The Penn's Grove record., 1921-04-08
WORSHIP
HEROES OR PRINCIPLES
American Policy Is Founded Upon
PRINCIPLES. Providence. Persons

Principles, Providence, Persons
For months past the Record has
been publishing sketches of u Presl-
dents. We kept that Of Thomas JET
ferson out Of rotation to bring 1T near
his birthday, which took place April
-, 1743.
For many years jefferson let
the date of his birth be known, be-
cause he did not believe in hero wor-
ship in a republic. 1t savors of the
allegiance to the parsonage of mon
archs, kings and princes and feudal
lords. He believed the American peo-
pie should have no holiday for cele-
bration but July 4th and the principles
of the Declaration of independence and
Constitution should be eXtolled, not
personages. He seemed to be afraid
of hero worship of any description. IL
is the great danger to a democracy.
1t will remain so until the end OF time.
Men ought to be taught more and
more to reverence laws and lnstltu-
tions and less and less to reverence
offices and officials.
jefferson wrote the Declaration OF
independence and called it 1.-The holy
bond of our Union and the genuine
effusion of the soul of III country at
that time
In monarchical countries a citizen
swears allegiance to the king or other
ruler. To become a citizen of the
United States one must declare allegl-
ance to the Constitution of the United
States. which is a code of principles
and method of government. The
elected or appointed officials are
chosen to do service for the people and
not to receive homage, brides or emol-
uments, except pay for services rem
dered prescribed by law IL ordinances
made by the legislative bodies.
Hence a person who swears allegi-
ance to a foreign potentate, to obey
civically or enthusiastically, has a di-
vided mind and is not and cannot be
a full-fedged American citizen.
Thomas Jefferson wrote to John
Adams, then President in 1887: ut
is a misfortune that countrymen do
not sufficiently know the value of
their constitutions national and state
constitutions and how much happier
they are rendered by them than other
people on earth by the governments
under which they live
jefferson wrote il 1887: Happily
for us, that when we find u consti-
tuition defective and insufficient to
secure the happiness of u people, we
can assemble with all GOODNESS of phil
osophers and set to rights, while other
nations on earth must resort to arms
to amend or to restore their constitu-
ton"
In 1924, Jefferson wrote: "Virginia
was not only the first of the States,
but, | believe, l may say, the first
nation of the earth, which assembled
its wise men peaceably together to
form a fundamental constitution, to
commit it to writing and place it
among the archives where everyone
should be free to appeal to its text
Jefferson is right about our duty
and allegiance as citizens as to a code
of principles, but many do not COM
prehend abstract principle in govern
ment and religion except they be per
sonified in the civic and ecclesiastical
leader. Hence we come to hero wor-
ship rather than principles. Hence it
is well to present the portrait of
Thomas jefferson, %personify the prin-
ciples of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence and the bill of rights in the
United States Constitution, because
of his influence in making them the
foundation of our government.
Daniel Webster said: "Jefferson's
writings had more effect in guiding
the American nation than all others"
Abraham Lincoln said: "All |
know of political sentiment | learned
from the life and writings of Thomas
Jefferson"
George F, Hoar, for many years a
Republican Senator from Massachu-
sets, said: "The author of the Dec
laration of independence stands in
human history as the foremost man
whoever lived"
Therefore, we should present the
portrait to personify the principles
upon which all enjoy the American
rights of liberty regulated by consti-
tutions and laws.