The Church and the World, II
Reynold, Gonzague de
208 THE COMMONWEAL June 30, 192 THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD II. THE UNION OF...
...Thus it was the most outstanding figures in Catholic Switzer- that the Catholic Union of International Studies was land...
...of Charity Work, and of various other associations These who must bow at last to wind and rain, Raise proud undaunted brows to lashing pain...
...Dupraz, as secretary...
...One can see the usefulness intellectual cooperation, on the Treaty and its amend- of this, when it becomes a question of agreeing on a ments...
...tive for each commission, in an advisory capacity only...
...The ob- Marking how grain calls out to whirling grain, ject of this commission is, therefore, to represent these Pitting their frailty to the hurricane, interests before the League, or to act in such a manner How from the dust they mold the throaty flute, And, lest a string be raucous, the sweet mute . . . that they may be represented, and to keep the prin- Striving for stature, how they build and build cipal Catholic associations, devoting their efforts to Temples for life-these who will soon be stilled ! these various problems, duly informed of the activi- Ah God, they know-and yet, God, hear them laugh...
...also, he had understood able to form two groups: the Swiss group...
...to keep informed of of international questions: doing this it complies with the situation of the Catholics in new countries, as yet the wish of the Holy See...
...They sow for future strangers, their bright stage The International Commission of Minorities, the Holds treasure gleaned from dust of a dead age...
...personnel...
...Father de Munnynck, rector of mittee...
...It was a question, in that parternal organization, to follow up the work undertaken, ticular instance, of intensifying the intellectual exand to keep a record of the results...
...the Italy, Poland (subgroups in Warsaw, Cracow, Poz- United States today possesses one of the most imnan, and Lublin) Kingdom of Serbs, Croates and portant...
...But reunions of delegates with the central twelve members of the International Commission of committee took place at the latter's seat, that is, in Intellectual Cooperation, to which it had assigned the Fribourg...
...These reports constitute perhaps the most in- common action, of avoiding competition and useless telligent and most profound critical exposition, severe repetitions, waste of time and efforts resulting thereat times but always well meant, of the work undertaken from...
...missions composed of chosen specialists in different The result of the meetings was a complete reorganiza- countries...
...Finally he founded, legislation, especially the populations of resuscitated nations, with the able assistance of Baroness de Montenach, which have won, through the war, the right to have a flag, the International Association for the Protection of but which must not pay for their national deliverance with an encroachment on their religious liberties...
...210 THE COMMONWEAL June 30, 1926 They are: Mr...
...Fribourg is tradictory in appearance : the cult of tradition and the situated on the division line of languages and is an old love of his native soil on one hand, and, on the other, town, half Germanic, half Latin...
...THE UNION OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES By GONZAGUE DE REYNOLD THE Catholic Union of International Studies has, of Catholicism in that world...
...It expects to study also...
...new creations and some have attached themselves to In fact, far from ignoring them it had to treat them preexistent organizations...
...The Union held changes between countries: exchanges of professors, its fifth general assembly from April to to 15, 1926, exchanges of students, exchanges of publications, rein Vienna...
...In his opening of Catholic students, and almost succeeded in putting it address, Baron Montenach stated: into effect : at any rate, his idea was carried out, as What the Fribourg Union is from the social point of view, soon as the war was over, under the name of Pax we wish to carry out in the international domain, in order Romana...
...It sanctioned the existence and the men for its international work...
...Gariel, professor at the University of Fri- the president, three vice-presidents belonging to differbourg and vice-director of the International Bureaus ent nations, but as much as possible residing in of Industrial and Literary Property in Berne...
...On the other hand, the the Leo-Gesellschaft (Leo Association) forms the Union realized the necessity of bringing about cooperaAustrian group, and there are two departments of the tion between the Catholic intellectuals of the entire Catholic Council that form the English group...
...the means of of the clergy of Geneva, secretary...
...Young Girls...
...In 1917, when the end for several years, been working for better repre- of the war could be foreseen, and when it was necessentation and defense of Catholic interests in the sary to foresee that end in order not to be surprised League of Nations...
...But the problems of intellectual cooperation Slovenes, Switzerland (central in Fribourg, subgroups could interest Catholics only directly...
...the International Catholic Association for the Pro- Two, by some alchemy of eye and eye, tection of Young Girls, the Katholischer Caritas- Go far beyond the footpath of the sky...
...one delegate for each group, and of one representaGaston Castella, professor of this same university...
...Father Gemelli, rector of the Catholic The Union is governed by an International ComUniversity of Milan...
...miracle, he was already dreaming of the new world The first congress of the Union had given it a which was being born so painfully, and of the part temporary organization and, above all, principles...
...Blowing Sand In effect, when the League of Nations intervenes to One striding from a moon to a far sun, suppress slavery or the abuse of narcotics, to curb Passing the planets as they swiftly run, white slavery, or to protect children, it touches Catho- Looking upon a gust of blowing sand, lic interests which are of the greatest importance but A little cloud less wide than a great hand, which are not always represented before it...
...They recruited adherents in Switzerland, in siderably...
...Father Martindale, of the University of Oxford...
...It was in of Count de Mun, he conceived, about thirty years Paris during the month of November, ig20, that the before the war, the idea of a vast international union first sessions of the Union were held...
...The Bureau is composed of operation...
...these are the very terms of the by-laws...
...It therefore does not aim poorly organized, where minorities have not, as yet, at an immediate organization of the masses: neverthein practice, the rights that are conceded to them in less, it recruits its members in such a manner that every theory...
...one of them may be as much as possible the representaThe third assembly took place at Fribourg in April, tive of a great Catholic force...
...But he had traveled con- work...
...ing the groups tends gradually to make the Union the For the most part only reports were heard: on the centre of the principal Catholic associations, both naactivity of the League of Nations, on minorites, on tional and international...
...H. de Fries, professor in the Univer- in Central and Eastern Europe, in Soviet Russia and sity of Nimegue, president...
...At once they were most eminent men of Europe...
...Fribourg is a Swiss town, and SwitzerMontenach always knew how to harmonize in himself, land, during the war, was a first-class observatory, since as well as in his public life, two qualities rather con- it stood in the midst of the belligerents...
...creation of the Milan congress of 1923...
...ciations of Catholic intellectuals, our libraries, our The groups themselves are of two kinds: some are scientific institutions...
...a secretary, the Abbe Grenmad...
...We know In 1924 and 1925 the Union did not have any large that in 1922 the League of Nations had selected the meetings...
...The Com- One watching this cloud pass-this brave sound lullmission is for the present conducting an investigation, Could surely find no thing more wonderful ! which touches especially on the condition of Catholics POWER DALTON...
...It consists of the Bureau of the Union, of the Catholic University of Fribourg, in Switzerland...
...and the mandate for Palestine and around Switzerland, which it had spared by a sort of the Holy Places...
...Where the Union does not as yet have publications, the Catholic students' societies, the assogroups, it will choose correspondents...
...Later, he had been one of the founders of to cause the principles of the rights of Christian people to that union of Fribourg which marks such an im- penetrate into the League of Nations...
...Groups stance, was the League of Nations going to treat the are being formed in Belgium, Spain, Ireland, and the Catholic universities, with their diplomas and their Netherlands...
...meet...
...pects of the problem of the minorities...
...Abbe Switzerland, assisted by the members of the secrePrince Ghika ; Pedro Sangro y Ros de Olano, dele- tary's office...
...Verband of Germany, the International Union of the Shod in white flame, they skim the dark abyssLeagues of Catholic Women, the International Union And oh, their eyes hold heaven when they kiss...
...Monsignor De- supporting the intellectual elite of these Catholic ploige, senator of the Kingdom of Belgium and direc- minorities, and a number of other outstanding probtor of the Institute of Philosophy of the University lems...
...the League and of the International Bureau of Labor, and to maintain contact with the different Catholic organizations occupied with humanitarian questions...
...questions which appeared on the horizon, and to study Baron de Montenach died prematurely at Fribourg, them, in their relation to the interests of the Church, his native town, on May 24, 1925...
...Of an old patrician family, which had given born...
...He devoted a In 1918, as soon as the Armistice was signed, Baron whole book to these beauties, under the title of The Be- de Montenach and his collaborators resumed their loved Face of the Fatherland...
...The first, by right of seniority, is the Cathotion of the Union, assuring to it an absolute interna- lic Commission of Intellectual Cooperation...
...ties of the land, artistic or natural...
...O. de Halecki, professor of the University where the office of the secretary of the Union is situof Warsaw, head of the division of university rela- ated in a room in the library building of the Canton tions in the International Institute of Intellectual Co- and of the University...
...Catholics known to be attached to the Church, ready These were the motives that decided the Union to to take an interest in the work of the Union, as, for create this Catholic Commission of Intellectual Coinstance, to o1*-Prve and have others around them ob- operation...
...Ward, Spinning their songs of rose breath and new snow with a Swiss, Mr...
...account of the war, the intellectual life found itself The national groups are autonomous within the hampered or menaced...
...and G. de Reynold, professor at the Uni- Geneva, and of Fribourg, one of its founders, who versity of Berne and member of the International always places his episcopal residence at the disposal Commission for Intellectual Cooperation...
...The work done there may that helped the Union to create, in 1924, its Catholic be said, humbly, to possess apostolic significance, inCommission of Humanitarian Affairs...
...world and of helping those, too numerous, who may The members of the groups are chosen among be in trouble or in distress...
...For the purpose of correspondlimits of the by-laws...
...The purpose of these reunions was first of task of drawing together the nations by drawing toall a practical one: to strengthen and perfect the in- gether their minds...
...of our small and large assemblies, in which he himIt was also the activity of the League of Nations self takes earnest part...
...We think that it might be of interest for serve the Christian principles which must guide the the reader if we give here the list of its members...
...the Abbe Charles Comte, in Turkey...
...It possesses, morethe European spirit and international point of view...
...it June 30, 1926 THE COMMONWEAL 209 had established its attitude toward the League...
...Was it going to ignore them...
...It is a tionality, and giving it a plan of methodical work...
...As a disciple and friend to Paul Fournier, member of the Institute...
...Mon- Finally, the Union itself has as protector His Highsignor Beaupin, vice-rector of the Catholic Institute of ness Monsignor Marius Besson, Bishop of Lausanne, Paris...
...For instance, a section of with genuine liberalism...
...and the at an early date the necessity for Catholics of strong French group, the presidency of which was entrusted international organizations...
...One of 1921, laid out the program: to follow the work of can see that the Union endeavors especially to form the League of Nations, to intervene, if need be, for for the service of the Church specialists in the matter the defense of Catholic interests...
...sumption of international congresses, mutual intelThe Catholic Union is based on national groups and lectual aid in favor of the countries where, on on international groups...
...the parliament of Berne he was the acknowledged in composition...
...The task of asmuch as it strives to teach all the world the hope the second is to follow the humanitarian activity of of unity and mutual understanding...
...of Louvain...
...how, for inin Zurich and in Geneva) Czecho-Slovakia...
...The founder of the Union was by events, he gathered around him a certain number a Swiss, Baron Georges de Montenach, deputy of the of friends, ecclesiastics or professors of the University Council of States, which is the senate of the Confedera- of Fribourg, and proposed to them to found a circle tion, and vice-president of the great popular Catholic for the purpose of studying the grave international Association...
...This manner of form1922...
...208 THE COMMONWEAL June 30, 192 THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD II...
...urer, Mr...
...a treasgate from Spain to the International Bureau of Labor...
...The Commission of Humani- They race with time, with wheel and multigraph...
...two assistants and the necessary Father Schmidt, the renowned German anthropologist...
...They are ten in number: Ger- ing with the International Commission, national commany, Austria, France (central in Paris with two sub- missions of intellectual cooperation were organized groups in Lyons and in Lille) Great Britain, Hungary, almost spontaneously in most of the countries...
...ties of the League...
...It is under- The work, the play, the legends are a fount, stood that it deals exclusively with the religious as- Whose jewels are too manifold to count...
...youngest of the three, has barely started its labors Dear Columbine is there, and gay Pierrot, under the presidency of an Englishman, Mr...
...he was in contact with the in England, and as far as Canada...
...over, a university, Catholic in doctrine, international In...
...Count Rostworowski, rector of the University in The Bureau itself has its headquarters in Fribourg, Cracow...
...The mutual relations of peoples and the reconstruction of second congress, which also met in Paris in the spring society...
...He was one of under the light of Christian principles...
...But, while it was raging all League of Nations...
...He had lived a long time in Paris, London, France, Italy, Belgium, Czecho-Slovakia, Jugo-Slavia, Brussels, Vienna, and Rome...
...But the latter is more activity of a very large Italian group where could be and more taken care of by the International Comfound the most eminent Catholics of the peninsula...
...This was the beginning of the practical work...
...The outstanding quality of Baron de Montenach To demonstrate the affirmation he had just made, was that of foreseeing events a long time in advance Montenach called the attention of his hearers to two the war did not surprise him at all-he had seen it problems: the relations of the Holy See with the coming for many years...
...Just as the Fribourg portant date in the history of social Catholicism, in the Union has struggled to free the working class from the yoke deliberations of which he assisted, under the presidency which economic liberalism has laid heavily upon it, we wish of Cardinal Mermillod, with Count de Mun, Marquis to liberate Catholic nations from the yoke of oppressive de la Tour du Pin, Descurtins, etc...
...Dupraz...
...tarian Affairs has a tendency to become, within They seize small moments, these ephemeral things, these limits, a species of council in which delegates of And lift beyond the reach of mighty wings...
...The national groups are points for meetings and The fourth congress was that of Milan in the month concentration where the Union assembles the necessary of October, 1923...
...two bishops to the diocese of Lausanne, and five chief Nothing was more natural than its having Fribourg magistrates to the Republic of Fribourg, Baron de as its cradle...
...by the League...
...Fribourg, for a long time, was a town defender of the sovereignty of the cantons-of "feder- of assemblies, where Catholics of the entire world alism," as we say in Switzerland-and of all the beau- were wont to meet...
Vol. 4 • June 1926 • No. 8
