The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1922-02-10

lad the idea, Zone for all and all TO
,ne."
A recent visitor to America fror
Germany, Prof. Friedrich Dessauel
writing of this American spirit i
he Frankfurter Zeitung, finds in
IN indication of the nations you'll
low there could have come u
among so boundless a public spiri
% much of unity, so much of read
less to submit to voluntary disciplin
s quite astonishing to this visito
rom the Vaterland. Why are tn
PEOPLE so amazingly American n
lsks, and seeks to answer his ques
ion:
This great reservoir of human
ity has been fed by a million
rills-thew storage decks OF
countless ships, which for three
centuries past have piled across
the Atlantic. Each tiny contri-
button differed from the others.
The newcomers came from every
part of the globe. They had
every kind of tradition behind
them. But in one respect they
were all alike. They were begin
ming life over again; they had
broken with their old homes. ALI
their past associations, customs,
disabilities and expressions had
been left definitely behind them.
A broad belt of tossing water
washed all these things cut OF
their lives. Things that had
seemed the most enduring, the
most inevitable, vanished dixie an
unsubstantial dream. Another
common quality bound these new
corners together; a resolution to
begin a new life; to hew out
fortune in the unknown land to
which they were going. Men
were rejuvenated by the change
from the confinement and crowd
ing of the old world to the vast
opportunities of an unoccupied
continent. They had everything
to learn, every obstacle to over
come. Thousands failed, but
other thousands won the battle,
carved out a new existence, a
new fortune for themselves and
their children. Only two or three
generations lie behind the aver
age American. His grandfather,
or great-grandfather, oftentlmes
his father, has been the first OF
the American line. He has
vivid consciousness of the fact
that the country in which he lives
and of which he is part, is his
own creation, the product of his
own lehor. None of his fellow
citizens is more privileged than
he. more entitled than he to
claim credit for the whole.
Professor Dessauer finds, however
hat the freedom of the America
,eople is a more or less Unite
reedom. "He bows unconditional
o the will of the majority"
Many present-day observers Q
American life are not sure that tn
American bows Internationally to tn
will of the majority. There seer
Indications that the doctrine, Il ar
he state" is sometimes used wit
Undue emphasis upon the 81" an
hat the bowling to the will OF tn
majority, if it is done at all, is don
With very vigorous protest.
1t is probably true, however, tina
here is comparatively little ope
haunting of the law. The averag
American may feel that he is as bi
IS the state, but he will hardl
the overthrow of la
which he has himself made, and tn
guardians of the law are held /
yery real respect.
This attitude Professor Dessaue
Ices not find in Germany, and he
If the opinion that it does not exis
n any monarchy. "We Germans" b
saws, "act in different spirit. W
nstinctively view the guardians c
he law as enemies"
The spirit expressed in LEST, c'es
moi is fundamental in America.
our experiment in democracy is t
succeed it will be because of tn
unity which has come about throug
he voluntary association of the IL
lividual with the state. There ar
Influences at work, some of the1
,adical and some extremely conserve
i've, which would break down an
destroy this spirit. The future c
America rests upon the doctrin,
THE State is I. am the state" N
allegiance can be greater than THU
md none can be less, unless we ar
n 90 either into anarchy or autocrac,