Saint Marys College - Blue Mantle Yearbook (Notre Dame, IN)

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CHIMES the state intimidated thousands, then this murder would be justifiable. . . . There is a strong rival to the supreme authority of the Socialistic state and that rival is religion. Dialectical materialism finds no place in its scheme for the exist- ence of God. . . . In Russia this doctrine is put in prac- tice. No religious instruction is allowed to people under eighteen years of age, so that as a result the young Russian be- comes fertile soil for the seed of Social- istic atheism. The clergy have been de- prived of their rights and their numbers greatly reduced. Church emblems are forbidden to be displayed and whenever possible religious articles have been de- stroyed. And thus a study of the fundamentals of Socialism reveals that the system is hostile to the capitalistic order and what is of more importance it is absolutely at variance with Christian concepts and doc- trines. In the dreary picture of a dan- gerously suppressed and misguided Rus- sia the concrete application of this false philosophy to a country makes more defi- nitely manifest the evils of that system. On the other hand is presented the equal- ly unattractive features of greedy Capi- talism. If the choice is to be between these two, it is not inconceivable that many a sincere and conscientious man and woman will be attracted by the high promises of Socialism attempting to se- cure justice and an equitable distribution of wealth. However, to the thinking man and woman after a close and careful scru- tiny of both systems there can appear but one answer. It was in the abuses of the capitalistic system and not in the system as such, that the germ of Socialism was conceived. Hence a definite and serious attempt must be made to correct these abuses and as a result remove all justifi- cation for a revolutionary upheaval such as Socialism contemplates. To whom can a tremulous threatened Capitalism turn for a program of reform? In 1891 Pope Leo XIII embodied in his great Encyclical. On the Conditions of Labor, the essential truths which must be followed to secure justice and jjeace in the economic order. Again in 1931 our present pontiff, Pius XI published Quad rag esimo Anno which reiterated the principles laid down forty years before by the scholarlj Leo XIII. To the Cath- olic Church then can Capitalism turn for a definite and well-considered program of reform and as the ever-vigilant JNIother of her children and as the guide to the principles of right conduct, one finds the Church alone of all institutions bravely proclaiming in unmistakable accents those fundamentals which will create class har- mony where class strife now exists and will stand as an impregnable defense of the rights of a man against the attacks of radical revolution, against Marxism, Leninism and Bolshevism. June, 1935 140

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CHIMES that it was not another idle dream, but a millstone in social evolution. Passing from Socialism considered in the abstract as a theory, one comes to the startlingly concrete a jplication in the Russia of today. Lenin, who was and still is virtually the god of the U.S.R.R. was born in Russia under the grim shad- ow the Tsarist rule. He followed the Marxian theories, but in the acceptance of these theories Lenin has certain dis- tinctive features. • I enin adopted Marxian views to such an extent that to hold or conceive of a notion w hich differed from that of his master, Marx, was for Lenin an idea wholly inconceivable. Lenin dreamed his dream of an ideal state wherein the needs of the citizens regulated the production of goods. . . . The Socialist dsualizes a state wherein profit, rent and interest have disappeared and the worker reaps the full value of his labor by sharing in the common own- ership of capital. Effectively to operate in- dustries without the entrepreneur Social- ism proposes to make the system much like our system of political democracy. Thus tlie managers would be selected by the workers themselves, since they should be the fittest judges. The incentives for efficiency being an engrained sense of duty, military in character, plus the reali- zation that the worker will be bene- fited. . . . The Socialist ' s vision of the condition of labor is one in which he reaps to the full the value of his labor. JNLarx, as did many economists before him, held that the amount of labor expended on a com- modity under the existing conditions and methods of production determined the value of the commodity. From this he proceeded to his tlieory of surplus-value, that is that profit, rent and interest arose because the worker was not paid the full value of his labor-power, as his wages tended to hover about subsistence level. . . . The philosophy of Socialism is based on economic determinism, which is some- times called the materialistic interpreta- tion of history, since this Marxian theory holds that all historical events are ground- ed in economic causes. Thus it maintains that all history is a history of class strug- gle. This philosophy is the corner- stone of Socialism, for it gives an ex- planation for the existence of the ruling classes, and it justifies the spread of So- cialism in this new economic era wherein the proletariat would seize control of the means of production. In that it complete- ly negates the existence of God, the spir- ituality of the soul and the freedom of the will in shaping history and in that it recognizes matter as the only reality, eco- nomic determinism is monistic material- ism. Leninism lays claim to being the one true interpretation of JNIarxism. Lenin has given to this philosophy the name dia- lectical materialism, and it, like economic determinism, is the explanation of his- tory as dependent on the conditions of production. . . . The fundamental thesis of this philosophy is the unity of theory and practice. The Socialist has rejected all and any fixed standards of morality. He is a moral relativitist in that he maintains that morality changes with every change in the social order. In maintaining that moral laws are temporary Socialists must deny the reality of God and spirit. INIoral laws are then identified as social laws and only social actions can have moral value. It is with this moral relativity in view that the Socialist can justify the principle of expediency and disregard the inviolability of life, property and all natural rights. Trotsky, too, believed that whatever was expedient was good, for he defended terrorism by saying that if through the murder of one person, though innocent, 148 June, 1035

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Let Peace Be in Thy Strength, The Valedictory Address X ODAY, we celebrate a holy day, a holi- day, an anniversary, a triple feast of peace. It is Ascension Thursday, Memo- rial Day, and for us, the tenth anniver- sary of the consecration of Bishop Noll to the diocese of Fort Wayne. Two thou- sand years ago Christ left His followers in the miracle of His Ascension. He enriched them with a legacy of peace. Since then that legacy has been con- tested by a thousand wars; w e our- selves have contested it. But today we honor our countrymen who have given life for peace and freedom. There is scarcely a greater cause for which a man, a people, a world may live. So instead of rehearsing the glories of war, we choose rather to come to our Bishop tonight in a pageant of peace. Thus, we may best enter into and promote his own apos- tolate. Centuries ago, when the ground sacred to Christianity was being desecrated, all Christendom organized in a concerted ef- fort to wrest these holy places from the hands of infidels. For two thousand years these Crusades continued. That is almost the length of our national life. It pre- sents an interesting analogy to the last twenty-five years and in this order: first, the flower of chivalry, led by the noblest of monarchs and the huml)lest of monks, marched out to make the world safe for Christianity. The statesmen followed. And when neither effected the ends they sought, the children of Europe led a sig- nificant, if defeated, hope. As a parallel situation we see, at the present time, our own consecrated places, our great funda- mental ideals of Church and State, as- saulted, perverted and abused. National armies, national wealth, national wisdom have been dedicated to their jJi ' cservation and now, like another Children ' s Crusade, comes youth to save them. This Catholic Pauline Hauser, ' 35. Youth Movement, whose scope and mag- nitude are imposing, has been advocated by many, both religious and laymen. Among the clergy, our own Right Rev- erend Bishop Noll of Fort Wayne is a pioneer and a director, encouraging and untiring in his efforts to make Catholic Action for youth not simply a theory but a great socio-religious movement. In his office as the pastor of a great flock, he sees the evils of the age. He realizes the power of youth, motivated and strength- ened by correct religious principles. To- day, he is one of the great leaders of youth in America, and through his cohorts of youth, a saviour of the practice of Chris- tian principle in our world. It is an appropriate symbol of the fidel- ity and loyalty of the Congregation of the Holy Cross and the students of St. IMary ' s, that I have the honor of dedicat- ing to you tonight this Peace Pageant. In the name of the class of 1935 too, I would add our promise of a continued Catholic action throughout our daily lives. Now we leave, equipped with theoretical knowledge and with enthusiasm, but as yet with inexperience. We go with deep regret. Tonight, in this setting of stars, lights and shadow s, we see the full sig- nificance of our school days and their end intensified. The bond uniting us to our school makes us a profound spiritual force. Out of the text of the psalm, Let peace be in thy strength and abundance in thy towers, we read a three-fold meaning: it is our own leave-taking prayer and wish for om- school, it is the gift of peace from our school to us, and it is the dedicated purpose of this Pag- eant to Bishop Noll. This then be our word of tribute to you, our Bishop, our valedictory to you, St. Mary ' s, — Let peace be in thy strength and abundance in thy towers. 150 June, 1935