THE CATHOLIC HOUR

AS AN AMERICAN
BY

DR. GEORGE F. DONOVAN

President of Webster College

AUG 28*946

The tenth in a series of addresses by prominent Catholic laymen

entitled “THE ROAD AHEAD,” delivered in the Catholic Hour, broad-
cast by the National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with the
National Council of Catholic Men, on August 11, 1946 by Dr. George F.

Donovan; President of Webster College, Webster Groves, Missouri.

After the series has been concluded on the radio, it will be made
available in one pamphlet.

National Council of Catholic Men

Washington, D. C.



AS AN AMERICAN

It is easy to be satisfied with

one’s condition in life. Despite

the war and the immediate post-

war problems, some men see in

their imagination a peaceful se-

curity in the seclusion of their

homes or in the rooms of an

apartment house. From a local

point of view there are some

who are justifying their present

contentment.

In a way it is not difficult for

one to say, and it has been said

many times, “I am an Ameri-

can,” and to be thoroughly satis-

fied with all that statement im-

plies. In over a century and a

half of American history too

many citizens of the United

States have considered it suffi-

cient to pay respect to the lofty

traditions of our constitutional

government and the high ideals

of our nation. Our country is

prosperous, our nation has never

lost a war, the idea that there

is no other land in the world

like the United States, or no

other man like an American, rep-

resents a spirit and a situation

of complete gratification. In a

way, all that is true, but it

should not remain that way.

At the present time high in-

comes, satisfactory employment,

and the growing abundance of

goods and services, tend to make

man all the more comfortable

and tranquil-going in his atti-

tude toward life and, especially,

toward his fellow-Americans.

There are some who feel that

the dignity of man is reflected

in the self-satisfied American

who pays his bills, joins a local

organization, supports commun-

ity relief appeals, and in the

evening looks forward to seating

himself leisurely beside a radio,

and with his cigar and a liquid

refreshment—he is all set.
From time to time such a man

calls himself a friend of labor,

the champion of reform, and a

true American citizen and, yet, a

brief examination reveals that

he has never subscribed to a pro-

gressive measure under discus-

sion in Congress or the state

legislature, nor has he identified

himself with a program aimed to

protect the public as a whole,

nor has he advocated the repeal

of laws and policies discriminat-

ing against minorities. Certain-

ly such a man has neither a pub-

lic nor a private conscience. To

him the dignity of man is

smothered in his own deep-

rooted selfishness and greedy

outlook toward life.

Is there an answer to this in-

difference, to this blackout of in-

terest in our fellow-Americans,



to this blindness** toward the in-

justice practiced in our human

relations? Is there not a way

to revive the dignity of man in

the American scene? There is a

reply which manifests itself in

three areas: political life, eco-

nomic relations, and education.

It does not take an overly

astute ... student of American

affairs to recognize the fraud

and dishonesty practiced by

some of our public officials both

in high and low places. We all

hear of the pressure exerted on

members of our legislatures, of

the offers and acceptances of

bribes, of the lack of fairness

in the administration of the law.

The political machine is still

known to be important. The

boss still secures silent and re-

spectful obedience, and even the

public gives adulation and praise

to demagogues and to public

leaders who have betrayed the

confidence placed in them by the

citizens. Mere man, in this

great maelstrom of political in-

stability, is certainly not clothed

in dignity. He has lost practi-

cally all his own influence for

the good of the common welfare.

The answer to this problem is

to be found in an enlightened

and determined citizenry who

have the courage to pursue the

American way of fair play and

justice to all citizens, irrespect-

ive of their race, creed, color, or

status in life. The steps for re-

establishing this impartial out-

look are:

1) An attitude of mind lead-

ing to the belief and the under-

standing that it is important to

every American citizen to par-

ticipate effectively and to the

full in the public life of our

country.

2) The establishment of a

more complete and long-range

program of education for our

youth on the principles and prac-

tices of American government

beginning with the town and

going all the way up to the fed-

eral Government itself, such a

course should run from the ele-

mentary grade school through

the college and university levels.

3) Participation in move-

ments designed to promote

equality of opportunity for as-

suming responsibility in gov-

ernment among the people, par-

ticularly in the institution of

such practices as the initiative,

referendum, the recall, the ex-

tension of the merit system,

greater scrutiny of public

funds, and a more adequate ex-

pression of opinion on public



questions by the rank and file in

Government service.

4) The support of programs

destined to spread democratic

benefits among the citizens, es-

pecially in the removal of unfair

voting restrictions, raising of

the salary scale and promotional

standards in public positions,

and the expansion of educational

and medical facilities through-

out the nation.

A lack of understanding of

our government is manifested in

the failure of many Americans

to recognize the inferior posi-

tion of man in our economic life.

The economic dignity of man has

suffered much. Many Americans

have not completely seen the

necessity of fighting those evils

which have threatened and

lowered the economic status of

many of our fellow-citizens. Low

wages, high prices, plus arbi-

trary control of prices and

goods, strong monopolies, inse-

curity, especially in old age and

for persons disabled by accident

or illness, the great expansion

of the apartments and hotels as

the so-called substitute for the

American home, the wide dis-

crimination, especially in secur-

ing and holding a job, and con-

ducting a business, are among

some of the modern practices of

American economic life that tend

to reduce and break down the

dignity of man.

The answer to these economic

problems is not hard to find. The

endorsement of a program

involving a living wage for a

man and his family, reasonable

prices that will give a fair profit

to the producer, and quality and

service to the consumer, the ex-

tension of both public and pri-

vate security to all Americans,

such as domestic workers, em-

ployees of non-profit organiza-

tions, and rural workers, the rec-

ognition of collective bargain-

ing, the abolition of racial, re-

ligious, and economic discrimi-

nation, greater freedom in the

establishment of business, espe-

cially small business enterprises,

greater opportunity in purchas-

ing one’s own home, are the an-

swer.

These solutions may be accom-

plished through a strong coop-

erative, mutual organization of

all the groups concerned and if

their efforts do not succeed en-

tirely, or fail, then government

has the obligation to step in for

the purpose of providing for the

common welfare of the distress-

ed and handicapped citizens.

As one who has had the ex-

perience of living in an indus-



trial community and working in

a factory, I recall very well one

manufacturing concern owner

who dedicated hik life to the wel-

fare of his employees and their

families, not in a paternalistic

role, but as a leader who recog-

nized his essential obligations to

his fellowman. His workers

shared in the management,

assisted in formulating policies,

received a portion of the profits,

took part in sales discussions

and assumed many other obli-

gations within the company.

The result was very evident.

High wages, year-round em-

ployment, satisfactory working

conditions, friendly relations be-

tween the workers and the em-

ployers and never a strike in the

entire history of the industry.

An exception, yes, but it could

easily be the rule.

In addition to the political

and economic dignity of man as

factors in American success and

happiness, there are also some

educational implications which

are pertinent. The United

States has seen the growth of

two systems of education—pub-
lic and non-public. Many of the

non-public schools are controlled

by the churches. Both systems

of education, public and non-

public, train children for partis

cipation in American democratic

life.

Under the Constitution, Am-

erican parents are assured of

freedom of education. They may

send their children to either a

public school or a non-public

school. In the celebrated Ore-

gon School case the Supreme

Court of the United States ruled

that no state law could abridge

this fundamental American free-

dom by compelling parents to

send their children only to the

public schools.

Likewise, under our Constitu-

tion, parents are guaranteed

freedom of religion. They may

worship God according to the

dictates of their consciences.

Furthermore, they may choose

for the education of their chil-

dren a school where religion is

taught along with the other

subjects. Any state or local law

which would prohibit parents

from enrolling their children in

church controlled schools would

be declared unconstitutional by

our courts.

Although freedom of educa-

tion and freedom of religion are

guaranteed rights of every Am-

erican citizen, in many cases

American parents cannot exer-

cise these rights. I know of a

small community where the ma-



jority of parents would prefer to

send their children to a paro-

chial school. This preference is

based upon sound religious con-

victions. Nevertheless, these

parents are sending their chil-

dren to a public school—why?
The state will not provide any

public funds for a parochial

school. The parents and the other

members of the religious group

have low incomes. They simply

cannot afford the cost of erect-

ing and maintaining a parochial

school in addition to paying

high taxes for the public school.

Technically, therefore, these par-

ents enjoy freedom of education

and freedom of religion, but it

seems to me these freedoms will

have little practical meaning in

their lives unless the state

adopts a fairer method of dis-

tributing public funds for edu-

cational purposes.

The answer, simple and direct,

according to traditional Ameri-

can practices, should be to give

all parents the same opportuni-

ties to participate equally and

fully in all educational plans

and curricula so that the parent

who desires to send his children

to a non-public school where a

belief in God is taught may do

so without impairing his own

financial status or depriving

himself or his children of public

funds which should be available

to all Americans. This program

of equal distribution of public

funds should begin on the local

level so far as grade and high

schools are concerned and on the

state level for higher education.

If necessary in larger areas, I

believe the national government

has a responsibility to step in

and provide funds for students

who wish to secure an education.

This is fair play. It is the rec-

ognition of dignity in the par-

ent who exercises the right to

send his children to the school

which his conscience selects.

All through these areas, poli-

tical, economic, and educational,

where Americans may and,

should participate, there is ever

present the idea of a permanent

place of instruction from which

the interest, the leadership, and

the action should emerge. That

place is the family. A stable,

happy family where there are

just and understanding relations

between the husband and wife,

between the father and the son,

the mother and the daughter,

where there is no room for un-

happiness and where there will

not be any divorce.

Such principles rooted in a

true family life may be easily



translated into the political, eco-

nomic, and educational fields

where opportunities will be pro-

vided for the recognition of the

obligations of the American

citizen to his government, to his

occupation, and to the educa-

tion of his children.

God in His greatness and

kindness will then give, as He

does to the family, that love of

fellowman, a love which re-

spects the conscience of man,

which stresses the loyalty of man

to the state through citizenship

and which permits economic co-

operation among groups and

which will make man a better

American citizen. Through these

means the dignity of man will

be appreciated and the citizen

of these United States will be

more proud than ever before to

say, “I am an American.”

4



; J 3 2223

THE CATHOLIC HOUR
1930—Seventeenth Year—1946

The nationwide Catholic Hour was inaugurated on

March 2, 1930, by the National Council of Catholic Men

in cooperation with the National Broadcasting Company

and its associated stations. Radio facilities are provided

by NBC and the stations associated with it; the pro-
gram is arranged and produced by NCCM.

The Catholic Hour was begun on a network of 22

stations, and now carries its message of Catholic truth

on each Sunday of the year through a number of sta-

tions varying from 90 to 110, situated in 40 states, the

District of Columbia, and Hawaii. Consisting usually '

of an address, mainly expository, by one or another of

America's leading Catholic preachers—though some-
times of talks by laymen, sometimes of dramatizations

—and of sacred music provided by a volunteer choir,
the Catholic Hour has distinguished itself as one of the

most popular and extensive religious broadcasts in the

world. An average of 100,000 audience letters a year,
about twenty per cent of which come from listeners of

other faiths, gives some indication of its popularity and

influence.

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Huntington, Indiana