Evening star., 1951-09-29

FOLLOWING is the address of
President Truman last night to
the Washington Pilgrimage of
American Churchmen at the
National City Christian Church:
I am happy to have the privilege
OF speaking to this meeting of the
Washington Pilgrimage of Ameri-
can Churchmen. You have come
to the Nations Capital to visit its
monuments and to look at the
basic documents on which our
Government was founded. Many
people come to Washington to do
these things, but you have come
here for special purpose. You
have come here to emphasize the
fact that this Nation was founded
on religious principles.
You win see. as you make your
rounds. that this Nation was es-
tablished by men who believed in
God. You will see that our found
ing fathers believed that God
created this Nation. They be-
lieved that God was our strength
In time of peril and the source of
all our blessings.
You will see the evidence of this
deep religious faith on every hand.
If we go back to the Declaration
OF independence, we notice that it
was drawn up by men who believed
that God the Creator had made
all men equal and had given them
certain rights which no man could
take away. In beginning their
great enterprise, the signers of
the Declaration of Independence
entrusted themselves to the pro-
lection of Divine Providence.
Working Of Gods Hand.
To our forefathers, it seemed
something of a miracle that this
Nation was able to go through
the agonies of the American Rev.
olution and emerge triumphant.
They saw, in our successful strug-
gle for independence, the working
OF Gods hand. In his first in
augural address, George Washing
ton said, "No people can be bound
to acknowledge and adore the in
visible hand. which conducts the
affairs of men, more than the
people Of the United States"
Another fact which you will no.
tice in the course of your pill
grimage is that the makers Of our
Constitution believed in religious
liberation. Theirs was the high
est type Of religion, forbiddingI
the use Of coercion or force in
matters of the mind and spirit.
Religious freedom was a part of
their religious faith.
1t is said that when BENJAMIN
Franklin left the Constitutional
Convention he was asked, what
have you given us?" He answered,
"A republic, if you can keep it."
Millions of Americans since then
have believed that the keeping
OF our republic depends upon
keeping the deep religious con-
victionS on which it was founded.
From the worship and teachingsl
of the synagogues and churchesI
of our land, have come a moral
integrity, concern for justice
and human welfare, a sense of
human equality, a love of humanI
freedom and a practice of broth
erhood which are necessary toI
the life of our national institu-
tions.
1t is fitting and proper that
at this time of international peril
and uncertainty we should look
back to these beginnings and re-
dedicate ourselves to these ideals.
To Look Back Not Enough.
1t is not enough, however, SIM
ply to look back. 1t is not enough
to congratulate ourselves upon the
religious spirit of our forbears.
We must ask ourselves if we truly
believe the things which they be-
lieved. We must examine our con-
duct to see whether we are car
rying out in our daily lives the
ideals we profess.
This is not easy. Our religiousi
heritage imposes great obligations
upon us. 1t does not permit us toI
be self-satisfied and complacent. |
Indeed. II we accept the faith