The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-07-03
The Larger Liberty
Freedoms New Vision On Amer
fca's Natal Day.
Editor Richmond virgtnian:

Editor Richmond virgtnian:
Sir,-we are about to salute anew
the stars and Stripes as we catch
fresh echoes of "old liberty Belly
sweet tones on another anniversary
day OF Freedoms birth. Looking
backward Ger the fourteen decades of
our ohequered national life. we have
large occasion for rejoicing and
Thanksgiving for tho measure OF
peace, progress and happiness that
has attended our way, notwithstand-
ing the smoke of civil strife and ma
tional blunders: and with renewed
faith in our motto, I'm God We
Trust" we can here raise our Eb-
enezer and salute a new year OF our
| history in this morning of new day
IN the worlds great life, with firmer
faith, increased courage and q clear
or vision.
1t would be a mistake II the cele-
bration of our nations natal day were
confined to jubilations over our
emancipation from the bondage OF a
kingiy yoke. Fluctuations regarding
our successes and glorying in an as
sumption of national safety from any
hostile foe. These things. to be sure.
are not to be despised. and every loyal
American heart beat Is an amen to
Francis Scott Keys The Star
Spengled Banner" and its sentiment
that It
90. Forever shall wave
Ger tho land Of the free
And the home Of the brave"
But liberty" should not be CTR
cumscribed to mean national indie
| ~
Invasion, but additionally and po.
tentially It should imply that large
ness Of Freedoms vision, which for.
bids the soul-shacklings OF selfish
lease, sectional prejudices and the per-
version Of liberty to license" We
want national freedom from the bond.
age Of q contracted vision and rht
diffusion OF that great Liberty which
comes from a knowledge of the Truth
which maketh free" While proper
~ preparing ourselves for nationa
I defense in case of need we should no.
think wholly of armed resistanc,
'lagaipst possible foreign foe ant
neglect the protection Of Freedom
shrines from within. America fol
Americans" Is a timely slogan II 1t IN
cludes "Americanism" for Americans
The tnsidious danger of any psuedt
patriotism which acknowledges para
mount allegiance to any ulterio
power of Church or State, or a com
bnation OF both should be zealousl!
guarded against. Peculiar funda
mental American Institutions shoult
not be menaced by a sickly senti
mentalism mislabeled ''broadness"
Tolerance ceases TO be virtue wher
II degenerates into mischievious weak
ness!
Nothing is so perverted as liberty,
and under the selfish banner Of undis
turbed individual freedom-"persona
liberty" IL you please,-is ever gath
cred in a horrid. huddled mass those
sordid and selfish souls whose highes
conception OF freedom Is the oppor'
tunity to commemorative the spiritua
forces of this God-favored land and
to crafty their personal appetites re-
CARELESS of restraint by the just de.
mands OF society. Liberty is not H.
cense. and 1t is well that there is a
manifest arousal OF the public con-
j science to a realization of this great
danger tolAmerican liberty and de-
/ termination to stamp It out ~
| !. We are awaking to q larger concep-
ton Of liberty. We are getting = bet
l1er~ pla<tnsd -y1aion4 es tyn1 xkeH6euAs