New Britain herald., 1927-07-21
NEW BRITAIN DAILY HERALD, THURSDAY, JULY 21, 192z

bol of high ideals and common serv- ice in the new world into which we are moving with dramatic and sol- emnizing meaning. I have called it World in Reconstruction Since that fateful day in August, 1914, when the great war broke upon us with such unknown and tragic swift ness the world has been re-made, or. rather. is in the process of such ness, the world has been re-made, ing as we do not ourselves imagine, much less comprehend.
 Take a single illustration. l ven- flights of the past few weeks are more significant for the material oe- velopment of humanity and for the unity of the world than any of us tonight can possibly apprehend. Yet these are only single factor in the tremendous development which has taken place since 1914. The world never can be the same again: the hands on the clock of time cannot be set back. We must take the best ot the past out of which to build the new world; but the materials for that greater future are not to be fur nished alone by the past; the great CT and more worthwhile substance of which we are to build our new world must come from our own thought and life. with original and creative power.
 "One of the essentials in the build ing of this new world is our ideal and standard of patriotism, or love of country. Concerning this l wish to speak now. Patriotism is native to our human nature. Love of the community is as essential and in stinctive as love of self and love of kindred. The patria is the whole community, defined as the little neighborhood or the universal grouping of the nations and races. This patria each man and woman must love and serve with devotion and joy. The man without a country is of all men most miserable.
 "'Breathes there man with
 soul so dead,
 Who never to himself hath said, This is my own, my native land 2 But what kind of patriotism is adequate to the problems and privileges of the new world which We are making? The best of the old must be in it; the ideals of Washington and Jefferson and Lin- coin must be incarnate in it. Some- thing more must be included. which has the vision, the daring, the endurance of the age of the airplane and the radio. In these respects at least patriotism for the new day must be defined.
 Patriotism must be intelligent. We are living in a democracy where the intelligence of all the people must be trusted instead of the in- telligence of the governing class in an aristocracy or oligarchy. If we could be sure of inherited intelli- gence it would be easier to be con- fident of good government under aristocratic forms. But we would rather take the risks under q democracy. Yet this places a burden upon education. upon the thought fulness of the voter. man or woman. which is tremendous. Granted that the majority either inherit their political creed or have it imposed upon them by the group to which they belong in youth. the hope of free institutions rests in the will ingness and power of citizens, all of them, men and women alike, to think through to definite conclu- ] sions the political problems of the time and vote, not according to partisan dictation, but according to the dictates of free intelligence
 Patriotism must be courageous | We labor under no doubts as to the courage involved in the patriot ism Of the Colonies, of the westerr adventure, of Washington and Grant and Pershing. We are not always so clear when we construe our problem in the terms of mat ter of local politics in New Britain of state politics in Connecticut, ol of national politics in Washington But the new day Is sure to demand even this present hour in Americ;
 requires greater courage to follow
 out the truth as we understand 1t to seek the high goals as we defin
 them, than any past period of ou
 history has ever demanded. To b
 an intelligent citizen means to b
 a courageous citizen, who will no
 suffer himself to be dismayed O
 deterred by any consideration c
 selfish interest or popular SCOTT
 True patriotism Is never conter
 smugly to play safe.