Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-02-18
u. S. Teaches
Men to Walk
Upright
Major Political Event in
History. Says Writer
BY BENJAMIN DE CAssEREs
JAMES TRUSLOW ADAMS,

BY BENJAMIN DE CASSERES
JAMES TRUSLOW ADAMS,
+" the American historian. says
that America is the place where
every one looks every one else
in the eye
More than two years ago I
pointed out in this column that
it was in the United States that
man first learned to walk up
right.
1t is in the United States that
mans spine first became
straight.
1t is in the United States that
man dropped for the first time
in his history the furtive. down.
cast eye, the stumbling gait. the
cowed expression, the obsequious
t-lifting habit of European
workers. the beseeching attitude.
For that reason alone The
United States was not only tho
major political event in the his
inrX of the world but II marked
an epochal hour in mans physi-
cal and mental evolution.
The doctrine of Jeffersonlan
equality in the Declaration OF
Independence may be torn TO
flinders by observation and rea-
son las there is no such thing
as equality, but The doctrine
itself, like many other illusions.
had tremendous effect for
good on the people. of America.
4 DDED TO this is the Bill OF
"A Rights. That put into the
masses of Americans self-respect
and daring
The result was that the mill
lions who came here from Eu-
rope walked like men-fearless.
straight -spincd. eye-to-eye men.
Thousands of years of political
and ecclesiastical oppression.
thousands OF years OF physical
and mental slavery. thousands
OF years of ball-and-chain. thou
sands Of years OF inferiorlty
COmpteXeS and consciousness OF
social inequality disappear in a
generation on our soil.
Shall we continue to walk
upright. with a fearless eye and
that certainLdefiancr that dis
tingulShes all Americans. or
-7itfa ffii=Ht.= tfeffberatefy go back 10
the curved spine the obsequlous
crawl the shifting eye and the
grovellng mental and physical
kow tow ing OF communism.
faSclSm or socialism-all Euro
pean and ASiatic straitjacEc-s
designed TO destroy that which
is glorlouSly American - that
which is the culminant point in
the evolution of man--aggres-
Sive self-reliance based on the
individual liberty guaranteed by
the Bill of Rights?
s. REGRET" said the profess
Sor al our club. coming out
from the shower. that I have
not made more enemies In my
lifetime. feel only half-aliye
every one paws me to death
with good fellowship and kind
ness. ="
why don't you do something
rotten. once In awhile. Prof. So
YOU can stir up "A hate: ." asked
Pete. the club cynic. who seldom
bathcd IN public
u may go into politics." re-
Piled the Prof. rubbing himself
a baby-pink with fat Turkish
towel. Look how those poll
ticians thrive and wan fat and
live long In the land where they
get called bad names year after
year. The more enemies a man
who runs for Office makes, the
happier he seems to be.
Tim beginning to understand
that Persian prayer which be-
gins, Give me this day an
enemy
I've been too soft, too nice,
too apologize. There's no train
ing To harden the spine and
build up intestinal fortitude like
the knowledge that you've got
enemies
We'll. you'd better begin with
me, Prof." said Pete. "They say
Ioaning money makes enemies.
I So let me have 20. will you:"
why. certainly. Pete" said
the Prof. But ! can't make an
enemy Of you. That 20 will he
gift, not a loan-don't I know
it,
SCAN anybody remember"
~ asked Ralph Waldo En-
erSon 100 years ago. 'when
times were not hard and money
not scarce"
Certainly | cant remember
any such time Even during the
So-called boom years of 1914
1929 | heard just as many per-
sons complaining of poverty and
lack of opportunity as l hear
today.
The reason for this is. I think.
perpetual dissatisfaction of the
average human being with his
tot. Desires are infinite, but
the means of satisfying them
are finite" said an old philoso-
pher. WHICH means. in simple