Pueblo chieftain., 1921-07-01
By FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN

Washington. d. c.. July 2s.-The
state of Missouri, one hundred years
old, will this summer tell the world the
story Of its achievements. In addition
to the state fair at Sedalia. there will
be many minor local celebrations. Mis-
souri, will loom large in the public eye
and in the public prints.
The most interesting thing about
this proposed celebration is the large
part which pageantry and story are to
play in it, according to the plans
which have been made public. Mis-
souri, is great Industrial state, as all
the world knows, and it is probable
that most Of the rest of the country
thinks of 1t as business minded
place, famous for its corn and pork.
its hard common sense and sound fin
ance.
All Of these things 1T has. and all
Of them will be duly illustrated in the
coming celebrations. But in addition
to that, Missouri will be revealed as n
state with n romantic past and vivid
imaginative consciousness of 1t. All Of
its story will be told in pageants and
in local histories NisscUrians will be
taught to SEQ themselves as the de-
scendants OF an heroic race. holding
soil for which mon hnv, dared and
died.
That. of course, tx tho way any reo-
pie should think OF itself. 1t shoul
have a national o. RAGS consciousness
with roots that 70 deep into the rast.
A man should think of himself. not as
being isolated in space and time,
but as part of long and Interesting
romance.
Merely to know the vaguc outlines Of
national history is not enough. \ man
should know Intimately the story of
the soil on which he - born and ives.
and the part his own forebears
played on it. National heroes and re-
mote events are hard to grasp, but the
doings of your own flesh and blood,
and the things that happened in your
own county easily become vivid to YOU
and give you a new perspective on life.
America. Untold Story
There is perhaps no country in the
world which is so devoid Of this his
torical consciousness SIS the United
States. An erroneous idea of the Rev
olutionary and Civil Wars, set forth
in duh histories, and taught to sleepy
school children, is all We have.
It is not this academic dishing up of
history cut and dried which captures
the popular ina gination. In every
other civilized country history has
been made forever real to the people
in great works of art-dramas. novels.
poems. songs. Think of any period Of
British history that you please. and
YOU can also find a great story about
II, in prose or verse he NE OF the
British people has been immortalized
hy great ertists from Chaucer to
Thackeray. The same is true Of
France and of Germany. and OF the
Scandinavian countries. In addition TO
great formal works Of art. these coun-
tries have folk fables, ballads. songs.
many Of them of unknown origin that
carry the national story and traditions
from generation to generation.
What has tho United States to COM
pare with this Its story has hcen
short but one of tho most striking in
the history cf the race. The Itevolu-
tiontary war produced nothing worthy
to be called a great work OF art. We
have nothing left of that great epoch
save canned and somewhat ridicu-
ious schoolhook version Of u. in which
George Washington is represented as n
tin saint. and the causes Of the trouble
arc all ohscured. Its emotions and
color. its human values. arc lost for
ever. Only art can preserve these.
The Civil War Was vastly more