The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-08-14
BY EUGENE LYONS.

IL was this fact OF frock-coated dignity and lega-
N.Y. Coolidge instructs his audience, which makes the
Declaration the most important document in the world"
The fact that it "the political action of a duly
authorized and constituted representative public body
IN ITS sovereign capacity, supported by the force of
general opinion and"-here Coolidge forgets his
egality-and by the armies Of Washington already in
the field" GS& 1871
No roughhouse horseplay about the American
Revolution you nnherstand3 so you needn't get wrong
ideas into your head. The rowdy element so much
to the fore in foreign revolutions was absent And
every bit of it made in America Listen:
mo doubt the specutatons which had been going
on In England and especially on the Continent, lent
their influence TO the general sentiment of the time.
OF course, the world is always influenced by all
the experience and all the thought Of the past But
when we come to contemplation Of the immedi-
ate conception Of the principles of human relation
ship which went into the Declaration. of Independ-
ence we are not required to extend our search be-
yond our shores. Whatever else we may
say of it, the Declaration of independence pro-
foundIy American"
Not only American but stemming directly from the
Scriptures. mo examine this record and es-
cape the conclusion that in the great outline of its prn
cples the declaration the result of the religious
teahcngs of the preceding period Coolidge refers to
the writings and sermons of Jonathan Edwards George
Whitefeld, John Wise Thomas Hooker. mo, he over
looked the religious writings of Tom Panel These
cerics apparently proved Cooldges satisfaction that
the ultimate sanction of law rests on the righteous
modern
aries, the American fathers were intent on religious
worship" -. while scantly provided with other
literature, there wide acquaintance with the
Scriptures Over period great that which
ures the existence of independence they sub
jec to this discipline not only in their religious life
and educational training but also in their political
thought"
The moral obvious. Back to the Scriptures!
The things Of the spirit first. Unless we
cling to that, all our material prosperity over
whelming as it may appear will turn to barren
scepter in our grasp. If to maintain the5as
great heritage which they have bequeathed TO us 4
we must be like-minded the fathers who created
It. We must not sink into pagan materiasm. We
must cultivate the reverence which they had for
the things that are holy"
All the independence Day orators are fdgetv about
this material prosperfty-proud you know but self
conscious. Coolidge refers to it condescendingly at
one point "the less important matter of material
possessions" Senator Butler, speaking the same dav
In New Bedford also poopoos this money stuff people
make so much fuss about ours is not merely story
of material progress" he says :" 80. More than that
Is story Of spiritual development of the growth of
a nation devoted to human rights and aspirations"
Cutters spiritual achievements are well known He
employed private detectives to enforce human rights
IN his textile mills. No doubt he will protest against
the arrest of Harry Dana and few others that very
day for reading the Declaration of Independence in
Lawrence, where much of Buffers despised material
possessions concentrated)
The oupouring of July 4th hokum in the rest Of the
Land was along the same lines judge from press ex-
cerpts. Bishop Manning, William Green Wayne B.
Wheeler, and Nicholas Murray Butler were among
those who endorsed the American Revolution This
Butler, in London, publicly apologzed to Great Britain
flor the late War for Independence as all polite Amer
leans should "The Declaration of Independence" he
declared. was not the outgying of group of casual
disurbers Of the peace" No. they were gentlemen ALL
and authorized spokesmen and really drew their harsh
words from Anglo4Saxon sources
The formula of these gentlemen and their kind 10