J.O.C. and Monotony
I HAVE just received the August-Septem ber number of Integration, the Students' Catholic Review, produced at Cambridge. It is a particularly interesting number, and I can recommend it to all interested in the training of Catholic Youth. Frank Searle defends himself from the attacks of " Penguin " in Blackfriars, in a controversy over the J.O.C. Mr. Searle urges that the J.O.C. have got to face up to the problem of monotonous labour to which an increasing number of workers arc tied, and which " atrophies their minds."
Is monotonous unintelligent labour reconcilable with any conceivable Christian social order?
An editorial restates the policy of Integration. No compromise with the modern world is the keynote. But " if we urge non-participation it is only pour mieux sauter," and " We have no use for the kind of apologetic that has been described as St. Thomas Aquinas on Sundays and Aldous Huxley on week-days."
Seriously . . .
But one warning—" ... we have no intention of providing fun. Englishmen are already accommodated with sufficient fun to divert them from realising a situation which does not seem to us funny at all." I cannot forbear one further quotation from this thought-provoking publication— this time it is a conundrum : " . . Or, again, in a Christian and sane civilisation, who would care to race about the country boxed up in a mechanical tent?"
Jesuits " Just Like Nazi:s "
YET another book has been written on the Jesuits. In The Jesuits, the author, F. A. Ridley, holds that " hundreds of pages of Hitler's Mein Kamp/ might have been taken straight from the text books of the Jesuit psychologists." An astonishing parallel is developed between the Jesuits and the Nazis. Both the
Fuhrer and the first General started their respective " movements" with six companions, both movements exact blind obedience from their members, " and have practised to an extraordinary degree all the methods and devices of propaganda to control mass psychology," etc., etc.
Another sinister fact is brought to light: the Jesuit system is originally derived from Islam. Even the motto of the Society and St. Ignatius's writings are almost the ipsissima verba of the spokesmen of Islamic sects. We recommend the book for comment from " a spokesman of the Jesuit sect."
Nursery Expert
THE Home Page Nursery Expert of the
Evening Standard, after discussing the problem of the spoilt and refractory child on holiday, comes to this conclusion: ". . . . A middle course must be taken. While allowing a child plenty of scope for the development of his individuality it is essential at the same time to train him to be a social and amenable little animal." Personally, I find this advice of little value. It is true that the Evening Standard expert qualifies this somewhat vague advice with some concrete examples of what to do, but all these are really part of a longterm policy, such as: " I would have sacked Donald's nurse . . . talked seriously to her mother ... and firmly sent him to a nursery school at the tender age of two!
Quite; but in the meanwhile what is to be done with noisy children penned up in a house because it is raining outside, and they can't go to the beach?
SyrupThief
What is to be done about the otherwise obedient child who follows an urge which folk wisdom attributes to his mother. A reader writes: " A small son not yet two, subject to the combined assaults upon his individuality of an anxious mother and a pedagogic father, responds normally to a
definite No. But golden syrup, in bulk, in a jar, to which his mother took a strange and sudden liking, just over two years ago, is irresistible. In fact, nothing short of a Yale lock and a safely-hidden key is capable of preventing this child from taking syrup."
Can any nursery expert suggest a nonbrutal remedy for this, or must the child be spared at his present age only to end LIP in prison when he reaches a riper age?
Play was Slow
THE exciting newspaper accounts do not indicate how boring the Test match was for much of the time owing to the slowness with which runs were made.
It is true that Hutton beat Bradman's record Test match score by thirty or so, but while Hutton took 13 hours to make his score, Bradman made his in six hours. Hammond also batted very very slowly —taking two hours to make 30 runs. The score was then 500 for 2.
Hutton and Arnpleforth
The " Optimist " cricketers at Ampleforth College must have experienced mixed emotions at the news of Hutton's 364 in an innings of about 13 hours at the Oval last week-end. A senior member (aged 18) told me a few truths about " Optimists " team. It is made up of senior boys who like cricket but are not and never will be up to the standard required for the first or second XI.
The Rules
A few of the rules are: The first six balls bowled to each fresh batsman do not count; the order of batsmen shall be drawn by lot, and no swopping of this order may be made regardless of the speed of the opposing bowler; no personal innings shall exceed half-an-hour and no batsman may score more than 50 runs. The " Optimists,who have to provide their own transport for " away " matches, are very popular among the surrounding Yorkshire villages who compete eagerly for fixtures at Ampleforth.
Bishop of Mercia
PERHAPS the most picturesque figure in Oxford was Bishop Herford, who has just died. Bishop Herford was a prelate of the Evangelical Catholic Church and his diocese was Mercia.
Having tea with him in his house in North Oxford was an interesting experience. He used to recite the Nicene creed before tea—but instead of " Nicene " he used to say "Constantinopolitan." He had twelve cats called after the Apostles.
Incidentally Bishop Herford, who used to ride about Oxford on a bicycle, was once all but run over on a foggy night by the parish priest of Woodstock, Fr. Stephen Webb, &J.
THE JOTTER