IN A FEW WORDS

Frank Brangwyn
FRANK Brangwyn's name is the best known among Catholics in the New Year Honours. Chesterton described him as " one of the most masculine of modem men of genius, famous in every sense for the breadth of his brush and the glow of his colour, not only rich but robust " Among his recent works are panels for Radio City, New York, and the Queen Mary. Campion Hall, Oxford, possesses his well-known Stations of the Cross, reproduced in book-form, but when Fr. Jones (now a chaplain) and other Marist Fathers at Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, asked him to do a set of lithographic panels for the new church of the Holy Name of Mary, he offered to do a set in oils, the only one he has ever done.
Owing to war conditions, the panels have been removed from the church and placed in safety for the duration of the war
A Contrast
REPORTING services held near destroyed " London churches, the Timer repotted side by side the service of the Rev. F. C. Baker, who appears to have concentrated on his sermon : "The church is down but my blood is up," and that of the Rev. J. R Sankey who. having celebrated Holy Communion at 8 a.m., gave a brief address in which " he did not dwell on the past but urged his congregation to pray for the future." Though Mr. Baker's sermon was everywhere reported at length, Mr. Sankey's was generally nverlonked For the Poor AFRIEND tells me that in visiting some of the destroyed sections of the City of London he entered what remained of a Wren church. So devastated was it that he was unable to guess where the high altar had been. But one thing had been preserved— a collecting-box—and on it was still fixed the card, singed but quite readable, " For the Poor."
Original Ideas
I HAVE received from a Former member of the Buchmanites, who has joined the Church, an interesting little pamphlet entitled " A Challenge to the Leaders of the Oxford Gro m." It consists of a series of questions, couched in the Buchmanite manner, but inevitably leading to one final answer, the answer that the Buchmanite aspirations can only ultimately be realised in and through the Church. I do not know whether it is intended for sale, but 1 will gladly put any interested reader in touch with the aut`or, if they write to me, enclosing, of course, the precicus stamped envelope or postcar I The same author makes the interesting suggestion that the C.T.S. should commission a series of pamphlets covering conversion to the Church from different angles. Examples she gives are the Actor's conversion, by Robert Speaight, the Doctor's, by Halliday Sutherland, the Historian's. by Hilaire Belloc, the Poet's, by Lord Alfred Douglas. the Soldier's. by F. W Harvey. the Skier's. by Arnold Lunn, and the Anglican's, by Fr. Owen Dudley. f strongly recommend the idea to Mr. Boland and his committee.
Canon Cardijn
IN the news-sheet of the Belgian section of the J.O.C. in Britain a good story of
Canon Cardijn is told. When croups of various .1.0.0 groups, 13.:Igian, French, Swiss and British. were discussing in Paris the programme of the international celebrations to take place in Rome, an air-raid siren. practising for the grim business of war, was heard. After the excitement Canon Cardijn was heard to say : " Gentlemen, that was yet another sign of the barbarism which is threatening us—another reason to intensify the work of the J.O.C."
A Really Original Crime
rr is not easy just now to find space for a regular reviews of detective stories. though this type of fiction naturally maintains its popularity in days when many lind it hard to concentrate. Out of a number sent to us by publishers, I should like to pay a special tribute to Counterpoint Murder, by the Coles (Crime Cub, 7s. 6d.) It requires something like genius to think out a very simple and yet brand new way of committing the " perfect " murder. So perfect is the murder in this story that the authors have to allow a real improbability to ensure the eventual success of the police in getting two ingenious rascals hanged. 1 should also like to mention as very readable Death and Ific Brother. by Margaret Bidwell (Hurst and Brackett, 7s. 6d.), a story which from internal evidence may be written by a Catholic.
Why Innocent?
TALKING of detective stories, can anyone explain why it is not considered morally reprehensible to sleep yourself in accounts of the commission of what is generally considered one of the most dastardly sins that man can conceive? Why is it that fallen man's " concupiscence " is not supposed to be stimulated by contemplating the breach of the Fifth Commandment? True. the sinner usually gets his deserts in the end, but meantime we revel in his behaviour and are often induced to sympathise with his skill and daring, and we learn bow to do it! Yet though one hears of the evil of putting " penny dreadfuls " into the hands of children, i have never heard a moral theologian condemning the reading of tales of criminal violence
Boys' Club Magazine
A REMARKABLY attractive cover, done e-3by some process that must demand infinite patience, adorns the Michaelian Magazine, whose sponsors claim that it is the first boy's club magazine to be sebandsomely produced and to be printed wholly and solely by the members. As St. Michael's Boy's Club is in the heart of Birmingham and the work done in a blitz period, one can imagine the difficulties to be overcome. For my part, I view the magazine of a boys' club as much more important these days than the magazine of a school, however famous, I hope. then, that some readers will acquire a copy from the Club at Moor Street, Birmingham 5, for a shilling. They will he getting something worth keeping and rewarding the courage of the Incrnbers of this pioneer club.
Jesuit Writers
A RECENT Jesuit lecturer in the U.S. " calculated that some 115,000 books have been published by over 16,000 Jesuit authors since the Society of Jesus was founded in 1540. This is equal to an average rate of nearly six hooks a week. But one of the holiest and wisest Jesuits I knew spent the later years of his life concentrating on string puzzles, and he firmly held that there ought to he a long holiday from all publishing.
Not Religious
ON myway home the other evening f gave a lift to a Royal Air Force man ; in the Course Of polite conversation the subject (Continued at foot o/ next column) switched to the recent air raid on London. He was very annoyed at the destruction of so many old churches and the near escape of St. Paul's Cathedral, but he prefaced his remarks with an extraordinarily vehement denial of any possible charge that he might be considered religious. I wanted to ask him why his denial of religion was as emphatic as his denial would be of such charges as being " Fifth Column " or ProNazi but, unfortunately, we had reached the spot where he was to leave the car.
A Millionaire
NEWSPAPER paragraphs recently featured
the private pantomime of Britain's " shyest millionaire," who lives " behind well-guarded gates " near Sunningdale. We were told that this " £20,000,000
" had written the pantomime to celebrate his thirty-first birthday. As the day happened to coincide with the latest calling up of men of thirty-seven, it would have been of interest had the newspapers also informed us whether he was on leave, or which reserved occupation was keeping him, or if he were medically unfit. Of his patriotism there could have been no doubt since subtitles of the pantomime included " Enduring England," " Winning Winston Hits Hitler " and " Messes Lip Mussolini."
The Cock of Farm Street
A READER, Miss Gladys Boynton, drives every morning on army work in London, passing first through Grosvenor Square to Mass at Farm Street. Each morning the cock crows in that unlikely place, and abs has been inspired to write these lines:
There's a cock in Grosvenor Square, A regular Chancticleer 1 In the teeth of the Blitz He'll crow till he splits To invisible bits
The Bombers that no one can hear.
JOTTER.