Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-11-10

A NNOUNCER: The National Broad
n casting Co. presents Rupert
Hughes soldier, novelist, historian
and humOrist His remarks on the in
ternatiOnal scene phrase present-day
history i'm his entertaining style
-. MIR. Rupert Hughes -.
HUGHES: 1t is we'll to step out now and
III then and take look at ourselves, not
only as individuals but as a nation. 1t seems
to me that Americans can be divided INTO three
very different classes. Which one is yours?
l am not talking about the rich and the
poor as classes; nor about capital and labor
as classes. But ! am not speaking of such
classes as rich and poor, capitalists and labor
ers. l am speaking of what might be called
spiritual classes, divisions according to char
acter and soul.
First, 1 put what I call frst-class people.
They are markedly what we like to call Amer
can," though there are numberless Americans
who do not belong and numberless foreigners
who do
OUR people were as a nation, the first in
~ history to set up ideals of individual equal
ty and the sanctity of Individuality; the hrst
to announce that government is created by the
people, of them and for them that government
is the agent and servant of the people, and may
be punished or discharged by them for bad
behavior.
The Americans have a creed that can be
best expressed in the Irish phrase with just the
right amount of contradiction:
"In America livery man is as good as livery
other man, and dom sight better"
This kind of American laughs at strutting
authority and at pretensions of superiority. He
revolts against over-reaching ambition He will
work himself to death rather than accept char
ity, especially from his employee, the govern
ment.
He wants to get rich or respected, less for
his own sake than for the sake of his wife and
children He wants his family to have better
than he has had, and as good as the best, or
better He wants to leave them well provided
for when he dies.
He is slow to rebellion, but he does not ap-
prove of everything he submits to. He is very
rough and unreasonable when he rebels He
does not strive to creep into the company of
his betters; because there are no such animals.
THE first-class American will surrender his
i individuality for the sake of a good baseball
or football team, party election or for military
success. But even then he does best when he
retains a certain amount of initiative and self
dependence. He obeys and salutes the office,
not the man. He is apt to call his official SUI
periors by their first names, just to warn them
not to forget he knew them when.
He is Republican or Democrat in poll
tics; but in pride and selfesteem, an aristocrat
of the highest quality. In the foreign peerages
there are degrees of rank and precedence But
American Americans are all better than the
best, and all go through door at the same
time. This frst-class American has his faults,
and many of them, and big ones.
They remind me of line in Clyde Fitch s
play, 1.-THE Truth" in which landlady says to
one of her dodgers:
Lord knows YOU have faults; but good
Lord, they're swell faults"
One Of the Americans faults, and virtues,
is healthy skepticism of whatever he is told.
He doubts especially those who offer him
golden promises in return for his liberty. For
them his answer is:
"Oh, yeah?"