The broad ax., 1915-06-05

MACAULAH ONCE wrote that demo
eraey in America might fail because
more and more our population would
become diversified in origin; and that
more and more there would come to be
separate solidarities of racial groups in.
stead of a national solidarity.
He argued that successful govern.
ment by public opinion requires that
this public opinion must be divided
on rational lines, determined only by
opposing reasons directed to the merits
of any question; and that racial preju.
diees surely would interfere with such
normal public thinking.
1t is no reflection on any group Of
our people that their political action
should be Influenced by the racial blood
that flows in their veins; it is human
nature that it should be 50. Yet that
this does add to the difficulties and
problems Of democracy is plain. The
bright light thrown upon us by the
flames of the world war makes this
startlingly clear at the present time.
1t is present-day conditions which
make Maeaulay's analysis prophetic and
point to the mighty task before us-a
task which is primal and which will
take decades to perform.
That task is the hard but sublime Ia
Dor of making a national solidarity,
an American entity, independent of and
different from that Of any other nation
or eountry; not in the sense that it is
our duty or even interest to hold aloot
from other peoples from which we
sprang-on the contrary, as shall try
TO show presently, our relations with
them must be more and more intimate;
but that we must build up a national
unity and consciousness as separate and
different from that of any other eoun-
try as the Russian is different from
the German or the French is different
from both.
The first short but immediate step
to this is to trample under our feet
the thought that any of our citizens
Of one racial descent are less American
and less patriotic than those of another
racial descent
Why should anyone say that our citi-
zens of German descent are less Ameri-
can because they love the Germany
from which they sprang than are
those Of US who are of English or
Scotch descent who love the land from
which our ancestors camel
The tolerance Of patriotic brother
hood is the watehword Of our saliva
ton. Let not the raneor Of distinction
Of Jew and GENTLE, Protestant and
Catholic, German, British or Irish. Ital-
ian, French or Russian vex and con-
found our forming nation.
Let each in his sympathy be true to
his faith, and his blood-we could not
prevent that If we would-but let rs
nobly realize that just because each Of
these racial and religious units Of our
people have the courage and conscience
to be faithful to the fundamentals
within them, they also have the capae-
ity to be stin more true to that great
democracy, the American people, which
fate is welding together.
It will take a long time to do this.
But above all other periods in cur
history. now is the hour to begin IL.
We must teach it in our schools. preach
it from our pulpits, talk it in our daily
life. In every sehoolroom over the
teachers desk, in plain letters, over
every pulpit, on the walls Of every
board Of trade, I would have these
words printed: eve are ali Ameri-
eans''-Amerieans tolerant Of one an
other and Americans because We are
tolerant Of one another
What now is coming. What, IL we
do not blindly. attach ourselves to some
European combination of powers, is our
historic task and glOryi An who are
not blinded by blood-lust cannot fail
to see It. Let the big fact of eOntem-
pOraneous world events instruct rs:
For . long time il has been the habit
Of occidental peoples to say that the
oriental peoples ware sleeping. But Is
IL not more aesurats TO say that they
have been resting. Today the yellow