Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1941-01-23
i Might Be
|Wrong--BUT|
by p. G. Strombere

coming more and more the GEN.
ter of world attention. Since
the Battle Of France, when
Government officials and the
public alike suddenly realized
that this war was not
"phony war;" our national CAPT.
tai has been one of the prin-
cipal spots on the globe. And
as the weeks pass it becomes
increasingly more important.
While we of today are living
in an anxious and upset world
we are also witnesses to the
making of history which has no
parallel. Young as our coun-
try is as compared with many
of Europe we have traditions
which have survived for so
many years that any change
marks an historical epoch.
Such was the case last Monday
when Franklin Delano Roose-
welt was sworn in as President
of the United States for the
third consecutive term. And
the Inauguration was not a gala
affair. 1t was solemn and i'm
pressive with a display of mill
tary might. So serious was the
occasion that little notice was
given its historical significance.
The tremendous military dis
play and the inaugural address
of the President both served
notice to the world that we of
America are willing and deter
mined to spend our lives and
fortunes, if needed, in order
that ''life, liberty and the pur-
suit of happiness" shall be
maintained. The President spoke
for America and his voice was
heard throughout the world. He
made it clear that the light Of
democracy can be kept burning
only if we are willing to make
the necessary sacrifices. He
went further than the shores of
America. He stated emphatically
that peoples throughout the
world should have an oppor-
tunity of enjoying the freedom
that can be realized only through
democracy.
What a setting! And what
an important day January 20,
1941 will be in history! Most
of all, what an opportunity our
President has of becoming one
of the really great figures in
history! Washington, Jefferson,
Lincoln and Wilson will always
be outstanding historical figures
but Franklin D. Roosevelt's
place win be more than ma
tional. World history will give
him much space. The measure
of his greatness will depend, Of
course, on developments but,
day to day, his decisions, his
clarity of thought and purpose
as related to our defense effort
our foreign relations are the
things which will determine his
true stature. He has no politi-
cal debts to pay. He has no
need to play favorites for party
reasons. He needs no further
time in years than the next four
in which to complete any task
before him. His ambition has
carried him to heights never be-
fore realized. The acclaim of
his countrymen rings in his ears.
He knows that he has the al
most unanimous support of 100
million people. He is gifted in
his ability to give verbal ex-
preston to these millions de-
sires.
But with all these things he
has great and grave response
bilities. No greater responsibility
ever rested on the shoulders of
any man. The manner in which
he discharges these responsible
ties means the future of Amer
lea. He should delegate most of
the details to men who are
known to be expert. He should,
because he is the only man who
can do it, convince the people of
his country of the need for
sacrifice and the need for CO.
operation and work. With all
the power with which he will be
vested he should take immediate
steps to increase our productive
efforts by demanding of both