The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-06-19
War Struggle For
 Survival Of Ideas
Rev. Richard Bowling s. J. Tells Communion Break fast Listeners Lasting Peace Responsibility of All

the nation. We dwell in a democ. racy, at least in name, and we have the right to vote, to elect represent ativeS who will act as servants of the people. who will devote their lives for the welfare of their fel- lowmen. Yet, too often, we are not even interested in politics and we allow unfit caindidates to assume public trust. And we shrug off graft and incompetency as laughable fo- tbleS of weak human nature. In our intellectual world we have anarchic and blindy egotistic leaders, who spell science with a capital ''S" and under the asgiS of pseudo liberalism, would sacrifice everything we hold sacred to the gods of brain and brawn and brutality. We live in a land blessed by a benevolent Creator with natural resources which should make 1t the faireSt land this side of Paradise. Yet we allow these treas uyes to be hoarded in the hands of few, and exploited by vested in- terests. We shrink in horror at the outrages of anti-Semitism under the swastika. Yet here in the land of the free, under the star -spangled banner of freedom, we have a de- finite Negro problem, and intoler- ance turks under the surface of our social order.
 Have we painted a sordid picture7 Have we exaggerated You can anS- wer those questions. We must never be afraid of the truth. If we would survive, we must face the facts. And the solution of these problems is more than a challenge to each one of you, 1t is a sacred responsibility
 It should prove profitable for us then, to consider anew our Amer ican way of life and what 1t means. Our Founding Fathers used as a blueprint for our Declaration of Independence the Christian princi- pies of life. Thus We read in that immortal document: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These in- alienable rights are a guarantee of the dignity of man, the cornerstone of all trule freedom. Unless they are founded on Gods eternal sanction they are empty words For unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Cps l26-6). Every peace plan, worthy of the name, must place the dignity of man in the first place. Every plan for a democratic way of life must find its inspiration in the gospel of Jesus Christi: without this inspira- ton 1t cannot exist. This is our American tradition. We must know 1t. love 1t, cherish 1t.
 Now every right has a correspond ing duty. And there, usually, is the rub. The sublime Lincoln well described our nation, as govern ment of the people, for the people, by the people. It is our responsi- bility then to preserve our way of life even at the cost of our lives. But we are in an age of indiffer- entism where we do not want to be disturbed, where we pass the buck and "let the other fellow do it". Tn this era of death, destruction, des- olation, and despair. such an atti- tude is suicidal. For our enemies are vigilant and alert, and with dia- bolical cunning they leave no stone unturned to secure their triumph. This is no flour then for a dirge of defeat, rather 1t is the time for a clarion call to a Crusade. a crusade of a new hope for civiliza- tion in general and the U.S.A. in particular. Our love of country is founded on our Love of God. Thou. sands of our brothers have given their lives to preserve Christian pa- triotism-even amid tears for their loss, we must live to carry on. Shall we prove false to their trust? Shall we barter our birthright pur-