Editorial Comments

Media

Part of The Cross

Title: Editorial Comments
Language: English
Year: 1950
Rights
Abstract: Witnesses to the stoning
The unfree "Free Press"
Of traffic rules and encyclicals
For veterans: a new fight!
Let's pass the plate for political henchmen!
Archbishop Reyes: "The time is short!"
SOS!!! teachers
Fulltext: 10 WITNESSES TO THE STONING Editorial Comment On our cover this month we offer o picture of communists ond their sotellites stoning the Catholic Church, while standing by approvingly are the biosed ond the bigots—ond, may we add, the indifferentists. As adroit, clever and skillful as the Communists are in concealing the truth, it will come out despite the best of their efforts. They hove channelled all the news regarding the case of Josef Cardinal Mindszenty. But recently the US State Department released an affidavit written and signed by a Bulgarian citizen, Michael Shipkov, giving a factual account of the brutal techniques used by the Communists to extract "confessions" from innocent persons. This record brings the whole world closer to the truth behind the trial of Cardinal Mindszenty. It should convince any reasonable person, who may still have the slightest doubt, thot there is no such thing as justice or a free or fair trial under Soviet Power. It should stimulate all decent people to add their voices to the clamor of world opinion against the outrages to truth, justice and human freedom perpetrated against the Catholic Church, against such men as Cardinal Mindszenty, Archbishop Stepinac, Lutheran Bishop Ordass, and the American Robert Vogeler. One of the blackest spots of humanity are those who would stand by silent while Communists stone to death such men or the Church they represent,—those who would keep silence while Communists moke a mockery of truth, justice ond human freedom. 5 THE CROSS THE UNFREE “FREE PRESS” The Free Press boasts that if must be true to its name and be free to publish any facts or criticisms ogainst onybody. Thus it defends itself for some of its ottocks, among others, for the attacks it publishes against the Catholic Church. But sometimes we think it prates too much about its freedom. In fact, we suspect that its favorite writers are not free to publish completely true pictures of certain, events. Or is it that they are just blind and ignorant? We think the former. An example in point. The well-known Leon Ty has been writing at great length about the Buenavista case. Long columns of indignant sentences have poured from his pen. He seemed to be quoting facts, facts — nothing but facts. But for a capable writer, his long columns avoided — studiously avoided — mention of a very important fact in the Buenavista case. Namely, that the Buenavista property, for which the government paid P5,000,000 has a current market value of 20 to 25 million pesos. In purchasing this property for such a low sum, the government made a magnificent bargain, the like of which we cannot discover in recent yeors. The Free Press boasts that it must freely publish facts. But in practice it seems carefully to avoid mentioning some very pertinent and important facts such as the above. More on the same subject. The unfree Mr. Ty emphatically stated that the government had no need to buy the Buenavista Estate recently because it had offered P3,000,000 (the supposed contract price) for the same, in November, 1944. Mr. Ty, you are guilty of one of the most abominable defects of a journalist, namely, of stating a half-truth. Yes, the government in November, 1944, did offer to poy P3,000,000 as you stated, — but the P3,000,000 wos in MICKEY MOUSE MONEY, Which you did not state. It Is not at all surprising that the Archbishop of Manila refused the ridiculous offer, indignantly refused it, even at the risk of antagonizing the Japanese Military police. Appraising you, Mr.< Ty, as a man of acute intelligence, we know that you knew that this offer was made in MICKEY HOUSE money, — but you did not mention it! It seems to us that Ty is not free, nor is the Free Preu free, — except to publish what it wants to be free about. MAX. 1950 OF TRAFFIC RULES AND ENCYCLICALS Labor Day speeches and parades are as inevitable as the working man. Come Labor Day working men ond women march in colorful parade under the summer heat, listen for hours to speeches on the dignity of labor, rights of the workirfgman, ond so forth, and go home sweating like race horses. The next day the periodic speeches are forgotten along with the workingman who once again falls in line for another year of raw deal in the economic world. Why don't we be frank and admit labor speeches and parades do nobody any good — except perhaps Don Soriano's Coca Cola empire. If employers, workers and labor leaders intend to profit from the Labor hqliday, let them spend the day ot home reading the Pope's great encyclicals on labor — Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno. US Secretary of Labor Maurice J. Tobin has this to say about these two great works on labor: “How many Catholics have taken the trouble to study them (Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno)? How many Catholics have copies in their desk and libraries? I am going to be extremely frank about this matter. I do not see how any Catholic employer or worker can satisfy his conscience until he has studied these encyclicals and gotten from them a clear idea of his rights and his duties. Very few of us would be uniting to drive a car downtown without knowing the basic traffic regulations. Yet many Catholics, managers and workers alike, will drive through business transactions without taking the trouble to learn the moral traffic regulations.” So—Come Labor Day save that LD-allowance and order instead the "Five Great Encyclicals" from your favorite Catholic Bookstore. It costs no more than Pl.20 postpaid. The CROSS will be glad to place your order. ippine Veterans have seen and felt more; they have seen ond felt death itself icily coming by the inches. The war js over. But the peace they have expected to follow has not come. Have they fought in vain? Will they see another nightmare? Veterans Of an inhuman war are bewildered. FOR VETERANS: A NEW FIGHT! Blood, sweat, and tears! In their gruesome struggles for the blessings of a lasting peace, Phil• Realizing that man of himself is powerless to build the peace that the world cannot give, the Last Man's Club, William H. Jutras Post No. 43, THE CftOSS American Legion (Manchester, N. H.) recently adopted a resolution to silently pray for peace for one minute every day at noon. The members resolved to pause for pne minute in the midst of our daily task, at It o’clock noon each day, and raising our heart and mind toward God, ask Him to help us adjust our international differences to enable the nations of the world to secure an equitable and abiding peace. The resolution went on to urge "spiritual, civic and business leaders" to promote this idea through their own organizations, to the end that it might become a universal custom. The idea has spread rapidly not only in the United States, but in other countries as well. Msgr. Matthew F. Brady, Bishop of Manchester, said: "It is a pleasure to endorse and encourage this movement, which leads men, to realize the power of God and the dependence of all humanity upon His . divine omnipotence.. The Governor of Michigan issued a proclamation endorsing the plan. American Legion Posts, units of Gold Star Mothers, many schools and universities, church groups and business firms have taken up the practice. Will our Philippine Veterans, and other organizations, follow suit? For further information write the Chairman, Prayer-for-Peace Movement, 5201 38th St., N. W. Washington 15, D. C. -_______ . ________ . ____ In an April editorial we pointed PLATE out that if Congress honestly seeks to promote efficiency in government HENCHMEN. corporations and offices, its venerable members should stop filling them with their political henchmen. Apparently Congress hasn’t learned the lesson. Recently it castigated the Central Bank for its inefficiency. The Central Bank countered: "Now be reasonable. How can you expect us to be efficient with all the political protegees you threw into our officel" Congress, it must be said, brought it upon itself. In the various government offices, there are hundreds, nay thousands of capable of hardworking officials. But their best efforts are frustrated by the inexperienced political favorites who surround them. A choin is no stronger than its weakest link. A Suggestion. Let’s have the YLAC, CWL, Knights of Columbus and all our charitable organizations, team up for a BIG CHARITY DRIVE to raise funds solely for the political protegees and relatives HAY, 1950 of our Congressmen. We could build a Charity House for these poor henchmen where we could nurse and feed them for their Congressmen until they become serviceable again come election time. -This will save our government millions in salaries to useless "gentlemen of leisure" now gracing the tables of government offices ond corporations. Wot soy our readers? Any suggestions? We have no doubt that our ARCHBISHOP REYES: little magazine is being read. A good “THE TIME IS SHORT!” number of our subscribers hove written to tell us that they "devour" it or "read it from cover to cover". Our unselfish ond unpaid contributors assure us thot this in itself is compensation enough for their hard work. But this is one time when we BEG our READERS to READ and MEDITATE on a very important document of our time appearing in our magazine. We refer to the first Pastoral Letter of His Grace, Archbishop Gpbriei Reyes of Manila. (Please see page 19) This Letter contoins succinctly all thot the CROSS has tried to impart to its readers in so many fumbling words during its four years and four months of fragile existence. The CROSS moy have foiled in its efforts. May this Letter now open the eyes of its readers to the real picture of Catholicism in our blessed land. This is one reason why we want to make sure that every CROSS reader “devours" the Pastoral Letter of His Grace. No CROSS reader —and no Catholic, for that matter—can claim to be one with the Mystical Body of Christ unless he thinks and feels and acts with the visible head of that Body. And in this particular case—with the local visible head — Archbishop Gabriel Reyes. In the words of Archbishop Reyes: "The apathy ond indifference of even our educated Catholics to the cause of the Church ond of Christ our King—this is our reol- sorrow and matter of concern, . . . When will that sleeping colossus, (Filipino Catholicism) the country's one greatest hope for survival, unify and greatness, finally awake and make its power felt? The time is growing short!" Recent graduations of hundreds QAC t! t rri? a ruoDa teachers from Catholic schools canbOSL. TEACHERS not but fi|| the Cotho|ic heort wjth joy. This means hundreds more of "Christophers" teaching by word ond example the Catholic way of life. 10 THE CROSS Teachers are missionaries In their own right. Fother Keller (see page 18) numbers them among the most powerful forces for good. Philippine teachers especially, because of their meagre salary, deserve our unqualified praise for their unselfish sacrifices. Many of them could turn to more lucrative ventures, but they stick to teaching purely out of love for it. But what should be said of teachers in missionary areas like the Mountain Province? Certainly, they must be made of “sterner stuff". Of more sturdy heroism. Five missionary schools from the Mountain Province have sent us an appeal for such teachers. The priest who wrote us said: "Who will come to our rescue? Who will help the Rev. Fathers ond Sisters in their educational work on'behalf of the poor people of the Mountain Province? FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, HELP US!" This appeal is from the heart. It is also straight to the heart of teachers schooled in Christ’s Academy of Love. Teaching in the Moun-. tain Province demands more ruggedness 'of character, more extraordinary sacrifices, and deeper spiritual motives. It is like'a call for volunteers to scale the ru^gedest and toughest spots of Iwo Jima. We would like to think that teachers coming from our Catholic schools ore equol to this task. Thot they hov^ enough spark of the love of Christ to be able to give up the comforts of home for His little ones. If not, then Catholic education along that line has been a failure. If ony teacher reads this editorial, moy God give him or her the daring and the will to answer ony of the following colls: From St. Joseph's School, Kiangan (Ifugao) Lady teacher or married male teacher to teach History, Tagalog and be Moderator of Athletics. From St. Vincent's School, Bontoc Male teacher to teach General Science, or Biology, English, Tagalog ond Sports. From St. Teresita's High School, Tabuk (Kalinga) Three teachers for the three first years of High School. From Bokod Catholic School, Bokod (Benguet) One teacher to teach English and Tagalog. From Don Bosco's School, Lagawe, (Ifugao) One teacher for History and Science. FOR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT REV. OSCAR DELTOUR, C.I.C.M. Belgian Fathers, 14th Street cor. Gilmore Ave., Quezon City, (Tel. 6-81-82).