Catholic

Faith, Hope and Charity were attendant upon the birth of a new public print, The Commonweal, "a weekly review of literature, the arts and public affairs." A maiden issue appeared last week with the announcement that the spirit of the famed triumvirate would be the newcomer's guiding intention.

An introductory editorial explained further that The Commonweal would be "definitely Christian in its presentation of orthodox religious principles and their application to the subjects that fall within its purview: principles which until now have not, we believe, been expressed in American journalism except through the medium of the official organs of the Catholic Church and of the various denominations. . . . But it will be in no sense ... an authoritative or authorized mouthpiece of the Catholic Church. ... Its pages will be open to writers holding different forms of Christian belief, and in some cases to authors who do not profess any form of Christian faith. ... It will be an open forum."

Presenting much the same physical appearance as The Nation and The New Republic, The Commonweal employed much the same compositional formulae as those two magazines. Its 28 pages contained: "a leader" concerning politics ; two pages of running comment on current affairs; seven special articles; a page of verse: two of play reviews; a "quiet corner" of book talk; book reviews.

But only physically did The Commonweal resemble The New Republic or The Nation. As well written as they, it directed its efforts to progressive, non-partisan conservatism, strongly colored by Roman Catholic thought, in contrast to their enthusiastic modernism, strongly colored by socialistic thought. Thus, The Commonweal's pledge of fealty to the President-elect digressed long enough to quote Plutarch: "There never was a state of atheists . . .", and to sketch the mystical conception of God as a great Will, pervading all things. Thus, also, an editorial excoriated the anti-Catholic Klan, another the salaciousness of newspapers, another The New York Herald-Tribune for its sweeping headline: "Religious Conditions in South America Are Similar to those of the Middle Ages." Play reviews called What Price Glory? "interesting ... as a discussion of the life, habits and beliefs of the Negrillos is interesting"; and The Werewolf "undoubtedly the best example of the kind of play which should never be produced at all." Religious broadmindedness was plainly intended to be the implication of a note congratulating the editors of The Menorah Journal (Jewish) on their August-September issue. Of the longer articles, one was by G. K. Chesterton, Religion and Sex, another by B. C. A. Windle, Science Sees the Light.

The Commonweal's publishers were announced as The Calvert Associates, Inc., "a membership society incorporated under the laws of the State of N. Y." This body, deriving its name from George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, founder of Maryland, plans also to support activities other than its publishing, through local groups the country over.

Significance. Jewish publications, of whatever character, inevitably express the Hebrew faith. The editors of The Commonweal, while notably receptive, at once identified themselves as watchful guardians of the Petrine Rock. When their magazine appeared, many reflected that, though tacitly represented by scores of unofficial publications, Protestantism has no lay organs definitely and forthrightly wedded to its cause. Split two ways, into various denominations and into various strata of orthodoxy, it is doubtful that Protestantism could have such organs. Moreover, not being greatly given to organization, it is doubtful that Protestantism will ever seek to have them.