The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-11-01
SATURDAY. NOVEMBER 1, 1913.
AMERIcANIsM AND THE LEAGUE
OF NATIONS

OF NATIONS
1t is a habit of our time to sweag
by ideas which we have never de-
fined and only half understand. We
coin our ideas into watchword or in
to a kind of conjuring phrase. And
we seem to think if only we invoke
the idea often enough and eloquently
enough it will be panacea of saliva
ton.
"Americanism" is such an idea and
such word. 1t stands for something
great and precious. We all know
that. But what exactly does it stand
for? 1t was an excellent point made
by one of the speakers at the Roose-
welt Memorial meeting the other night
that we analyZe the content of such
a word as this. And his own analysis
was fine one up TO certain limit
if the writer with all due respect to
the speaker may be permitted TO say
this.
1t is the further and larger signill-
canoe OF the idea, of the meaning of the
word, that we wish to stress here.
Americanism means loving our
country, our own dear country best of
Jail. 1t means a passionate loyalty to
the ideals and principles of the faith
ers. 1t means a participation in the
affairs of our government, an earnest
and unselfish interest in politics, a
constant and faithful attention to our
civic duties. Just now, in freshly
vigorous way-it means an insistence
on law and order, obedience to the
constitution, and no quarter for those
who would overthrow our institutions;
the American flag everywhere and the
red flag nowhere.
But we oughtn not to stop here We
have world relations. What is the
spirit of Americanism in respect to
these world relations? Is it to say as
the speaker did the other night, that
it is our chief mission to make other
peoples stand in awe of us, to put in
their hearts great fear of us? On
that supposition, Uncle Sam is big
and strong and rich-look at him to
be afraid! Uncle Sam is going to
have the biggest navy in the world
and powerful army-don't you come
over here to the Americas unless you
want to get smashed! So Uncle Sam
folds his arms, and draws himself up
to his full height, and scowls terribly,
and says he will stay between the
two oceans, letting other people alone
and expecting them to let him alone.
That is not very Christian of Uncle
Sam, or even moral. 1t is not sensi-
BILE. And it is perfectly impossible
anyway.
Now Americanism in the true and
larger sense of it involves a spirit of
friendliness and helpfulness toward
all other peoples. 1t is a spirit Of
courageous participation in solving
all the big problems of the world of
nations. We ought to have this part
in honor. We have got to have it for
our own safety.
Keep away from the rest of the
world in any fashion whatever of
keeping away! How absurd!
What smote US last fall? The in
fluenza. Where did it come from? 1t
has been decided it came originally
from central Asia. There are seven
teen cases of bubonic plague just re-
ported in Constantinople. That too
may spread over seas. OF what is
Russia sick unto death? Bolshevism.
But it seems to have leaped across the
continents and is sticking in its ugly
footprint here. We cannot keep bad
ideas out, we cannot keep pestilences
out, unless the ideas and the pestil
ences are primarily fought and over
come in the place Of their origins.
The fact is, every obligation of duty
and prudence says that we should go