want. The State Department in its most recent policy statement on its book and library program announces that the content of a book will be the criterion for its selection or rejection for overseas libraries. This rescinds a previous directive— although it stood for only a few weeks—calling fo r the elimination f rom its libraries of books writ ten by Communists. Readers Misled While it would be most unreason- able to ban a book by a Communist merely because he is a Communist, yet to claim every book reader has enough intelligence and good judg- ment to read anything and every- thing without being misled is ut- terly unrealistic. This is particularly t rue in cases where books insidiously defend the philosophy of Communism, perhaps without even mentioning it. I t is not logical to declare tha t banning such books is a violation of Ameri- can- freedom, when as a mat ter of fact, the effect on many readers could easily be the acceptance of ideas diametrically opposed to our principles of freedom. Permit t ing everybody indiscrim- inately to read everything is very much like permit t ing anybody to buy any poison without any re- striction. No one objects to laws restrict- ing the sale of poison. Why then should anyone object to measures controlling the distribution of books, magazines or newspapers which would poison the minds of many readers? False Philosophies Every decent person agrees tha t obscene writ ings should be banned, but some do not seem to realize that false philosophies of l ife can also be ha rmfu l ; and can be ac- quired by those who, perhaps even reading for entertainment, have not sufficient acumen to detect false statements and false con- clusions. The very protection of our na- tional liberty demands some curbs on individual liberty—including a certain measure of censorship on books available to the public. Common sense dictates tha t rea- sonable censorship be exercised over the reading matter provided for (Continued on page 14) 6 Admit Red China to U.N. A - M M " • f - . By HARRY W . FLAN SI • j l Newspaper Editor; Vice Pyes, of Catholic Association ïgr' ÏRternational Peace •HB Wtk Should the United States recog- nize Red China and b a l P l l i admis- sion into the United Nations? Most Americans, it seems safe to say, are against such a step. Nevertheless, those who favor Mao Tse-tung's government not been stilled. They declare'it is unrealistic to refuse recogniifpppra admission for a number of reasons: 1. The Red Chinese arv n rtr facto government. They occupy and control the territory that has been historically recognized as that of China. This de facto governmentfor 450 million people cannot be ig- nored. It will not cease to rxist just because we shut our eyes to it. 2. ̂ Traditionally, recognition of a government has never meant ap- proval of its form. We now recog- nize Soviet Russia and we recog- nized Nazi Germany until the out- break of war with that government. 3. Red China, being a nation in fact, must be dealt with as a govern- ment and in trade. Nations of the East, such as India, recognize and deal with Red China, and our rela- tions with these Far Eastern na- tions are affected by our attitude toward the Communist regime. 4. So long as Red China is barred from the U.N., it is held close to Moscow, which THUS! represent its interests in that international body. With Ri | China m its own in the U.N., it migh' be cut off from Russia. ' • H P n the United States recog- inzed Red China, we would have a means of influencing its future. 6. Now is the time to demand— in return for recognition and ad- mission—that Red China withdraw from North Korea, and agree to free elections in a united Korea. , .The arguments against recogni- tion include the following: 8 h It is admitted that the Red (regime of Mao Tse-tung is a de facto government, but it gained power by aggression, and has not eliminated the de jure government of Chiang Kai-shek. The Chiang government is functioning on For- mosa, a part of China, and is still recognized by the United States, and is a member of the U.N. 2. The practice of recognizing any de facto government, however ruthlessly established, was clearly repudiated in the preamble of the Charter of the U.N., the signatories including the United States, Brit- ain, France and the Soviet. 7 8 CATHOLIC MEN October, 1953 3. The first prerequisite to United Nations membership, defined in Chapter II, Article 4, of the Char- ter, is that the member be "peace loving." This would clearly exclude Red China. On Feb. 1, 1951, the U.N. General Assembly, by a vote of 44 to 7, declared that "the Cen- tral Peoples' Government of the Peoples' Republic of China, by giv- ing direct aid and assistance to those who were already committing aggression in Korea, and by engag- ing in hostilities against United Nations forces there, has itself en- gaged in aggression in Korea." 4. Red China remains today an aggressor in Indo-China. 5. The people of China have not been given the opportunity of choos- ing their own government. They have not chosen Mao Tse-tung. No Communist government has ever been chosen in a f ree election.) 6. To assume that Red China, once admitted into the U. N. would turn away f rom Moscow, is wishful thinking. 7. Our experience with Commu- nist nations shows tha t none has ever lived up to the requirements fo r recognition. Solemn agreements have been flaunted by the ' Soviet and her satellite nations f r o m the moment World War II ended. There is no reason to believe, for example, that Red China would suddenly s tar t allowing freedom of religion —and yet tha t is one of the basic freedoms in the U. N. Charter. 8. Recognition of Red China would affect the status of the 10 million overseas Chinese in South- east Asia. Since these Chinese are influential citizens in most of South- east Asia, recognition of Mao Tse- tung would tend to throw all tha t par t of the world into Red hands. > The crux of the debate on admit- t ing Red China to the U.N. lies in the following declaration in Article 4 of the Charter referred to above; "Membership in the United Na- tions is open to all peace loving states which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and, in the judgment of the organi- zation, are able and willing to carry out these obligations." You, as a citizen of the U.S., which is a U.N. member, have a r ight to judge what the U.S. and the U.N. should decide. What is your opinion? SLOGAN SEEN ON POST CHAPEL WALL: "Live Decently—The Soul You Save May Be Your Own." MEN thne NEWS MAN OF THE MONTH. Dr. Edward J. McCor- mick, recently elected president of the American Medical Association, persuasive and powerful pro- fessional organization of medicos of the U. S. is a M. D. '15 from St. Louis University. He called for McCormick the ouster of "the small number of greedy and godless physicians who flagrantly violate the traditions of the medical profession'." WHAT THEY SAID. "Our form of government has no sense unless it is founded on a deeply felt religious faith."—President Eisenhower. . . "We have stopped the shooting.(in Korea). It is however only a step toward what must yet be done. . . . Rather it is time for prayer that we may succeed in our patiently difficult endeavor to turn this armistice to the advantage of mankind."—General Mark W. Clark, U. N. commander in the Far East. . . . "As pastor of your souls I am happy to take the responsibility for any evil which might result from different races wor- shiping God together, but I would be unwilling to take the responsibility of those who refuse to worship God with a person of another race."— Bishop Vincent S. Waters of Raleigh, North Carolina. FROM AMONG THE MANY: At the 71st annual convention of the Knights of Columbus, Attorney Luke E. Hart of St. Louis, succeeded Boston's Judge John E. Swift as Supreme Knight . . . Former Notre' Dame law dean, Dr. Clarence E. Manion, was named by President Eisenhower to head a new commission to study overlapping Federal and state functions. . . . New Assistant Secretary of Labor is 31-year-old Rocco C. Siciliano of Chicago. . . . Maj. Gen. William J. (Wild Bill) Donovan is the new U. S. Ambassador to Thailand. ABOUT STATE vs. RELIGION: Rhode Island State Education Com- missioner, Dr. Michael Walsh: "The power of the State is no more to be used as a handicap to the religions than it is to favor them." HERE AND THERE. New York actor and producer Eddie Dowling's plan for a $ ¿^million "non-sectarian" living replica of the Holy Land in Florida, built to scale, with donkey and all, ran into trouble when the local Diocese disapproved. Said the Chancery: "There can not be such a thing as a non-sectarian Christ" . . . Father John J. Hugo, chaplain of the Allegheny County Work House is looking for Catholic comic books for the 1,500 members. Address: Blaw Knox, Pa. 9 Washington, D.C. --October 1 - - "Utter nonsense" said President Eric Johnson of Motion Picture Associa- tion, at rumor that MPA would scrap its code. Nevertheless it has declared open war on all "Prior" censorship by state and municipal governments . . . . Foreign film "M", blocked out of Ohio by State Censorship Board (action up- held by State Supreme Court and appealed to U.S. Supreme Court) MAY BE TEST CASE ON WHICH ALL "PRIOR" CENSORSHIP OF FILMS WILL STAND OR FALL ! Who wants religious education for children? Answer: Mothers do! A r e - cent secular magazine poll shows that over half the U.S. mothers believe their children are not receiving an adequate religious education. Of Catholic mothers, 68 per cent want religious instruction even in public shcools--likewise 63 per cent of Protestant mothers. Jews are OPPOSED to the tune of 66 per cent. Are we wrong? Or shouldn't "separation of Church and State" agitators— in the interests of consistency—have objected to such appointments as Secre- tary of Agriculture Ezra Benson and Ambassador to Ethiopia Joseph Simonson, BOTH CLERGYMEN ! The sole public school of Catholic Johnsburg, 111., was stranded when six nuns and 197 pupils left because an irate non-Catholic housewife (mother of two pupils) filed suit against nun's teaching. How now Red Mao? During August, eight more Catholic missionaries were expelled from Communist China. Could this be the Oriental Mind's Red ver- sion of how to win friends and influence people? We indict: (1) Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey ("Sexual Behavior of the Human Female") for feeding the sex-minded at the expense of decent American respect for woman- hood; (2) the press whose cheap ballyhoo makes them an accomplice in the crime; (3) Indiana University for permitting a member of its faculty to produce suGh a book; (4) The State of Indiana for allowing its university to become involved in such an unworthy undertaking; (5) the buying public for creating a Kinsey market. Startling prediction: Mexico is the most likely of Latin American countries to go Communistic, says James Fonseca, editor of NCWC Spanish news service. Reason: Zealous red agents; dire poverty of the people; secularist education; Leftish government officials through Red infiltration. And still they grow! Two and one-half times as fast as the birth rate! 1953 U. S. church membership (all sects) reached an all-time high of 92,277,129. Catholics number 30,253,457—a gain of 3.5 per cent in 1952. Arranged by sizes: Catholics, Methodist, Baptists, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Lutherans. American POW's--turned "Progressives"--are called "Peace Crusaders" by Red Chinese Comrades. Reds steep "Crusaders" in their party line, bear- ing down heavy on idea that anti-Fascism includes anti-U.S. sentiment. Theme song for Progressives: "Bewitched, Bewildered & Beguiled. Secret orders, recent reports reveal, have been issued by Yugoslavia's Tito to stir up more "spontaneous" mob attacks on Catholic Bishops during Confirmation tours Eleven Bishops have already suffered serious injury --one was beaten and kidnaped in September. THIS IS MRS. ROOSEVELT'S "YOUTHFUL AND VAINE" TITO IN ACTION. "Catholicism is anti-Christ" is the amazing declaration of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Syhod during Houston Convention.' The extremely bitter and ridiculous charge appeared in a resolution urging firm action against marriage between Lutherans and Catholics. It castigated the agreement to raise mixed marriage children as Catholics as a "sinful promise." Odds are that you have indecent literature in your own home—right in the pages of so-called "respectable" family slick paper magizines. Some of the feature s tor- ies, romantically and luridly illustrated, are guaranteed to undermine the Christian morals of your home. Martin Durkin's resignation as Secretary of Labor fulfills the prediction heard many months ago that his would be the first major resignation in the new Adminis- tration with him goes the only major Catholic Republican appointee of the Eisenhower Government. Congress is batting . 000% on the 5 indecent literature bills introduced last session. Two passed the Senate; one was refused unanimous consent (Rep. Celler, D. , N.Y., objecting); two buried in committee. Prospects for passage next session are also just about . 000%. "Flying Missionaries" are Catholic American airmen stationed in England. Not since the Reformation has the Tight Little Isle seen such enthusiasm for Catholic events and pageants as is shown by these Yanks—whose faith and spirit are an in- spiration to native (minority) Catholics. Church and State are one in Poland all right--but that ONE is-the State! Latest Red decree makes all church appointments subject to the State. Result: THE REDS CAN HIRE AND FIRE ANY PRIEST OR BISHOP. Swiss "neutrality" (refused to join UN, NATO and Council of Europe; trades with Soviet and Red China) is coming under unceasing and heavy fire. So is its boast of "the longest natural tradition of respect for human rights." CATHOLICS THERE ARE STILL SECOND CLASS CITIZENS. Pass the spectacles to Clement R. Atlee, former British prime minister, who recently came back from Yugoslavia with a declaration that under Tito there really is freedom of religion! On second thought, IF HE'S THAT BLIND, HE NEEDS A SEEING EYE DOG. Sincerely yours, Action Award The Holy F a t h e r ha s called repea tedly f o r "Cathol ic Ac t ion" which, he says , means apostolic work of t h e la i ty in col laborat ion w i t h t h e Bishop, by organizations to mee t p roblems t h a t canno t be solved by individual act ion alone. To b r i n g to l igh t good, p rac t ica l works of Catholic Act ion now be ing done by g roups of Catholic men, and in t h e hope of encourag ing o thers , an Act ion A w a r d - o f 1953 is of fered by C A T H O L I C M E N . Rules for Action Award 1953 1. The Award—a citation and $100.00 in cash—is for an outstanding work of Catholic Action described in a written account to be submitted by the group performing the work. 2. The activity must be Catholic Action in the sense that it is per- formed by a group of lay people with the approval, expressed or implied, of the Bishop of the Diocese in which the group has its headquarters. 3. The activity must be one having been inaugurated and completed between September 1, 1952, and December 1, 1953; or a continuing or repeating activity in effect for at least three months between September 1, 1950 and December 1, 1953. U. The statement submitted must be byy an officer or active member of the group in question and approved by its Spiritual Moderator. It must not contain more than 750 words. 5. Organizations of Catholic men in the United States or its terri- tories may compete for the Award. Groups which include women in addition to men in their regular membership are eligible. 6. The activity must promote the Catholic Faith directly or indirectly in the areas of family life, business relations, legislation, communica- tions (radio, TV, press, films), labor-management relations, interracial work, conyert-making, clean literature drives, religious activities, census-taking, etc. 7. The activity must be aimed at "restoring all things in Christ," which the Holy Father describes as the objective of Catholic Action. 8. Rallies, athletic events, or similar contests, or money-raising activ- ities are not eligible. 9. Sufficient details must be given in the statement that a similar program could be carried on by another group. 10. The selection of the winning statement will be made by the editorial board of CATHOLIC MEN. 11. The statement must be submitted to the Editor, CATHOLIC MEN, 1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington 5, D. C., not later than December 1,1953. 12 \ - - - - - - - ^ FACTS ON FAITH LABELED THE "Dumb Ox" while in school, St. Thomas Aquinas later in life proved to be one of the most brilliant minds in the history of mankind. The famous saint is now the patron of schools and scholars. vHe wrote the "Summa Theologica," the masterpiece of Catholic philosophy and theology. i THE LETTERS I.N.R.I., the inscription on the Cru- cifix, are an abbreviation for the title, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," (lesus Nazarenas, Rex ludaeorum). The inscription was put on at the order of Pontius Pilate, Roman procurator of Judea, who sentenced Christ to death. A CONVERVPREPARED the way for our parochial school system in the U.S. Mother Elizabeth Seton, whose cause for beatifi- cation has been introduc- ed, entered the Church upon the death of her husband and founded a school in Baltimore. She and her comworkers later became the first Ameri- can Sisters of Charity. A GREEK CORPORAL is a cloth covered substitute for an altar stone containing relics. These corporals itary chaplains kits. are used by mil- their Mass THE PRAYERS said after Mass were % first ordered to be recited by Pope Leo y. XIII that peace might be established $ between the Italian Government and %T the Vatican. When this problem was g resolved, Pope Pius XI ordered that the % prayers be recited for the conversion M of communistic Soviet Russia. Today 5; they are still said in our churches for that purpose. & __ _ Drawn for Catholic M e n — B y Malcolm Kildale m 14 CATHOLIC MEN October, 1953 Headquarters ___ Chairmen of four of NCCM's seven national standing committees have been appointed by Francis I. Nally, president; Douglas Murphey of New York, Public Relations; Robert Otto of Cincinnati, Communications (radio, TV, press, screen) ; Thomas H. Buck- ley, of Boston, Religious Affairs; John Fitzgerald of Chicago, Legislation. Stewart Lynch of Wilmington, Del., past president of NCCM, has been reappointed to serve as NCCM's dele- gate to the International Federation of Catholic Men. NCCM has enrolled its first Military affiliate, a group of Catholics stationed at the U. S. naval base at Yokosuka, Japan. Council was started by Navy personnel, asked NCCM for advice on procedure and organization and sub- sequently applied for membership. Father Victor J . Lustig, Naval Re- serve Chaplain from the Diocese of Boise, is the Moderator. Radio for October The Catholic Hour (NBC, Sundays, 2:00-2:30 p.m., EST) : Father Dennis B. McCarthy, O.P., of Providence Col- lege, R. p ' The Christian in Action (ABC, Sundays, ll:35-Noon, EST) : Father John Dougherty of Immaculate Con- ception Seminary, Darlington, N. J . Faith in Our Time (MBS, Thurs- days, 10:15-10:25 a.m., EST) : Father Howard Rafferty, 0 . Carm, of Chi- cago. TV for October The Catholic Hour TV (Sundays, NBC-TV, 1:30 p.m., EST) will pre- sent a series of four dramatic shows by contemporary Catholic authors. Gene Lockhart will play the lead in "The Gardener Who Was Afraid of Death," by Henri Brochet, October 4. Other shows include "Fif ty Mis- sions," by Joseph Devers, and "Luci- fer at Large," by Frank Ford. The final show has not been selected. 'BOOK BURNING" (Continued from page 6) public consumption. Jus t as sen- sible parents censor what their children read, so should sensible government officials be concerned with what reading mat ter is pro- vided fo r patrons of its libraries. Those appointed to choose books fo r our libraries, whether overseas or at home, should be persons of intelligence, experience and moral integrity, with a deep love of Amer- ica and her form of government. They should be convinced tha t the strength of our nation depends in great measure on the loyalty of i ts citizens to God's law, upon which our form of government depends. Even such carefully selected per- sons may disagree on the question of accepting or rejecting a certain book. But no intelligent or up- r ight person can question the prin- ciple tha t reasonable censorship— f a r f rom being opposed to t rue Americanism—is ra ther a neces- sary means to protect it. American freedom, asserts the Declaration of Independence, is based on the belief tha t all men have been endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Ob- viously, there is no sense in f a c i - l i tating the use of books which undermine fa i th in God on the plea that we are thus safeguarding our inalienable rights. Here are the Facts! Rhyth m in Marriage By V . REV. FRANCIS -J. CONNELL, C . S S . R . Dean, School of Theology, Catholic University of America 1. What is meant by "rhythm" in marriage? It means the use of marriage rights restricted to those days of the month on which conception is not likely. 2. What difference does it make whether a couple limits the family by rhythm or by contraceptives? The use of rhythm is'natural—that is, it is in accordance with nature's laws—while the use of a contraceptive device is unnatural—that is, it frus- trates nature's laws. In practicing contraception a mar- ried couple abuse their rights; in practicing rhythm they simply omit the u.se of their rights at certain times and use them properly when they do use them. 3. What did the Pope say regarding the lawfulness of using rhythm? He has officially stated that the use of rhythm for a serious reason is law- ful; but the use of this system of limiting births without a serious rea- son is sinful. 4. What are some examples of seri- ous reasons that would justify the use of rhythm? (a) The wife is suffering from the Rh factor and most probably will not be able to give birth to a living child, (b) The couple is so hard pressed financially that they could not decently support another child, (c) They can not find housing for a larger family, (d) The husband is going to college for a year or two and during that time the wife must work. 5. If a married person through the practice of rhythm (even with a good reason) finds that he regu- larly violates chastity during the times of abstinence, is he allowed to continue to use rhythm? No. In such an event, he must re- gard the use of marriage as an obliga- tory means of avoiding sin. 6. What are some reasons which are not sufficient? (a) That two or three children are enough for any couple; (b) To have a good time while young; (c) To live in a fashionable section of the city where apartments are small. 7. Why is it a sin to use rhythm without a serious reason? Because (a) it offends God; (b) it defeats the primary purpose of mar- riage, which is the procreation of children for God's glory and the Wel- fare of society; (c) it violates the official teaching of the Church. 8. Would it be a venial or a mortal sin to practice rhythm without a serious reason? It would be a venial sin to do this for a brief time—for example, a few 15 16 CATHOLIC MEN October, 1953 months or even two or three years. But it would seem to be a mortal sin to practice rhythm for a long time, such as four or five years, without a serious reason. This is implied in the Holy Father's statement that "to embrace the married- state, continuously to make use of the faculty proper to it and lawful in it alone, and on the other hand to withdraw always and deliberately with no serious reason from its primary obligation, would be a sin against the very meaning of conjugal life." 9. How can I find out whether a rea- son is sufficient? Consult your confessor or any other Catholic priest. 10. How can a priest, who is not mar- ried, know anything about these intimate problems between a man and his wife? The priest is speaking, not by his own authority but by the authority of Christ. He is teaching what God says—not what he says or thinks. 11. What right has the Catholic Church to tell me what to do in ' such matters? The Catholic Church was estab- lished by Jesus Christ, who is God, to interpret God's word to men. She has said that it is God's law that men should use their sexual instincts pri- marily for the propagation of the race. She points out that God struck Onan dead because he did "a detestable thing."—Gen. 38:10. 12. What C o m m a n d m e n t covers rhythm and contraceptives? The Sixth Commandment forbids not only adultry and fornication but all forms of sexual sins and abuses. 13. Is it not more sensible to reave a man and his wife to their own instincts and better judgment? Christ did not think so because he came on earth to tell men how to govern their instincts in order to be pleasing to God. The Church (and therefore the priest) follows Christ's command: "Go and teach." One of these teachings is the law of God regarding rhythm. 14. What did the Holy Father say re- garding rhythm in relation to the validity of a marriage? He said that if a couple entered marriage with the intention (even on the part of one) of restricting the marriage right to certain days, the marriage would be null and void; but if they intended to restrict only the exercise or use of the marriage right to certain days, the marriage would not thereby be rendered invalid. 15. What intention would the average couple have if, at marriage, they intended to practice rhythm? Undoubtedly they would have the intention of giving each other com- plete marriage rights, but of restrict- ing only the exercise or use of those rights. Hence, the Church would never declare such a marriage invalid unless convincing proof could be offered that the intention was to restrict the right. Reprints of this Fact Sheet, $2 per 100, payment with order. CATHOLIC MEN, Washington 5, D. C. God's in the Kitchen Too! By FATHER THOMAS J . CAWLEY Editor, The Catholic Light, Scranton, Pa. Maybe you'll show this to your wife—maybe you won't. Maybe she thinks she ought to be going to weekday Mass, etc., and this will settle her conscience. When the author of Ecclesiastes declared tha t there is a definite time for everything, he was speaking to no one quite as much as to the parent who neglects home obliga- tions in order to attend daily Mass or make a novena. Had the inspired wri ter covered this particular situation, he might have said: "There is a time to at- tend Mass on weekdays and a time to get breakfas t ; a time to make the Stations and a time to make the beds; a time to complete a novena and a time to wash the supper dishes." Right Thing—Wrong Time For reasons too obvious to men- tion Solomon did not write in this vein. And it 's too bad he didn't. Then, perhaps, some husbands and more" wives would understand tha t there is no merit in doing the r ight thing at the wrong time. And at- tending weekday Mass or making a novena when doing so involves neglecting serious family obliga- tions is a splendid example of doing the r ight th ing at the wrong time. A husband's prime responsibility is to his family. A wife 's first duty is to her home. When the wife trots off to Mass, leaving her husband to get his own breakfast and pack his own lunch, she pleases neither her God nor her spouse. And when she rushes off in the evening to a novena service, even though this forces young children to prepare the sup- per or wash the dishes, she indi- cates a state of confusion tha t does no great credit to her judgment. She will sanctify her soul and gain God's blessing by being fai th- ful to her state in life. And her state in life is that of wife, mother and homemaker, not i t inerant re- ligious or part-t ime nun. God ex- pects nuns and religious to be pres- ent at daily Mass and is displeased when they spend Mass time in the kitchen. In just the same way and for precisely the same reasons, He does not expect wives to attend daily Mass and is displeased when they do, if this means neglecting the kitchen. Home Is First The unmarried woman, says St. Paul, thinks about the things of the 17 18 CATHOLIC MEN O c t o b e r , 1953 Lord, how she may please God, whereas she who is married thinks about the things of the world, how she may please her husband. This does not mean that wives must not also please God. It does mean that their first effort and pre- occupation—as wives—must lie in pleasing their husbands. When they accomplish this, all other things being equal, they will indeed be pleasing their Lord. Attending week-day Mass and making novenas is good and meri- torious as long as it does not inter- fere with serious family duties. These come first. The manner of performing them will determine a wife's holiness before God. If they are performed devotedly in a spirit of dedication, a wife is beloved of God, even though she never goes to daily Mass and never makes a pub- lic novena. If they are shirked, neglected and ignored, a wife is On Target! Q. What is meant by the Catholic doctrine: "The Virgin Birth?" A. This doctrine—which all Catholics believe—means that Christ was born of Mary—a virgin all her life. NOTE: Don't confuse this with the doctrine of the Immaculate Con- v ception, which means that Mary —unlike any other human being— was born without the stain of original sin on her soul. displeasing to God even though she opens the church each day and closes it every night. Firs t things come first and only those who realize it will occupy the first place in heaven. Book Verdicts • The Mountain—Troyat CONTENT: Character studies of two brothers COMMENT: Shows nature's im- pact on personality VERDICT: Sensitive and sympa- thetic fiction • Role of the Christian in the World for Peace CONTENT: Catholic Association analyzes world prob- lems COMMENT: View-broadening VERDICT: Timely and superior • Matt Talbot—Doherty CONTENT: Biography of a re- formed alcoholic COMMENT: Popular; stimulating VERDICT: Deserves wide read- ing—and wise giving • The Economic Thought of Msgr. John A. Ryan-Gearty CONTENT: Ethics applied to the American economic system COMMENT: Carefully documented analysis VERDICT: A contribution to American Catholic history The Editor's Page Perverted Vending Machines The disreputable prophylactic vending machine is picking up speed on its way to becoming dignified "Big Business." We used to see them once in a while in out-of-the-way places. But lately they have begun to appear much more frequently and prominently in public places such as filling stations and taverns. Drop a coin in a machine and out comes a contraceptive device hygien- ically packaged and all set to do its efficient job of promoting promiscuity and frustrating the real purpose of the sexual instinct. The vendors are doing all right for themselves—but as far as God, basic Christian morality and common decency are concerned, they are doing all wrong. This contemptible perversion of the vending machine idea should Jse stopped. And it is up to YOU and your organization to do it. Prophylactic vending machines should be abolished for the simple and obvious reason that they are an open approval and encouragement to sin. It's bad enough to have contraceptives sold "under the counter," but to have them practically shoved in your face is, to say the least, a crime against God-respecting traditional American decency. With constant reminders in the flesh, plus calendars, magazine covers, books and what have you, a man is teased and tempted on all sides enough as it is. And now the vending machine is made to fit right into the picture. In complete harmony with the world, the flesh, and the devil, it flashes its chromiest smile and says: "Here you are, my boy! For 25 cents you can have your fun—and protection too!" You haven't seen these machines? Weil, you must be the exception. They are there alright, to tempt you, your son, his pals—and your daugh- ter's boy friend. And as far as Gl Joe is concerned, wherever Servicemen hang out the machines are almost sure to be. Consult your pastor; form a committee; check the taverns, public lava- tories and filli ng stations. Report your facts to the proper authorities and ask for appropriate action under the law. If there is no adequate law start working for one at once. You might consider enlarging your committee by adding a few leading non-Catholics—ministers and laymen. Every decent man will recognize the degenerate effect of vending contraceptives in public places. Then call upon the tavern and filling station owners in a friendly way and ask them to cooperate. A good percentage will play batl right off the bat. Removing P. V. machines won't make saints out of sinners but it will go a long way toward helping many a man keep a cleaner conscience. impili CHAPLAIN'S CLINIC FOR BRUISED AND DAMAGED SOULS T-Tjr • « mam Goofing-Off!' MALADY—"Goofing-off," "Fouling-up," is the at t i tude of a man in the service who thinks tha t everybody f rom the General on down to his immediate NCO is "agin" him. The man who resents all attempts to tell him what and when and why to do any- thing. SYMPTOMS—He is the perennial 8-Ball. The thorn in the side of the bay, the outfit, the service as a whole. Shows in a man when he immediately thinks tha t everybody is picking on him because he has KP next Saturday or CQ when he wanted to go to a particular show, etc., etc. This man, in his heart , plans ways and means to dodge work, responsibility, any knuckling down to authority. R E M E D Y ^ T h e CATHOLIC Serviceman should be a good soldier, airman, sailor, because GOD said tha t "all authority comes from above"—Let's face facts, buddy: the military is NOT a DEMOC- RACY. I t can't be—no one would ever be on KP or OD if he could help it. The good Catholic is trained to respect and obey authority. The military is founded on AUTHORITY and DISCIPLINE. So is the Church. A realization tha t disobedience is a sin is a sure cure for lack of respect f o r authority. REFLECTIONS—Certainly all CO's and Top Kicks aren ' t saints—in any sense of the t e rm! "But they represent authority. All Popes weren't saints either—yet CHRIST gave them infallibility and sweeping authority. Don't make your Church ashamed of you . . . an O'Brien, Kelly, Falcone, is sure to be known—or thought to be —Catholic. And when you "goof-off"—as the saying goes—"You don't show nobody nothin!"