C olumbianism i11, Texas
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there were millions who longed to hear the simple truths of the Catholic Church and our Faith. The Supreme Council soon made arrangements for two transcribed radio programs. The first, "Safeguards for America," designed to combat atheistic Communism, included six transcriptions, which were used within a year by over 350 stations throughout the country; the second, "Foundations of Our American Ideals, consisted likewise of six transcriptions, fifteen minutes each, on subjects such as "Natural Rights of Man," "Freedom of Religion from Restraints of Government" and similar topics. It met with an even greater success to judge by the number of stations that used the series and the response of the invisible audience, evidenced by the mail received. Supreme Knight John E. Swift was able to state at the Convention held in Houston in August, 1948, "The enthusiastic cooperation of our entire membership and the militant support of the Catholic lay-leaders throughout North America will bring to our respective nations [ through this medium] a realization of the part our Order is taking in warning thoughtful and loyal citizens of the great menace that threatens our government, and the challenge to our institutions from those who would overthrow our govern- ment by force if necessary." In closing the discussion of this phase of the activities of the Knights of Columbus, the encouragement given to individual spiritual development by the Order in Texas deserves to be noted. The observance of a monthly Communion Sunday, participation in novenas, the recitation of the rosary for peace and for the welfare of the Church and our country, the intro- duction of the Day of Recollection on a State-wide basis, and the spon- sorship of the annual closed retreat movement are but a few examples. St1,p,port given. to Educati.011. The decided support given by the Knights of Columbus to the encouragement of education throughout the nation is another basic concern of the Order. How far-reaching and how effective it could be in the preservation of true Americanism and its most cherished traditions was eloquently demonstrated as early as 1904. From Los Angeles, more than three thousand miles away from the birthplace of the Order, came the suggestion to found a Chair of American History at the Catholic University of America, made by the Most Reverend Bishop Conaty of Los Angeles to Supreme Knight Edward Hearn. Fifty thou- sand dollars was the amount needed. In those days, when people still spoke of thousands with awe and millions were not common, the Knights of Columbus, taking the suggestion as a challenge, closed ranks and launched forth a nation-wide campaign among its membership to raise
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