Milford chronicle., 1940-10-04

WoNSu lHeHSFiNeS 10 ne more DOW
erful than armies and navies, or any
kind of physical force.
And laws derive this great, strange
power from one source, and from
, one only, from the faith that one
man or woman has in another.
In this society of ours l have a
great faith that you will obey the
laws. And you have a great faith
that l shall obey the laws. That
faith is what makes our democracy
strong. That faith is what binds us
together.
If that faith should weaken-if I
should lose faith in you. or Won I'm
me-then our system of laws would
De weakened and our democracy
would begin to break down.
What gives us this faith in each
other? Essentially it is this: That !
each of us knows that the other
has conscience. Each knows that !
the other will avoid evil and will !
try to do good. This knowledge |
that l have about you. and YOU have J
about me, is the basis of law and
the basis of democracy.
Noble Achievement
The conscience of democratic
people is a great and noble achieve
nent.. We have grOped for it through
centuries of darkness-through gen
'ratiOns of oppression.
And you knOw-yOu know far bet
er than anybody else-how con-
cience has been developed and
rained. We got our consciences as
from our mothers i'm our
omes. and from our teachers i'm
ur schOOls-particular the primary
chools where we learned to read
nd write.
There at home and at school, un- ,
err the guidance of the women who ,
hape our lives in their earliest most :
liable years, we learned the simple :
'ssons-the lessons of truth and
onesty-of sharing and giving-of =
and self-cOntrOl. We :,
armed obedience to the law and
DIV TO live among our fellOwmen. l.
And 1t is just for this reason Il
acause they teach us the differ :,
ice between good and evil-because =
ley teach us TO obey the law-that =
omen are the guardians of De- q
Ocracy. =
! say il earnestly to you: The fate e.
democracy is in your hands. r.
CyniciSm And Doubt Il
Within our own hfetime-within W
g past twenty years the whole tC
orld has been swept by a wave of
nicism and doubt.
Europe today is dominated by the n,
lossal cynicism of Adolf Hitler. o.
q is man who does not hesitate 2,
accomplish his ends by breaking dI
$ solemn promises, by numbering be
s associates, by governing the in
nth of Germany to highly trained m
ngsters, and by laying waste to Sc
aceful lands that lies across his do
th. mi
II was this cyniciam. I truly be- wi
We, that weakened the European g1,
mocracies. The people lost faith wi
themselves and IN their repre- III,
natives. And the men who had Ter
responsibilities of government
Il faith in the people. mo
Under such circumstances the col the
'se of those democracies was in fer
table. When the test came they nat
re weakened and unprepared 10
ey could not even produce The I s
u.s. the TANKS, and the airplanes ind
l lhey needed. Civ
Infected By Cynicism 1
md let us face the tact squarely: az az
too iE America have hecome in ~ i.
ted with cynicism. ] have obscrv- 49,,
a tendency TO sneer at the hOmely e,
tues that made our American life ~
abundant and forceful
have observed tendency espe- T
ly among our Young people to is
Miss the moral and spiritual phr
ldards of our American tradition. va.
young people are inclined to tell lev
hat those standards, in their own YOU.
DIS, are the bunk. I II;
on should he alarmed about this mus
should be tense with anxiety III
1t our youth. If they are cyni- ing
If they are losing their faith. Al
democracy is in the gravest will
ger. and
G can already see the beginnings the
ms. thousands of your youth, W
have lost faith in other people. pie
formed Communist groups. and ours
received encouragement from cppO
places. and
thOut exception. in every coun- nomi
whose democracy has succumbed Tn
within to Dictatorship gangs whic
'wildered, disgruntled disinher- Anne
youths have been the dictator's MAKE
est and most vicious adhcrents. Ic
Have Lost Faith youn
ey contemplate a different kind And
ciety-a society without liberty Jran
ause they have lost faith in L,
utility Of men and women to beaut
their liberty for each others natio
i that is the problem that cvnic
the women of America. That foo =
job l came calling on them fbe
Amer
must begin today. You must taneF
lie the faith of your young GRAND
=, which they can learn no.
except from you. Let no son
lighter of yours walk out of Put
home or graduate from your the o
without that faith. have
know that you cannot do some
'b alone. You must have help. Cat
am going to give you that cur {
pende
ant to put this question to and
put it to you for your own red W
ent. Has the faith of one man depen
other been fostered and de- dress.
d by the present administra- ours
4 Washington? Has this ad- that "
ration encouraged the faith the 10
re must have 10 make demo- nifty t
trsh,.I, H. ] e.