254 ANDREW J. SHIPMAN MEMORIAL 



tion ; the active and earnest cooperation of all citizens, espe- 

 cially of Catholics, who should be foremost in such efforts for 

 the welfare of the community. 



We Sodalists put much stress upon the efficacy of prayer 

 and of the Sacraments. They are indeed the prime aids, the 

 direct approach to God. But in the civic life and in the ex- 

 pression of our integrity and our duty towards our fellow- 

 man we can have no higher guide and ideal than that given 

 by Our Lord himself : "Thou shalt love the Lord God, with 

 thy whole heart and thy whole mind, and thy neighbor as 

 thyself." With this ideal in view, no matter how often we 

 may stumble daily, we shall do our real duty in civic life. 



We can then feel that the laws which govern us, although 

 they may be often defective and insufficient, are, after all, ex- 

 pression of the eternal verities which govern human life. Our 

 civic duty will be predicated upon a whole-hearted feeling of 

 acquiescence in the spirit of law and order, and of using 

 our talents for the betterment of the world around us. Prog- 

 ress will not be accomplished by rebellion or revolution, but 

 by a gradual and orderly development of better things. In so 

 proving our civic integrity and love for good and enduring 

 citizenship, we shall become like unto the careful householder 

 who cherishes the old household furnishings until they are 

 replaced by new, and refuses to smash and destroy them 

 simply because they are deemed to be antique. Our aim 

 at all times must be constructive, not destructive, and to be 

 striven for in obedience, cheerfulness and willing service. 



