Columbianism in Texas
the theatre was packed with interested listeners, and the Protestant min- isters seldom missed a meeting. "Most of the places visited were known for their anti-Catholic spirit, hatred, and ignorance of everything Cath- olic," declared Father Haas in his report. This made it difficult for the scattered Catholics to practice their religion and bring up their children to love and respect their faith. For three years Father Haas continued his missionary endeavor under the auspices of the Knights of Columbus before he was recalled to other duties by his superiors. Anxious that the splendid work be continued, the State Council secured the services of Father Charles McCarty, C.M., who proved a happy choice. Some of his experiences are reminiscent of the struggles and hardships endured by Bishop Odin almost a hundred years before, except that the horse was now a broken down model T Ford. On one of the tours he visited fifteen different places in as many days. As if sailing through unchartered seas, Father McCarty related one of his experiences by saying "Pineland was our next port of call." It was a lumber and sawmill town where he spoke for an hour and twenty minutes on the Church in the local movie theatre. Then on to Brookeland, only to find himself locked out of the movie house where he was to speak because the owner had gone to Beaumont for the day and had taken the key with him. The visit was not in vain, however. A Syrian merchant turned over his establishment for the meeting. Next day Father McCarty was in Browndale, another lumber town, where he spoke at the schoolhouse to "quite a crowd" and went on again through the "sandy pinewoods" in the coughing Ford back to Brookeland. Next morning "through stretches of pine ... over deep and sandy roads and trails" Father McCarty made his way to Jasper, Texas, where he spoke in the courthouse. He was intro- duced by a Captain Kelly, a Confederate veteran, and spoke for over an hour that evening. Again he set out that night and drove to Kirbyville nearby, only to find on arrival no one on duty to give him lodging in the hotel. It was too late, past 10 :30. "Disturbing no one," says Father Mc- Carty, "we looked over the register for vacant rooms, found two, and retired." And this in early 1920 in East Texas I An early riser, he found no one up in the morning, "so securing an envelope," he says, "we placed the price of our night's lodging within, addressed it to the management, and left for Buna, en route to Beaumont, on a cup of coffee. At IO :30, after a hard bit of going we made Beaumont, and our journey with the Ford was done, our missionary excursion over for the time being in East Texas." The "we" refers to himself and the Ford,
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