Cannon Laws and Father Forward who will be making a regular appearance on this page in future issues of the CAIT1OLIC HERALD. This cartoon feature—we are calling it Drawing it fine . . —is the outcome of a marriage of the skills of two men, each something of an expert in hie own field.
Paul Jennings needs little introduction. His column "Oddly Enough" has now appeared in :1 lie Observer for 15 years and has been printed in nine books, tile latest, a Penguin, flu' Jenguin Pertnings, which is being reprinted at the end of the month.
Paul Jennings will he the originator of most of the ideas for Drawing it Fine . . . These will be realised by John Ryan an old Ampleforth boy, son of diplomat Sir Andrew Ryan, and creator of "Captain Pugeash" who has appeared in children's magazines, hooks, television, and in receni years in Radio Times,
Cartoon film
THE BASIC IDEAS for the feature were first thrashed out one sunny morning in Lady Ryan's garden in the village of East Bergholt (Paul Jennings is a neighbour).
Readers will see for themselves how the characters of George Pew, his wife, the child Pew, Cannon Laws and his assistant Fr. Forward develop. One of the few clues given by Messrs. Ryan and Jennings i5 that they troth get cross when anyone who goes to Mass every Sunday is invariably described, whenever he gets into the news, as "a devout Catholic".
George Pew, I am assured, would not care to he called "devout". But he is nmst certainly etholic.
-tieing an ideas man doesn't give me quite the same sense of power (says Jennings) as I once got from writing a story for a cartoon film It Won some prize OT Other at Cannes or somewhere--because then I just wrote 15 or so pages and other people did a million drawings, a chap composed music, other chaps played it, and hundreds were involved.
"This is just one drawing a week, and John draws the way I would if I could. But I'm like A. P. Herbert; I can only draw men facing west".
Clerical Brother
EDUCATED AT King Henry VIII, Coventry, and Douai, Mr. Jennings confides that he is a humorous writer because he is not trained for anything else, having been born just too early.for all those grants whereby anybody (his term, not mine) can get to a university now.
The artist part of the team is not quite so forthcoming about his past, but we did discover that he served with the infantry in Burma and from 1948-53 (pre-Pugwash days) he was assistant art master at Harrow School.
Somewhat modestly he said he could not think of anything else about himself worth mentioning — except perhaps, that he had "a distinguished clerical brother '. He means, of course, Fr. Columba Ryan, 0.P., a frequent contributor to the CATHOLIC HERALD.
Council workings
VATICAN COUNCIL procedure is a complicated business, but, in a Vatican Radio broadcast at the weekend, Mgr. Derek Worlock made an interesting comparison with the procedure of the British Parliament. Each morning's debate, he said, which goes on (torn 9 to 12.30 and is in Latin, is rather like a second reading of a Bill. After the debate, it goes to a Council Commission for amendment— a sort of committee stage—and then back to St. Peter's for a combination of the report stage and third reading. Then, if passed with the necessary two-thirds majority, it goes to the Pope for approval and promulgation, like the Royal Assent at home.
Mgr. Worlock concluded: "The women auditors have also arrived in St. Peter's to view the proceedings. 'I hey include a number of nuns, among them the Mother General of the Sisters of Charity: you know, the S.V.P. nuns or 'white wings' as they are called. Thank goodness, she had just adopted that much publicised new look, with a simple veil instead of the traditional vast, white-starched linen head-dress. I was sitting just behind her, so I appreciated the point."
Big game!
AFTER coping with the morning mail, with its customary mixture of praise and criticism, a colleague on the managerial side went along to lunch one day this week with the Reda Association. He returned in high
spirits.
Not only had the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Cardinale, given an unexpected but nonethe-less appreciated "commercial" for our paper, but my colleague also enceuntered among the predominantly clerical gathering a priest who wanted to work for us.
To be precise, he offered his services as a hook reviewer. What gives his request even added interest was his choice of subject . Er. Bernard Ellistm wants to review for us books on big game.
Reference to the Catholic Who's Who, how
ever, shows that, his offer was not without qualification ; Fr. Ellison was Curator of the Bombay Natural History Society and in 1919 accompanied the Prince of Wales as Naturalist on an Indian tour. He entered the Bhopal Forestry Service and was on special duty as Big Game Warden to H.H. the Ruler of Bhopal.
Simon birthday
ANTON WALLICH-CLIFFORD'S Simon Community, which looks alter social misfits, is celebrating its first birthday. Already, it has four houses and a farm. And it is facing its biggesninancial headache so far.
There are two houses in Rochester for problem mothers and homeless families, a reception centre in London for social misfit% in general, and a farm in the South of England run by exprisoners and mis-fits on a co-operative basis. It has been a great success and relations with the neighbourhood are excellent.
Ecumenical support has been tremendous, and both Archbishop Heenan and the Archbishop of Canterbury are patrons. Canon Collins's Homeless in Britain Fund has bought the farm for the Community, and has sent another 1100 for running expenses, but the financial situation has now become acute.
The immediate need is for £50 to complete a new chapel, 4100 to finish the conference hall for weekend schools and study groups, and another four goats and two pigs! The London reception centre needs a new teeth. And there is a chance of opening another house in Rochester if the money is forthcoming. Incidentally, Anton wants a retired priest—young in spirit and a good mixer—to live on the farm!
Catholic Herald readers have never failed yet. Anyone anxious to help with a donation should write to Anton at Simon Cottage, 3 Worthgate Place, Canterbury, Kent.
Indian relief
"WE, are glad tc; inform you" says the letter which reached us this week, that "we have started a social organisation in the name and style of the Catholic Relief Centre, the main object of which is to give relief and help to the poor Catholics and other Christians of our Kerala State." (in India).
The letter goes on to describe how shirts, frocks and bed sheets are collected from the "better houses' and distributed "after stitching and remodelling" to the poor families.
From theuconi quote direct: "The old dresses etc. are stitched by paying amounts to the tailors. Among our workers, two-three persons know very well to use sewing machine . .
but we sorry wc have no machine . and if
we get machine we save our money.
"Under these circumstances we request you to be good enough to help us. In case you send us various dresses or a sewing machine we will have to pay huge amount as duty . . . so to avoid this we request you may be pleased to collect amounts and send same to enable us to purchase sewing machine here.
"For your helps you will be rewarded by the Almighty God."
Getting together
SOCIAL workers from the local authority and voluntary agencies in Rochdale, Lanes, are teaming up to avoid waste efforts and confusion.
Last week a home visitor from the Salford Catholic Protection and Rescue Society and one from the Quaker-sponsored Family Service Unit joined the Rochdale Children Department's team of four who visit problem families to give professional advice, make records and try to keep the homes from breaking up. Although the local children's officer, Mr. IL B. Hurley, is not a Catholic himself, he is very pleased to have a Catholic social worker visit the Catholic famiiies on his list, particu
larly to give advice on family planning. Both he and Fr. Gerard McCormack of the Rescue
Society hope neighbouring communities will fame suit and pool their public and private charities, perhaps in other services as well