Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 17.djvu/183

 OATHOUO 167 OATHOUO

Catholic measures, including the abrogation of con- deavors for adult misdeameanants, the probation

vents, the inhibition of clerical celibacv, the dis- work being in charge of civil service appointees,

franchisement of Catholics, and similar barbarisms, with whom the society's officers co-operate,

when, at the instance of a number of laymen from In its missionary field its greatest part has proved

Macon and Augusta, the Bishop of Savannah, Rt. to be the Children's Coiut, where it looks after the

Rev. Benjamin J. Keiley, D.D., invited two lay interests of the Catholic juveniles arraigned there

representatives from each parish in the diocese to and through its Children s Bureau has kept each

convene for action. At the resultant meeting the pastor in touch with every case brought there from

Catholic Laymen's Association of Georgia was nis parish, informing him of the nature of the

formed. It was decided to use all the channels of offense,' etc., with the request that home conditions

publicity available to inform the people of Georgia be inquired into and if necessary remedied. It has

with regard to Catholic teaching and practice. The dealt with 40,000 children, and when required placed

assistance of the Religious Prejudice Commission of at their services a paid legal reoresentative. Its

the Knights of Columbus was secured, a central staff of officers has been maintained entirely through

bureau was created, with a trained newspaper man individual charity. In the G^eral Sessions and

in charge, advertisements were inserted in all the Supreme Courts, however, the society was given,

papers of the State, inviting questions about Cath- through the will of the imited judges, complete con-

olics and their belief. Every unfavorable reference trol of probation matters, as the various religious

to things Catholic, appearing in any of the two societies were favored rather than any irresponsible

hundred papers in Georgia, was promptly corrected civil agency to investigate and supervise those

from the central office. In a short time the Asso- adjudeed guilty of felonies.. It has covered this

ciation had built up a large mailing list. Its file of ground most commendably for eleven years, having

correspondence in reply to inquiries reached huge made over 20,000 investigations for the judges of

proportions and dealt with every possible phase of the General Sessions and Supreme Court, with over

Catholic teaching and practice. The work attracted 5000 suspended sentences as the outcome, of which

the attention of Catholics throughout the country. 87% of those committed to it for oversigl\t have

It became known in Rome and was approved and proved faithful to the trust reposed in them by

blessed by Pope Benedict XV. During one year the judges who placed them on probation. All of

the Association sent out 500,000 pieces of literature, this involved the securing of positions for the men

answered 2,500 inquiries, wrote 5,500 letters ana and women probationers, the amelioration of home

published numerous articles in the press. conditions and the bringing of these subjects under

Since the Association was formed the Diocese the immediate spiritual care of their pastors. of Savannah has had the greatest proportion of A most practical evidence of the value of proba- converts of any diocese in the provmce of Balti- tion both as a cure and a future deterrent may be more. When the Convent Inspection Law was seen from the fact that through the Society's efforts passed in 1915, only one paper in all Georgia con- complainants who were damaged in their goods, demned the anti-Catholic sentiment exhibited, while received restitution from probationers to the extent a large percentage of Georgia's two hundred oapers of $45,509.47 paid through the Society's office. Be- were outspoken in favor of it, and more than a sides saving from the convict's brand and the loss score of papers regularly carried anti-Catholic of citizenship these men who were thus committed diatribes. In 1921 anti-Catholic articles in legiti- to its care, the Society has saved the tax payers mate newspapers in Georgia numbered less than a in its eleven years of probation work, an amount of dozen for the entire year. The secret of this sue- not less than $2,000,000. As the average cost per cess is found in three main features of the work, year of a State prisoner is not less than $400 the vi».: (1) it is persistent, like the constant drop of amount saved to the State by the 5000 probationers water on a ham rock; (2) it is personal and local, that have been kept out of its institutions, aggre- every letter being written for the one occasion and gates the huge sum mentioned above, all of which every article being prepared with Georgia eondi- work has been done without one penny of com* tions in mind; (3) it is patient, kind, free from pensation from the State; and all through the controversy, based on the duty of loving one's charity of the friends of the Society. Another neighbor as one's self. In addition to its other feature of the Society's work has been its parole activities the Association promotes lay retreats and system, done voluntarily and without compensa- publielies a paper, "The Bulletin," which issues fort- tion from the State, for the men and women re- nightly and circulates in every State and in many leased from the four State prisons of New York, foreign countries. Branch Associations exist in all It has had paroled to it nearly 4000 men and the principal cities of Georgia. The Central Bureau women of all nationalities and colors. Catholics at is at Augusta. least by Baptism, and so effectively has it dealt

with the problems of these difficult cases that it has

Oatholie Protective Society, The, of the Arch- not lost of them, either by disappearance from

diocese of New York, founded March, 1911, by oversight or by new offenses against the law, more

the Rev. Thomas J. Ljmch, with the approval of than 15% in any year and sometimes as low as 7%.

Cardinal Farley, who appointed him Supervisor of Despite the trying economic conditions and other

Correction Work for Catnolics for the diocese. The elements militating against success, as every priest

charter of the Society was granted the following in the State acts as a parole officer in regard to

June for the purpose of separating the work for those who come from nis parish, the rehabilita-

delinquents from that for purely dependant sub- tion of the paroled man has been steadily and

jects, the care of whom still remained under the consistently brought about. It has also taken care

direction of the Supervisor of Charities. The of prisoners from the Federal prisons of Atlanta and

Society has grown to oe the largest and only fully Leavenworth.

equipped Catholic Church agency for court and Its work for women has been most fruitful.

prison work in the United States. Its activities Since 1916 it has maintained a shelter for women

cover the Magistrate's, Special Sessions and Domes- charged with offenses by the courts and for the

tic Relations Courts, also the special Night Court unmarried mothers, who were given pre-natal and

for Men and the Women's Court, in all of which maternity care in their need; so that during the

its efforts are confined to purely missionary en- four years preceding November, 1920, it cared for