Evening star., 1933-07-04
Independence Day.

O1 ILLS udy OIlc lluulSlCO d1lo my
seven years ago "our fathers brought
forth on this continent a new Nation,
conceived in liberty and dedicated to
the proposition that all men are created
equal" Fifty-four representatives of
the American people, solemnly acknowl-
edging "a firm reliance on the pro-
lection of Divine Providence" joined
to mutually pledge" their lives, their
fortunes and their sacred honor in
support Of the Declaration Of Inde-
pendence. The document was ap-
proved and signed for publication
throughout the world. It everywhere
was received as proclamation Of a new
conception Of the duty of man, as a
manifesto of a popular assumption of
the responsibilities of civic and social
freedom. Nothing of the kind ever be-
fore had been promulgated. 1t marked
the opening Of new epoch in human
history, and as such 1t still stands, a
milestone on the path which the race is
treading up from the dark of creations
neither bed into the light of new
heaven in new earth.
1t is worth stressing that the Declara-
ton was not in any respect casual
utterance, in the Judgment of its au-
thors and sponsors. On the contrary,
they were deeply conscious of the signi-
ficance Of their action. They realized
to the full the importance of their de-
cision to sever traditional ties with the
British crown. They gave in detail a
lengthy list of their reasons for dissolv-
ing the political bonds which hitherto
had bound the Colonies with the
Mother country. They were anxious
not to be misunderstood and were at
pains to render their intentions intelh-
gible to their contemporaries in other
sections of the globe. They meant that
the break should be permanent and
lasting, and they specified that they
desired to separate themselves from the
British Parliament and people quite as
definitely as they wished to divorce
themselves from the royal power.
They accepted it as an obvious truth
that a new type Of civilization had
grown up in the West, and it was their
intention to organize that culture ac-
cording to natural principles long
philosophically accepted but politically
denied. They looked upon themselves
as the agents Of new Nation, taking
up the burdens of self-government in
the interests of the safety and happi-
ness of the people by whom they were
commissioned.
Had the Revolution failed, had the
Continental Armies been defeated, the
Declaration would have been the classic
Jest of modern times. The signers
were not unaware Of the risk involved.
George Washington was appointed to
translate their idealism into forms OF
victory, and success was granted him
in his labors in that cause. But even
when peace had been restored between
England and the Colonies there re-
mained some doubt as to the degree IN
which the gains Of freedom could be
preserved. The Constitution was Amer
ica's answer to that skepticism, and
the reply was confirmed by the results
of the terrible war between the States
which eventually had to be fought to
test whether that Nation or any ma
ton so conceived and so dedicated can
long endure"
But the ordeals Of the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries were not peculiar
to earlier generations than that to which
the living men and women of today be-
long. The American people at this
present moment are facing tests quite as
trying to the soul as any experienced
by their predecessors. Freedom per-
force must be consistently protected,
consistently practiced, if it is to sur
vive. Civic responsibility, once assumed,
must be enduringly supported. Inde-
pendence. for whole populations and for
individuals alike, must be justified.