This pamphlet was conceived in enthusiasm by men and women who are bristling with PEP to build a Beautiful Church in St. James Parish. They are impatiently waiting: they are clamoring for action. They want YOU to know what they propose doing. They hope you will be with them. Don't look for a seat in the Grand Stand -- People who do things move -- the disinterested sit and watch -- Our Parish Big Drum is beating a marching tune -- "LET'S GO."
It was evening, shadows in St. James Church were fantastic as they formed in the many colored lights that passed through the art glass windows. A young man and woman knelt in the front pew, they apparently had some special purpose in making a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. Outside the laughter of children could be heard and the shouts of boys playing baseball in the street. The young couple left and the church was empty, the light burned before the Blessed Sacrament and this was the only indication of our Christian belief of the presence of Christ in the Tabernacle. Evening after evening the loneliness in the church is the same, undoubtedly parishioners pass by the door, the men perhaps raise their hats but there is little or no inclination to pause for a moment and make a visit.
We envy those parishes where the neighbors and the pastor meet each evening in the church and after they have made a visit to the Blessed Sacrament recite the Rosary.
Neighbors of Our Lord should be friendly and accept his invitation to drop in frequently, If you believe in His presence don't treat Him as if He had the small pox.
Many parents will soon be thinking of the reopening of school and to save expense some of our Catholic people might permit the thought to pass through their minds of sending their children to the public school.
Yes, we admit it means a saving for the time being, but it may cost you a great deal later on and you may pay for broken dreams with tears. A child is like a cake or a concrete walk, you can't tell what you're going to have until it is too late for reconstruction. As a rule you can't expect the finished mass to give indications of better material than you put into it.
Margaret McDonnell, accompanied by the Lawless family and Mr. and Mrs. McGann, went on a trip last week to Arcadia.
Mrs. John J. Purcell, 1324 Graham Ave., mother of Michael, Anna Marie and Margaret, died at her home on June 28th and was buried from St. James Church July 1st. Her funeral and wake were attended by a considerable number of her neighbors by whom she was highly respected, and many others from the city at large. Condolence is extended to her husband and bereaved family. May she rest in peace.
Chas. Klasek, Jr. sent us a card on July 24th saying he was having a fine time at the Catholic boys camp.
Mrs. Nellie Weidemann, sister of Mrs. J. A. Bisso, died July 15th in Richmond Heights. She had been ill for 3 weeks. She leaves a husband and two small children, the youngest of whom is 2 years old. May she rest in peace.
Real Estate. If you are contemplating purchasing a home see the houses that are for sale in the Florence Subdivision on Louisville Ave. south of Dale; also two very pretty bungalows at 6478-82 Lloyd Ave. and the cottages and bungalows in the Leahy Subdivision directly east and south of the Rectory. All these are modern homes of from 4 to 6 rooms and judging from the prices asked, many of them are bargains.
Twelve members of the Virgin Mothers Sodality decided at their last meeting to go on Retreat on Saturday, September 12th, at 3 p.m. to the Little Flower Retreat House, 2500 South 18th Street. The expense is estimated to be about $5. The Retreat will close Monday morning. Other young ladies desiring to join the group should communicate with Miss Genevieve Mahon or Miss Margaret Irvin. The Sodality will hold its next meeting Tuesday, August 4. Among the activities of the society are visits to the aged poor.
Mrs. Cullen is on a trip to Chicago to visit her daughter, where the stork is expected.
That a man claimed to be God.
He proved His claim by stupendous miracles among which He cured the lame, gave sight to the blind and caused the dead to rise from the grave.
A God could do no more.
He was crucified. He arose from the grave and was seen by hundreds of his compatriots.
He entrusted His teaching to a few undistinguished men who, though they were executed, changed the whole course of civilization, and have been as He foretold, a most vital influence all the actions, customs, and laws of the human family for over a period of 1900 years.
These, His Disciples, termed an organization at His command that has preserved its identity and continued its mission with unchanging vigor down through the years.
They called it The Church.
It has a long and eventful history and has mortised itself into all history, The general history of the past 1900 years cannot be intelligently wrttten by those who oust from its pages the influence of The Church. It has kept in the forefront or all great movements and its influence in scientific research may be gauged from the fact that it has been entrusted with the keeping of the calendar by which hours, days, years, and centuries are recorded. This is Sunday, August 2nd, 1931, because The Church has counted the days and years since the birth of Christ.
This organization has guarded with profound reverence, the Cave in which Christ was born, and erected upon it a magniticent temple. It has kept sacred the tomb in which He rested, and preserved in part the cross on which He died. The original founders have temples built over their tombs and their remains are enshrined and preserved among the reliquaries of the past. The oldest Christian Churches are dedicated to the Apostles and the Popes have kept the key to shrines. The vast ancient Christian Bascilicas are in the service and possession of the Catholic Church. Their walls are hoary with years and their cornerstone laying ceremony was directed by a Pope. The ancient Church was and is the Catholic Church.
In each of these churches there has been since their erection a Sanctuary separating the clergy from the laity.
There has also been an Altar at which priests have served and upon which the mystic rite of the Eucharist has been celebrated.
The Mass is the ancient Christian form of public worship. It was instituted by Christ at His last supper and its sacred character was never seriously questioned till Martin Luther ridiculed its solemn significance.
Before the printing press was invented, books were written. The most extensive collection of these manuscripts are preserved in the Vatican library.
The laudable ambition of an American millionaire has financed a committee to index these literary treasures. After years of labor their work is yet incomplete.
The most antique of ancient ecclesiastical books is the famous "Stowe Missal." This little book of Irish origin is, says the Catholic Encyclopedia, one of our most priceless liturgical treasures.
The Church properly means the ancient Christian organization that was governed by an ecclesiastical hierarchy of Bishops with a Pope at their head.
St. Peter was the first pope. He was appointed by Christ, and was commissioned to "feed the lambs and sheep," The other Apostles were Bishops and ruled with him over Christ's flock.
The Acts of Apostles record that Peter without further appointment was chairman of the meeting that selected a substitute for Judas.
The popes who immediately succeeded him were Linus, Cletus and Ignatius. They or their legates presided at all the General Councils.
The Church has always claimed to be of Divine Institution and to be divinely protected.
God has frequently given assurance of its divine mission by giving to individual members power to work miracles. These are special and extraordinary powers vouchsafed by God only to a few and primarily for the spiritual good of others. Sometimes God makes use instrumentally of contact with the relics of the Saints or visits to Sacred Shrines for this purpose.
In this Continent there are many sacred shrines. The most recently established is one in Montreal dedicated to St. Joseph. In this shrine there is after a few years a pile of crutches too numerous to be loaded on a furniture wagon - the silent testimony of those who claimed they were miraculously cured of various physical ills.
In France there is the Shrine of Lourdes which is without a rival in popularity throughout the world. The Southern Railway Company reckons that Lourdes station receives over a million travellers every year.
The Bureau des Constutations stands near the Shrine and there are recorded and cheeked the certificates of maladies and also the certificates of cures; it is free to all physicians whatever their nationality or religious belief. From two to three hundred physicians annually visit this clinic; 3,962 cures were recorded in the first half century of the Shrine's existence. Among the cures affected have been blindness, cancers, tuberculosis, etc. Doctor Richet, Professor of the Medical Faculty of Paris said in the course of a long article in the Annals of Science: "On reading the record unprejudiced minds cannot but be convinced that the facts stated are authentic."
There exists no natural cause capable of producing the cures witnessed at Lourdes. The chemical composition of the water of the Grotto has been examined and the analysis shows no curative properties of a natural character. The unbiased mind is compelled to trace them back to the particular agency of God.
Evidence of the supernatural is so frequent in The Church, Catholic people have to be restrained from a too easy acceptance of the miraculous.
They flock to Novenas and Shrines whenever they have an urgent need which God alone seems capable of relieving, and non-Catholics have a disposition, which would not stand a critical analysis, to follow them. An instance of this may be recalled in the recent notoriety which drew millions to the tomb of Father Powers, necessitating Cardinal O'Connell to have the cemetery closed in which the priest's grave is and to whose remains the reputed miracles have been attributed.
It is easy for one who is prejudiced to identify these with superstition, delusion, priest-craft. etc., but the facts remain that miraculous cures are frequently occurring and men of science who deny the Supernatural cannot explain them. "A natural force of which we are ignorant" is the best they can offer, or "a strange phenomenon."
If this is the case who sets the natural force in motion?
Why should the law operate for some and not for others? Moreover there cannot exist a law producing instantaneously the regeneration of tissues affected with lesion. Restoration of this kind - and this is a scientific fact - is the result of increase and growth of protoplasms and cells. Christian Science may cure nervous trouble, will power may reestablish health gradually but we have yet to learn of a single instance recorded where cells were instantly renewed and lesions were in a moment rebuilt except in the miracles recorded by the Church.
The Catholic Church has attracted men of the greatest minds, men too who inherited prejudice to its claims and who like John Henry Newman, openly advocated its destruction, and later, became its most distinguished defender.
Robert Hugh Benson, son of Archbishop of Canterbury who was sufficiently distinguished to be buried in Wesminster Abbey, resigned his ministry and died a priest.
Only the very ignorant now openly attribute evil propensities to the Catholic Church. There is a change in the temper of the times. Protestantism is becoming more confused about its tenets. Twenty years ago every Protestant would defend with his life the inspiration of the Scriptures, the rebirth through Baptism and the Divinity of Christ. Today Protestantism is like the parts of a ship wrecked at sea, the storm of paganism is drifting the various denominations farther asunder. Many ministers are stranded on the rocks of rationalism. They doubt the reality of all the hand cannot touch or the microscope discover. They are changing their views like men who have no revelation. Their hope of Salvation is in Science; they view the Scripture like a city editor examining the copy of a rooky reporter, it may or may not be facts that are recorded, "please blue pencil the parts you don't like to accept," and as to the Divine personality involved in the report, he may or may not have said or done the things recorded, or He may have been just a symbol or an expression of a desire, but it does not matter anyhow, live your own life in your own way, you can't be condemned to any sufferings anyhow after death, because - and we say this though we denounce dogma, "There is no Purjratory and there is no Hell."
The common-sense plain people and those of education do not expect any revelation from the pulpit except such as involves current topics and prohibition. Consequently church-going is on the wane.
There are many exceptions we hope among the ministers to this general retreat from old time protestantism. We rather liked the sincerity of the old-fashioned protestant who firmly defended the bible and Salvation through Christ. This was Christian and though it often was associated with a healthy dislike of the Pope and Catholicity, it was nevertheless a safeguard to Christian ideals.
Mr. Michael Nestor, father of Mrs. Hugh McVey Jr., 1434 Tamm Ave., was buried from St. Luke's Church in the early part of the month. May he rest in peace.
Mrs. Chas. Billings, 6408 Lloyd Ave., underwent a serious operation recently at the Missouri Baptist Sanitarium. She came home last week.
Miss Margaret Herbert spent eight or nine days at St. Mary's Hospital suffering from an attack of malaria. She ran a fever of 106 several days and her condition was regarded as very critical.
John Houlihan, son of John G. Houlihan, 6744 Oakland Ave., is recuperating from a severe attack of poison ivy. Everyone who goes into the woods runs a risk of contracting this disease. It would be well for those who do not know the plant to observe in the park the vines that are marked poison ivy. There appears to be many varieties of the plant. The trees that are marked in the park are adjacent to the Tamm Ave. entrance and also along the driveway leading from the west entrance to the Art Museum.
Mrs. Bertha Bond, 3477 Montana Ave., died at St. Mary's Hospital July 20th as the result of diabetes. She expressed a desire before her death to be buried from St. James Church where she became a convert a few years ago, and was buried from there on July 23rd. May she rest in peace.
Mrs. Theresa Barron, age 74, 6818a Plateau Ave., died suddenly at her home June 29th and was buried on July 1st from St. James Church. May she rest in peace.
Mrs. Ed Schuler, 5835 Victoria Ave., is learning to drive her new car. She and her husband went last week to Meramec Springs State Park.
Threshing machines are busy. Sufficient sacks cannot be found to hold the harvest of wheat. Trees are bending to the ground under the burden of luscious fruit. The tasselled corn is rich with promise. God has done His share but the farmers are complaining. It appears Providence made a mistake, He should have sent less produce and more money.
The treasury of the United States, it is reported, had more gold in its coffers last month than it ever had in the history of the country; so it appears we have more gold and more produce than ever we had before, and yet a large percentage of our population are on the verge of starvation.
This should be regarded as a tribute to our system of education, we have succeeded in teaching people how easy it is to rob a brother. Our parochial school system is condemned because it insists that education is destructive of man's best interest when it does not teach justice and charity. Theories of government and education that do not take the nature of man into account when followed inevitably leads to a bad road that has a sign at the end "Turn Back."
P.J. O'C.
Mrs. Elizabeth Dietz, mother of Mrs. Caroline Wichman -- Dale Ave., was burred from St. Peter and Paul's Church last week. May she rest in peace.
Father Pohl and Louis Haenschen went for a few days last week on an automobile tour and took in Kansas City.
Bonnie Margaret Belli, 6734 Clayton Ave.
The general depression has affected the earnings of the majority of the people of St. James Church. Contributions have fallen to a point where we are wondering if we can stand out the storm of distress.
We have deep sympathy for all who are having difficulty keeping the wolf from the door, and we ask the parishioners whom God has blessed with health and an opportunity of making a living, to show their appreciation by coming to the support of the church. Your earning power is in the hands of God.
William McCarty, age 62, a lawyer of Jonesburg, Mo., and retired editor of the Post-Dispatch, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Norrnad Conrad, 1036 Fairmount Avenue, on July 22.
Mr. McCarty, though not a Catholic, claimed many friends among the clergy. He used to say he derived more good from a "handshake of that Irishman Father Duggan than from a visit from his doctor."
Mr. McCarty was a man of culture and fine susceptibilities. Father O'Connor enjoyed immensely a visit with him a week before his death.
Beside Mrs. Conrod, he leaves a bereaved wife, mother and daughter May. Condolence is extended to the family. His remains were interred in the family burial ground at Jonesburg, July 24. May he rest in peace.
What appeared to be an unavoidable automobile accident occurred Monday evening, July 27 at W. Park and Graham Avenues, when Mary McCauley, 1522 Tamm Avenue, riding around the block accompanied by her sister Eileen and a few neighboring children, had a collision with Mr. H. Mattingley, 4400 block of Hunt Avenue.
Miss McCauley and the children escaped injury though the passengers in the other car were slightly injured when their automobile rolled over.
Both parties to the accident decided there was no criminal carelessness. Each of the automobiles were badly damaged. Miss McCauley carried accident insurance. Mr. Mattingley stated he had none.
The Dolan Realty Co. submits the following
for rent in St. James Parish:
6414 Nashville - 4 room frame cottage, garage,
bath, furnace. $30.00.
6418a Lloyd Avenue - 5 room single flat,
hardwood floors, garage. $40.00.
1555a Tamm Avenue - 4 rooms all modern,
dandy flats. $37.50.
6430a Nashville - 4 room flat, bath. $20.00.
FOR SALE - 1514-1518 Gregg Avenue. Two new 4 room brick bungalows, all modern
with a tile wall basement. reasonable
terms, attractive price. See John P. Dolan
Realty Co., 6401 Manchester Avenue.
Mrs. Annie Bosche, 6445 Nashville Ave., wife of Mathias Bosche, and mother of 13 children, died at the Deaconess Hospital July 11th and was buried from St. James Church July 14th.
Mrs. Bosche who was 64 years of age was, born in Greenvale township, Minnesota, one of a family of twelve children. She was married at St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1884 when she was 17 years of age. She gave birth to 13 children, seven boys and six girls, two of whom died, one at the age of one year and another at 16 years of age.
Mrs. Bosehe and her husband spent the early part of their married life in Minnesota and then moved to Texas from whence they Came to St. Liborius Parish, St. Louis, where they resided 18 years before moving to St. Mathews where they remained 16 years. They have resided in St. James Parish two years.
After an illness of about three months at her home, it was decided to attempt to relieve the excruciating pain by an operation and she was removed to the Deaconess Hospital three weeks previous to her death. She suffered so intensely that she said she wished to die and requested her family to call a priest to prepare her for the end. After the operation she seemed to rally, but the doctors informed the family that her malady was cancer.
Ten of her children were at her bedside and funeral, eight of whom reside in St. Louis, while two of the three who reside in Texas made the trip to visit her before she died and remained for the funeral. These are Ben Bosche, and Mae Bosche Bolm; Clarence, another son in Texas, was not able to come. Those in St. Louis are Claude, Zeno, Walwin, Leona, Odelia, Eugene, Viola and Leo. Two of her brothers, Peter Winter of Sedalia, Mo., and Will Winter of St. Paul, Minn., were also present at the funeral.
She had 19 grandchildren, two of whom, acted as pallbearers.
Among the many tributes of affection and respect to the deceased were a number of Mass Cards, four of which were sent by the Sunday Night Bridge Club, composed of St James parishioners of which her son, Walwin, and his wife are popular members.
A large attendance of relatives and friends attended the High Mass for the repose of her soul and accompanied her remains to Calvary. May she rest in peace.
P.H. Murphy, 6219a Victoria Ave., regrets the death of his little dog. "Pal." He got hit by an automobile speeding about 65 miles an hour. "Pal" won the blue ribbon and honor ribbon two years ago at the Arena. Both O'Hearns and Murphys miss him very much.
There are a great many good people in the world. It is a pity, said my non-Catholic acquaintance they don't belong to one church.
Good people are those men and women the world over who are well disposed to God and man. Christ is their model and teacher. They are good neighbors. They give more than they take and they serve rather than be served. They have goodwlll.
Such people have a unity of soul, they ought also have a unity of Christian organization. "One Lord, one faith, one baptism - One God and Father of all."
Men know the value of united effort. They organize for fraternal purposes, public improvement, and social aims. Government is a local, state, or national organization. An army is a disciplined protective organization. The Red Cross is a humanitarian united body. Every labor union is an organization. Whenever human beings wish to advance an aim or defend a cause they unite. Organization is the concrete shape that makes for efficiency. Disunion leads to destruction.
Every organization has officers, constitution and by-laws. The office is permanent in organizations that survive. Men die but a corporation, as a rule, survives its organizers.
Every group, even the Hinky dinks, have a tendency to organize. Members of organizations also have, because of self interest, pride and envy, an innate inclination to disruptton. Christ knew man's nature and established His Church in keeping with its aspirations and shortcomings. He made it an Organization, entrusted to its care a definite body of truths which He wished to spread without mutilation, adulteration or change to all nations, all days till the end of time and gave it right to demand obedience.
He being God foresaw the difficulties this organization necessarily must surmount if it were to survive through the centuries. Even a Divine hand cannot direct successfully beings who are free to misconstrue, rebel and be self-willed.
To His Church He gave a definite form of organization. "For as the body is one and hath many members; and all the members or the body whereas there are many, yet are one body, so also in Christ."
The unity of the church is necessary to its stability and strength. A disunited aggregation of Christians even though they unite in denominational groups cannot be the body of which St. Paul spoke of having eyes, hands, feet, and therefore head and intelligent leadership, When the limbs do not respond to the orders of the head, they are in a state of paralysis. There is necessarily in a healthy organization co-ordination of members. Officers who have no authority to direct the rank and file are tin captains in a tin army. A president, Governor or Premier whose orders can be openly flouted by his subordinates does not belong to established government. He is a buffoon ruler in a clown show.
The officers in the Church of Christ are real. They have authority. "Whatsoever you shall bind on earth is bound in heaven." "All power in Heaven and earth is given to me," said Christ, "as the Father sent me, I send you." It is not the highest power in the land that delegates the Church to deal with men. The power that established it is God, the highest power in the Universe.
Let there be no confusion of thought in this matter, the Church does not depend on the will of man to rule in its proper sphere. The Church has a right to command in spiritual affairs and freely teach the Nations. Tyrannical shackles and flaming torches may flaunt in front of its royal scepter, but it shall never be so subdued by force that it will admit that it is a creature of the savant - the scientiest or the State.
All good people should belong to the one and only universal church that has survived through the centuries. They are bound by Christ's command to hear and obey it. "Who hears you, hears me. Who despiseth you despiseth me." It is of divine origin because it was organized by Christ through His Apostles. It can not err in its teaching because it repeats accurately the words that fell on its infant ears from the lips of a God-man. The Spirit of God expresses Himself through its voice. The love of God animates its members. They are kept in union through this love and intelligent discipline. They are fed spiritually through its Sacraments. It has the spiritual means to attain its spiritual end. It is Heaven-made. Heaven-sent and Heaven-bound. Christ is its master, its founder and its friend.
These lines are written in the words of St. Paul: "That henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the wickedness of men, by cunning craftiness by which they want to deceive. But doing the truth in charity, we may in all things grow up in Him Who is the Head, even Christ: From whom the whole body being compacted and fitly joined together, by what every joint supplieth according to the operation in the measure in every part, maketh increase of the body into the edifying of itself in charity."
P. J. O'C
Mrs. Mildred Crouch, 6129 Crescent, has returned from an extended vacation in Southern Colorado, where she spent her time pleasantly at her aunt's resort at Del-North on the Rio Grande. The trout fishing there is ideal. When she returned she brought back a few good flies to Father O'Connor.
A parishioner went to Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church last Sunday. She was surprised to find she was the only lady in church who had not long sleeves. She realized she was among cultured Catholics.
Rev. Dr. William Crowe is reported in a recent issue of the Globe-Democrat to have said in the course of a sermon at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, St. Louis, that the preachers of this generation have failed. "We have become hobbyists and lobbyists and pretty near everything that we should not be." "It seems to be our high endeavor to make our message conform to our generation whilst we should be thinking that we are appointed by God to make the generation conform to the revelation that is given to us." "We are trailing."
To make a generation conform to revelation suppose two conditions, one is authority to command, the other a positive unchangeable divine revelation to teach. The Catholic Church alone stands on these two solid foundations. It claims the right to command. "All power," said Christ. "is given to me. As the Father sent me, so I send you." "Who hears you hears me, who despiseth you despiseth me." "If he does not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and the publican."
The Catholic Church does not trail, it is a pathfinder for the hobbyist, lobbyist, the scientist and the philosopher. It cuts a passage through the seas of doubt and steers a course through the fogs and mists of human theories. The divine light in which it rides the waves of passion and prejudice enables it to find its way in uncharted seas. The Spirit of God is at the helm. Like Columbus heard the rebellious murmuring of the crew, it hears the protests of undisciplined minds that would take command and bind it to the mast. Fears, it sometimes has of being placed in shackles, and prudently it safeguards its freedom, but its undaunted determination never falters, and to all its loyal captains it says, "Steer on!"
The Church is confident it has in its possession a body of divine truth. The same it received from Christ, its divine founder. These truths are called the Treasury of the Church. They are unchangeable because they are true. They are true because they are revealed by God. Christ who first expounded them also explained and defined them to a living church, and commissioned it to teach them to all nations all days to the end of the world. "Teach," He said, "whatsoever I have commanded you. I will be with you all days to the consummation of the world."
The inability of the protestant teacher to lead arises from the fact that he admits he has no authority to teach. He also admits those in the pew have a right to reject or accept his teaching. In this he suggests his revelation is doubtfully true, or is no stronger than an opinion. He submits his ethics to a vote. The majority must be right. This is flattering to a democracy, but not to the teacher who claims he has a divine revelation. The will of man which is fickle becomes for the time the will of God and the preacher if he is consistent of necessity must trail and follow the command of the mob.
It is no wonder preachers are hobbyists and lobbyists and whatnot. Every denominational church is a contradiction of the other. Each owes its existence to a disagreement either in the manner of direction or teaching. Some accept the gospel in part, among these there is difference of interpretation. One says it means this and another says it means that. The hieroglyphics on an Egyptian tomb are more easily interpreted than the Gospel of Christ in the mouths of many preachers and the one who says it means nothing is becoming apparently the most popular. Thus it is the modernist holds the front of the stage. He has emasculated the Gospel lest he give offense to his audience. He prefers to speak of it as a body of principles comparable to Confucianism, Mohammedism or any other ism. He is neither a scandal to the Greek nor a stumbling block to the Jew. That he has a definite revelation he himself denies. Therefore he fails because he has neither authority to command or a revelation to teach.
P. J. O'C
There were three marriages in the parish during the month of July. It frequently happens that those getting married, for one reason or another, do not wish to give extensive publicity to the ceremony: hence we are only reporting the marriage of Dorothy Ehrlich, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Aug. Ehrlich, 6200 Berthold Ave., who married Russell George, son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis George, Saturday, July 25th, at St. James Rectory. As both parties to the marriage were under age the consent of the parents was necessary. We wish the young couple much happiness.
Mrs. Dan Murphy, 6438 Lloyd Ave., lost her mother, Mrs. Quinn, during the month. Though her death was rather sudden, Mrs. Quinn received the Last Sacraments with much fervor. May she rest in peace. She was buried from the New Cathedral.
South Forest Park Improvement Association reports through Mr. J.P. O'Gorman a mix-up about Dale Ave. which was opened last year from Manchester to McCausland. The ordinance to make it a 60-ft. street has been repealed and it is now a 40-foot street. As the street is already made property owners are much perturbed about property lines, some of them finding that the sidewalks which they constructed are altogether on private property. The committee on improvements are endeavoring to find a way out of the difficulty. They report that contracts are let for the making of Dillenberger Street from Kraft to Central, Hampton Ave. from Evelyn to Knox, and they are urging the viaduct over Manchester Ave. and the widening of Hampton Ave. to the park. Money has been appropriated to pay damages for the opening of Roberts Ave. from Hampton to Ripple and for the making of alleys parallel to Hampton, Ripple, W. Park and Roberts Ave. Ordinances have been passed for the improvement of Wise Ave. from Macklind to Hampton Ave.. and an alley for Gregg, Tamm and Lloyd Aves.
Every note of music I hear sounds like a funeral march; every footfall like a step on a grave: every voice like a call from eternity and every pleasant association comes back like the song of mocking-birds mocking at life. Wherever I turn I see only desolation. I live but my heart is dead. Tomorrow, yesterday are all one empty nothing. I am lonelier than a child lost in a wilderness. I call and my voice is an echo of my longing. We shall never meet again this side of eternity! He is dead and the world seemed to die with him. Is this a dream or is this a sad reality? Ah me. I cannot face the morrow!
Thank God I have a hope that we shall meet ill Heaven. My only consolation now is prayer. The crucifix is my best counselor.
P.J. O•C.
As we go to press we learn of the sad and rather sudden death of Miss Ella Kelly at St. John's Hospital where she suffered a paralytic stroke. Her mother, Mary, resides with Mrs. Dugan, 6156 Victoria Avenue.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Heil entertained at their Club at Crystal Lake last week the members of the Sunday Night Bridge Club which includes Mr. and Mrs. Dan Murphy, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Pahl, Mr. and Mrs. Robt. E. Pierce, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Walsh, Mr. and Mrs. Walwin Bosche, Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Boerckel, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Klasek, Mr. and Mrs. Will Meyers, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Dolan.
Mrs. Frank Walsh and her daughter, Frances, escaped a serious injury last week when their automobile collided with another machine in a downtown street. The running board of her machine was demolished.
Mr. J P. O'Gorman sent us an interesting article on wealth and poverty. He has many excerpts from the book written by Henry George in 1879 entitled Progress and Poverty. Mr. O'Gorman is among the few in the parish whose varied interest in life inclines him to be a student of many subjects. We wish that our Catholic people were, as a body, given to research and study. They would find many opportunities for intelligent leadership and a vast and interesting school of thought that is being promoted under Catholic auspices. The Catholic mind cannot remain stagnant. it must advance with the times or be swallowed in the vortex of the streams of pagan thought flowing round about it. We are having Catholic High Schools, Colleges and Universities but our leadership is negligible because many of us regard ourselves as being of no account. If we set about serious study we will find a time will come when we will have something to say which will make people sit up and listen to us with attention.
Thought rules though the masses vote. Every election is a game of chess. The chess men are moved by the invisible hand of the thinker. Too often he is a confidence man.
The Pastor sez:
"The tendency of the modern pulpit to
bend to the dictates of the masses is an
admission of weakness. The Catholic Church
will courageously stand by the teachings of
Christ, - as Christ taught them."
UNCLE HENRY'S LETTER
August, 1, 1931.
dear Charlie:
the boss played me a kinda mean trick a few days ago when he told me i looked tired an had better take a cupple of weeks vacation to get rested up. i didnt much more than get home till i began to realize that my vacation really ended when i left the office. instead of just starting. josh! i never worked so hard since this time a year ago.
the lawn had to be mowed, the hedge trimmed, and the fence repaired. the basement got a thorough cleaning and a broken window replaced. the family wanted to go on a trip so i had to overhaul the car. while the mrs. washed out some things i cooked the meals, swept the fioors and washed the dishes. when we started on our trip. i had to do the packing, drive the car and find a campsite during which i got plenty advice but no help. they decided to fish so i had to procure bait and put it on their hooks. i was thankful they caught no fish. or i would have had to take em off the lines and clean em. after everyone was comfortable in there bunks, i had a little time to sit down and smoke my pipe.
the Pastor was giving me a lot of advice about how to catch fish, an to hear him talk, you would think he is a expert. until you find out that he dont ever catch eny hisself. the theory he works on is that you have got to keep your minnows in distilled water for several days so they cant get enything to eat. so that when you put em on your hook and drop the line in the water they will be raventshly hungry. then, when a nice two-pound bass comes drifting along minding his own bisness an is just about to pass without even a nod. the minnow flies at him like he is going to devour him whole. of course the bass turns to defend his life. an in his fright grabs the minnow before he has a chance to see the hook "when they are hooked this way." Father says, "it is such a simple matter to land em that even a novice like clem Placke or andy Smith can do it."
the Pastor got kinda peeved when i told him i knowed all about fishin because i just finished a course of instruction by a expert who sells fish at the Union Market. this feller can tell you the name of eny kind of fish they is; an just where they come from an how much they are worth a pound. an he always has plenty of fish to sell, while father O'Connor never even has one to give to his friends, so i didnt see where he had eny right to criticize the idears of a expert like that, do you Charlie?
nevertheless, he got peeved, an he said "taking the advice of a feller like that is about as much sense as if i asked the sales-lady at the stationery store how to play penochle, just because she sells playing cards." i felt like telling him that a feller that gets the bid with five Aces in his hand, an lets the oponents catch three of em could maybe aford to take lessons from a saleslady, but i seen he was in no mood for argerment, so i changed the subjeck.
the nex time he tells me i dont know how to fish i am goin to refer him to steve Neilon. we spent a few days with the Neilons, Klaseks, an Boerckels, an i made a big hit with steve. Klasek wanted to play penochle because he figered his luck would pay his expenses; an Boerckel was for golf on acount of he thinks he is good; but steve an me decided that fishin was our talent, so we went out with our tackle an brung home the dinner. we maneuvered to get Klasek in the boat with the women, so we would be to ourselves an charlie had to answer there questions an bait there hooks. that was the only exercize he got on the trip.
i wanted to make a good impression on steve, so whenever I got a bite i would stand up in the boat an play around with it like I was having a hard time landing the catch, just like Martin Coad does. afterwards, steve was telling the folks what a clever fisherman i am. Steve is pretty good. Fr. O'Connor, Martin Coad, Ray Dolan, Arthur Pahl, Danny Murphy, Jack Coad and Dermott Slattery intend going fishing in some adjacent pond this week. They have an outboard motor, a modern minnow bucket through which minnows can catch fiies and fresh air and so live happy several years. The fishing tackle them trout fishermen take along re- minds one of a hope box. Whether they catch fish or not when martin comes back he will try to make the community believe he was deep see fishing at Galveston and that one of the big ones he hooked had to be landed by a dredge boat.
your pertickler friend & uncle
HENRY.
In regard to the scholarship awarded to pupils of the graduating class it should have been stated that Miss Muriel Roach won a scholarship at the Rock Church after she had been awarded by Sister Gabriel the scholarship at the Ursuline Academy given to the pupil in the school who had the highest marks in scholarship. As Miss Roach preferred the scholarship at the Rock Church School, Miss Agnes Duggan who ranked next was given the one at the Ursuline Academy. Miss Roach was fourth at the Font Bonne examinations and has been a credit to the school.
BACK TO LET'S GO, 1931
BACK TO LET'S GO, 1925-1932
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