Catholics v. Daniels

"We must now enter into and take possession of the minds of the children, the minds of the young, because they do belong and should belong to the Revolution. It is absolutely necessary that we dislodge the enemy from this trench where the clergy are now, where the conservatives are now--I refer to education, I refer to the school."

Thus in true authoritarian style did Mexico's Boss Plutarco Elias Calles orate in Guadalajara last month. Knowing the violent anticlericalism of Mexico's Revolutionary Government, not even Roman Catholics could be surprised. But alert Catholic priests got hopping mad when they learned that U. S. Ambassador Josephus Daniels had later got up before a Mexican Seminar and orated as follows:

"The spirit of the Mexico of today was clearly and succinctly stated last week in Guadalajara by General Calles in as brief a sentence as that employed by Jefferson decades ago. General Calles, speaking for the ear of all patriotic Mexicans, and particularly those entrusted with leadership, said: 'We must enter into and take possession of the mind of childhood, the mind of youth.' "

Promptly America, Jesuit weekly, called upon pious Methodist Ambassador Daniels to resign his post. To a Catholic newshawk Ambassador Daniels explained that he did indeed quote General Calles, but without commenting on the "character or quality" of Mexican education. America insisted: "Either he knew what Calles meant, or he did not. If he did know, he was guilty of an unwarrantable interference in Mexican politics, and on the side of the anti-Christians. If he did not know, then he should not be in Mexico as our Ambassador. In either case, he should resign."

An estimate of the quality of Mexican education was given in El Paso. Tex. last week by Rev. Michael Kenny, Jesuit, one-time regent of Loyola University's Law School. Returned from an investigation tour, he reported on Mexican sex education with special reference to the State of Tabasco, whose Governor is named Canabal. In Tabasco, according to Father Kenny, children are caused to learn about sex by viewing the matings of dogs, horses, cattle. In one case a bull was labeled "God," a cow "Virgin Mary." Said he: "Primary grade pupils in Tabasco were forced to strip naked, boys and girls, as part of the sex education instruction. . . . Not only this, but both in Tabasco and Mexico City groups of primary pupils were taken to maternity wards by their teachers to watch actual parturition. Some of these hapless children went stark mad as a result of their horrible experience."

Father Kenny said that so long as the Cristeros (religious opposition) are without arms "the situation is hopeless." Nevertheless all the Cristeros have not lost hope. In Mexico City 40,000 Catholics blocked traffic for hours in "mute protest" against persecution of their Archbishop. In Magdalena, after local officials seized a 150-year-old statue of San Francisco Xavier, patron of the district, they gathered angrily in such numbers that troops were called to watch them.

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