The Sauk Centre herald., 1941-09-04
Minnesota Girl Won
First In Essay Contest


First In Essay Contest
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ton Of many nations-one nation
indivisible; land of the Puritan's
respect for the rights of the in
dividual, his deep religious convic-
ton, his earnestness, his business
shrewdness; land of the Cavalier,
his grace, his dignity, his love of
country; land Of the stolid Dutch
man with his principles of free
education and religious liberation;
land of the German and his superb
orderliness, his stubborn loyalty;
land of the Irishman with his ro-
bust love of liberty; land Of the
Negro with his humble, unwaver-
ing faith in God; land of the Eng
lishman with his pride in achieve
ment, Of the Frenchman with his
sympathy; land where the Slav
may realize his dreams; goal Of
the Jews fierce search for justice
this is America, melting pot of
nations, nation Of many nations
one nation indivisible.
But whence is derived the unity
of the American people? If my
descent is not the same as my
neighbor's, on what common
ground shall we meet?
Surely not on the grounds Of
religious creed, for in a free coun-
try such as the United States there
can be no state religion; and since
this is the case, my neighbor's
religious beliefs will not always be
the same as mine.
Nor can we meet on the common
ground Of political faith, for in
free country such as the United
States there can be no state par
ty; and since this is the case, my
neighbor's political beliefs will not
always be the same as mine.
But my neighbor across the
street is not my enemy because his
nationality, his religion, his poll
tics differ from mine. He Is not
just a descendant of a given ma
ton, nor just the follower of
given religion, nor just the men,
ber of a given political party-he
is an American as I am an Amer
lean, and our faith in America, her
past, her present, and her future,
is the common ground whereon we
meet.
Our conception of America must
not be the Fascist's conception:
p" world of innumerable auto
mobiles and the best telephone sys-
tenn on earth and a new gadget
just around the corner and the
radios drivelling on in the hotel
ty-four and the simpering legs in
the magazine advertisements and
the simpering voices on the movie
screen and the hundreds of thous-
ands of miles of roadside billboards
with the billboard faces and the
ten millions of unemployed wait
ing for the next boom :"
My neighbor and are united in
faith because we know that these
things are not America. They are
not the things which America
sought to establish in the Revolu-
tionary War, nor the things which
she fought to perpetuate in the
Civil War.
The true spirit of America has
lain in the hearts and minds of all
men of all ages. It's expression is
to be found in the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution
in the guarantee of every mans
right to be politically equal to
every other man, his right to pur-
sue his own course in life, to be-
lieve as he sees fit to believe, his
right to be an integral part of the
workings of a great Democracy
this is the true spirit of America.
It is the spirit of her past and her
present, and it will remain the spir-
it Of her future as long as all
Americans of all races and creeds
adhere to their faith in America.
Let my neighbor and me, then
". swear that the time will new
er come when Americans will flee
in fear from fellow Americans
when revenge will be visited by
neighbor upon neighbor for diff
ferences Of past and present opin-
ion (and) that We shall de-
fend this new world in the
certain conviction that when this
nation stands united in such faith
and working in such a reality 1t
will draw all nations of men to It,"
For this is united America, where
false racial, religious, and political
prejudices may not exist; where
I may not hate my neighbor be-