Newark post., 1915-07-07
is OUR PATRIOT
ISM SOUND
Continued from page II

Canal Zone, as notable exceptions.
"a second false assumption
the speaker declared, concerns
the circumstances under which IN
dependence was born. 1t has been
common to assume that liberty,
like the Ford automobile, was
made in the United States of
America. Today we celebrate the
signing of the Declaration of In
dependence. We forget in these
later days that the Declaration it
self is in a sense the work of all
nations. 1t is true that it was
written by Thomas Jefferson, an
American, but it is also true that
he drew his great ideas of liberty
from sources as wide as the world.
Two writer's influenced him beyond
all others-John Locke, an Eng
lishman, and Rousseau, of SWltzer-
land and France. If time permit
ted we might consider at length
the influence of these two writer's
as seen in the great document.
Suffice it to say that in Locke's
Treatise on Government, publish
ed in 1890, we may find the whole
spirit of the American doctrine.
One of the most powerful thinkers
of that time and one who did i'm
measurable service to the cause
of the Colonies was Tom Paine
who claimed no country as his
own and proudly called himself
citizen only of the world. Within
the Declaration itself is further
evidence of the broadness' of its
aims. 1t is decent respect to
the opinions of mankind that it is
claimed to secure-it is addressed
to all the world. And it is be-
cause it gained that decent respect
that victory was finally won. Much
of our history teaching fails to
take account of the fact that our
revolution was not England
against America. 1t was Wing
against Tory and the Wings in
England were as pleased as we,
when the king finally acknowledge
ed our independence.
"Another misleading factor is
the treatment of the question OF
race. 1t is common to assume that
in Europe for instance there are
several distinct human families,
each with inherent characteristics
peculiar to itself. And with this
goes the assumption that one race
is superior to all others. We have
most commonly heard that the
Anlgo-Saxon "race" has this SUI
perior quality. Now within very
few years the science Of anthrop-
ology has very clearly shown that
not only is there no race with in
herent superior qualities of mind
and body; but that there is actual
ly no such thing as race at all in
the commonly accepted use of the
term. Should it be possible to
trace the history of the peoples of
Europe it would be found that
each of them have an ancestry as
mixed as that of the Americans.
"Thus our old patriotism is
found to be based upon wholly un
sound and irrational assumptions
More than this it fails where il
should be strongest-on the emo
tional side as we'll. Limiting oul
interest, our love, our highes'
sympathy to any geographical sub
division called a nation, fails tt
satisfy the highest demands of thu
human spirit. In spite of our pat
riotism, our sympathy and our hell
go out to the poor and needy of al
lands, to Belgium, to India, t.
China.
"Let us give our first allegianc
to humanity. Sixty years ago
man in Ohio said, 4 owe my frs
allegiance to Franklin, county;
owe it next to the state of Ohio
finally | owe it to the Unite
States No one would say tina
now, for we all feel that allegianc
is due the nation before it is du
to the State. Our sympathy ha
widened with the years. Patriotisl
is only a stage in the developmer
of conscience. God grant that
may not be the last stage and ths
the school boys and girls of tt
morrow may learn to say, Human
ity first, then my Country If "
serve humanity we'll we need hay
no fear for the nation.
"We are teachers, and in ver
real sense the challenge of the ae
is ours to accept. This is no empt
platitude either for it does depen
upon us whether our educatio
shall be for war or Tor peace. l.