The thesis provides a complex analysis of the activity of NGOs of Poland in the context of its European integration. It was proven that the civil society activation was happening in conditions of transformation processes and democracy transit. The peculiarities of the work of non-governmental organizations during the change of the foreign policy vector were determined. The study systemizes the theoretical and methodological foundations of studying this field for they have an interdisciplinary foundation and are based on the theory of democracy, transitology, system approach, namely, the networks theory, and have the features of neoinstitutionalism. The political and legal basis for civil society organizations' functioning were analyzed and the system of documents which reflect the conditions and fundamental foundations of NGO functioning was determined.The paper looks at the long-term program of Polish legislation harmonization with the acquis communautaire, which includes the regulatory acts of the EU (regulations, directives, decisions, resolutions etc.), general principles of the EU law (rulings of the European Court, common strategies, actions and positions within the framework of the common foreign and security policy etc.). It was determined that Polish legislation reacted to the needs of the NGO sector and regulated their activity during 1989–2004. The political and legal component of NGO activities at the current stage depends on the governmental policy and is characterized by a number of laws, which contradict the independence of NGOs.The initial conditions of the European integration were studied. In historical retrospective, Poland had a long history of state building as well as the experience of functioning in a unity of states. These factors became the historical preconditions of accessing the European Union. Political preconditions reach to the times of activity of the "Solidarity" Independent Trade Union. The economic transformations at the end of the 1980-s led to the civil society activation and in 1990–1997 – to the change of public attitude to the EU and caused the increase of the social position of Poland.The stages of NGO formation, including the present-day stage, were generalized. The key classification types have been determined, the typology by the activity fields with the consideration of the Euro-integration vector of Poland have been actualized. The emphasis was made on the territorial and quantitative components of NGO functioning, the functioning peculiarities of the NGO development models (continental, Scandinavian, Mediterranean, corporate) and the characteristic model for Poland has been determined, the Eastern European model, for it has principal differences from the general European models.The thesis defined key pro-European organizations, which functioned in the context of European integration of Poland and facilitated the civil society formation in Poland as well as popularization of European ideas through the attraction of international funding. It was proved that the major financial support from the outside came from the following international organization: Polish-American-Ukrainian Cooperation, National Democracy Foundation, the Embassy of the United States of America and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherland, the Bosch Foundation, Polish-American Freedom Foundation, the European Union, UKIE, MOTTA Foundation.The paper determines the peculiarities of the NGO functioning during the period of European integration that included the cooperation of the organizations with the governmental and the business structures, which was reflected in the development of the awareness-raising programs, development of the strategy and the program of implementation of the policy aimed at the civil society development.The analysis of the development of the public sector of Poland has been carried out with the help of such indexes as the Civil Society Organizations Sustainability Index (CSO) and the Civil Society Index (CSI).It has been determined that during the period of Poland's full membership in the European Union, NGOs continue to develop within the European vector. At the current stage of their development, the NGOs in Poland are not only the receivers of resources from the EU funds, but also provide assistance in the issues of European integration. The greatest influence of Poland in the international cooperation is carried out through the Visegrad Fund, which was established in 2000 by the governments of the countries of the Visegrad group.It was found out that after Poland became a member of the European Union in 2004, its cooperation with the European funds has only strengthened and was aimed at the implementation of not only European, but also social projects in accordance with the adopted Programs of the European Union for 2007–2013 and 2014–2020, which are characterized by a considerable increase of the financial inflow into the public sector of Poland. However, the current period of NGO activity is characterized by the decrease of the level of their independence and the establishment of state control over the organizations' activities. This was caused by the decrease of the external influence after Poland gained full membership. This tendency led to the decrease of democracy indexes, where one of the indicators is the state of civil society. The evidence of the negative processes in the civil society functioning structure are reflected in the Civil Society Organizations Sustainability Indexes (CSO) in Poland in 2008–2017. ; Przeprowadzono kompleksową analizę działalności organizacji pozarządowych Polski w kontekście jej integracji europejskie. Udowodniono że aktywizacja społeczeństwa obywatelskiego się odbyła w warunkach procesów transformacyjnych oraz tranzytu demokracji pod wpływem czynników zewnętrznych. Określono specyfikę działalności organizacji pozarządowych pod czas zmiany wektora polityki zewnętrznej. Systematyzowano teoretyko-metodologiczne podstawy tego kierunku. Podsumowano okresy tworzenia organizacji pozarządowych i określono kierunki działalności ze względu na eurointegracyjny sukces Polski. Wyjaśniono osobliwości funkcjonowania modeli rozwoju organizacji pozarządowych i wskazano na osobliwości modeli dla Polski, mającej zasadnicze różnice od ogólnoeuropejskich. Zrobione wnioski o zwrotnych procesach stanu demokracji w Polsce we współczesnych warunkach. ; Здійснено комплексний аналіз діяльності громадських організацій Польщі у контексті її європейської інтеграції. Доведено, що активізація громадянського суспільства відбувалась в умовах трансформаційних процесів та транзиту демократії під впливом зовнішніх чинників. Визначено специфіку діяльності громадських організацій під час зміни вектору зовнішньої політики. Систематизовано теоретико-методологічні основи дослідження цього напрямку. Узагальнено періоди формування громадських організацій та визначено основні сфери їх діяльності з урахуванням євроінтеграційного поступу Польщі. З'ясовано особливості функціонування моделей розвитку громадських організацій та визначено характерну модель для Польщі, що має принципові відмінності від загальноєвропейських. Зроблено висновок про реверсні процеси стану демократії Польщі за сучасних умов.
The thesis provides a complex analysis of the activity of NGOs of Poland in the context of its European integration. It was proven that the civil society activation was happening in conditions of transformation processes and democracy transit. The peculiarities of the work of non-governmental organizations during the change of the foreign policy vector were determined. The study systemizes the theoretical and methodological foundations of studying this field for they have an interdisciplinary foundation and are based on the theory of democracy, transitology, system approach, namely, the networks theory, and have the features of neoinstitutionalism. The political and legal basis for civil society organizations' functioning were analyzed and the system of documents which reflect the conditions and fundamental foundations of NGO functioning was determined.The paper looks at the long-term program of Polish legislation harmonization with the acquis communautaire, which includes the regulatory acts of the EU (regulations, directives, decisions, resolutions etc.), general principles of the EU law (rulings of the European Court, common strategies, actions and positions within the framework of the common foreign and security policy etc.). It was determined that Polish legislation reacted to the needs of the NGO sector and regulated their activity during 1989–2004. The political and legal component of NGO activities at the current stage depends on the governmental policy and is characterized by a number of laws, which contradict the independence of NGOs.The initial conditions of the European integration were studied. In historical retrospective, Poland had a long history of state building as well as the experience of functioning in a unity of states. These factors became the historical preconditions of accessing the European Union. Political preconditions reach to the times of activity of the "Solidarity" Independent Trade Union. The economic transformations at the end of the 1980-s led to the civil society activation and in 1990–1997 – to the change of public attitude to the EU and caused the increase of the social position of Poland.The stages of NGO formation, including the present-day stage, were generalized. The key classification types have been determined, the typology by the activity fields with the consideration of the Euro-integration vector of Poland have been actualized. The emphasis was made on the territorial and quantitative components of NGO functioning, the functioning peculiarities of the NGO development models (continental, Scandinavian, Mediterranean, corporate) and the characteristic model for Poland has been determined, the Eastern European model, for it has principal differences from the general European models.The thesis defined key pro-European organizations, which functioned in the context of European integration of Poland and facilitated the civil society formation in Poland as well as popularization of European ideas through the attraction of international funding. It was proved that the major financial support from the outside came from the following international organization: Polish-American-Ukrainian Cooperation, National Democracy Foundation, the Embassy of the United States of America and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherland, the Bosch Foundation, Polish-American Freedom Foundation, the European Union, UKIE, MOTTA Foundation.The paper determines the peculiarities of the NGO functioning during the period of European integration that included the cooperation of the organizations with the governmental and the business structures, which was reflected in the development of the awareness-raising programs, development of the strategy and the program of implementation of the policy aimed at the civil society development.The analysis of the development of the public sector of Poland has been carried out with the help of such indexes as the Civil Society Organizations Sustainability Index (CSO) and the Civil Society Index (CSI).It has been determined that during the period of Poland's full membership in the European Union, NGOs continue to develop within the European vector. At the current stage of their development, the NGOs in Poland are not only the receivers of resources from the EU funds, but also provide assistance in the issues of European integration. The greatest influence of Poland in the international cooperation is carried out through the Visegrad Fund, which was established in 2000 by the governments of the countries of the Visegrad group.It was found out that after Poland became a member of the European Union in 2004, its cooperation with the European funds has only strengthened and was aimed at the implementation of not only European, but also social projects in accordance with the adopted Programs of the European Union for 2007–2013 and 2014–2020, which are characterized by a considerable increase of the financial inflow into the public sector of Poland. However, the current period of NGO activity is characterized by the decrease of the level of their independence and the establishment of state control over the organizations' activities. This was caused by the decrease of the external influence after Poland gained full membership. This tendency led to the decrease of democracy indexes, where one of the indicators is the state of civil society. The evidence of the negative processes in the civil society functioning structure are reflected in the Civil Society Organizations Sustainability Indexes (CSO) in Poland in 2008–2017. ; Przeprowadzono kompleksową analizę działalności organizacji pozarządowych Polski w kontekście jej integracji europejskie. Udowodniono że aktywizacja społeczeństwa obywatelskiego się odbyła w warunkach procesów transformacyjnych oraz tranzytu demokracji pod wpływem czynników zewnętrznych. Określono specyfikę działalności organizacji pozarządowych pod czas zmiany wektora polityki zewnętrznej. Systematyzowano teoretyko-metodologiczne podstawy tego kierunku. Podsumowano okresy tworzenia organizacji pozarządowych i określono kierunki działalności ze względu na eurointegracyjny sukces Polski. Wyjaśniono osobliwości funkcjonowania modeli rozwoju organizacji pozarządowych i wskazano na osobliwości modeli dla Polski, mającej zasadnicze różnice od ogólnoeuropejskich. Zrobione wnioski o zwrotnych procesach stanu demokracji w Polsce we współczesnych warunkach. ; Здійснено комплексний аналіз діяльності громадських організацій Польщі у контексті її європейської інтеграції. Доведено, що активізація громадянського суспільства відбувалась в умовах трансформаційних процесів та транзиту демократії під впливом зовнішніх чинників. Визначено специфіку діяльності громадських організацій під час зміни вектору зовнішньої політики. Систематизовано теоретико-методологічні основи дослідження цього напрямку. Узагальнено періоди формування громадських організацій та визначено основні сфери їх діяльності з урахуванням євроінтеграційного поступу Польщі. З'ясовано особливості функціонування моделей розвитку громадських організацій та визначено характерну модель для Польщі, що має принципові відмінності від загальноєвропейських. Зроблено висновок про реверсні процеси стану демократії Польщі за сучасних умов.
La gobernanza ambiental es entendida más como un medio que como un fin en sí, para asegurar la conservación del medio ambiente (1), constituye un aspecto clave para el desarrollo de las políticas públicas ambientales del país; sin embargo, los esfuerzos por consolidarla todavía son mínimos en las autoridades de los distintos niveles de gobierno y, por el lado de la sociedad civil en los tomadores de decisiones de las diversas organizaciones sociales.Por la trascendencia del tema y nuestra responsabilidad con la sociedad como universidad, asumimos el compromiso de su fortalecimiento a través de la incorporación como una línea de investigación priorizada, esperando a futuro incrementar los aportes investigativos pertinentes socialmente desde la comunidad académica - científica, luego difundir los resultados de los diversos estudios para contribuir de este modo en la mejora del conocimiento y práctica de la gobernanza ambiental.Es claro que en materia de gobernanza ambiental poco hemos avanzado, pese a tener una normatividad muy comprometida con el medio ambiente y que otorga facultades a los gobiernos regionales y locales para impulsarla en busca de una mayor eficiencia. Las experiencias de Lima y Junín expresan en gran medida esta realidad. Según el Índice de Ciudades Verdes de Latinoamérica, estudio realizado por Siemens, la gobernanza ambiental de Lima se ubica "debajo del promedio" para la gobernanza ambiental a nivel de Latinoamérica. Esta ubicación se debe principalmente a la asignación fragmentada de recursos y responsabilidades para el manejo del medio ambiente entre múltiples instituciones y niveles de gobierno. En 2006 la municipalidad de Lima creó un departamento especializado en medio ambiente, sin embargo carece de competencia para implementar su propia legislación en este sentido. En los últimos cinco años la ciudad de Lima ha realizado una revisión básica de su sector de desechos, omitiendo agua, saneamiento y calidad del aire, entre otros factores. La mayor parte de las iniciativas de esta política se derivan del Ministerio del Ambiente, en donde se concentra la experticia técnica (2).La región Junín está constituida por nueve provincias. La ciudad de Huancayo desde la Comisión Ambiental Regional de Junín (CAR Junín), el Comité de Gestión del Área de Conservación Regional del Huaytapallana (CGACR-H), Grupo Técnico de Cambio Climático entre otras organizaciones sociales - con limitada participación y compromiso de representantes de otras provincias - desarrolla acciones de carácter ambiental con un impacto en la región poco valorada y reconocimiento por la población. Huancayo tiene como fortalezas la gestión de áreas verdes en la zona urbana, las iniciativas de sensibilización para la segregación de residuos sólidos en fuente y permanentes intentos de mejorar la cobertura de agua para consumo humano; todo un reto a futuro.La ciudad de Junín tiene en actividad la Comisión Ambiental Municipal (CAM). La Municipalidad Provincial de Junín con apoyo de la comunidad, han denunciado a las empresas mineras que contaminan las aguas del lago Chinchaycocha, y ya han judicializado el tema, en caso de no tener una pronta solución de las autoridades peruanas éstas serían denunciadas ante la Corte Inter-americana de Derechos Humanos de la OEA, asimismo, se procedería a plantear una medida cautelar para suspender las actividades mineras en Cerro de Pasco, sobre todo de las empresas El Brocal, Volcan y Panamerican Silver que son las responsables de la contaminación del segundo lago más grande del Perú, con relaves mineros afectando la biodiversidad del ecosistema del lago sin alguna medida de remediación; a la fecha se estima que un 30% del lago está contaminado poniendo en riesgo a unas 150 especies de aves endémicas y migratorias. Las aguas del lago Chinchaycocha también son fuente de agua del rio Mantaro, que contribuye en la generación de energía eléctrica a unos 14 departamentos de nuestro país. Entre sus fortalezas se encuentran la gestión adecuada de los residuos sólidos orgánicos orientándolos con fines de producción de compost para su uso en la agricultura y las acciones de conservación de los suelos con fines de un cultivo sostenible, un caso representativo es el de la Maca, producto de exportación de Junín.La ciudad de Concepción tiene en actividad la CAM de Concepción que administra información agraria para brindar información sobre costos de insumos, mercados y estadística que permita a los productores agrícolas decidir oportunamente respecto a oportunidades de negocios; también dispone de maquinaria agrícola que está al servicio de los productores. Entre sus fortalezas se encuentra la gestión adecuada de los residuos sólidos no orgánicos orientándolos con fines económicos y a través del Comité de Vigilancia Ambiental el desarrollo de monitoreos de la calidad del agua (3).Es oportuno destacar que en el Perú existen políticas y un marco legal ambiental que es el reflejo de los compromisos internacionales que asumimos, éstos instrumentos se encuentran en proceso de consolidación a partir del Ministerio del Ambiente, aunque con algunas deficiencias en su articulación con las organizaciones sociales existentes en las diversas regiones; asimismo existen mecanismos de resolución de conflictos incluido el fomento de conocimientos especializados en la determinación de causas ambientales, que sin embargo no están siendo aplicados adecuadamente en el contexto nacional y local. La gobernanza ambiental peruana, por lo demás tiene pendiente la solución de muchos problemas de carácter socio ambiental, en su mayoría vinculados al sector minero.Las ciudades de Huancayo, Junín y Concepción, en todo este panorama, exponen hasta hoy mejores desempeños en materia de gobernanza ambiental, aunque en proceso de mejora. Los mayores esfuerzos están concentrados en los temas de tratamiento y accesibilidad de agua para consumo humano, tratamiento de suelos e iniciativas para lograr a futuro el tratamiento de aguas residuales. ; Environmental governance is understood more as a way than a goal, to ensure the environment conservation (1), it's a key aspect to the environmental public policies development of the country; however, efforts to consolidate are still minimal in the various government levels authorities and, on the side of civil society in the decision-makers of various social organizations. United Nations' international agreements prompted it since the beginning of their decisions and today is an important dimension in peruvian law, as expressed in the General Environmental Law, its article XI gives category as a principle.On the issue significance and our responsibility to society as a university, we are committed to strengthening through incorporation as a prioritized research line, waiting for future increase socially relevant research contributions from the academic – scientific community, then spread the results of various studies to contribute in this way to improve the knowledge and environmental governance practice.It's clear that in environmental governance we have advanced very little, despite having strong regulations to the environment and empowers local and regional governments to promote it in search of greater efficiency. The Lima and Junin experiences largely express this reality.According to the Green Cities Index in Latin America, study realized by Siemens, Lima environmental governance is located "below average" for Latin America level environmental governance. This location is mainly due to the fragmented allocation of resources and responsibilities for environmental management among multiple institutions and government levels. In 2006 the Lima municipality created a specializing environment department, however it isn't competent to implement its own legislation in this regard. In the last five years Lima city has made a fundamental review of its waste sector, omitting water, sanitation and air quality, among other factors. Most policy initiatives arising from the Environment Ministry, where technical expertise is concentrated (2).The Junin region consists of nine provinces. Huancayo city from the Junin Regional Environmental Commission (CAR Junin), the Management Committee of the Huaytapallana Regional Conservation Area (CGACR-H), Technical Group on Climate Change and other social organizations - with limited participation and involvement of other provinces representatives – develop environmental character actions with an undervalued impact on the region and appreciation for population. Huancayo has as management strengths green areas in urban areas, sensitization initiatives for solid waste segregation at source and permanent attempts to improve water coverage for human consumption; a real challenge for the future.The Junín city has in operation the Municipal Environmental Commission (CAM). The Junin Provincial Municipality with the community support, have denounced mining companies which pollute Chinchaycocha lake waters, and they have already judicialized the issue, if they don't have an early settlement from peruvian authorities these would be reported to the Human Rights Inter-American Court of the OAS also they would proceed to raise an injunction to suspend mining activities in Cerro de Pasco, especially El Brocal, Volcan and Panamerican Silver companies which are responsible for pollution of the Peru's second largest lake, with mine tailings affecting the lake ecosystem's biodiversity without some remediation measure; to date it's estimated that 30 % of the lake is polluted jeopardizing 150 endemic and migratory birds species. Chinchaycocha lake waters are also a water source of Mantaro river, which contributes to the electricity generation to 14 departments of the country. Among its strengths are the proper management of organic solid waste directing for compost production to use it in agriculture and soil conservation actions with sustainable farming purposes, a representative case is the Maca, a Junin export product.The Concepción city has in operation the CAM Concepción which manages agricultural information to provide information on inputs costs, markets and statistics that allow farmers promptly decide on business opportunities; also it has farm machinery that serves producers. Among its strengths there is the proper solid non-organic waste management for economic purposes and through the Environmental Monitoring Committee the development of water quality monitoring (3).It should be emphasized that in Peru there are policies and an environmental legal framework that reflects international commitments we made, these instruments are being consolidated from the Environment Ministry, with some shortcomings in its articulation with existing social organizations in the various regions; there are also conflict resolution mechanisms including the expertise knowledge promotion in the environmental causes determination, which however are not being properly applied in the national and local context. Peruvian environmental governance, moreover is pending the solution for many social-environmental problems of character, mostly linked to the mining sector.The Huancayo, Junín and Concepción cities in all this panorama, until now, exhibited best performances in environmental governance, although in the improvement process. The main efforts are concentrated on topics such as treatment topics and water for human consumption accessibility, soil treatment and initiatives to achieve wastewater treatment in the future.
Issue 1.3 of the Review for Religious, 1942. ; Review for Religious MAY 15, 1942 The General Chapter of Elections . Adam C. Ellis Retreat Resolutions . Clarence McAuliffe Reparation to the Sacred Heart . Malachi J. Donnelly The, Pivotal Point of Good Will . G. Augustln~ Ellard Scruples Versus the Human Way . ~ Gerald Kelly Hints for Sacristans . Gerald Ellard The Presumed Permission . ¯ . James E. Risk Book Reviews )uestions Answered E)ecisions of the Holy See VOLUME NUMBER 3 REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS VOLUME I MAY 15. 1942 NUMBER CONTENTS. THE GENERAL CHAPTER OF ELECTIONS IN A RELIGIOUS CONGREGATION Adam C. Ellis, S.3 . 146 FOR CHURCH MUSICIANS . " . 156 RETREAT RESOLUTIONS---Clarence McAuliffe, S.J . 157 BOOKS RECEIVED . , . 166" ¯ SOME PAMPHLETS . 166 REPARATION IN THE DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART Malachi J. Donnelly, S.J. . ." . . . 167 THE PIVOTAL POINT OF EFFECTIVE GOOD WILL G. Augustine Ellard, S.J . 170 SCRUPLES VERSUS THE HUMAN WAY---Gerald Kelly. S.J. 187 HINTS FOR SACRISTANS~erald Ellard, S.J . 194 THE PRESUMED PERMISSION--Jame$.,E~. Risk. S.J . 196 BOOK REVIEWS PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIAN AND RELIGIOUS PERFECTION . 206 BLESSED ARE THEY THAT HUNGER By the Reverend Richard Graef, C.S.Sp. 206 THE MASS OF BROTHER MICHEL. By Michael Kent . 207 FAST BY THE ROAD. By John Moody . ; 208 THE CATHOLIC REVIVAL IN ENGLAND. By John ,J. O'Connor 209 MEDIEVAL HUMANISM. By the Reverend Gerald G. Walsh, S.J. 209 DECISIONS OF THE HOLY SEE OF INTEREST TO RELIGIOUS 210 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS Extension of Temporary Vows; Use df Parish School Funds; Is Reli-gious Habit a Sacramental; Days of Abstinence during Lent; Languages during Canonical Year; Inspection of Letters: Administration of Anes-thetics: Aspirant of East Syrian Rite: Converts from Greek Orthodox Church; Indulgence for Kissing Habit: Extending Period of Probation: Chanting of Little Office; Working during Evening Recreation 211 REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS, May, 1942. Vol. I, No. 3. Published bi-monthly: January, March, May, July, September, and November, at The College Press, 606 Harrison Street; Topeka, Kansas, by St. Mary's College, St. Marys, Kansas, with ecclesiastical approbation. Entered as second class matter January 15, 1942, at the Post Office, Topeka, Kansas, under the act of March 3, 1879. Editorial Board: Adam C. Ellis, S.J., G. Augustine Ellard, S.J., Gerald Kelly, S.d. Copyright, 1942, by Adam C. Ellis. Permission is hereby granted for quotations of reasonable length, provided due credit be given this review and the author. Subscription price: 2 dollars a year. PHnted in U. S. A. The General Chap!:er ot: I::lect:ions in a Religious Congregat:ion Adam C. Ellis, S.3. BY CHAPTER in a reli.gious institute is meant the lawful assembly of those members to whom the con-stitutions give the right to vote when matters of im-portance are to be discussed and decided. Chapters may be general, provincial, or local, according as they represent an entire institute (order or congregation), or a province, or a local community. Provincial and local chapters meet, as a rule, only for the election of delegates to the general or provincial chapter respectively. In this article we are concerned only with the g.eneral chapter, though many of its provisions will apply equally well to a provincial or local chapter. An ordinarg general chapter is convoked at the times prescribed by the constitu-tions-~ every three or six years, or at other regular inter.- vals. An extraordinar~ general chapter is ofie convoked outside the time of the ordinary chapter~ Constitutions approved by the Holy See usually prescribe that an ex-traordinary chapter may not be convoked without the per-missioh of the Holy See, except in the case of the death or resignation of the superior general. The purpose of the general chapter is two-fold: to elect superiors, and to transact other important business. The first kind of chapter is usually called the chapter of elections; the second, the business chapter, or the chapter of affairs. We are dealing here with the chapter of elections only, which is governed by the regulations of the Code of Canon Law as well as by the provisions of the constitu-tions which are not contrary to the Code (cf. canon 507. §1). 146 CHAPTER OF ELECTIONS Time, Place, and Cor~oocation of Chapter. The common law of the Church does not prescribe any particular place for the meeting of the general chapter of elections. The constitutions usually allow the superior general to determi.ne the date and place of the chapter, with the deliberative vote of his council. Sometimes, however, they prescribe that the chapter be held in the motherhouse, and set the day for it as well. In the absence of any definite regulations of the constitutions, the superior general with his council is free to determine the day on which the chap-ter is to be held, as well as its meeting-place. This is true even in the case of a diocesan congregation of religious women which has houses in more than one diocese, as was declared by the S. Congregation of Religious on June 17, 1921, when it explicitly stated that the choice of the meet-ing- place of the chapter rested with the superior general, and not with the local Ordinary in whose diocese the moth-erhouse is located. At the same time the S. Congregation declared that the right to preside over the election in the case mentioned belonged to the local Ordinary in whose diocese the election took place, hence not to the Ordinary of the motherhouse, unless the election is held in his dio-cese. Pope Benedict XV confirmed these decisions and ordered them to be published. The day and place of the general chapter having been determined upon, the superior general will then convoke the chapter, usually by means of a circular letter to be sent to all those who have a right to assist at the chapter. The constitutions usually pr.escribe that such letters are to be sent at least three, if not six, months before the day on which the chapter is to meet. An error in convoking the chapter does not make the election invalid unless one third of those who have a right to attend have not been sum-moned and, by reason of this irregularity, have not taken 147 ADAM C. ELLIS part in the voting (cf. canon 162, § 3). Electors or Members of the Chapter The constitutions will determine who have a right to take part in a chapter of elections. The following are com-monly members of such a chapter: 1. The superior general; 2. The members of his council; 3. All ex-superiors general; 4. The secretary general; 5. The treasurer general; 6. Provincials and two or more delegates from each province, if there are provinces; 7. Local superiors, and delegates of the various houses chosen according to the constitutions. The common law of tl~e Church prescribes that reli-gious with temporary vows have neither active nor pas-sive voice1 unless the constitutions explicitly grant it to them. The constitutions sometimes grant active voice to religious with temporary vows, seldom if ever passive voice. The number of years required by the constitutions for the enjoyment~ of active and passive voice is tO be counted from the" first profession of temporary vows, un-less the constitutions provide otherwise (cf. canon 578, 30). It is customary to elect substitutes for all delegates who are elected to take part in a chapter of elections. These substitutes take the place of such delegates as are impeded or who do not wish to attend the chapter. Unless the con-stitutions declare otherwise, the religious who have been elected delegates may give up their right to attend the chap-ter. XActive voice is the tight to vote: passive voice is the right to be voted for or to be elected to an ot~ce, 148 CHAPTER OF ELECTIONS Prelirainar~.t Session of Chapter In a preliminary session of the .chapter it is customary to examine the credentials of all the delegates to the chap-ter. This having been done, the assembly proceeds by se-cret vote to the election of at least two "scrutineers".0r tellers (cf. canon 171, § 1), unless these are already desig-nated by the constitutions. They must be elected from among the members of the chapter. After being elected they take an oath to fulfill their of Iice faithfully, and to observe secrecy regarding everything done in the chapter of elections. A secretary is usually elected in a similar man-ner, unless one of the tellers acts in this capacity. General Regulations Regarding Voting On!y those religious who are actually present in the chapter have a right to vote. Votes sent in by mail or cast by proxy are forbidden and invalid, unless the constitu-tions or a special privilege granted by the Holy See author-ize the employment of those methods (cf. canon 163). An exception., however, is made in favor of members of the chapter who are in the house but unable to attend the meetings because of illness. Such a person's vote given in writing shall be collected by the tellers and placed with the other votes, unless particular laws or a legitimate custom determine otherwise (cf. canon 168). All must abstain from seeking votes either directly or indirectly for themselves or for others, and no one may validly vote for himself (cf. canons 507, § 2, 170). This does not forbid the members-of the chapter from seeking information from one another regarding the qualities of this or that religious. The constitutions frequently pro-vide for such an opportunity before the day of the election. All votes must be freely given. A vote directly or indirectly extorted by grave fear or fraud in favor of a 149 ADAM C. ELLIS determined person, or of one of a group of persons, is an invalid vote (cf. canon 169, §.1). In order to be valid, a vote freely cast for an eligible candidate must have four qualities: it must be secret, cer-tain, absolute, and determined (cf. canon 169, § 2). Each one of these qualities demands a brief explanation. A secret vote. This means that no member of the chapter may make known to another, the pers6n for whom he voted. A vote which is made public is by that very fact invalid. However, for special reasons, a member of the chapter may declare before the president and the tellers which person he wishes to vote for. The vote is secret, since all the persons to whom it is made. known are bound under oath. not to reveal it. Though not strictly speaking required by law, a written ballot is the most common and most convenient form of carrying on the election and safe-guards the secrecy req.uired. It would seem to be the only form contemplated by the Code. A certain vote. In order to be certain the vote must glare the full name of the person v6ted for so as to distin-guish him from all other persons having a similar name. A vote cast for "the person who will receive the majority of the votes," is an uncertain vote. A vote which cannot be read, or understood, is likewise uncertain; as is also a blank vote. An absolute vote. Each vote must be free from all con-ditions. A vote cast for Peter "provided he is fifty years old," would be an invalid vote. If the condition, however, merely expresses a requirement of the law for the valid election of the person voted for, the. vote would not be invalid: But such conditions should not be put in the vote when given since they are presupposed. A determined vote. An alternative vote is invalid. 150 CHAPTER OF ELECTIONS Such would be, for example, a vote cast for "either Peter or Paul." In conclusion it may be well to note that an invalid vote does not make the balldt in which it is cast invalid. Such an invalid vote is simply not.counted. By accident it may keep the person for whom it was given from getting the required majority of votes. The Election of the Superior General -Before the voting begins for the election of higher superiors in institutes of religious men, all and each of the members of the chapter shall promise under oath to elect those whom they deem before God should be elected (cf. canon 506, § 1). This oath is not required of reli-gious women. In institutes of religious men the superior general pre-sides over the election unless the constitutions provide otherwise. In congregations of religious women the elec-tion of the mother general is presided over by the Ordinary of the place in which the election is held. He may preside personally or through a delegate (cf. canon 506, § 4). For the election of superiors the common law requires an absolute2 majority of votes on either the first or second ballot, while a relative majority suffices on the third ballot, If, on the third ballot, the highest number of votes is given equally to two or more persons, the presiding officer may determine the election by casting his vote, but never in his own favor. Should he decline to do so, then the senior by reason of ordination, or of first profession, or of age, shall be regarded as elected (cf. canon 101, § 1, 1°). Theconsti- 2An absolute majority is constituted by any number exceeding half the number of valid votes cast, for instance, 9 out of 16, 10 out of' 19, and so forth. The person receiving the greatest number of votes cast is said. to have a plurality or relative majority of the votes cast when that number does not constitute an absolute majority of all the'votes cast. Thus, in a chapter in which 25 votes are cast,-,John may receive 11, Peter 8, and Paul 6. ,John has a relative majority. 151 ADAM C. ELLIS tutions may require a greater number of votes, for instance, a two-thirds majority for the election of the superior gen-eral. Constitutions approved by the Holy See usually require that :a fourth ballot be taken in case the third ballot does not result in an absolute majority. ¯ In this fourth bal-lot only the two religious who have received the greater number of votes on the third ballot are eligible for election, though they themselves are excluded from voting on the fourth ballot. In case this fourth ballot results in a tie, the election is determined by priority of ordination, or of first profession, or of age, respectively as mentioned above. The Voting Process When all are prepared the voting begins. It is the duty of the tellers to see to it that the votes be cast by each elector secretly, diligently, separately, and according to the order of precedence (cf. canon 171, § 2). No particular form of collecting the votes is prescribed by the common law, though the constitutions usually determine some detailed method, for instance, the tellers carry a locked box into which each member casts his sealed vote, or the members proceed slowly, one by one, to-the table or desk of the presiding officer, and there deposit their votes in an urn or box, under the watchful eyes of the tellers. When all the votes have been thus.collected, the tellers shall examine in the presence of the presiding officer, according to the manner prescribed by the particular con-stitutions or legitimate customs, whether the number of votes corresponds to the number of electors. Should the number of votes exceed the number of electors, the ballot is invalid (cf. canon 171, §§ 2 and 3), the ballots are destroyed, and a new vote taken. If the number of ballots does not exceed that of the number of electors, they are opened one by one so as to be seen by both tellers, and by 152 " CHAPTER OF ELECTIONS the presiding officer, and noted down by the secretary. After the votes have been counted the presiding officer or one of the tellers announces to the chapter how many votes each candidate has received. This may be done in either of two ways. After each vote is opened and inspected by the tellers and the presiding officer, the name of the person voted for is read aloud.-Or after the votes have been counted, the final results may be read to the chapter by the presiding officer or by one of the tellers. The constitutions or custom will determine the method to be followed. The votes are to be burned immediately after each bal-lot, or at the end of the session if several ballots were taken during it (cf. canon 171., § 4). When the election of the superior general has been com-pleted according to the prescribed formalities, the presiding officer will declare it lawful, proclaim it, and receive the oath of the newly elected superior general. Thereupon the religious both of the chapter and of the community will make their obedience according to custom. All the acts of the election shall be diligently written down by the secretary and, after being signed at least by him, by the presiding officer, and by the tellers, they shall be carefully preserved in the archives of the congregation (cf. canon 171, § 5). Acceptance and Confirmation of the Election The announcement of the result of the election made to the chapter is sufficient notification if the person elected is present; if he is not present the result should be officially communicated to him, and he is to be summoned to the chapter, all further business of which is suspended until his arrival. Unless the constitutions state the contrary, the reli-gious elected is not obliged to accept the office. Should he 153 ADAM C. ELLIS renounce it; he loses all the rights connected with the same, and a new election is held. In the case of diocesan congregations of religious women, the election of the mother general must be con-firmed by the Ordinary who presides over it. For grave reasons, according to his conscience, he may refuse to con-firm the election (cf. canon 506, § 4). In that case, how-ever, he may not appoint the superior general, but a new election must be held. Postutaiion It may fiappen that the members of a chapter wish to have for their superior a religious who is able and worthy to fill that office, but who is excluded from it by some impediment of church law from which the-competent ecclesiastical ~uperior can and is accustomed to dispense. Such a person cannot be validly] elected, but the members of the chapter may postulate him, provided that he receives two-thirds of. the votes of the chapter (cf. canons 179, § 1; 180, § 1)which means that they ask the Holy See to grant the necessary dispensation. Postulation, however, may be admitted only in an extraordinary case and provided the constitutions do not forbid it. (cf. canon 507, § 3). In a letter addressed to the local Ordinaries of the world on March 9, 1920, the S. Congregation of Religious instructed them to be very strict in allowing postulation in the case of the superior general of a congregation of religious women who has just com-pleted two terms of office. In such a case the simple desire of the members of the chapter to re-eleCt the same superior, or the mere ability of the person to fill the office, is not a sufficient reason for postulation. If, however, other grave reasons seem to require the choice of the same person beyond the time allowed by the constitutions, the Ordinary must 154 CHAPTER OF ELECTIONS send a petion to the S. Congregation, in which it is clearly stated what the reasons are, how many ballots were taken, and how many votes were in favor of the person postu-lated. Finally the OMinary must state his own opinion in the matter. The S. Congregation will then give a decision. The fact that the constitutions expressly allow postulation does not excuse from the requirements of this instruction. In case of postulation the members of the chapter who wish to vote for an ineligible person, must write on their ballot: "I postulate N. N." Election of Other Officers The newly elected superior general presides over the election of the other officers to be chosen by the general chapter, unless the constitutions allow the Ordinary the right of presiding likewise at the election of the members of the general council. These elections are usually held in a separate session Of the chapter. The manner of voting is the same as that employed in the election of the superior general. An absolute majority of votes is required on the first and second ballot. If no one has received such a major2 ity, a third ballot is taken in which a relative majority is sufficient. ,If on this third ballot two or more candidates receive an equal number of votes, the presiding officer may cast a deciding vote, though he is not .obliged to do so. If he declines to use his right, the person who is senior by ordi-nation, or by first profession, or by age, is considered elected. The constitutions may provide for a fourth bal-lot in case the third re.sults in a tie. If the person elected is not a member of the chapter, he must be summoned at once, but the chapter does not await his arrival in order to continue its business. After the elections are over, the former superior gen-eral, the members of his council, the secretary general and 155 ADAM G. ELLIS the treasurer general, usually continue to sit in chapter with active voice as long as it r~mains in'session, even though they may have been replaced in their offces by other reli-gious. Should the superior general die during his term of offce, or resignbefore its completion, the assistant superior gen-eral will take his place in the government of the community and will ~onvoke an extraordinary chapter in which dec-tions will be held not only for a new superior general, but also for all the other offices which are usually filled by election in general chapter. The reason for this is that all ¯ the officers elected in a general chapter hold office from chapter to chapter, rather than for a "definite number of years. FOR CHURCH MUSICIANS Of unusual yalue to religious and seminarians working in the field c~f church music is 'the new Catholic Choirmasters' Correspon-derice Course. Four semesters of ~olle'giate° work, accredited by St. Albertus College Department of Music, are done under personal tutorship and will be coricluded with summer schools in 1943 and 1944. The lessons have been prepared by a~ faculty international in personnel and repute, including Dom Desrocquettes0 Dr. Becket Gibbs, Dom Ermin Vitry, Father Gerald Ellard, and others. Zest and .authority characterize their teaching, and phonograph recordings assist amply in problems that need the living voice. General' editor is Clifford Bennett, Gregorian Institute, 1515 Berger Building, Pittsburgh, Pa. Those interested may obtain an attractive pros-pectus by writing to the General Editor. 156 Retreat Resolutions Clarence McAuliffe, S.3. AS ~WEGO ON in the religious life, certain practices, n6t binding under pain of sir/, but nevertheless, of paramount importance in their bearing on the whole spiritual structure, become increasingly .difficult. Among these are the particular examination of conscience, certain rules governing religious discipline, such as the rule of silence, and the formulation of apt resolutions during re-treat. That the delicate web of religious virtues clings for partial support upon the particular examen is admitted by all ascetical writers. The same holds true for the rule of silence, since its utter neglect means the undermining of the spirit of prayer and recollection. But the resolutions we take in our annual retreat are even of greater moment since the continued practice of the particular examen and the preservation of a prayerful disposition depend in no small measure upon them. If we reflect on our happy novitiate days, we shall remember that we experienced no difficulty in making resolutions and recording them. We jotted them down carefully as tokens of our affection for our Divine Savior Who alone besides ourselves knew what they were. We may still have them. We may smile now at some of their characteristics. No doubt we took too many resolutions; we aimed too often at purely external practices; we may even have aspired to fanciful performances. But we can-not deny that they did us good. They kept us fervent: they kept our ideals high; they were concrete proof of our good will in God's service; they bolstered our flagging spir-itual forces. As long as we exercised care in formulating and inditing resolutions during our retreat, we were also 157 CLARENCE MCAULIFI~E faithful to our particular examen and observant of a cred-itable practice of silence. If we ever relaxed our diligence in making resolutions during retreat, our particular exa-men becamea half-hearted or neglected undertaking and our love for silence grew notably remiss. No Excuse t:or Neglect W.hy should the task, for task it is, of taking retreat resolutions ever be neglected by. us? What truly solid rea-son can we give for not writing them down and keeping them close at hand? Every man or woman engaged in a profession or business or in any other activity of moment pauses now and then to determine hn altered course of ac-tion. Small defects ard bound to seep in unnoticed, but they impede success and must b~ removed. Positive prog-ress also must be made; knowledge must be extended; greater zest must be engendered or the business will grow languid and die. Merchants do not hesitate to pay ample fees to public accountants and efficiency experts. These men detect pecuniary losses and open up new fields of ac-tivity for the merchant, and he makes definite plans accord-ing to their advice. Are we religious not engaged in a pro-fession, and a profession transcending all others? Can we deny that peccadilloes of one kind or another are, almost unobserved, weakening the fabric of our spiritual gar-ments? .that we are yet far distant from the glorious hori-zon of perfec~tion to which God beckons each one of us? Should we hesitate during our annual retreat to be our own public accountants and efficiency experts because of the unreasonable murmurings of our natural selves? A Faoorable Time for Resolutions Certainly no time is better suited for determining new spiritual policies than the annual retreat. During it we are segregated from our active duties; we engage in several days RETREAT RESOLUTIONS of silent communing with God; we see again what we al-ways know, but never reduce to perfect practice, that we are made only to serve Him; our spiritual ideals, dimmed by a whole year's mis~, are refurbished; God himself speaks to us and we hear His whisperings periodically, during each day of retreat pleading with us: "Why not give up this sin-less, but inordinate attachment for my sake? Why not de-vote more attention to developing this virtue?" Further-more, our subjective condition is fit for taking sage resolu-tions. We are calm, tranquil; excessive nervous tension, emotional ebullitions, the agitation engendered by custom-ary daily contact with other human personalities m all these vanish in the solitude of retreat. Those New Year resolutions so widely publicized by the newspapers can scarcely ever be successful if brought to bear upon spiritual matters, because the hectic round of daily duties and dis-tractions impedes clear vision and sound judgment. But the retreat is the New Year for religious and it is certainly to our shame if we pass up this one propitious occasion for taking efficacious resolves. Retreat resolutions are apt to be successful for another reason. Our profession is spiritual and its successful prac-tice does not depend on mere human endeavors. God called us to the religious life; He keeps us in it'; .He enables us every day to live it. Any resolution we take is doomed to failure if we count upon our own natural energies to fulfill it. Even the simplest, such as thedetermination to prepare Our meditation more carefully, to make an additional visit to the Blessed Sacrament, to relinquish some convenient, but unnecessary article, cannot be accomplished without the grace of God. Consider what vast stores of grace we must obtain in time of retreat. Not only do we perform our ordinary spiritual exercises, but the whole time is one continual prayer. A veritable mountain of sanctifying. 159~ CLARENCE MCAULIFFE grace is accumulated and with it the right to actual graces to be given us in the future as we need them. We shall need them particularly in order to be faithful to our reso- ¯Iutions, the fruit of our retreat, and they will be supplied generously and persistently by God, success depending solely upon our wholehearted cooperation. Negative Resolutions Why, then, we may ask have our resolutions so often been failures?' Why is it that we can hardly recall them after a few weeks perhaps? Have we been grossly negli-gent in corresponding with the grace of God? Not neces-sarily so. Perhaps our resolutions were not prudently made. God constructed the human being according to very definite laws. If we take resolutions contrary to these laws, especially our psychological laws, we can scarcely expect God to work a miracle to enable us to keep them. For in-stance, most' of us are probably too negative in drawing.up our resolutions. We will not do this; we will not do that; we will quit doing this, and so on. In other words, we pay entirely too much attention to our faults. If we are com-mitting deliberate sins, we must, of course, make them the first object of our determinations. But 'such is not usually the case. We fret over our imperfections or merely semi-deliberate faults, forgetting a sound teaching of theology which declares that it is impossible for any person without a special privilege, rarely granted, to keep from these even for a single day. The chances are that such defects spring from temperament, nervous disposition, unstable health or some other natural cause, partially, at least, beyond our control. Now it is a psychological law that negatives de-press the human soul. If our retreat resolutions comprise merely a lengthy list of "Don'ts" over inconsequential matters, we are .quite surely going to let them lapse. The 160 RETREAT RESOLUTIONS human soul is too lofty in its aspirations to be fettered' by a chorus of petty "I will not's"; it soars to the highest heavens in search of God Himself; unending vistai of per-fection lie stretched out before it and microscopic imper-fections are no obstacle to exalted sanctity even if they stay with us to our dying day. How much wiser it would be to 'resolve: "I will pay an additional visit to the Blessed Sac-rament each day this coming year for a few minutes out of love for my Savior," than to promise: "I will never sit down during meditation in the chapel", when, as a matter of fact, constant kneeling may so distract us that we cannot pray at all from bodily uneasiness. Besides, protracted kneeling may even do us positive corporal harm unless our backs and nerves are of rugged texture. How Man~/ Resolutions? Another mistake to which we may easily succumb is that of taking too many resolutions. It is true that a hun-dred resolutions would be none too many when we see in retreat the intricate labyrinth of perfection. Even so, it would certainly be unwise to take more than four. or, at most, five. Here again asimple law of. human psychology enters into play. We are so constructed that a multiplicity of resolves overbalances US~ dissipates our energies and re-sults in no accomplishment whatever. We cannot expect our Savior to rescind that law in our case by a miracle. It is well for us to recall that old axiom of spiritual au-thors that to advance in one virtue is to advance in them all. Progress, for instance, in the spirit and practice of obedi-ence necessarily reflects progress in the love of God. But love is the pith and core of all sanctity; loreis the all-em-bracing virtue; it means a closer alliance with God, more intimate union with Him; if it makes the tree of obedience more verdant, it must necessarily transmit its vigor to the 161 CLARENCE MCAULIFFE entire forest of virtues. Bearing this in mind, we should in retreat pay heed, firit of all to our vows. An outpost to one of them may have been weakened during the previous year. Then we should look to the virtues animating the vows and make a few positive resolutions that will stimu-late their growth. We must never forget that a religious observant of the vows is a good religious. Focusing our attention upon them, we keep our resolutions down to a minimum. Yet we will make more rapid spiritual s~rides .than we would if we squandered our resources by making decisions on the whole gamut of faults and virtues. The Search After Causes Our resolutions may result in failure for another rea-son also. They may be too vague, too imprecise, too gen-eral. For example, how often have we resolved in retreat to be more fervent in our spiritual exercises! No one could condemn a determination to better these exercises of piety. It is they especiall.y that keep our spiritual lives vigorous and bolster our flagging virtue. But what happened to that resolution to make them more devotedly? For a day or two, for a week or two perhaps, we were more attentive .to them and then, behold, we soon found ourselves in the same old rut of routine and mechanical performance. Why? Simply because our resolution violated a metaphysical law which states that to attain a purpose it is necessary to .~elect means, causes, that will conduce to its realization. If we resolve only upon the end to be achieved, we shall accomplish nothing. Every day we dream ofthings we should like to do, but we neglect the specific means to the end and our resolves are thus mere fancies relegated to the vast mound of inefficacious desires. If we really wish to improve our meditation, examinations of conscience and other spiritual exercises, let us investigate the reason 162 RETREAT RESOLUTIONS why they are performed so perfunctorily. Ii it because we indulge in considerable unnecessary talking? This will certainly dissipate the mind and react upon our spiritual exercises. If we make a determination to practise silence, we shall find that contact with God will become much eas.ier and our meditations will improve. Is it due to un-regu. lated affections of the heart? Then a resolution must be taken to watch carefully over such ungoverned move-ments by removing their occasions as far as possible. Is it due to stark physical fatigue? Then we can do nothing directly, but perhaps we can adopt some regime that will improve our health. Is it due to some other cause? Then let us examine for that cause and decide to overcome it if possible. Definite resolutions of these kinds will inject new life into our meditation whereas a mere hazy resolve to perform it better will soon vanish. This point is of the utmost consequence. Take another example. Most of us are guilty of positive faults against charity and all of us could practise this virtue much more perfectly. Shall we then determine during retreat: "I shall be more charitable"? Such a resolution is praiseworthy,, as a sign of our good will in God's service, but it is bound to lapse just as is the vague determination to do better in our spiritual exercises. If we wish to be more charitable, we must pry into the reasons why we are not more charitable. If we wish to obtain an effect, we must find a proportion-ate cause to produce it. Do we fail in charity because we associate only with those whose temperaments .are con-genial? because we areof a squeamish disposition and allow tiny impolitenesses to jar our nerves? because we indulge in idle ,gossip and small talk? because we have a biting or ridiculing tongue? Could we add blossoms to our charity by interesting ourselves in the activities of others? by de-veloping the spirit of a good listener? by watching for 163 CLARENCE MCAULIFFE opportunities to say a kindly word or express Our sym-pathy? Ways and means to add lustre to this virtue are truly endless. If one defect, in particular, makes us un-charitable, let us in retreat decide to banish it; if some precise means of burnishing our charity occurs to us, let us determine to adopt it. Then we shall find that Christ's own spirit of charity will take root and flourish in our souls. The Bizarre Resolution Fantastic and complex resolutions should also be avoided. Though we never relax our aim at the highest possible perfection, we always keep our feet anchored to earth by the bonds of prudence and common sense. The human mind can only think of one thing at a time; the will can be directed toward only one conscious goal at a time. Both faculties are bound to be smothered by kaleido-scopic resolutions. Suppose a religious were to emerge from retreat armed with this single resolve: From eight o'clock in the morning when her active day began until ten at night when she retired, exactly fourteen hours inter-vened, the same number of hours as there are stations of the cross. During the coming year she would divide the day according to the stations. From eight to nine in the morning she would live in the spirit of the first station, the condemnation of the Savior. From nine to ten her thoughts would Be engrossed with the second station, and so on throughout the day. It is not likely that this well-inten-tioned religious would keep that resolution. It is too bizarre and too involved .and would require constant at-tention from morning to night every single day. Human nature could not stand such a strain without well-nigh miraculous support. 164 RETREAT RESOLUTIONS Keeping the Resolution Once our resolutions are taken and written down, how can we perpetuate them for three hundred and sixty-five days? By adopting them as subjects for Our particular ex-amination of conscience. How often we puzzle over a suitable subject for this examen! The problem vanishes if we have our retreat resolutions on hand. Even though these be only three or four,, they will provide ample matter for the examen. Each resolution can be the subject for a few weeks or a month. Thereafter each resolution can be repeated again and, if this becomes wearisome, variety may be introduced without changing the subject matter. FOr instanc.e, if one of our retreat resolutions is to eliminate unnecessary talking, we can practise this for some days under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin and in imitation .of her silence in the home at Nazareth. Later on, we might exercise it in union with Christ in the desert and in His infancy and in His secluded hours of prayer upon the mountain. At another time we may practise it by repeated ejaculatory prayers to some favorite saint whose help we implore. In this way the subject will not grow tedious and it will never lose its value Since it is one of our rdreat resolutions. These may also be kept alive and vibrant by referring to them duriag the monthly recollection. Why devote this period to any other consideration when God has shown us in our previous retreat what actions of ours will most please Him? Despite our best efforts, however, we shall make un-successful resolutions. In framing them we may continue to violate the laws of human psychology. We may not observe them even for a week though we honestly wanted to do so. We should not be discouraged. God values our good will; and our retreat resolutions, if written down, are 165 CLARENCE MCAULIFFE palpable proof of this" good will. The resolutions of our novitiate days were often ill-formed and impossible of achievement, but they secured God's blessing for us. We kept the vows though we did not as yet have them; rarely did we commit even a deliberate venial sin; we strove by our clumsy retreat resolutions to improve our religious lives. These resolutions won from Christ the gift of fer-vor. He Will reanimate and increase that fervor if we per-severe in taking and recording resolutions during our re-treat. BOOKS RECEIVED (7"0 be reviewed later.) I PRAY THE MASS~. By Hugo H. Hoever, S. O: Cist. Catholic Book Publishing Company. New York. MARCH INTO TOMORROW. By, 3ohn ,J. Considine, M.M. Field Afar,Pres~. New York. ~, . WATCH AND PRAY. By ,John Moffatt, S.~J. The Bruce Publishing' Company. Milwaukee. IN THE SHADOW OF OUR LADY OF THE CiENACLE. By Helen M. Lynch; R.C. The Paulist Press. New York. SOME PAMPHLETS Cheer Up!; Be of Good Heart!; Have ConfidenCe!; Take Courage! These four pamphlets are by Father Bruno Hagspiel, S.V.D. They consist of a varied collection of Scripture texts, anecdotes, poems, and so forth, all designed to cheer the downhearted.~ Price, 10 cents a copy. May be obtained from The Mission Press, Techny, I11. Also, four pamphlets listed under the general title, GOSPEL MOVIES, that treat of Grace; Faith; Sin; Wed in Christ. They contain brief stories based on the Gospels and illustrating these various topics. All are written by Father Placldus Kempf, O.S.B. Price, 10 cents a copy. May be obtained from THE GRAIL, St. Meinrad~, Indiana. 166 Reparation in t:he Devotion t:o !:he Sacred I-leart: Malachi 3. Donnelly, S.J. THE "great apparition" of our Lo~d to St. Margaret Mary took place duiing the Octave of Corpus Christi, most probably in 1675. Showing her His Heart, our Lo~d said: "Behold this Heart which has so loved men, which has spared nothing, even to being exhausted and consumed, in order to testify to them its love. And the greater number of them make me no other return than ingratitude, by their coldness and their forgetfulness of me in this Sacrament of love. But what is still more painful to me is, that it is hearts who are consecrated to me who use me thus." And our Lord continued: "It is because of this that I ask you to have the first Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi kept as a special feast in honor of my Heart. by receiving Communion on that day and making it a reparation of honor for all the insults offered to my Heart during the time that it has been exposed on the altars." The end of the devotion to the Sacred Heart, as revealed to St. Margaret Mary and as approved by the Church, is reparation to this same Heart for the coldness and indif-ference, for the sins and insults suffered by the Sacred Heart, especially in the Sacrament of His love. Reparation, in general, means the making up for an injury or offense committed against one to whom honor and love are due. In the case of reparation to the Sacred Heart, this presup-poses a real personal wound in that Heart caused by the sins of men, and a real ability on the part of those devoted to the Sacred Heart to repair this wound. This confronts us with two difficulties: 1) how can the Heart of Jesus now suffer? 2) how can we repair His sufferings? 167 MALACHI ,J. DONNI~LLY The soul of Jesus Christ.in heaven experiences no sor-row, nor does His glorified body know aught of pain. His perfect happiness can be dimmed by absolutely nothing: nay! not even by the most heinous sins of ungrateful men, How, then, could He complain of the coldness and indif-ference of m~n, and that in words which, seemingly indicate that each sin of the present day is a direct and piercing wound in His Sacred Heart? In a word, the solution lies in an Understanding of the knowledge that Christ, as Man, enjoyed during His, life on earth. Our Blessed Lord was both God and Man. As Man He enjoyed the beatific Vision throughout His whole life. Now, through this vision He received the complete perfection of His intellect. He knew all things that per-tained to His office, His dominion, His mission on earth, all that pertained to the plan of redemption. The knowledge that Christ had, as Man~ was like unto the eternal knowledge of God. During His whole lithe, .especially during the Passion, Christ',' as Man, had knowl-edge of future things; the good and bad 'actions of all men were directly1 present to His mind. Just as a giant search-light in one blazing stream of light covers at once a half-mile area and every inch of space therein, or just as the human eye gazing on a distant landscape sees the whole and each detail at the same time, so, too, did Christ see through the whole of time to come and all the actions of men con-tained therein. He saw all future events as actually present before His eyes and each event was the direct object of His vision. In order to understand better the relationship between the knowledge of Christ and reparation in the devo-tion to the Sacred Heart, let us go in imagination with Jesus to the garden of Gethsemani. As Jesus kneels in 168 REPARATION TO THE SACRED HEART meditation, He begins to grow sad. Why? This sadness can only be caused by the vision in His human mind. As He kneels there, the sins of all men Unfold before His eyes; all the ingratitude of men--especially, of those from whom He might well have expected better things--is directly present to His clear vision. Not a.single sin --- even an ever so secret sin of desire-~elu~les His all-seeing gaze. Also (and this is the consoling aspect of Gethsemani), every single act of reparation of those especially devoted to His Sacred Heart was present to Him. And, as Jesus looked upon these acts of reparation, His loving Heart felt real and deep consolation. When, therefore, at the present time we perform acts of reparation, it is perfectly true to say that there is direct contact between our act of reparation and the Heart of Christ in Gethsemani. Time and space are wiped out. His knowledge bridges nineteen hundred years as readily as we look across a river. We are present before His eyes: our acts of reparation console Him, our sins cause Him sorrow-ful agony. What should be the effect of this truth that all our actions were actuatl~t present to the suffering Christ in His Passion? A deep realization of this can only ground more firmly our love for the Sacred Heart and spur us to more ardent acts of loving reparation to the Sacred Heart. Just as the spokes of a wheel lead to the hub, with which they are in direct contact, so likewise do all the reparatory actions of men the world over lead back to Christ in the Garden; establish immediate contact with His Suffering heart. And the deep realization of this solidly established truth should arouse the deepest aspirations of our hearts and wills to do our utmost to console the great and loving Heart of Jesus. 169 The Pivol:al Point: ot: l=fl:ec!:ive ,ood Will G. Augustine.Ellard, S.J. ['Because of the importance of Father Ellard's theme, and because of the length of the article, we thought that the followihg summary might be appreciated by those who wish some handy way of visualiz!ng and recalling the points devdopedin the article. The Roman numerals refer to the same divisions of the text.--ED.] Summary I. The problem of bringing about moral good will is illustrated by three cases: a)" Good~ but weak, will in oneself; b) Generous, but inconstant, will in oneself; c) Irresponsive or bad will in others. II. What is meant by the expression: "the pivotal point of good will"? III. Things which do not constitute it. IV. It does consist in the realistic appreciation of values. These terms defined. V. Reasons for the assertion: a) Common sense; e) Philosophy; b) ExperienCe; f) Sacred Scripture; c) Observation; g) Theology. d) Experimental psychology: gI. The characteristics of the knowledge that is d~]namic, i.e. apt to move or strengthen the will: a) Presentation of the right aspect; e) Actuality: b) Sufficient" quantity ; f) Novelty ; c) Personal reference: g) Affinity and sympathy. d) Immediacy and imagery; VII. Practical conclusions-- 1. To move or strengthen the will for the present: Realize the values of motives: a) Learning what the pertinent values are; Means: b) Serious reflection and prayer, especially mental: c) Organization of the motives. 2. To steady the will in the future: Have the realization in the focus of consciousness at critical moments. a) Recollection; c) Habituation: Means: b) Association; d) Experience. 170 PIVOTAL POINT OF GOOD WILL SISTER Mary Frail is making her annual retreat. More clearly than she has been wont, she sees the magnifi-cence and beauty of the divine plan for herself, she is delighted with it, and she feels that it would the grand-est thing possible to carry it out in all its fulness. Also she notices that to do so would mean giving up certain rather dear little habitual imperfections. She is torn between two conflicting attracti6ns. Though she is free, and by all means would be pleased to embrace .the whole of the divine plan for her, especially since it is all for her own happiness, still she finds that her will does not respond as she would like. Making his retreat also is Father Inconstant. He finds no great difficulty in resolving upon the noblest courses, but in looking back over many retreats, many excellent resolutions, and many performances not so excellent, be feels rather distressed at the sight of his inconstancy. This time, if possible, he is going to make the new beginning that will stick. Just how--well, that is not too clear to him. Brother Zealous faces a different kind of difficulty. He is a teacher, and he is glad to do everything he can to make good Christians out of his charges. But often enough he finds that his pupils are irresponsive or wilful. Is there anything we can do for Sister Mary Frail, Father Inconstant, and Brother Zealous? Their problems concern wills, their own and those of their charges. Pos-sibly, some consideration of that upon which moral good will turns in a peculiar way, may be of service to them. II. By "the pivotal point of good will" let us under-stand a certain something that precedes good will itself and that, more than anything else, is a condition of its coming into being. Of course it does not determine the will; for man, being free, makes his own determinations, But even the free will is dependent upon previous conditions, and it 171 -G. A. ELLARD is the principal of these that we propose to consider. Ill. This pivotal point of good will cannot be simply knowledge. Hardly anyone would maintain nowadays the old doctrine attributed to Socrates that knowledge makes virtue. It is not freedom of the will; everybody knows by sad experience that he cannot make himself good by a mere fiat of his will, nor even by many of them. Imposition of good habits from without, though continued over a period ,of years, in the discipline, for example, of a boarding school,, may ultimately produce, not what is sought, but a reaction in the contrary direction. Good habits developed freely and from within cannot be the point we are inquir-ing after, primarily because they presuppose much good volition and action, .and the pivotal point is antecedent to these. Nor, to pass to the supernatural order, is grace as such the pivot. Grace could not help to explain natural good will:. Even in supernatural activity, it is not sanctify-ing grace, which of itself is not operative, but a habit in the order of b.elng, not of action. Nor can it be the infused virtues or the gifts-of the Holy Spirit; neither are these of themselves operative; to go into action, they need stimula-tion. In what sense actual grace may fulfill the function we are investigating, will be taken up later on. Prayer, that is, asking God for good will, cannot bethe pivotal point. If the request be granted, the question would remain by what means the good will is brought about. Realistic Appreciation of Values IV. The pivotal point does seem to be found in a realistic, sense or appreciation of values. Let us consider. Everything that is good has value, and therefore value here is understood to be any good. Good is, according to the classical division: the.pleasant, the useful, the proper. Val-ues may be high or low, and positive, like pleasure, or nega- 172 PIVOTAL POINT OF (~00D ~'ILL tive, like pain. Appreciation is the subjective or'personal response to the objective goods that we call values. To appi~eciate is, according to the dictionary, "to set a just value on; to esteem to the full worth of; to be fully sensi-ble of; to exercise a niceperception of worth." Good busi-ness people, like SisterMary Buyer, who has been chosen out.of many to make the purchases for the convent or hos-pital, presumably know how to discern values and prices, In art or literature a man is said to have appreciation if he recognizes or prizes what is beautiful. In general, a person has appreciation if he knows a good thing when he sees it. The wise man has been defined as he who knows true val-ues. Religious who properly evaluate the excellence of God and of His plan have appreciation. Realistic apprecia-tion equals .the reality, or at least approximates the reality, of the value. Appreciation, or evaluation, knowing good things as good, seems to be the vital link between the two spiritual facultieS. It involves knowledge of a certain kind, and thus it is intellectual; since complacency or some other indelib-erate movement of.will must follow the perception of. good or evil, it brings in the will also. In practise, the cultivation of appreciation of true or major values ri~quires the har-monious cooperation of both faculties. V. Among the reasons for placing the pivotal point of good will in a realistic sense or appraisal of values, we may notice the following. Common sense would seem to indicate that it is mo-tives that move the will. But what are motives, directly or indirectly, except values? If athing be of no value to one, why should one bother about it? Our own experience seems to teach the, same. If we consider carefully the best moments and the worst mo-ments in our past lives, and allow for all influences; internal- 173 G, A. ELLARD and external, can we give a better reason for our own inte-rior strength or weakness at such times than that just then our sense of values, our perception of what was really good, ~was most adequate and realistic or least so? A little observation of men shows how eagerly they react to what they value highly; to money, for example, or pleasure, or power, or honor. Salesmen and advertisers achieve their, purpose by inducing people to conceive, the highest possible idea of the worth of their merchandise. Everybody notices how much clerks will put up with from prospective buyers. Would the same persons be so com-plaisant if there were no immediate .gain in view? If it be necessary to, hold his job a man may rather easily bear with the caprices of his employer, ~though at home; with his wife and children, he acts like an 01d bear. Wars, in spite of all their evils, are fought for great economic or. political values. Suppose that, in the iight of experience and observa: tion of men, we. consider this hypothetical case. Let A be anybody who has great sums of money at his disposal. Let B be anybddy else. Let A ask B to do anything that is within the limits of reason. If A0 offer greater and greater amounts of money to B indefinitely, is it likely that B w~ill resist the attraction? Is it not to be expected thathe will yield~ and moreover like it? But money .is only the measure of .material values. That volition is a function Of appreciation or evalua-tion is also a finding of experimental psychology. This is the main practical contention in the works on the w.ill of the distinguished German ~lesuit psychologist, Lindwor-sky1. He specialized in0 the psychology~of~this faculty, and it is to him that I am mostly in~tebted for the ideas in this 1See especially The Training of the ~rill, translated by Steiner and Fitzpatrick (Brute. Mil~.'aukee) ; and The Ps~Icholog~t of Asceticism, translated by Heiring (Edwards: Eondotl). ~ " 174 PIVOTAL POINT OF GOOD WILL paper. According to Lindworsky, experiments show that volition depends chiefly upon insight into values, without of course being determined by them. The will can embrace whatever appears to it to be of value, and it can become very strong if one feels sufficiently that the value is great enough. To move the will, values must be subjectively. experienced. Keeping a resolution is dependent, not so much upon the energy with which it was made, nor upon an inner general strength of will developed by particular exercises, as upon sufficient initial evaluation and especially upon the presence of it in the focus of consciousness at critical moments. "That the secret of influencing the will lies principally in this, to present the ~right motives at the right time, is no new discovery; . it was always the doctrine of the tradi-tional Scholastic psy, chology": so writes Hertling2, a con-temporary authority in ascetical theology. From modern American psychologists: "Forcing oneself to an early rising, and compelling oneself to run six times around the barn before breakfast, or to do some other useless and diffi-cult thing daily, will not bring the result sought for . Will training implies bringing sufficient motivation into play.''8 Philosophy teaches that the object of the will is good that is known. There are two elements expressed in the object and a third is implied. The first is goodness, real or apparent. Hence no one can expect to influence the will except by proposing some good to it. To do anything else would be like trying to make one see what has no color or to hear something that is not sounding. Knowledge is the second requisite, and it is just as necessary. If one had an opportunity to pick up a million dollars, but did not ~Hertling: Lehrbuch der Aszetlschen Theologie (Rauch, Innsbruck), p. 177. 8Goult and Howard: Outline of General Ps~lcholog~l, pp. 338-339. 175 G. A. ELLARD notice it, nothing would come of it. Thirdly, the good whichis presented and known, must be apprehended not merely as true or in any other way, but as good. Where there is no good or no perception of it, there can be no voli-tion. If the good be sufficiently great and seen with suf-ficient clarity, there can be no resistance to its-attraction, as happens with the Infinite Goodness and Beauty in the beatific vision. Hence, in general, the greater the good and .the clearer one's knowledge of it, the more likely the will's acceptance of it, and the more energetic and constant that acceptance will be: Sacred Scripture seeks to move men mostly by prom-ising good things and threatening evil things. But these are values, positive or negative. Christ Himself appears to have indicated what the will follows in such texts as these: "For where thy treasure is, there shall thy heart be also" (Matthew 6: 21). "For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his soul? Or what shall a man give asaprice for his soul?" (Matthew 16: 26). "The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a treasure hid in the field, which a man findeth and covereth; and in his j6y he goeth and selleth.all that he hath and buyeth that field. Again, the .kingdom of the hea~'ens is like unto a merchant in search of. goodly pearls; and when he .hath found one pearl of great price, he goeth and selleth all that he hath and buyeth it" (Matthew 13: 44-46). A theological consideration: interior actual grace helps us to do good or avoid evil by enlightening the mind and inspiring the will. Psychologically Speaking, one would say that grace moves the will by enlightening the mind. The indeliberate inclination excited in the will corresponds to the ideas aroused in the intelligence. Light relative to a practical step can conceivably bear upon any or all of these three points: what is to be done, why it is to be done, and 176 PIVOTAL POINT OF GOOD '~rILL bow it is to be done. The firstalone would be quite insuf-ficient, and might well be deterrent, as when an unpleasant duty is indicated. To show why a thing is to be done: what is this but to manifest its motives or values, to reveal that it is becoming, profitable, necessary, and so on? In this way, by giving one a subjective appreciation, actual grace enters into the pivotal point of supernatural good will. It tends to correct that perversity which the prophet Isaias denounces: "Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for dark-ness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter" (Isaias 5: 20). It gives one something of that gift of the Messias: "that he may know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good" (Isaias 7:. 15). In modern terms, it enables one to share in Christ's sense of value. The Church has incorporated into the Breviary4 a famous passage of St. Augustine in which he comments on the text: "No one can come to me, except the Father . draw him" (John 6: 44), and uses a quotation from Ver-gil: "If the poet could say, 'Each one's pleasure draws him,'5 not necessity but pleasure, not obligation, but delight, how much more strongly ought we to say that the man is drawn to Christ who is delighted with truth, delighted With beatitude, delighted with justice, delighted with everlasting life, all of which Christ is? . You show a green branch to a sheep and you draw it. Sweets are shown to a child, and he is drawn. Because he runs, he is drawn; he is drawn byloving; without injury to body he is drawn; with bonds of the heart he is drawn. If. earthly delights and pleasures revealed to lovers draw them; does not Christ, revealed by the Father, draw us? For what does the soul desire more strongly than the truth?''° 4Ember Wednesday after Pentecost; Lessons 7-9. 5Eclogues, II, 65. OTractatus 26 in doannem. 177 G. A. ELLARD It may be objected that we know enough or too much already. What we need is not more knowledge, but more willing. Sometimes that is true. But at other times, it may be asked; have we the right kind of knowledge, and enough of that kind? In ~any case, if a man cannot directly make a decision that he would like to make, what do you advise him to try? Have you anything better than that he should reconsider his motivation? Dynamic Knowledge VI. Now let us see if we can discern what kind of knowledge of ~;alues it is that, as it were, magnetizes the will. It is a certain, dynamic knowledge, found to be char-acterized more or less by the following attributes. First, it will present things under the right aspect, that is, it will propose things, not as true--the usual function of knowledge--but as good or evil, lovely or odious, beau-tiful or hideous, and so on. Such are the phases of things that it will bring out into relief. A quotation from the psychologist James will illus-trate what is meant by the right aspect. Consider "the case of an habitual drunkard under temptation. He has made a resolve to reform, but he is now solicited again by the bottle. His moral triumph orfailure lil~erally consists in his finding the right name for the case. If he says that it is a case of not wasting good liquor already poured out, or a case of not being churlish and unsociable when in the midst of friends, or a case of learning something at last about a brand of whiskey he never met before, or a case of celebrating a public holiday, or a case .of stimulating him-self to a more energetic resolve in favor of abstinence than any he has ever yet made, then he is lost. His choice of the wrong name seals his doom. But if, in spite of all the plausible good names with which his thirsty fancy so copi- 178 PIVOTAL POINT OF GOOD WILL ously furnishes him, he unwaveringly clings to the truer bad name and apperceives the case as that of 'being a drunk-ard, being a drunkard, being a drunkard,' his feet are planted on the road to salvation. He saves himself by thinking rightly.''7 The right aspect is not enough. There must also be a certain quantitg in the knowledge. It must be sufficiently clear, evident, rich, and full. In fact, the closer it approaches equality to the reality, the better. This is a particularly important dement in the realism of dynamic appreciation. Hence, obscure, vague, or hazy conceptions of the most tremendous realities may remain inert and sterile. Moreover, personal rfference is vitally necessary. To see that a thing matters to another may leave me unaffected. I must see the vital importance of it for my own dear self. In the last analysis evaluations must be based on one's past experiences of pleasure, pain, or love. Through these gen-uine experiences present knowledge must be vitalized. A man, for example, who does not remember vividly how it feels to have his finger burned, is in no position to begin to imagine how it would feel to be consumed with raging fires in the infernal regions. If one should never have experi-enced the thrill of unselfish love, one could hardly under-stand God's absolute loveliness and make an act of divine charity. Nor could a man who ha~ never been aroused by created beauty react to the Uncreated Beauty. Personal reference is necessary in another sense also. Great things have many values or suggest many motives, some of them apt to appeal to one and others t6 another. Each one must discover those that evoke interest and response in himself and exploit them. One soul may love God as a father, another as a friend, and a third as a spouse. 7James: Talks to Teachers, pp. 187-188. 179 (3. A. ELLARD Two more marks of dynamic recognition of worth are iramediac~t and iraaqer~. Direct perception of an object is much more apt to stir one than knowledge that is only mediate, discursive, or abstract, because it is closer to the object and more like it. Hence .the weakness, from an affective and effective point of vie.w, of reasoning and argu-ments. Love at sight, even to infatuation, is said to occur at times; but nothing like it is possible when men and women know each other only through description or cor-respondence. A dreadful catastrophe may horrify one who sees it but leave.a reader little affected. To make up for lack of immediate knowledge when it cannot be had, the imagination must be used. The more vivid and realtand rich the imagery, the better. The human mind is depend-ent on the senses and the imagination. Hence, to get at the emotions and, through them, the will, fill the imagination. "Empathy," the ability "to feel-oneself into situations," for example, into the Gospel scenes, or into the conse-quences of one's choices, into the pleasures or pains that may follow them, can compensate to some extent for the deficiencies of indirect knowledge. Happily most of the moral and spiritual values may be contemplated in the concrete in persons who have real-ized them. The scale would range from Christ, the Blessed Virgin, and the Saints down to the humblest person who has Something to be admired and imitated. Actuatit~I of knowledge gives it power. It is of deci-sive importance that the motives be actually before con-sciousness at the critical moments when they are moit needed and least likely to be there. It is not enough that they be stored away in the recesses of the memory. Actual consciousness, for instance, of the ~ttractions of unchaste pleasure may win the battle against merely habitual aware-ness of the reasons for keeping chaste. The force of occa- 180 PIVOTAL POINT OF GOOD 'q~rlLL sions of sin illustrates well the characteristics of dynamic knowledge that we have been reviewing; the impression they produce is thoroughly realistic. Nooeln.I is also an aid, as it makes a greater appeal to the sensibilities. Hence, ~o keep a good idea from losing its motive power, consider it from new angles and find new beauties in it. Since choice is always comparative, a preference of one thing to another, superiority! of knowledge of one alterna-tive gives it an added chance of being taken. A slight value well known may be preferred to a much greater one less well known. In general, .other things being equal, that alternative will be chosen the values of which are better known or predominant in the focus of consciousness at the time. FinaliSt, a factor of knowledge that induces prefer-ential appreciation is found in the subject himself, namely. a certain s~tmpath~t, based on a natural or supernatural affinity: the "connaturality" discussed by St. Thomas in the Summas. The classical example, from Aristotle on, is the chaste man's knowledge of chastity as opposed to the theoretical ethician's. With respect to the Supreme or Absolute Value, that is, to God, this affinity is founded principally upon the essential relations of the creature to the Creator and of sonship to the Divine Father. Such seems to be the kind of knowledge that leads to willing and to action. It does not make one learned, and may be greater in the ignorant peasant than in a scholar or theologian. But if its object be divine values, it will help to make one wise and holy. If we could make our knowledge and estimation of eternal values equal to our appraisal of temporal things, our probation would be over. We cannot, to cite an 88umraa Tbeologic~, 2a, 2ae, q. 45, a. 2. 181 G. A. ELLARD instance, have an experimental knowledge of God in this life, though the mystics do lay claim to just that or some-thing like it, and in the light of it they conceive for God a love like that fierce, overwhelming, personal love which arises between man and woman. On the other hand, and to our misfortune, the false or minor values of material things do solicit us through precisely that form of knowl-edge which is thoroughly realistic and dynamic. There-fore it is all the more imperative for us to be mindfully aware of the advantages that sensible attractions have over spiritual, values, and in oposition to do whatever we can to compensate for the difference. Practical Corollaries VII. Suppose we consider separately the cases in which ¯ one wishes to influence a will at the moment and in the future, or what is about the same thing, making a resolu-tion now and endeavoring to secure its observance in the future. 1. To move the will now, and to charge it with power, get l~y all available means the maximum possible appreciation of the values or motives that are pertinent, and diminish as much as possible any antagonistic evalua-tion. ¯ First, it is important rightly to discern just what ought to be done, that is, in our case, what the law of God is or what He prefers. Missing this point, through impru-dence or scrupulosity or laxity, is not conducive to good will. But then focus attention, feeling, and effort on the advantages, gains, and reasons for so acting. Not u~bat ought to be done is to be stressed, but the u;h~/'s. Imitate the clever salesman who sells his wares by persuading the potential buyer that it is really to his own interest and profit to buy. Exhortation had better take this form than a tedious repetition of "Let us'es" or "Let us not's." Put 182 PIVOTAL" POINT OF GOOD WILL the accent, not on the rights of authority, but on the advantages to the subject in obeying; these include the values of obedience itself. Even if you urge that it is God's will, try to explain whg He wills it, what values He has in mind. With most persons, begin with a stron.g appeal to self-interest; then proceed to the nobler interests, such as God's; Christ's, souls'. Very especially in case something difficult or distressing be involved, for example, self-- abnegation, or love of the Cross, the greater the disagree-able feature, the greater must be the emphasis on the good aspects and results. This is a simple psychological neces-sity. Some who exhort to abnegation would seem to think the greater the evil, the more it will be welcomed. Mere negatives--"Dont's"--are never inspiring, and therefore negative resolutions should somehow be given a positive character and value, for instance,-by substitution or sub-limation. To acquire a dynamic sense of moral values two chief means are available; first, to learn what those means are; and secondly, by serioi~s reflection and prayer, to take their measure or realize their magnitude. What the values are is to be learned by study and reading or listening to sermons and conferences. We could not attempt to outline them here. But it may be sug-gested that the perfect man Would strive to know and will .the same values that. God Himself wills and to have a simi-lar appreciation of them. They are the Infinite Goodness Itself and the excellences of the divine cosmic plan, cul-minating in divine beatitude for an,gels and men, with immunity from all evil, for eternity. Included in that plan would be the sublime grandeurs of the Incarnation and of its effects in time and eternity. Next in order is to work up an adequate appreciation of these motives, justly to appraise them, to recognize their 183 G. A. ELLARD ' full worth, to feel their force and significance. This is ~o be done principally by serious reflection and prayer, or better, by both together, that is, by mental prayer. This is the great means and hence the supreme importance and efficacy of it in the spiritual life. St. Thomas has a whole article in the Summa to demonstrate that "contemplation or meditation is the cause of devotion.''9 In it he quotes these words from St. Augustine: "the act of the will arises from understanding." Without mental prayer, or something approaching it, one cannot expect much grasp of moral values: such is human nature. The senses and the world overwhelm one with their values, which are in possession. as it were, from the beginning. A counterbalancing per-ception of the worth of things divine does not come with faith nor without effort. The germ of it.is there, but it must be developed. The human spirit is immersed in mat-ter, and if it is to raise itself above material attractions and maintain itself upon that superior level, it-must exert its forces with an energy comparable to that of the powerful motors of the big clippers or flying-fortresses. This means in the beginning hard thinking and much of it, with ener-getic and sustained will-activity corresponding to the light won. In mental prayer.a vitalized and dynamic insight is gained into divine truths and values, the will reacts and responds at once, the appropriate affections are elicited, the consequences of possible courses of action are carefully weighed and felt in anticipation, the correct moral atti-tudes are assumed, practical resolutions are made and their execution rehearsed, many fervent petitions are made, and grace, coming in ever increasing measure, deepens and enhances the whole process. In a word, one is filled with that light, good will, and strength which are needed to ful-fil one's part in God's magnificent plan. 9Summa Theologica, 2a, 2ae, q. 83, a. 3. 184 PIVOTAL POINT OF GOOD WILL If one cultivati~ m~ntal prayer well and sufficiently, he will also use all the other means to spiritual advancement and thus he will become perfect. If one be faithful in the lower degrees of mental prayer, he may be led on even to mystical contemplation, wherethe labor will be less, and the infused light, appreciation, and love may be incom-parably greater. Mostly in the intimate commerce of con-templation do the spouses of God come to their peculiar experience and all-absorbing love of Him. The funda-mental difference between a mere believer, a person of medi~ ocre virtue, and a saint, seems to be that, whereas they all assent to the same truths, the believer hardly does more, the mediocre person feels to some extent what they mean, and the saint truly realizes their significance. All the motives, general and particular, having been considered, they are to be assembled and associated together, so that one may recall the others, and then they are to be thrown into the scales against their false contraries, and proposed for acceptance to the will, with an inexorable "either. or!" 2. To aid in securing future execution of a resolution, four means in particular are effective: recollection, associa-tion, habituation, and experience. Recollection will tend tO prevent the light and warmth of one's vivid appreciation from vanishing into the dark-n~ ss. God and divine things are in themselves interesting, and if one's insight into them has been sufficient, interest in them will spontaneously spring up. Then without too much difficulty interest will direct attention; attention to divine values will keep them in the field of consciousness; and naturally the affections and will should follow. One should foresee as far as possible the occasions in which one's constancy will be put to the test, and deter-mine in advance by .what precise means one is going to 185 G. A. ELLARD react. "The modern psychology of will teaches that mere volition accomplishes nothing, unless a definite "way of behaving has been planned and practised.''1° Then the occa-sion, the resolution with its means, ~nd the motives, already organized among themselves, are to be associated together in thought as firmly as possible, so that when the occasion comes, it may recall into the focus of consciousness the reso-lution with its means, and this in turn the whole constella-tion of motives. Thus their cumulative force will be available, and successful action may be expected. To illustrate by'an example from Lindworsky: John notices that whenever he meets Charles on the way to work, he falls into uncharitable conversation. He adds to his gen-eral resolve not tofail against charity this means, that when he meets Charles again, he will promptly open a discussion of such or such a topic. Thus he links together all four: -the occasion, the r.esolution, the precise means, and the ¯ motives. 1~ All the procedures indicated in the preceding pages can be cultivated more and more until they become solid l~abits of virtue. Thus greater sureness, facility, and perfection in good are acquired. With every success in accomplishing what one desires, one actually feels and experiences to a certain extent the fruition of one's ideals and values, and thus one's appreciation of them becomes ever more realistic, and more like the divine or Christiike sense of what is of value. If with sufficient realism you. see that your treasure is ~n the Infinite Goodness of the Blessed Trinity and in the advantages of the divine plan, you will find your will there also. lOLindworsky: The P~cbolog~/ of Asceticism, p. 38. ~lbid.o p. 37. 186 Scruples Versus !:he Human Gerald Kelly~ S.3. THIS sketch concerns two characters, both of whom .are "| purely fictitious. Any resemblance to any person in real life.is a mere coincidence. One character is called Humanus, because he represents the ordinary conscientious human being, one who is.cheerfully content to be .~'like the rest of men," The other character is Scrupulosus, so-called because he typifies the victims of that gnawing and unfounded fear of sin known as scruples. ' For Scrupulosus, a supreme difficulty is to appreciate what may be called "the human way of acting." It is hard to.define this human way. It expresses itself in a quiet resignation to the fact that human problems cannot be solved with the exactness of mathematical problems. ~.It is an essential requisite for peace among men and for interior peace with God and oneself. Humanus takes this human way in full, easy stride. A reliable man tells him something; he believes it without struggle. True, the .man might be wrong, might be lying, using a mental reservation, or even deceiving himself. But Humanus does not tr6uble himself about these things, unless there is some reM evidence.to make him suspect them. When a man gives him money, Humanus does not bite it or ring it on a counter. He knows the possibility of counter-feit money; but he knows .too that social life demands that we practise a certain amount of trust in the good will of others. (Incidentally, the author once lived in a place where there must have been a great deal of. counterfeiting. Every time one paid for something in coins, a cautious clerk rang the coin on~the counter. It was most distressing.) . ¯ . Humanus follows the.same human way in his dealings with Go&and himself.God made him huma'n; God.ought GERALD KELLY to be content if he simply acts humanly. And he has enough troubles in life without suspecting himself unduly. Scrupulosus can follow the human way in his dealings with other men; but in those things which concern God and himself he is decidedly inhuman. He seems to thinl~ that, in dealing with God, he must have God's own unerring and penetrating vision of the human heart; that in dealing with himself none of the canons of human peace are applicable. Perhaps a few examples will make this clear. The Sacrament of Penance, truly a Sacrament of peace according .to our Lord's designs, affords no real peace to Scrupulosus. Definitely, it is a torture; a torture to go. a torture to stay away. And the reason for the torment, to put it simply, is that the reception of this Sacrament involves four elements---examination of conscience, con-fession, contrition, satisfaction--each of which can be fulfilled only :in a human way. Suppose we follow Humanus and Scrupulosus through an examination of conscience. Humanus says a few pre-liminary prayers, then looks into-his soul. This is riot a very strenuous process for him;in fact, it verges on sheer routine. Humanus is conscious of the fact that he could improve his method, but he also knows that he fulfills all the essentials. Mortal sins first; and it does not take him long to find :them. Heis no laxist. He knows a mortal sin when he sees one; but he. knows too that they are big enough to be seen with the naked eye. On some Com-mandments he does not even examine himself. Idolatry, murder, robbing banks--all such things are off his list. He would waste his time searching his soul for them. If he does find that he has sinned seriously, he notes the number of times; and if he cannot recall the number, he is content to add the saving word "about." If he is doubtful about the serious sinfulness of~anything--well--he is doubtful: 188 SCRUPLES VERSUS THE HUMAN '~AY There is no use wrestling with the doubt now; if he could not solve it before, he is less likely to solve it now. Venial sins? Humanus knows there were many little things, but it is often hard to cat~ilogue them. He selects two or three, and phrases them as best he can. Sometimes he numbers venial sins, sometimes he doesn't; and he" knows tha~ the number need not be confessed. Finally, Humanus makesan act Of contrition. In this, too, there is a trace of dry routine. Humanus has often resolved to "polish it up" a bit. Contrition never causes him worry; though it has at times puzzled him. However, he has solved the puzzle in the following manner. When a friend offends him and afterwards comes to him, holds out his hand and says he is sorry, Humanus takes the hand and forgives. He never looks to see if there are tears in the man's eyes. He does not stop before forgiving to ask: "Now, John, are you sure you're sorry? Can you swear you're sorry? Do you t:eel sorry? Maybe you're deceiving me, or yourself?" No, Humanus does none of these things; so he solved his puzzle about contrition by deciding that God doesn, t act that way, either. God is content with our just being human. Scrupulostis also examines his conscience! After lengthy preparatory prayers, he finally musters the courage to plunge into the .abysmal depths of his black soul. He goes after mortal sins with searchlight and microscope; and at the end of the search he is amazed that he hasn't found any. That cannot be right. There must be some; at least, there might be some some grim deed that his lax conscience is covering up. Further examination still fails to reveal a clear-cut mortal sin, but by this time he has managed to work up a doubt. Now, is he doubtful? He'd better con-. less it as certain, because if he only thinks he is doubtful and really is not doubtful he will be deceiving the priest. 189 GERALD KELLY As for venial sins, he must have scores of them. Missed morning prayers--distractions in the prayers he did say! He has been told that missing morning prayers is really no .sin, that there is no law of either God or man that says: You must pray in the morning. But be ought to pray in the morning. As for distractions, he has also been told that when involuntary they are not sins, and that even when voluntary they are merely small irreverences. But be ought not to get distracted; it is base ingratitude for him to neglect God in that manner. He'd better give the number of the distractions: 15--no, perhaps it was only 14. He cannot make up his mind, so he decides to say 15; in fact, he finally decides to give the whole background of the ghastly affair. And so on. It is time for him to go to confession. He is not ready, but he will try. Humanus makes his confession, returns to his pew and says his penance and a few prayers of devotion. The time passes very quietly. He leaves the church, full of peace and ready, as he has often.expressed it, "to be hit by a truck." In a general way, he knows that his .confession is not mechanically perfect. Sometimes be does not say things just as he had planned them; he becomes confused, dis-tracted, or even a bit embarrassed. Also--and he has this on the authority of adevout priest--he knows that the confessor may get distracted, or even nod a bit. But this percentage of error does not greatly concern Humanus. God Himself arranged that this Sacrament should be received and administered by human beings. The essentials are quite easy to fulfill; the accidentals allow both the priest and the penitent the opportunity to strive for greater perfectio.~l and increase in humility. It should: be evident from the story of his preparation that no great peace floods the soul of Scrupulosus as he emerges from the confessional. Nevertheless, he grits his 190 SCRUPI~S VERSUS THE HUMAN ~rAY teeth and kneels dowh to say his penance. Three .Hail Marys! He literally "tackles" the first one. But in the middle something goes wrong; he must have missed a word. He starts again, and then again; but he cannot satisfy himself that that Hail Mary is properly said. As he pauses'in desperation, the whole blurred story of the confession begins to unfold before his mind. Nothing was said right. The priest must have misunderstood him com-pletely. The fact that he got only three Hail Marys con-firms him in this fear; if the priest had understood him cor-rectly, he would have given him at least a Rosary. At this moment, a new source of interior torment opens up. Even if the confession had been good, the absolution could not be valid because he did not make a real: act of con-trition. He just went through some words. God must know that he was not really sorry. And his confessions have been that way for a long time; he'simply must make a gen-eral confession. He has made general confessions before without any subs.equent peace of soul, but this one will be different. We might take Holy Communion as another example of the difference between Humanus and Scrupulosus. It should be one of the supreme consolations of the Cath-olic's life. The essentials for its reception are very small: the state of grace, acquired by Sacramental absolution, if need be; and the keeping of.the fast from midnight. Humanus finds the fulfillment of these conditions simple enough. He is satisfied with normal, .human assur-ance that he is in the state of grace. If he doubts about a serious sin, he generally prefers to go to confession, but he knows he has no strict obligation to do so, and he is con-- tent on occasions merely to make an act of contrition and go to Communion. The fast presents him with no prob-lem at all. The law is a safeguard to the reverence due the 191 GERALD KELLY Blessed Sacrament. It forbids eating and drinking after midnight. Humanus knows what ordinary people look upon as eating and drinking, and he does not have to con-sult a chemist~ to find out just what is food. or a physiologist to discover precisely what is meant by eating. All these things are so many thorns for S~'rupulosus. How does he know he is in the state of grace? He can't prove it. He is not sure he can make an act of contrition, so he must always go to confession when in doubt. It may be that his confessor has assured him again and again that, in his present trial, he mayalways~go to Communion, no matter what his doubts, no matter how many sins he thinks he has committed. Even after this and though he knows that the Providence ofGod guides souls through superiors and confess.ors, yet his case is different, and the confessor does not really understand it. As for the fast, here is but one of Scrupulosus'.many hard experiences with it. He is on his way to Mass. His lips tickle. .He rubs his coat-sleeve over his mouth. A moment later he feels something strange in his mouth-- some lint from his coat, he thinks! He gathers all his salivary forces to remove it, but he is too late. He swallows. Well, that's the end. He has broken his fast, he may not go to Communion. This is his first conviction, but in church a gleam of saving common sense is still able to pierce the fog of fear and he does go to Holy Communion. Later the fear returns with a vengeance. He made a sacrilegious Communion. After that, one thing leads to another. He begins to notice a strange taste in his mouth every morning--the lint from the bedclothes! He tries again and again to remove it; but the consciousness of the lint remains, and with it the conviction that he may not receive Communion. There are two ways of solving this lint problem. One 192 SCRUPLES VERSUS THE HUMAN WAY way is to consult a trained theologic/n, wh~ might show Scrupulo~us by keen argumentation that lint is not food, or who might indicate that, even if. it were food, it was not taken "in the manner of food." This is a perfectly legiti-mate method of solving the problem, but hardly a satis-factory one for Scrupul0sus. It allows for too much quibbling, and, even when it does convince, its appeal is only to the intellect. Scrupulosug needs something that will impress his imagination and thus remove the emo-tional pressure of his fears. The second method is therefore a much better one for -Scrupulosus. It is a method suggested by an old and experienced diagnostician of his problem. It is very simple. "You take awoolly blanket, the woollier the bet-ter. Seize firmly in both hands, raise to the mouth with-out flinching, and bite hard. When you have a good bite, then you chew thoroughly and trot to swallow.'" This is a guaranteed cure. After one such experiment Scrupulosus needs no metaphysical discussion to be °con: vinced that human beings do not eat coats or blankets. In this matter, at least, he will be content with ?he human toad. No one-should gather from this brief sketch of Huma-nus and Scrupulosus that the latter does not wish to act as others do. His difficulty .is more subtle. Briefly put, it amounts to thi~: he cannot relax. 'He is like a sick man who fights an anesthetic; or, perhaps more accurately, he is like a man who will take the anesthetic, even if it kills him. So it is with Scrupulosus; at times he fights his fears, at other times he clenches his fists and says he will be human. Neither method will help him. He must relax under the pressure of his fear. This is not easy to do; yet it can be done if only one retains the power of laughing at oneself. For Scrupulosus, a sense of humor is more precious than the gift of tears. 193 Nint:s t:or Sacris!:ans Gerald Ellard, S.J. SACRISTANS for whom its cost or other considerations make Self-Lite Charcoal undesirable may readily secure the advantage of a large glowing surface with ordinary charcoal in the following way. After the unlighted charcoal ~has been placed in the censer, a little wood-alcohol is allowed to, drip on it and soak into it. It is then ignited, and, when the alcohol has burned away, the charcoal will be alight through and through and thus able, when fed with incense, to send up what is actually something like a pillar of smoke, a symbol of prayer visible to the entire congre-gation. The matter of securing the most suitable incense within the means of all is no small concern, and prompts one to mention a variety now being used with eminent satisfac-tion. Its cost is very low' but it is not on sale, as far as we know, in the church-goods houses. Trees of Syria exude a balm that is known in trade as. olibanum. This fragrant and gummy substance is widely used in varnish-making. It is graded in trade circles by the size of the lumps: egg (large) and tears (small). Tears of olibanum make an ideal incense.:~ Stocks available in this country may not.~ last much longer, but up to the present time wholesale drug dealers have had no difficulty in supplying it. The tears should not be powdered, as much of the fragrance would be lost, but burned as they come. In sacristies serving a large number of priests the prob-lem of quickly providing each priest with an alb of just the right length often proves formidable. A Chicago church 194 HINTS TO SACRISTANS where many Masses are the daily rule has at the edge of its alb-cabinet, at shoulder height, an unobtrusive measure indicating the number of inches from the floor. A priest has just to hold up an alb to the measure to see if it is the proper length for his use. It may no longer be news .to sacristans that candle~ burners in pyrex glass are now available in all candle sizes. In style they follow-not the older lamp-chimney shape, which "black out" tOO much of the candle flame and cause difficulties in lighting the candles, but the snug, dose-fitting sleeve pattern. The pyrex burners have all the advantages of the better type of metal burners, with the big additional one of beirig practically invisible. Sacristans shudder to see priests, in adjusting the man-iple, disregard the little tab provided for pinning, .and run the pin.into the precious fabric of the maniple itself. This is riot perverseness, but a measure of necess!ty (or rather, convenience), inasmuch as many of these little .tabs are too narrow to aliow one to run a pin crossways. Many new vestments now provide a shield-shape, or even semicircular, tab which affords ample room for pinning without being conspicuous. In repairing vestments sacristans might well provide such "pin-space." A strict law of the Church prescribes that the priest mix a "very small quantity;', of water with the wine to be consecrated at Mass. Most priests wish to take only a few drops of ,water; and sacristans can help them in this regard by filling the .water cruet almost to the top. When the cruet is pract.ica!ly full, it is easy to shake out a few drops. This is not so easy to do when the neck of the cruet is empty. 195 The Presumed Permission James E. Risk, S.J. THE philosophers tells us that what happens by chance happens rarely and cannot be foreseen. The Church, in her legislation, makes provision for many unusual situations that have arisen in the course of her past history, and may arise again. Hence she grants to all priests emer-gency faculties such as to absolve from censures, to assist at marriages and to perform other priestly functions. Fac-ulties of this kind are not granted to all priests save in cases of spirituhl emergency. Now, the most conscientious reli-gious, too, will find himself at times in an unforeseen situ-ation where permissions required by his vow of poverty or obedience are needed; where the delay necessarily in-volved in obtaining such permissions cannot be admitted. Unusual circumstances arisirig from the uncertainties of travel or health may, for example, produce a situation calling for the legitimate application of the principles gov-erning the presumed permission. Since actions based on presumed permissions should be the exceptioh in the normal life ofa religious, the older theologians took great care to limit their number to the minimum, lest a too liberal application of the-norms of presumption tend to obviate the necessity of asl~ing for many of the ordina~ry permissions. Sincere reflection and a normal exercise of foresight will lead a religious to limit the number of presumed permissions, while a ready ad-mission by superiors that unforeseen situations are, from time to time, inevitable, will prompt them to make allow-ances for the reasonable presumptions of their subjects. Though the question of presumed permissions is by no means limited to the field of religious poverty, it is chiefly from this angle that we shall endeavor to examine it. 196 THE ~RESUMED ~ERMISSION Various Kif~ds or: Permissions Progress in the exercise of religious poverty demands an accurate knowledge of the various kinds of permis-sions granted by superiors. By obtaining permission to acquire, dispose of, and use material things possessing some economic value such as books, money- and the like, the religious is faithful to the obligations freely accepted when he vowed poverty. He does not act in his own name nor as an independent proprietor, but as a poor man who has nothing that he can .truly call his own. Acting w~th-out permission in these matters, he violates his vow by committing what many moralists choose to call a "sin of proprietorship." They say that such a religious acts like a man who is bound by no vow of poverty and is independ-ent of any superior in the acquisition, use, or disposal of property. The commentators on the religious life usually speak of superiors as granting permissions; though in most communities there is generally appointed an assistant su-perior who is empowered to grant many of the ordinary permissions demanded by the obligations of the vow of poverty. Our purpose in examining the nature of the pre-sumed permission leads us to comment briefly on the other forms of permission employed by a religious in the observ-ance of his vow. This will serve to clear the ground for a more accurate understanding of the presumed permission. We spea~k of an express permission as one given by word of mouth or in writing, indicating unmistakably the mind of the superior. A tacit permission, as the very name implies, is p[udently considered as granted from the silence of the superior, who is aware of certain actions that are governed by poverty or obedience. The axiom "silence gives consent" may be reasonably applied when circum-stances are such that, if the superior objected, he would voice his disapproval. An implied permission is one that 197 JAMES E. R~sK is contained in another permission. The permission of a superior, for example, authorizing a /eligious to make a trip, implies the permission to use the funds necessary for traveling. A general permission may embrace many acts of the same or different species. In some religious commu-nities there prevails the practice of renewing each month general permissions in virtue of which a religious may ac-quire or dispose of objects of a very small economic value, such as articles of devotion and the like. The extent of such permission depends on-the constitutions, rules and customs Of the institute. A particular permission .is granted for an individual case. Such a permission, how-ever, if the superior so desired, might be extended not only to a singie occasion but to several occasions calling for the same permission. Thus, permission granted to an ailing religious to consult a specialist might be limited to a single visit or extended to several, according to the nature of the indisposition requiring attention. The Presumed Permission Authors who have treated of the obligations of the religious life agree that a religious is justified in presuming permission when, owing to some inconvenience in obtain-ing permission without delay, he prudently decides that if the superior in the present circumstances, were .asked for the same permission, he would readily grant it. Now be-fore proceeding further, let it be noted that there is one very substantial difference between the presumed permis-sion and. every other kind. All permissions save the pre-sumed permission have this note in common, namely, that they are expressions of the will of the superior who knows the wish of the subject and freely grants it. In doing so, he says, equivalently at least, "I grant you permission for this or that object." Yet when we examine the presumed per- 198 THE I~RESUMED PERMISSION mission, we find that the superior cannot say this for the simple reason that he is unaware of the subject's wish. This leads us to conclude that the presumed permission is, not a permission in the strict sense of the word, but it is a legitimate substitution; and the act resulting from a sin-cere presumption, whether it lies in the sphere of poverty or obedience, is quite in accord with the obligations arising from the religious vows. The religious is acting, not in his own name, but with a clear dependence on the will of the superior. To come more properly to an examination of the pre-sumed permission, the following points of division are suggested by the definition of the presumed permission given above. We must consider: I) On the part of thereligious who presumed: a) the inabitit~/ tO obtain permission in one its ordinarg forms, b) the motioes sufficient to justifg a presump-tion; c) a prudent conclusion. Z) On the part of the superior: the different~mental attitudes towards a presumed permission. Our first condition requisite for the legitimate pre-suming of a permission is the inability to obtain permis-sion in one of its ordinary forms because of the absence of the superior. The most circumspect religious may encoun-ter such a situation when both superior and assistant are .abse, nt or indisposed or so occupied as to permit no inter-ruption. If the proposed action of the religious is so urgent as to exclude a delay until such time as the superior may be contacted, permission may be presumed, supposing the .other conditions are fulfilled. In the second place sufficient motives, reducible to ne- 199 JAMES E. RISK cessity or utility, are required to make a presumpt.ion law-ful. Let us suppose that, while traveling, two sisters are caught in a heavy rainstorm that gives little hope of imme-diate abatement. An umbrella would be a very welcome addition to their equipment in the present predicament. To purchase an umbrella without delay may be instru-mental in protecting their health as. well as their clothing. In such straits it would be quite unnecessary to look for a telephone so as to obtain express permission to make this necessary purchase. The same religious now proceed to browse through a book store while waiting for a train. To their pleasant surprise a rare and very valuable book, much sought after by their superior, meets their eye. It is available at an extremely reduced rate. A real service would be rendered the convent by the immediate purchase of such a book. A situation such as this might even justify the conclusion that the permission to buy the book ought to be presumed. The prudent in.terpretation of the superior's mind, the third requisite for a valid presumption, must never be wanting. On this point, the commentators supply us with expressions that furnish a key to the solution of many a problem that in practice may arise when we wish to justify a presumed permission. They say: "_ . it is prudently judged that permission would be given if asked"; "Per-mission reasonably presumed is sometimes sufficient"; "To presume permission is to act conformably to the will of the $a p er" t "o't ; and so forth. "Prudent"l y" , reasonabl"y, and "conformably to the will of the superior" indicate that a well-founded judgment enters into the very character of the presumed permission. Resting on the basis of whim or hallucination, instead of prudence and reflection, the act of the presuming religious is not to be dignified by the title of a permission; it is rather a gratuitous-presumption or 200 THE PRESUMED PERMISSION the sin of proprietorship. The reasons tha~ justify the prudent judgment will at least approximate those which in ordinary circumstances influence the conscientious superior in consenting to the requests of his subjects. Such reasons will be reduced ulti-mately to necessity or utility in harmony with the norms of the particular religious institute of which both superior and subject are members. For each religious order or con-gregation professes a more or less definite standard in these matters, admitting, for example,, in the matter of poverty, the use of some things as necessary or useful, while exclud-ing others as superfluous or even detrimental to the. spirit-ual interests 6f the religious. With this in mind, the reli-gious about to presume a permission knows that the habit-ual attitude of the superior is to abide by these norms in granting permissions, that the object desired in the present emergency has been granted on other occasions by the same superior, that there is no reason that leads him to suspect that in the present situatioi~ the superior would act differ-ently. Thus, a religi6us says to himself, equivalently at least, "If, here and now; I should ask the superior to grant me this request, I am reasonably certain that he would readily grant it." He comes to this conclusion after hav-ing deliberated on his particular rule of life and the habit-ual inclination of ~i conscientious superior. The "if" clause just expressed is always at least implied in the legitim~te presumption. This explains why the presumed permission is sometimes called the conditioned permission. The per-mission that would involve the acceptance of gifts of an incon.sequential value can be much more readily presumed than the more costly kind. Needless to say, in practise the reasoning process re-quired for a presumed permission is far more quickly con-cluded than described. While walking through town, a 201 religious priest meets a crippled beggar, whom he knows to be sincere. He gives the poor man a few small coins on the presumption that his superior would not object. His own particular institute encourages devotion .to the poor and he has seen his superior, a conscientious religious, act in the same generous fashion. His presumption is reason-able; he has "conformed" his action to the .reasonably in-terpreted mind of the superior. I.s. a religious who has legitimately presumed a permis-sion, say in a matter governed by his vow of poverty, later obliged to notify the superior of his act?. The rule may call for such a manifestation in every case of a presumed permission. Supposing such a prescription does not exist, one would not be obliged to notify the superior of articles now consumed which'had been received b~r way of a legiti-mately presumed permission. Objects Of a more enduring nature, received in virtue of a presumed permission, should be made knov~n to the superior. A kind friend, for exam-ple, meets a' religious and invites him to take dinner with him. The religious accepts his friend's gracious invitation. Before parting, the same kind friend presents the religious with a very excellent volume. To what is the religious obliged in the case? We suppose, first of all, that his pre-sumptions in both cases are justified. If the rule of this religious obliges him to manifest all presumed permissions to the superior, his duty is clear. Without such a provision made by his rule, he would not be obliged to acquaint his superior with the fact that he had prudently presumed to take dinner with his friend. If he wishes to keep the vol-ume which he had lawfully presumed to accept, he would be obliged to approach the superior for permission. For while it was inconvenient to make contact with the supe-rior at the moment when he received the book, there should be no special inconvenience involved in asking for permis- 202 THE PRESUMED PERMISSION' sion on his beturn home. In other words, he can lawfully ¯ presume only as long as conditions justify it. Attitudes of Superior Having examined the conditions that warrant a pre-s. umed permission, let us now look briefly at the different attitudes with which a superior may view such presump-tions on the part ~of the subject. We may reduce them to three classes. 1) The first type of superior may be so disposed that he is ready enough, if asked, to grant the ordinary permis-sions, and does not object to the reasonable presuming of the same permissions. It is possible that he has. expressed himself on this point.To ex.emplify: a religious of the community of this superior knows that permission to sub-scribe to useful periodicals is readily granted. He knows too from his close acquaintance with the superior that there is no objection to presumed permissions in ordinary mat-ters. Such a religious, provided there be no insincerity on 'the point, .may presume to subscribe under the ordinary conditions. For he knows, in the language of the theo-logians, that his superior is opposed neither to. the sub-stance of the act (the~ subscription) nor to the mode or manner (by way of a presumed permission). 2) Another superior, perhaps .with a view of check-ing abuse in the matter of poverty, may be decidedly op-posed to his subjects' presuming permissions. So strong may be his attitude that, outside of cases of real emergency, he is prepared to veto the presumed permissions of his sub-jects. A presumed permission then, outside of extraordi-nary circumstances, would be tantamount to a violation of poverty or obedience as the case might be. To resume the example of subscription for periodicals. The superior in question is not opposed to the subscriptions to useful :peri- 203 JAMES E. RISK odicals. So strongly, however, is he opposed to presumed permissions, that he refuses to allow a subject to subscribe without first obtaining express permission. In this case he would object to the substance of the act (the act of subscribing') not because he failed to appreciate the cul-tural value of useful periodicals, but because he would be opposed to the toad/ir~ which such a subscription were made (i.e. by way of the presumed permission). 3) S~ill a third attitude might be evidenced towards the matter of presuming. Admitting the use of presumed permissions as sometimes justifiable, a superior may reveal his general attitude towards presumed permissions as one of reluctance and displeasure. Such a disposition, however, would not necessarily in'dicate his refusal to ratify a pre-sumption once made. The subject of this superior sub-scribes to a periodical and on the arrival of the first issue is reminded that the superior would gladly have granted the permission if asked. Has this religious violated poverty? He may have sinned venially because of the toay in which he obtained the subscription, that is, by presu~ming instead of asking. The substance of the act, namely, the mere sub-scribing, would not necessarily be'sinful, because the supe-rior would have gladly permitted it. Obedience too could be violated, if the religious deliberately acted against the expliCit order of the superior. To complete our consideration of the various attitudes which mayinfluence a superior in .these matters, this ques-tion may be proposed. Suppose that after a sincere and prudent presumption is made, it is totally repudiated by the superior? If, for example, a book were purchased in such circumstances, what could be done? Strictly. speak-ing, the superior might order the return of the book and reimbursement on the part of the proprietor of the book-store, if this were feasible. That would be for the superior 204 THE ~RESUMED PERMISSION to decide. The religious, who in good' faith erroneously estimated his superior's attitude, would in no wise be guilty of a violation of poverty. For in the case he sincerely inter-preted the mind of his superior and concluded that the con-ditions justified his transaction. Conclusion In conclusion, let .us remember that the presumed or interpretative permission, as some authors call it, has a defi-nite place in the life of an observant religious, but that p!ace is reserved for occasions when the ordinary methods to obtain permission cannot be observed. The conscien-tious religious, as we have already stated, will rarely fail to obtain whatever permis.sions are ordinarily necessary by the more express method of asking the superior. A habitual use of presumption can easily lead to laxity in the observ-ance of poverty so essential to a life in religion that is to be led with any degree of sincerity. What must never be. for-gotten is that cooperation is always necessary in the observ-ance of the vow of poverty: the superior should show him-self ready to grant any request in keeping with the particu-lar grade of poverty professed in hisinstitute, since it is not unknown for subjects to violate poverty rather than ap-proach a superio/Who has shown himself less gracious in the question of permissions. Subjects have been known to deliberately violate poverty, I say, not to mention the gratuitous or unnecessary presumption which is another name for the sin of proprietorship. The religious should be habitually disposed to express that dependence on supe-riors for the use of temporal things, not out of a spirit of servitude but out of a desire to imitate Him Who was hungry and Who had nowhere to lay His head. 205 ook Reviews PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIAN AND RELIGIOUS FERFECTION for the use of the Merlst Brothers of the Schools. Trensleted from the slx~h French edition; revised end enlercjed. Pp. 567. To be procured from the Marlst Brothers, St. Ann's Hermltege, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. $1.~0. Though this book was written for the Marist Brothers, it could be of great service to other religious as well. In fact, it would make an excellent manual of introduction or a good brief guidebook to the spiritual iife in general and particularly to the religious life. It might be used as a sort of text-book for young religious; it was designed to serve that purpose for the Marist novices. It ~s small, but rich in content; its form is that of. question a~ad answer; in presentation of its material, it is systematic, clear, and definite. From it one could get a well ordered and fairly comprehensive knowledge of the practice of the spiritual and religious life. The Introduction supplies general notions on the end of man, holiness, the religious state, and religious institutes. Part I is entitled "General Means of Christian Perfection," and deals with the desire for perfection, prayei, mental prayer, exercises of piety, conscience, Confession, Communion, direction, spiritual reading, the exercise of the presence of God, and various devotions. In Part II, "General Means of Perfection in the Religious Life," are treated religious vocal tion, the noviceship and religious profession, the vows, and the corre-sponding virtues. It closes with a chapter on "Regularity." Part III is concerned with the obstacles to Christian and religious perfection, and the fourth part is devoted to the virtues. To many of the answers "to the questions are added brief further explanations in smaller type. On many points of major importance select quota-tions from the Fathers and Doctors of the Church are givefi; in these the' influence of St. Francis de Sales and St. Alphonsus Liguori is noticeable. The m~iterial make-up, paper, print, and binding, are neat and attractive. A full table of contents, an analytical tab!e, and a good index make it easy to find what the book contains on any particular point.--G. A. ELLARD, S.,J. BLESSED ARETHEY THAT HUNGER. By the Reverend Richard Graef, C;.S.Sp. Trensleted by Sister Mary Hildegerd Windecker, M. A., Sister of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians end Colored People. 206 BOOK REVIEWS Pp. ~vli + 175. Frederick Pustet, Inc., New York, 1942. $2.00. Father Graef attempts in various ways to encourage the good Catholic in the practic.e of a strong and living faith. His main lines of argumentation are the following: A dynamic faith is necessary for personal sanctity; because sanctity demands self-renunciation, and this renunciation will not be made unless one sees clearly and power-fully the value of making it. Such evaluation is had only in the light of faith. Moreover, supernatural efficiency demands the work both of Christ and of the soul. The principal part of the soul's cooperation consists in genuine, earnest desire; and the source of such desire is faith. Finally, the apostolic influence that each soul is called upon to exert in the world, and thus the ultimate mastery of the world by apostolic souls, can be appreciated only when the world is viewed with the eyes of faith. The" author has made frequent and apt use of the Sacred Scrip-tures. Each of the main sections of the book is divided into numer-ous brief topics. The meditative reading of one or two of these topics might prove, helpful to those wlJo are accustomed to make their men-tal prayer in that way.--G. KELLY, S.,I. THE MASS OF BROTHER MICHEL. By Michael Ken÷. Pp. 307. The Bruce Publishing Company, Milwaukee, 1942. $2.S0. Here is a new Catholic novel with an entirely different theme. The setting of the story is sixteenth-century France, a turbulent his-torical period for that country, owing to the threatening Surge of heresy. The spreading falsehoods of Calvin and Luther provide' a dramatic background for the lives of the de Guillemont family, about which the story is told. The interest centers in Michel de Guillemont, the elder son and heir. It is his story from his sincere, impetuous love of Louise to his final unyielding love of God and his Faith in the self-oblation of martyrdom. We share in the tragedy before his contemplated mar-riage that was partly due to the jealousy of his brother Paul and that led to his becoming a saintly religious. We are carried along from the injustice and cruelty of his father to ~he providential meeting with the und.erstanding Father Andr4. We sympathize with him in his deep suffering when the priesthood is denied him. Brother Michel's courageous acceptance of God's will and his intense love of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass keep the interest keen up to the power- 207 BOOK REVIEWS ful climax of his death. The subordinate characters of the least-resisting Paul, the unscru-pulous Anne; the bitter Louise, the heretic Armand, the lovable Father Andre, and others are well portrayed. The story is told with excel-lent description and good use of suspense. The tragic atmosphere is relieved by romance and clever humor. The one striking weakness is the characteristic trait of the modern novel: it leaves untold the retribution due to some charaCters. The Mass of Brother Michel shows the triumph of grace over .personal pain and loss, sin, and human frailty. The passages that deal with the spiritual consolation of the Mass, the reason for pain and suffering in this life, God's love for the sinner, and the courage coming to the soul through prayer are worth reading again and again. Priests, in particular, will find here many inspiring thoughts for practical use and may grow in their appreciation of the privilege of offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.---A. J. DEEMAN, S.J. FAST BY THE ROAD. By John Moody. Pp. xiv + 308. The MacM~llan C~rnpany, New Yorl~, 1941. $2.50. The Wall Street expert on investments and kindred subjects who occasioned not a little surprise a decade ago by embracing the Catholic Faith and reporting the event in the popular The Long Road Home has a new treat for his expanding reading public. The present vol-ume, to quote from the author's foreword, is "an attempt to explain in simple language or by illustration, certain teachings and view. points to be found within the Church which are often misunder-stood by non-Catholics. All this is merely incidental to the general purpose, which is primarily to tell of some of the experiences of one convert .during his first decade as a Catholic." Mr. Moody writes simply, entertainingly, and with precision on a wide variety of subjects connected with his Faith. In his chapters the hard-headed, efficient business man, with the help of God's grace, approaches the Truth. He turns back his cuffs and proceeds to defend it and, campaign for it with gusto. The chapters are topical for the most part, ranging with consider-able agility back and forth over some focal point of Catholicity by means of observation, analysis, chance discussion, and illustrative anecdote. Their cumulative effect is to deepen one's gratitu.de for the gift of Faith and to jolt one anew with the realization that most of 208 BOOK REVIEWS one's non-Catholic friends and neighbors are totally ignorant of or gr6ssly misunderstand the Catholic concept of supernatural life, and are usually indifferent to it. And Mr. Moody, so thoroughly at home in the Church after his ten years as a Catholic, writes with more than ordinary authority and perception of .the money-mad, speed-benumbed, materialistic American mentality. The book is recommended especially to those in search of reading matter never heavy or tiring yet providing food for serious thought --and prayer. The chapters m~y be read in any order, and any or all of them would be suitable for refectory reading.--C. DEMUTH, THE CATHOLIC REVIVAL IN ENGLAND. Pp. ix -I- 102. The MacMillan Company, MEDIEVAL HUMANISM. By the Reverend Pp. ix -!- 103. The MacMillan Company, By John J. O'Connor. New York, 1942. $1.00. Gerald G. Walsh, S.J. New York, 1942. $1.00. These books are respectively the third and fourth volumes in The Christendom Series. According to the announcement of the publishers, "this is a series of popular books on important topics in the history of Christendom, prepared under the auspices of the Con-fraternity of Christian Doctrine . The books are intended to provide informative reading for both Catholic and non-Catholic readers; for study clubs in the parochial units of~the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine: for study groups in the Newman Clubs: as collateral texts in colleges, normal schools, and senior high ~and preparatory schools.'~ Both books appear to measure up very well to the purpose of the series. Professor O'Connor's book gives a fine sweeping picture of that very important period in English life known as "The Catholic Revival," the story of the gradual breaking away from the tyranny of th~ penal laws to the winning of freedom and influence for Cath-olics. Father Walsh's book puts within the reach of the ordinarily intelligent reader with good educational background an illuminating study of the meaning of "Humanism" and of the development of Christian Humanism through the middle ages till it reached its high point in Dante. Bibliographical notes are appended to each book. Father Walsh has also included an abstract for study and review which should prove very helpful.~. KELLY, S.d. 209 Decisions o[ !:he Holy MEANS OF COMMUNICATING WITH THE HOLY SEE A communication from the Most Reverend Apostolic Delegate to the Most Reverend Ordinaries reads as follows:. "In order to remedy, the difficulties of correspondence with the Holy See, His Eminence the Cardinal Secretary of State has'directed me to inform the Diocesan and Religious Ordinaries and Superiors of this country'that in the present circumstances they may recur to the Holy See through this Apostolic Delegation, and so avail themselves of the facilities at our disposal. This office makes frequent use of radiograms, and also of the air-mails to Lisbon wblch, however, are not as regular as formerly. "Upon the receipt of the petitions of Religious for faculties and dispens,ations, this Delegation will communicate with the .Holy See by radiogram or by other channdls, according to the possibilities and the circumstances. When a response has been received from the Holy See, the relative rescript will be issued by this Delegation, in accord-ance with instructions already given or to be given in particular cases. "When requests are made for the renewal of a faculty, the orig-inal rescript should be presented with the petition for renewal. "The Holy. See hopes in this way to continue to correspond with the Religious !n this country and to furnish every assistance to them." 1942, March 21. At the request of many members of the Hier-archy, heads Of universities, and authorities in the world of science, among them members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, His Holiness Pope Pius XII proclaimed Saint Albert the Great to be the heavenly patron of natural sciences. The Most Reverend Martin Gillet, Master General of the Order of Preachers, read the Brief at a solemn meeting held in the Pontifical International Institute Ahgeli- CUmo 1941, November 18. The Sacred Congregation of Rites held a preparatory session in the cause of the Servant of God, Catherine Tekakwitha, Indian virgin, to discuss the heroicity of the virtues practised by her. 210 .uesffons and Answers !1. According +o our constitutions. +he members of our congregation pronoun~:e temporary vows for three years, +hen take. perpetual vows unless, for a very serious reason, a sister is obl;gecl by superior~ to renew her temporary vows for another period of three years. At the end of +ha+ time she must either pronounce perpetual vows or seek~ an inchlt from the S. Congregation of Religious for a fur+her ex+en-sion of temporary vows if she is not 1o return to the world. Recently this latter c~se occurred, but the rescript was delayed, "and the sister d~d not renew her temporary vows until twelve days after they had' expired. In this case, did +he sister cease +o be a member of +he congregation on the day on which her vows expired, and were her subsequent vows invalid? The sister would not cease to be a member of the congregation. by the mere fact that an interval of time elapsed between the expira-tion of the temporary vows and their renewal, unless the superior had positively ordered her to leave and to return to the world. As the case is presented, it is not clear whether or not the constitutions allow this appeal to the S. Congregation of Religious.
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The Ukraine "Peace Summit" in Geneva this weekend is not really a summit and is not really about peace. The agenda has been scaled back to discussions of limited measures aimed not at ending the war, but at softening some of its aspects. Outside Europe, very few international leaders are attending — including President Biden, who is sending Vice President Kamala Harris and national security adviser Jake Sullivan instead. Of the 10 points in the Ukrainian government's "peace plan," only three will be formally discussed — though President Zelensky will presumably still seek to promote all of them at the meeting. Ukraine's demands for complete Russian military withdrawal, war crimes trials, reparations for war damages, and security guarantees have all been omitted from the agenda. According to Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, Swiss and other diplomats worked to "modulate" the Ukrainian peace formula, with the result that only three points will be under official discussion: nuclear safety, food security (i.e. Ukraine's ability to export its food by sea) and the return of Ukrainian children transferred to Russia. These it seems are the only issues that most of the non-Western participants are prepared to discuss, and on which anything resembling a global consensus is possible. Reportedly, a previous Western attempt to rally support in the Global South for Ukraine's "peace plan" at a confidential meeting in Riyadh in December 2023 was snubbed by most invitees. According to Swiss President Viola Amherd, "This is not about propaganda. This is about the basis of humanitarian aid provided by Switzerland, based on fostering peace (and) to provide a platform to initiate a dialogue." If concrete steps can be taken on these issues, this will indeed be a very good thing in itself, and could also provide a small starting point for future talks with Russia. It should be clear however that this is nothing remotely like a formula for peace. As a "peace summit," this meeting was in fact always a non-starter. The Ukrainian government has decreed that direct talks with the Russian government are illegal (after Russia declared the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian provinces), and the U.S. administration has no intention of itself initiating peace talks, at least until after the November presidential elections. Russia was not invited to the meeting, though the Swiss Foreign Ministry acknowledged that, "For Switzerland, Russia's involvement in the peace process is also essential. The (ministry) is working actively to involve Russia in the peace process." China has also refused to attend. The Chinese government stated that: "China has always insisted that an international peace conference should be endorsed by both Russia and Ukraine, with the equal participation of all parties, and that all peace proposals should be discussed in a fair and equal manner. Otherwise it will be difficult for it to play a substantive role in restoring peace." China's non-attendance, like the scaling-back of the agenda by international participants, reflect a recognition of reality on their part: that while Western governments state that any eventual peace agreement depends on the Ukrainians, Kyiv's terms for peace are in fact completely non-viable even as initial negotiating positions, and even if Ukraine was prepared to negotiate. They have been rejected out of hand by Russia.For Ukraine to recover any significant portion of the land it has lost to Russia now looks highly unlikely given the balance of military and economic strength between the two sides, and the complete failure of last year's Ukrainian offensive. To recover everything it has lost since 2014 looks impossible. It would require the total defeat of the Russian armed forces, which no serious military observer now expects. To bring this about would require NATO to launch a full-scale attack on the Russian army in Ukraine — something that has been ruled out by the Biden administration and the great majority of NATO governments, and that if it occurred, would make nuclear war not just likely, but highly probable. This is equally true of the Ukrainian demand for war crimes trials of the Russian government and high command. In a statement that also ruled out Russia's key condition of Ukrainian neutrality, President Zelensky said: "A crime has been committed against Ukraine, and we demand just punishment… [T]his is the formula of justice and law and order that Russia has yet to learn. As well as any other potential aggressors. What is not in our formula? Neutrality." Here, however, it is necessary for the U.S. and European governments and establishments to understand something as well. As a result of Israeli crimes in Gaza, U.S. support for and European acquiescence in these crimes, and U.S. rejection of the right of the International Criminal Court to investigate and judge these crimes, as far as the greater part of the world community is concerned, Washington has forfeited any moral right to take a stance on the war crimes of others. Of course, longstanding U.S. rejection of the jurisdiction of the ICC over American citizens has long undermined Washington's credibility in this area. Gaza has buried it. The Western and Ukrainian purpose behind the "Peace Summit" was to demonstrate the isolation of Russia and rally support for Ukraine outside the West. According to Dr. Zachary Paikin of the Quincy Institute and the Geneva Center for Security Policy: "There has been a realisation in the West that they need to actually talk to countries in the global south about their concerns because the fallout of the war for their food security for their national development goals, etc, is significant and comes on the heels of the Covid pandemic." The actual result may be to draw attention to global opinion concerning the unrealism of Ukraine's "peace plan," and the moral and legal emptiness of U.S. claims to global primacy.
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Opposition to changing governance of Louisiana's indigent defense from an appointed board to a gubernatorial designee generated more heat than light and shouldn't derail an improvement to a system as yet never quite fixed.
SB 8 by Republican state Sen. Mike Reese may end up the most controversial bill of the Legislature's Second Extraordinary Session of 2024. Its initial hearing dragged on for hours with support voiced for it by State Public Defender Remy Starns and a few others, but most of the time was taken by opponents, many connected to public defense.
The bill would remove the Louisiana Public Defender Board from policy-making, leaving only an advisory role, transferring that to the public defender. Rather than he be an appointee of the Board, the governor with Senate confirmation would make the appointment, for two years. This would put contracting and chief district defender hiring solely in the hands of the public defender, among other things, rather than by the Board which currently has five gubernatorial appointees (from each appellate district), four from the chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, and one each from the leaders of each state legislative chamber, serving overlapping four-year terms.
(Not that the Board has done itself favors with new Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who backs the bill. Chock full of appointees of his predecessor and a chief justice whose views haven't shown much affinity with Landry's, in the Board's latest annual report that has a wish list of policy preferences it would like to see enacted these don't exactly mesh with Landry's.)
Opponents raised two common objections. One holds no water and people versed in the study of government and law should know better: that somehow gubernatorial appointment violates separation of powers. It's an ironic complaint, because if anything the charge would stick better if applied to the current board having policy-making authority, as the state judiciary in whose courts defenders will argue appoints four board members. As well, just as is the governor, the Board is part of the executive branch
But the governor has no power over the state's judiciary and no involvement with it; the elected executive branch official with that is the attorney general. Plus, the governor's appointive power is checked by the state Senate through the confirmation process. And, among the states that have any statewide authority over public defense, a gubernatorial appointee is the second-most common method of picking a statewide public defense policy-maker, in ten states while the commission form at present in Louisiana is most common in thirteen. Simply, there's nothing remotely unconstitutional about this arrangement.
Ringing less hollow of a complaint is that the shift will increase politicization of the office, despite a study of differing governing structures which doesn't see a real performance difference between gubernatorial appointee governance or board governance in terms of quality that would be hampered by politicization. How exactly greater politicization would occur wasn't covered by defenders of the current system, even as the recent performance of the Board if not displaying politicization has exhibited a degree of dysfunction that proponents of the bill like Starns argue would be less likely to occur under the change.
For example, one recent board member (who died in office), a private defense attorney holding no contracts with the 26th District, created controversy when he crashed Republican 26th District Attorney Schuyler Marvin's official vehicle into a Bossier Parish bayou. Arriving at the scene, Bossier deputies found numerous floating beer cans and later tracked down the driver, who had no authorization to operate the taxpayer-owned vehicle but whom Marvin later said had been "borrowed." The late driver in 2021 faced only a charge in Marvin's district of failure to report an accident, to which helped guilty and paid a $100 fine.
The Board also last year removed two chief defenders. One, in the 25th, a Legislative Auditor report determined while in office had issued unauthorized student loan assistance payments (including to herself), information she shielded from the Board. Another, in the 19th, it removed apparently at the behest of a state legislator for personnel problems who was accused of being hired for political reasons involving both the Board and Starns.
An argument made by Starns and legislative bill supporters is the Board, including in its previous incarnation prior to 2007, has a history like this because of its nature as an avenue for political patronage and is institutionally less capable of holding local defenders accountable. They say making one person responsible will reduce these problems.
They also noted that because of this history the Legislature is too reluctant to increase indigent defense funding. Louisiana's schizophrenic funding mechanism that relies far too heavily on local revenue generation out of the hands of public defense which then hopes the Board can entice the Legislature to provide enough money to make up for it that it then hopefully distributes in an equitable fashion has produced chronic shortages in certain districts. Bill proponents claim the Legislature will have more confidence with a system like the one proposed to jack up the money allocated to indigent defense, with a better structure to oversee district financing and contracting less prone to parochial and special interest pressures.
Systems like the one proposed work in other states, which historically have worked better than Louisiana's has, regardless of a recent spate of action by the Board trying to address dysfunction and questionable decision-making that seems belated and in a mode of trying to salvage its position. Best of all, the bill's alterations create greater incentive for a governor and Legislature to get it right with picking a quality appointee than under the current diffuse lines of accountability. It's a change that only can improve matters, meriting the bill's passage.
Modern democracy is impossible without political parties. They are necessary in the process of the construction of the political class and building of relations between politicians and 'ordinary people'. So, in Poland in the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries the significance of parties is also very important. Their history is older than the history of the reborn Poland. Especially in Galicia, an autonomous province of the Hapsburg empire, we can see the activities of many politicians. A part of them in 1895 declared the birth of the Popular Party which is a constant element of the Polish political scene. The second traditional current is the socialistic movement, which is also always legally active in Poland. These two camps represent, in simplification, the 'two Polands'—the first more traditional, conservative and provincial, and the second more progressive, 'European' and urban. Actually, in the typical consciousness of a Polish citizen, the political representation of the 'black' country is the party Law and Justice of Jarosław Kaczyński, and the 'red' country admires the Citizen Platform with Donald Tusk as a leader. But probably the idea of a twoparty system, like in the Anglo-Saxon world, is still very distant to reality, because in the European continent, the tradition of pluralism in a policentric version is still very significant. In Poland, even in the period of the 'real socialism' this conception of the organization of political life was realized, though naturally in the specific version. There were three legal parties and the Polish United Workers' Party (the PUWP) was the most important. From 1976, the PUWP in the light of the Constitution had the official hegemony in the Republic. It is possible to compare this situation with the period 1926–39, when, after the coup d'état by Marshal Piłsudski, the Government still won in the election and the official elite wanted to create a stable political force with a perspective of permanent rule. But we must remember that between the wars opposition always was legal. In our times of demoliberalism, this is quite normal (though under the Constitution, unconstitutional parties, for example, communist or fascist, are unacceptable); however, interesting is the fact that when you observe sine ira et studio the evolutional trend of the Polish political system, you easily find the tendency of the 'stabilization' of the party system in the way of legal operations. From 1997, the laws concerning political parties have changed the possibilities of the conquest of seats in the Seym. Actually, only the parties having 5 per cent (or 8 per cent in coalition) of votes can gain the representation in the Diet. So it is possible to claim that the little parties today are in a more complicated situation than in the first years after the 'operation of Round Table' in 1989. The contemporary system is maybe more stable, but less liberal. There are theoreticians who note the danger of the alienation of the political class in the situation of the renewal of the alienation of the political elite, which de facto is more connected with the state than with the society. Many theoreticians emphasize that in the future the role and the character of political structures will be profoundly different from today. Maybe they are prophets, but we can expect that the Polish political parties or 'post-parties' and also political structure as a whole will have many similarities with their actual equivalents, because the mentality of the Polish nation, including the politicians, is more or less enduring. ; Modernioji demokratija neįmanoma be politinių partijų. Jos būtinos formuojant politinę klasę bei santykius tarp politikų ir "eilinių" žmonių. Taigi Lenkijoje XX ir XXI a. partijų reikšmė taip pat yra labai didelė. Jų istorija yra senesnė nei atgimusios Lenkijos. Ypač Galicijoje, autonominėje Habsburgo imperijos srityje, galime stebėti daugelio politikų veiklą. Dalis jų 1985 m. deklaravo įkuriantys Populiariąją partiją, kuri nuolat dalyvauja Lenkijos politinėje arenoje. Antroji tradicinė srovė yra socialistinis judėjimas, kuris Lenkijoje taip pat visada yra aktyvus. Šios dvi stovyklos atstovauja, paprastai tariant, "dviem Lenkijoms". Viena iš jų labiau tradicinė, konservatyvi ir provincinė, o kita – progresyvesnė, europietiška, miestietiška. Iš tiesų, tipinio Lenkijos piliečio sąmonėje kaip politinis "juodosios" šalies atstovas yra įsitvirtinusi Jaroslavo Kaczynskio Teisės ir teisingumo partija, o "raudonoji" šalis – Donaldo Tusko vadovaujama Piliečių platforma. Vis dėlto anglosaksų pasaulyje vyraujanti dvipartinės sistemos idėja Lenkijoje, reikia manyti, visiškai įsigalės dar negreit, nes Europos žemyne policentrinė pliuralizmo tradicija yra labai reikšminga. Lenkijoje netgi "tikrojo socializmo" periodu ši politinio gyvenimo organizavimo samprata buvo įsitvirtinusi, nors ir kaip natūraliai specifinė versija. Buvo trys partijos, o Lenkijos jungtinė darbininkų partija (LJDP) buvo svarbiausia. Nuo 1976 m. pagal Konstituciją LJDB oficialiai viešpatavo šalyje. Šią situaciją galima palyginti su 1926–1939 m. periodu, kai po maršalo J. Pilsudskio perversmo vyriausybė vis tiek laimėjo rinkimus. Tuomet oficialusis elitas norėjo sukurti stabilią politinę jėgą, esant nuolatinio valdymo perspektyvai. Tačiau reikia prisiminti, kad tarpukario laikotarpiu opozicija visada buvo įteisinta. Dabartiniais demoliberalizmo laikais tai yra pakankamai normalu (nors Konstitucijoje yra straipsnis, draudžiantis nekonstitucines partijas, pavyzdžiui, komunistines arba fašistines), tačiau įdomu tai, kad, kai sine ira et studio stebime Lenkijos politinės sistemos plėtros tendencijas, aiškiai išryškėja partijų sistemos "stabilizacijos" teisiniais procesais tendencija. Nuo 1997 m. su politinėmis partijomis susiję įstatymai pakeitė galimybes laimėti vietas Parlamente. Iš tiesų tik partijos, gavusios 5 proc. (arba 8 proc. koalicijoje) balsų, gali patekti į Parlamentą. Taigi galima teigti, kad dabartiniu metu mažųjų partijų situacija yra sunkesnė negu po "Apvaliojo stalo darbo" 1989 m. Dabartinė sistema, ko gero, stabilesnė, bet mažiau liberali. Yra nuomonių, pabrėžiančių pavojų, jog, kai politinis elitas de facto yra labiau susijęs su valstybe nei su visuomene, gali atitolti ir politinė klasė. Daugelis teoretikų pabrėžia, jog ateityje politinių struktūrų vaidmuo bei požymiai bus visiškai kitokie nei dabartiniu metu. Galbūt jie yra pranašai, tačiau galima tikėtis, kad Lenkijos politinės partijos arba "postpartijos", taip pat ir visa politinė struktūra bus labai panaši į dabartinę, nes lenkų tautos mentalitetas, įskaitant ir politikus, daugiau ar mažiau yra patvarus.
IntroductionWhen teaching social welfare policy, it is important to determine the ideological influences upon our policy choices and ability to rationalize those choices. We are able to do this by examining the history of a particular policy, comparing policies in different nations and by incorporating discourse and/or narrative analysis. This article is particularly useful in demonstrating the nature of discourse and the impact of ideology upon welfare reform in the United States. It may be incorporated in classes on discourse, however I have included an example of an abbreviated syllabi for a class in social welfare policy.Author RecommendsCassiman, Shawn A. 2006. 'Of Witches, Welfare Queens and the Disaster Named Poverty: The Search for a Counter‐Narrative.'Journal of Poverty 10: 51–66.This article critiques the explanatory frameworks associated with welfare receipt and draws attention to the gendered nature of the construction of welfare queens by drawing upon historical similarities in the treatment of witches. The conclusion argues that rather than evidence of individual fault, responsibility rests with society, as poverty is a "man" made disaster.Kissane, Rebecca Joyce and Richard Krebs 2007. 'Assessing Welfare Reform Over a Decade Later.'Sociology Compass 1/2: 789–813. DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.00029.xComparing the declines in welfare caseloads across states, or what is often articulated as welfare reform success, the authors draw attention to both improvements and challenges in the lives of welfare recipients and offer some policy recommendations.Lubiano, Wahneema 1992. 'Black Ladies, Welfare Queens and State Minstrels: Ideological Warfare by Narrative Means.' Pp. 323–63 in Raceing Justice, En‐Gendering Power: Essays on Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas, and the Construction of Social Reality, edited by Toni Morrison. New York, NY: Pantheon Books.This chapter draws attention to the gendered and racialized nature of the construct of welfare queens. The author argues that contemporary narratives are informed by the historical narratives associated with black women in the United States, with the 'welfare queen' the latest tale.McCormack, Karen 2004. 'Resisting the Welfare Mother: The Power of Welfare Discourse and Tactics of Resistance.'Critical Sociology 30: 355–83.McCormack draws attention to the discursive construction of the welfare mother while also identifying some of their tactics to resist negative constructions. She discovers that some women both resist and participate in the discourse, distancing themselves from 'others' in an effort to legitimate their need and demonstrate their deserving status.Schram, Sanford F. 2006. Welfare Discipline: Discourse, Governance, and Globalization. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.This text draws our attention to the global nature of the welfare discourse while offering a critique of globalization as the explanation for welfare state retrenchment. The author incorporates gender and race in his powerful critique of the trends in welfare states. He concludes by offering an alternative to the globalization argument in the form of compassionate liberalism.Online Materials:Sociology Eye, http://sociologycompass.wordpress.com/Institute for Research On Poverty, Current News: http://www.irp.wisc.edu/initiatives/outreach/dispatch/2009/03/dispatch03162009.htm Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign: http://www.economichumanrights.org/index.shtml Ten‐Year Anniversary of Welfare Reform: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=‐2235473050770963875&ei=xb‐‐SavrGo_‐qwK9_rT7Cw&q=welfare+reform&hl=en Discussion by Sharon Hays, author of Flat Broke With Children: Women in the Age of Welfare Reform (2003): http://www.researchchannel.org/prog/displayevent.aspx?fID=573&rID=3587 Sample Syllabus: Topics for Lecture & Discussion Weeks I & II: Introduction & Overview The History of Social Welfare Policy: From the English Poor Laws to the birth of the welfare state. Reading: Trattnor, Walter I. 1994. From Poor Law to Welfare State: A History of Social Welfare in the United States (5th ed.). New York, NY: Free Press. Weeks III & IV: Social Security and Housing Policies Weeks V–VII: Talking About Welfare Reform Readings: Week V‐Welfare reform arguments: Fraser, Nancy and Gordon, Linda 1994. 'A genealogy of dependency: Tracing a keyword of the welfare state.' Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 19: 309–336.And, Excerpts from:Ellwood, David T. 1989. Poor support: Poverty in the American family. New York, NY: Basic Books.Murray, Charles 1984. Losing Ground: American Social Policy from 1950–1980. New York, NY: Basic Books. Week VI: Life as a Single Mother on Welfare or in Low‐Wage Work Chapters 1, 2, 3, & 4 in Edin, Kathryn & Lein, Laura 1997. Making Ends Meet: How Single Mothers Survive Welfare and Low‐Wage Work. Thousand Oaks, CA: Russell Sage Foundation. Week VII: After Welfare Reform Cassiman, Shawn 2008. 'Resisting the Neo‐liberal Poverty Discourse: On Constructing Deadbeat Dads and Welfare Queens.'Sociology Compass 2/5: 1690–1700, DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2008.00159.xKissane, Rebecca Joyce and Richard Krebs 2007. 'Assessing Welfare Reform Over a Decade Later.'Sociology Compass 1/2: 789–813. DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2007.00029.xExcerpts from:Hays, Sharon 2003. Flat Broke With Children: Women in the Age of Welfare Reform. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Focus Questions Some possible discussion questions:
How does ideology shape social welfare policy? How does social welfare policy reflect ideological influences? How do gender and race impact social welfare policy? What is discourse? How do we, as individuals, students, and scholars, contribute to the social welfare policy discourse?
Seminar/Project Idea: Group Project: Counter‐narratives: on contributing to the discourse Drawing upon class readings, notes and current media, each group will critique an assumption (as represented discursively) about recipients of a social welfare policy; welfare, health care, housing, education, or unemployment. They will ground their work in the literature, paying particular attention to historical shifts in the discourse. Students will then identify how extreme economic 'events' contribute to (or provide opportunity for) shifts in discourse and/or policies of their choice. Finally, they will offer their own contribution to the discourse, based upon their critique and presented to the class through a PowerPoint presentation.Note * Correspondence address: Shawn A. Cassiman, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, St. Joseph's Hall, Rm. 403, University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469‐1442, USA. Email: cassima@notes.udayton.edu
Раздел "Международные отношения" - рубрика "Зарубежный опыт" ; Должностные лица, работающие в уставных государственных учреждениях, обладают особым социальным статусом. Результаты их служебной деятельности формируют мнение о государстве в целом. С давних времен считается, что профессиональная бюрократия (структуры со строгой дисциплиной) должны быть опорой, держащей сильную модель государства и народа. Значит, развитие общества, вызовы цивилизации и культуры, прежде всего, оказывают действие на анализируемую область. В первую очередь, эту особенность предрешает единство властных и социальных услуг в демократическом обществе. Понятие уставной государственной службы охватывает не только публичное администрирование, но и требование в оказании соответствующих социальных услуг. С другой стороны, социальные услуги оказываются многими государственными и негосударственными учреждениями. Поэтому необходимо анализировать различия и способы предоставляемых услуг (деятельность и совокупность контроля над деятельностью и критериев оценки), в виде которых реализуются эти услуги. Итак, уставные службы карьеры современности необходимо анализировать в общем контексте служащих обществу государственных институтов, обосновывая важность условий подготовки и службы уставных должностных лиц – определяя понятие уставного должностного лица карьеры с точки зрения социальных наук (напр., права, политологии, этики). Автор в данной статье не стремится дать ответов на вопросы современности, а пытается выдвинуть гипотезы, побудить самого читателя подключиться к научно-исследовательской деятельности, искать ответы, как решать проблемы на основе методологии, сформулированной классиками публичного администрирования. Поэтому, в силу ограниченного объема статьи, автор основное внимание уделяет только анализу проблем формирования и управления персонала государственной службы в историческом аспекте, и пытается раскрыть одну из особенностей, предполагающую исключительность статуса должностных лиц уставной службы, - методологию контроля и оценки служебной деятельности. Автор статьи надеется заинтересовать читателя тематикой исследования, поэтому аргументация предназначена для выдвижения гипотез, выполнения научного анализа администрирования уставных служб. Личность развивается при участии трех «членов» взаимодействия: субъекта деятельности, условий деятельности и третьего «члена» - самой деятельности. В статье проблема рассматривается, используя теоретические источники и опыт других стран. Уставные службы демократического государства - деполитизированы, правовыми средствами отделены от влияния политических производных. Они выполняют важные функции государственного управления, поэтому необходимо согласиться с тем, что управление этих служб в большой части зависит от общей государственной политики, оно определено конституцией страны. Это важное обстоятельство, которое необходимо учитывать при решении внутренних проблем этих служб, намечая вехи политики кадров. Другое важное обстоятельство – быстро растущая требовательность общества к профессиональности должностных лиц, к их компетенции в области поддержки демократических тенденций развития общества, и это меняет содержание служебной деятельности, предполагает разнообразие концепций контроля над служебной деятельностью. В статье делается предпосылка, что условия деятельности, особенности функций этих служб одновременно требуют нестандартной точки зрения на деятельность должностных лиц, требуют по-своему моделировать мотивацию, стимулы их деятельности. = Officials who work in statutory state services have a special social status. The state as such is judged by officials' service activities. Since long ago, the notion that the bureaucracy (institutions of strict order) is supposed to be the backbone that maintains a strong model of the state and nation. Thus, the development of society, the challenges of civilisation and culture first of all affect the issue concerned. Foremost, this peculiarity is determined by the unity of the administrative and social service in a democratic society. The notion of the statutory state service includes not only public administration but also the requirement to perform respective social services. On the other hand, many other governmental and non-governmental institutions render social services. That is why it is necessary to analyse the services' differences and modes (the activity, its control and evaluation criteria), in which these services are rendered. Thus, modern-day career statutory services have to be analysed in a general context of state institutions serving the society, by giving grounds for statutory officials' preparation, for importance of service conditions- by determining the notion of a statutory official in the view of social sciences, for example- the law, political sciences, ethics). The article does nor aspire to give answers to modern- day questions, but it tries to put forward hypotheses, to encourage the reader to get involved into scientific research, and to look for answers, how to solve the problems through the methodology formulated by the classics of public administration. Since the scope of the article is limited, the author has focused on the analysis of the state service staff forming and management problem in the historical aspect, he also tries to reveal one of the peculiarities which affects the singularity of statutory officials' status — i. e., the methodology of service activity's control and evaluation. The author of the article also hopes to make the reader interested in the topic of his research, therefore, arguments are intended for hypotheses to be put forward and for the scientific analysis of statutory services' administration to be carried out. The personality evolves if three «parties» are involved in the process: the subject of the activity, conditions of the activity, and the third «party» — the activity itself. The «parties» in the article are analysed using theoretical sources and the experience of those democratic countries where statutory services are separate from the influence of political factors. They perform very important functions of the state management; therefore, we must agree that the management of these services depends to a great extent upon the general state policy, which is determined in the Constitution of the State. It is an important factor, which has to be regarded when solving internal problems of these services, when designing the guidelines for the personnel policy. Another factor of importance is a speedily growing exact requirements of the society for the professionalism of civil servants, for their competence in maintaining the tendencies of democratic society development. This changes the content of the service operation, and presupposes a diversity of service activity control. The article formulates the view that the activity conditions, the peculiarities of these services functions require at the same time a non-standard approach towards the officials' activity, they also require special modelling of their activity motivation and incentives.
Telegrams exchanged between Gen. Plutarco Elías Calles and the following people: Mayors, Presidents of Municipal Committees for the National Revolutionary Party, private citizens, the Chamber of Senators, the Federation of small retail vendors of the Federal District, the Mexican Sports Party, Governors, the Teachers League of the Estado de México, the League of Agrarian Communities and Unions of Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, the League of small property owners from Tamaulipas, Students of the National Law School and his personal secretary, Soledad González. The aforementioned telegrams concern requests for information about the wattage needed to run a diathermy device; appreciation for information provided; information about private citizens' health status, requesting to expel Congressmen due to administrative mismanagement; requests for appointments; endorsement of Gen. Plutarco Elías Calles' revolutionary work; an invitation to the Festival hosted by the Mexican Sports Party, a request for helping to release a Congressman; information about the social peace in Chiapas; reply about taking care of a matter with the Secretary of the Interior; information about Gen. Plutarco Elías Calles' health status, thank-you messages for expressing concern about Gen. Calles' health; a notice indicating that pending matters will be solved when Gen. Plutarco Elías Calles gets well, suspension of appointments, apologies for not being able to attend some events; requesting information of private citizens' arrival; Gen. Plutarco Elías Calles' endorsement of Nazario S. Ortiz Garza, Governor of Coahuila for his administrative work; a request to ship some movies; support of the State Committee led by Carlos Darío Ojeda in Veracruz; report on the closure of the Eighth Convention of the League of Agrarian Communities and Peasants Union from Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas; confirming the registration of B.A. Severiano Herrera's mayoral nomination of Córdova, Veracruz; support of the decision to expel Guillermo Rodríguez and Francisco González from the Municipal Committee of the National Revolutionary Party in Coatzintla, Veracruz; report on the expenses incurred during the administration of Gen. Carlos Leal, Governor of Durango; information about the departure of the Governor of Baja California Sur, Luis S. Rodríguez to the capital city to inform Gen. Plutarco Elías Calles about administrative matters; requests for appointments; a notice indicating that Mr. Elliot Roosevelt' instructions have been taken into consideration; a request to receive some packages; a request to deliver a new remittance to the Chapultepec Factory; a request to do some shopping for Soledad González' nieces; requesting information about the existence of the commission granted to Vice-consul Hill, a request for information about the delivery of violets; a request for approval of the passing of a line that will carry electricity to El Riego, Puebla; confirmation of Rodolfo Elías Calles' trip, a petition demanding the support not to build a penitentiary close to the Cuernavaca City; information about the election conflict in Michoacán; a request for money wire; an invitation to the Pro-Acercamiento Nacional Assembly in Morelos; information about the inauguration of the Cruz Gálvez School Center; a request for financial assistance to students of the Mechanical and Electric Engineering school; information of election results in Cohauila. / Telegramas entre el Gral. PEC, Presidentes Municipales, Presidentes de Comités Municipales del Partido Nacional Revolucionario, particulares, Cámara de Senadores, Federación Agrupación de Comerciantes en Pequeño del Distrito Federal, Partido Deportista Mexicano, Gobernadores, Liga de Maestros del Estado de México, Liga de Comunidades Agrarias y Sindicatos de Ciudad Victoria, Tamps.; Liga de Poseedores en Pequeño de Tamaulipas, Estudiantes de la Facultad Nacional de Jurisprudencia y Secretaria Particular Soledad González, acerca de: solicitud de informe sobre voltaje de luz para utilización de aparato de diatermia, agradecimiento por informes, informes sobre estado de salud de particulares, solicitud de expulsión de diputados por malos manejos, solicitudes de audiencia, adhesiones al Gral. Calles por su labor revolucionaria, invitación al festival del Partido Deportista Mexicano, solicitud de ayuda para liberar a diputado, informe sobre paz social en Chiapas, contestación acerca de estar tratando asunto con Secretario de Gobernación, notificación sobre estado de salud del Gral. PEC, agradecimientos por mensajes enviados, indicaciones sobre cómo debe tratarse el asunto de los plataneros en Monterrey, agradecimientos por el interés demostrado en la salud del Gral. PEC, notificación sobre resolución de asunto cuando el Gral. PEC se encuentre mejor de salud, suspensión de audiencias, disculpa por no poder asistir a eventos, solicitud de informe sobre llegada de particulares, adhesión del Gral. PEC a la labor desarrollada por el Gobernador de Coahuila Nazario S. Ortiz Garza, solicitud de envío de películas, adhesiones al Comité de Estado que preside Carlos Darío Ojeda en Veracruz, informe sobre la clausura de la Octava Convención de la Liga de Comunidades Agrarias y Sindicatos Campesinos de Ciudad Victoria, Tamps., notificación de registro de candidatura del Lic. Severiano Herrera para Presidente Municipal de Córdoba, Ver.; apoyo a la medida de expulsión de Guillermo Rodríguez y Francisco González del Comité Municipal del Partido Nacional Revolucionario en Coatzintla, Ver.; informe sobre gastos ejercidos durante la administración del Gobernador de Durango Gral. Carlos Leal, notificación sobre salida de Gobernador de La Paz, B.C.S. Luis S. Rodríguez hacia la capital para informar al Gral. PEC de asuntos administrativos, solicitudes de audiencia, notificación sobre que ya se están tomando en consideración las indicaciones del Sr. Elliot Roosevelt, solicitud de recepción de bultos, solicitud de nueva remesa para Fábrica Chapultepec, solicitud de compras para las sobrinas de Soledad González, solicitud de informe sobre si subsiste la comisión conferida al Vicecónsul Hill, solicitud de informes sobre recepcion de violetas, solicitud de orden para cruce de línea que llevará corriente eléctrica a El Riego, Pue., notificación del viaje de Rodolfo Elías Calles, solicitud de apoyo para que no se construya penitenciaría tan cerca a la ciudad de Cuernavaca, notificación sobre conflicto electoral en Michoacán, solicitud de envío de fondos, invitación a la Asamblea Pro Acercamiento Nacional en Morelos, informe de inauguración del Centro Escolar Cruz Gálvez, solicitud de ayuda económica a estudiantes de la Escuela de Ingenieros Mecánicos Electricistas, notificaión de resultados obtenidos en las elecciones verificadas en Coahuila.
This tenth edition of Doing Business sheds light on how easy or difficult it is for a local entrepreneur to open and run a small to medium-size business when complying with relevant regulations. It measures and tracks changes in regulations affecting eleven areas in the life cycle of a business: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency and employing workers. Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 185 economies, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over time. The indicators are used to analyze economic outcomes and identify what reforms have worked, where and why. This economy profile presents the Doing Business indicators for Uzbekistan. To allow useful comparison, it also provides data for other selected economies (comparator economies) for each indicator. The data in this report are current as of June 1, 2012 (except for the paying taxes indicators, which cover the period January - December 2011).
This tenth edition of Doing Business sheds light on how easy or difficult it is for a local entrepreneur to open and run a small to medium-size business when complying with relevant regulations. It measures and tracks changes in regulations affecting eleven areas in the life cycle of a business: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency and employing workers. Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 185 economies, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over time. The indicators are used to analyze economic outcomes and identify what reforms have worked, where and why. This economy profile presents the Doing Business indicators for Australia. To allow useful comparison, it also provides data for other selected economies (comparator economies) for each indicator. The data in this report are current as of June 1, 2012 (except for the paying taxes indicators, which cover the period January - December 2011).
This tenth edition of Doing Business sheds light on how easy or difficult it is for a local entrepreneur to open and run a small to medium-size business when complying with relevant regulations. It measures and tracks changes in regulations affecting eleven areas in the life cycle of a business: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency and employing workers. Doing Business presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 185 economies, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, over time. The indicators are used to analyze economic outcomes and identify what reforms have worked, where and why. This economy profile presents the Doing Business indicators for Belarus. To allow useful comparison, it also provides data for other selected economies (comparator economies) for each indicator. The data in this report are current as of June 1, 2012 (except for the paying taxes indicators, which cover the period January - December 2011).
U radu se analizira nekoliko fenomena vezanih za političko-ideološke aspekte boravka svetog Save u Trnovu, za njegovu smrt i prenos moštiju u Srbiju. Istraživanje je zasnovano na upoređivanju aluzivnih iskaza dva žitija (Domentijanovom i Teodosijevom), koji daju različite verzije ovih događaja. U središtu pažnje autora je srednjovekovno shvatanje relikvija, moći čudotvorenja i prakse furta sacra. Ovi su motivi sagledani u političkom kontekstu raspoloživih hagiografskih svedočanstava. ; A contribution to the study of Serbo-Bulgarian relations in the 1230s The enquiry into the cult of relics and its manifestations such as miracle working, transfer of mortal remains and the act of translatio that involves the topos of furta sacra relies on two lives of St Sava of Serbia, one penned by Domentijan (Domentianus), the other by Teodosije (Theodosius). The hagiographic episodes most relevant to this enquiry are certainly those describing Sava's stay in Tirnovo, his death (1236) and the translation of his remains to his homeland (1237). The narrative about the future saint's stay and death in Tirnovo gives conscious hints of the hero's sanctity using various hagiographic devices. Especially interesting to us is the account of the miracle Sava worked in Tirnovo while officiating the Epiphany service at the church of the Forty Martyrs. According to our analysis, the reference to the Epiphany service and the association of the miracle with that particular feast are certainly not an accident. The ideology of the Second Bulgarian Empire attached great importance to the epic victory over the Romaioi at the Battle of Tryavna in 1190, which was commemorated annually on the Day of Epiphany. The Byzantine historians Niketas Choniates and George Akropolites report that the Bulgarians seized the imperial insignia during the battle. It is irrelevant whether Sava's two hagiographers were aware of the importance of the feast or simply reiterated the well-known information about the service celebrated on that day at the church of the Forty Martyrs; what is quite certain is that the great honour of officiating the service-a celebration pregnant with symbolism-was bestowed upon the most distinguished guest and that it was then that, we believe not at all by chance, his miracle-working power was manifested in public-in front of the Bulgarian tsar, all clergy and the notables. As a natural consequence of the power of working miracles manifested in one's lifetime, the holy body of Sava, who passed away shortly afterwards, joined the most highly treasured relics of the Second Bulgarian Empire deposited in the church of the Forty Martyrs. The decision of Bulgarian tsar John II Asen to have Sava buried in his own foundation dedicated to the Forty Martyrs seems to have conveyed unequivocal symbolic messages. Not only that the hagiographer uses the topos of Christ-like haste, a quality of the ideal ruler, to depict the tsar's devout haste (to have Sava's tomb built in stone and marked with imperial insignia) but he also employs the device of connecting the tsar's actions with the well-established pattern of the ruler standing firm in the faith of Christ to build an imago pietatis as well known and required in that particular place in the text. The latter obviously helps the holy remains-referred to in both hagiographies much before the reference to the revelation of hero's sanctity through the elevation of his incorrupt body-to obtain the status of relic. In that respect, the power of sepulchral dust constitutes a distinctive feature of Sava's sanctity-it testifies to the miraculous power of the place itself even after the body was removed, continuing until the ban placed on Sava's cult after the death of John Asen (1241). The ultimate proof of sanctity is the discovery of the incorrupt body after its elevatio. That is exactly what happened, after the holy one himself had appeared in the tsar's dream prompting the translation and thus the elevation of the body from the first grave. The apparition of the holy one in the form of 'a terrifying vision' came as a consequence of the request made by the Serbian side: king Vladislav, the tsar's son-in-law, had come to Tirnovo to solicit Sava's return to Serbia. As the Bulgarian side was unwilling to part with the prestigious relics, preparations for their translation began clandestinely and in great haste. To describe the events that ensued, Domentijan, the writer of the earlier of Sava's two lives, uses a recognizable narrative: the account of the furtum sacrum is placed in the framework of a parallel he was familiar with. Domentijan uses an interesting metaphor to offset the vague circumstances surrounding the event. By likening Sava's relics to the epitome of the most precious relic - the icon of the Virgin with child, well known after the apocrypha concerning the birth of Christ, he in fact uses the language of apocrypha to bypass several important topoi contained in the narrative of furta sacra. The motif in question is that of the clandestine translation of relics amidst great fear and haste and the flight from the city (the 'Persian' story used by John of Damascus in his Homilies on nativity). The purpose of the hagiographic story is to function as a double parallel. On the one hand, the holy one's relics are likened to the oldest icon taken in its symbolic, apotropaic meaning-as the shield of the fatherland and a sign of God's grace-and on the other, the story is a framework, a recognizable model of finding a parallel, used by the hagiographer to evade further clarification of the circumstances and details of the famed furtum sacrum. It is for this reason that Domentijan's emphasis on the motif of likening appears quite expectable: 'in the same way the children of this Holy One, overwhelmed by great fear and in great haste, fled secretly from the city of Tirnovo'. Teodosije's account is much more straightforward: quoting the words of the Bulgarian tsar, he overtly accuses the Serbian king of having stolen the holy one's relics and the Bulgarians notables of having been bribed, and his account seems to match the reality much more. Viewed in the context of analysis of the symbolic language of political messages, the accounts of the two hagiographers become a telling testimony to the multilayeredness of medieval texts and to the possibility of their various interpretations.
Problem setting. The formation and development of Ukraine as a democratic state, its integration into the world and European structures requires a rethinking of the nature, place and role of public administration under the current conditions at the enterprises of the transport and road complex. The legislation of Ukraine defines the purpose and tasks of the public administration in the field of transport on the principles enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine and sufficiently covered in the legal literature.Along with fuel and energy and raw material complexes, metallurgy, the military industry, transport is a sector of the economy, critical in terms of meeting public needs and ensuring the sustainable operation of the economic complex as a whole. This is reflected in the following:– implementation of transport projects directly touches on the issues of development of productive powers and populated areas, use of natural resources, expenditures of budgets of all levels. Transport infrastructure is one of the most fundraising sectors of the national economy;– transport is objectively an area of increased technogenic risk and increased vulnerability to terrorist attacks. Transport is the second most important source of environmental pollution after energy and one of the main consumers of insoluble natural resources;– decision in the field of transport development is one of the priorities of the state;– wrong decisions in the field of transport development can lead to irreversible negative consequences, disturb the stability of socio-economic development and have threats to the national security of Ukraine.Therefore, the coverage of the main priorities of the national public administration in the field of transport are and will remain relevant.Recent research and publications analysis. Scientific works of V. Andresyuk, L. Artyushin, A. Galchinsky, B. Gurne, Zh. Ziter, O. Ignatenko, V. Lisnichi, A. Lozhachevskaya, G. Mishchenko, V. Opryshko, M. Onishchuk, I. Pakhomov, Y. Paschenko, V. Razvadovsky, V. Ryzhikh, A. Savchenko, A. Semenchenko, V. Skuratovsky, D. Timokhi, A. Tkachenko, V. Yurchishin are important for the study of the problem of state control of transport systems.Highlighting previously unsettled parts of the general problem. A necessary prerequisite for the reliable and efficient functioning of the transport industry is the awareness of the importance of transport for the national security of Ukraine, as well as for the interests of society and every citizen, by representatives of the state authorities and the public. In the difficult conditions of world economic processes in Ukraine and European integration, effective public administration of the transport industry is needed, which would take into account geopolitical aspects in the country, the features of the industry and its role in the processes of economic and social transformations, and would enable its development, ensure competitiveness. That is why the issues of public administration in the transport sector need improvement.Paper main body. The state management of transport activity is carried out by conducting and implementing economic (tax, financial, credit, tariff, investment) and social policies, including provision of subsidies for passenger transportation. The basis of public administration of the transport system is a unified transport policy of Ukraine, which must be closely coordinated with the strategy of socio-economic development of the country.Governing bodies exert managerial influence through legal methods that understand the way management functions are performed in accordance with the requirements of applicable law and legal doctrine. The organizational and legal basis of public transport management is the system of state authorities and local self-government, endowed with managerial competence for transport of Ukraine.Management of the transport system of Ukraine is carried out on a branch-territorial basis. Structural reforms in transport aim at developing and improving market relations, reducing the direct involvement of the state in transport and reducing the monopoly sector.The main purpose of public administration is to exercise executive power, in the process of which the tasks, functions and interests of the state are realized. However, direct management of economic, socio-cultural and administrative-political activities is characterized by administrative activities.The state transport management of Ukraine is based on relevant legal framework, which is divided into regulatory and organizational law.Public administration in the field of transport is carried out by: the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, local Councils of People's Deputies and other specially authorized bodies in accordance with their competence.The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, the activity of which is directed and coordinated by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, is the main body in the system of central bodies of executive power, which ensures the implementation of the state policy in the field of transport, in the sphere of using the Ukrainian airspace and navigation and hydrographic navigation.Let's briefly consider the main priorities of public administration in the main modes of transport.The State Railway Administration (Ukrzaliznytsia) is a public administration body for public use and a legal entity and reports to the Ministry of Infrastructure.The State Aviation Transport Department (Ukraviatrans) is a public administration body that reports to and acts within the Ministry of Infrastructure.The State Department of Maritime and River Transport (Ukrmorrichflot) is a public administration body in the field of maritime and inland waterway transport, which reports to the Ministry of Infrastructure and operates within it.The State Department of Road Transport (Ukravtotrans) is a public administration body in the field of road transport and operates within and reports to the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine.Public administration in the field of pipeline transport is carried out by the Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine, as well as local state executive authorities and local self-government bodies within their competence.The governing bodies may exercise only those powers which are within their competence. In the process of exercising their competence, management bodies have the right to issue normative acts, which can be attributed to a legal type of management activity.Conclusions of the research and prospects for further studies. 1. The priorities of public administration in the field of transport are the improvement (reorganization) of organizational-power, executive-administrative activity of public administration bodies.2. The priority functions of public administration in the field of transport are the external manifestation of the properties of the management entity.3. The priority areas of the national public administration system in the field of transport are to improve and align the basic functions of the transport industry with European standards.The prospects for further exploration are the improvement of public administration in all modes of transport, taking into account the entry into the European transport system. Problem setting. The formation and development of Ukraine as a democratic state, its integration into the world and European structures requires a rethinking of the nature, place and role of public administration under the current conditions at the enterprises of the transport and road complex. The legislation of Ukraine defines the purpose and tasks of the public administration in the field of transport on the principles enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine and sufficiently covered in the legal literature.Along with fuel and energy and raw material complexes, metallurgy, the military industry, transport is a sector of the economy, critical in terms of meeting public needs and ensuring the sustainable operation of the economic complex as a whole. This is reflected in the following:– implementation of transport projects directly touches on the issues of development of productive powers and populated areas, use of natural resources, expenditures of budgets of all levels. Transport infrastructure is one of the most fundraising sectors of the national economy;– transport is objectively an area of increased technogenic risk and increased vulnerability to terrorist attacks. Transport is the second most important source of environmental pollution after energy and one of the main consumers of insoluble natural resources;– decision in the field of transport development is one of the priorities of the state;– wrong decisions in the field of transport development can lead to irreversible negative consequences, disturb the stability of socio-economic development and have threats to the national security of Ukraine.Therefore, the coverage of the main priorities of the national public administration in the field of transport are and will remain relevant.Recent research and publications analysis. Scientific works of V. Andresyuk, L. Artyushin, A. Galchinsky, B. Gurne, Zh. Ziter, O. Ignatenko, V. Lisnichi, A. Lozhachevskaya, G. Mishchenko, V. Opryshko, M. Onishchuk, I. Pakhomov, Y. Paschenko, V. Razvadovsky, V. Ryzhikh, A. Savchenko, A. Semenchenko, V. Skuratovsky, D. Timokhi, A. Tkachenko, V. Yurchishin are important for the study of the problem of state control of transport systems.Highlighting previously unsettled parts of the general problem. A necessary prerequisite for the reliable and efficient functioning of the transport industry is the awareness of the importance of transport for the national security of Ukraine, as well as for the interests of society and every citizen, by representatives of the state authorities and the public. In the difficult conditions of world economic processes in Ukraine and European integration, effective public administration of the transport industry is needed, which would take into account geopolitical aspects in the country, the features of the industry and its role in the processes of economic and social transformations, and would enable its development, ensure competitiveness. That is why the issues of public administration in the transport sector need improvement.Paper main body. The state management of transport activity is carried out by conducting and implementing economic (tax, financial, credit, tariff, investment) and social policies, including provision of subsidies for passenger transportation. The basis of public administration of the transport system is a unified transport policy of Ukraine, which must be closely coordinated with the strategy of socio-economic development of the country.Governing bodies exert managerial influence through legal methods that understand the way management functions are performed in accordance with the requirements of applicable law and legal doctrine. The organizational and legal basis of public transport management is the system of state authorities and local self-government, endowed with managerial competence for transport of Ukraine.Management of the transport system of Ukraine is carried out on a branch-territorial basis. Structural reforms in transport aim at developing and improving market relations, reducing the direct involvement of the state in transport and reducing the monopoly sector.The main purpose of public administration is to exercise executive power, in the process of which the tasks, functions and interests of the state are realized. However, direct management of economic, socio-cultural and administrative-political activities is characterized by administrative activities.The state transport management of Ukraine is based on relevant legal framework, which is divided into regulatory and organizational law.Public administration in the field of transport is carried out by: the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, local Councils of People's Deputies and other specially authorized bodies in accordance with their competence.The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine, the activity of which is directed and coordinated by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, is the main body in the system of central bodies of executive power, which ensures the implementation of the state policy in the field of transport, in the sphere of using the Ukrainian airspace and navigation and hydrographic navigation.Let's briefly consider the main priorities of public administration in the main modes of transport.The State Railway Administration (Ukrzaliznytsia) is a public administration body for public use and a legal entity and reports to the Ministry of Infrastructure.The State Aviation Transport Department (Ukraviatrans) is a public administration body that reports to and acts within the Ministry of Infrastructure.The State Department of Maritime and River Transport (Ukrmorrichflot) is a public administration body in the field of maritime and inland waterway transport, which reports to the Ministry of Infrastructure and operates within it.The State Department of Road Transport (Ukravtotrans) is a public administration body in the field of road transport and operates within and reports to the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine.Public administration in the field of pipeline transport is carried out by the Ministry of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine, as well as local state executive authorities and local self-government bodies within their competence.The governing bodies may exercise only those powers which are within their competence. In the process of exercising their competence, management bodies have the right to issue normative acts, which can be attributed to a legal type of management activity.Conclusions of the research and prospects for further studies. 1. The priorities of public administration in the field of transport are the improvement (reorganization) of organizational-power, executive-administrative activity of public administration bodies.2. The priority functions of public administration in the field of transport are the external manifestation of the properties of the management entity.3. The priority areas of the national public administration system in the field of transport are to improve and align the basic functions of the transport industry with European standards.The prospects for further exploration are the improvement of public administration in all modes of transport, taking into account the entry into the European transport system. ; Розглянуто основні пріоритети та роль вітчизняної системи державного управління в галузі транспорту загалом і за основними видами транспорту зокрема. Доведено провідну роль державного управління в галузі транспорту. Визначено пріоритети державного управління в галузі транспорту, його основні функції та напрями.
