Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-07-04

tltle-llne-D eclardtlOn OF lnQe-
pendence.
Those three words sum up all
that we are and all that we hope
neutrality-suspicious. as a nation,
independence as a people, and
independence as individuals.
Independence is, TO me, the
greatest word in any language.
1t means personal responsibility,
liberty. self-reliance. ION your
own" the dignity and what
Emerson called the divinity of
the l." That's America. That's
our ideal, no matter how far
short we have fallen in attain
ing it.
Although there is a great deal
of mere rhetoric in the preamble
to the declaration-such as "all
men are created equai-yet
that rhetoric had its uses. JEFF
ferson and Paine, who are the
reputed fathers of the Dec
laration of Independence. were
shrewd men. They knew that
philosophic reasons had to be
given for the momentous step
they were taking, and so they
gave us sentences which. placed
under the microscope 1of the an
alytical reason. do not often
square with observed facts.
The strength of the declara-
tion lies in first appealing 10 the
imaginations of the people and
then the recitation OF the griev-
anees against which the people
were asked to take up arms.
So the Declaration of Inde-
pendence is not a demagogic
document, but the product of
far-seeing and comprehending
statesmen, for they put their
war on the highest level then
conceivable 10 man.
1t must be remembered that
the Declartion of Independence
was not the cause of the revo-
luton. but the effect OF and the
apologize for the revolution.
On this July a, 1912, we fight
again for that line-"Declara-
ton of Independence" for our
independence is threatened to-
day as il never has been before.
Our lives and our liberties are
in danger. We stand at Lexing-
ton and Valley Forge once
more. And we shall ultimately
stand at two Yorktowns-Tokio
and Berlin - and dictate the
terms of peace.
PEING absolutely childlike in
- my love of moon pitch
ers," l like TO record here from
time TO time some of the current
pictures I've enjoyed. and why.
/ liked immensely. "Tortilla
Flat with Spen Ger Tracy.
Frank Morgan, John Garfield
and Akin Tamaroff. Here are
original and vivid characterize
tons, well acted; keen and
boisterous satire and corking
directing.
Here, too, we have Spencer
Tracy at his acting best. as we
had him at his worth in "Dr.
Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde" ! award
every one connected with Tor
tilla Flat" the March of
Events" distinguished medal.
Turning from the humorous
psychology of 'Tortilla Flat" 10
sure mile-a-minute racy enter
tainment and thrills galore"
there is "Saboteur," the product
of that born : 10 the movies
wizard. Alfred Hitchcock.
The chase of a Nazi saboteur
from California airl.lane fac
tory to the very lamp in the
hand of the Statue Of Liberty
produced a memorable jounce
and bounce in my 'o'er-fagged
being.
Hitchcock knows the great
secret of pictures: never let the
story lag for one moment and
never let the eyes of the spec
tators begin to study the CELL
ing. Cecil dc Mile also knows
that secret. In "Saboteur" there
are surprise, h-fash. variety.
imaginative probability and
sometimes mos shrieking
breathlessness.
'Tortilla Flat" and "Sabo-
teur" are movies at their best
from the entertainment angle
--apd other than entertainment
the pictures have no meaning
for me. OF course, by enter
tainment" / mean anything that
profoundly holds me.
In this category / place seri-
Gus masterpieces of the screen
like 1--WE Are Not Alone" Or.
Ehrlich's Magic Bullet" and
The Life of Emile Zola"--not
forgetting. either. that extraor-
binary THE Earl of Chicago"
7 SAW this head in a news
L paper recently:
"War to cost United States
more than all IL spent from
George Washington to Pearl
Harbor."
We are spending more than
we have spent from Washing
ton to Pearl Harbor 153 years)
because all that we did, all that
we became. all that we enjoyed.
all that we have loved and