Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1960-11-20

gtSHopS OF the Untted States :
THE history and achieve
'ments OF America stand as q
monument to the personal
responsibility of free men. Our
institutions and our industry.
the fruit Of the American sense
Of responsibility, have in the
past inspired. guided 9 and
helped many other nations of
the world. II our future is to
be worthy Of our past. If the
fruit Of Americas promise Is
not to wither before 1t has
reached full maturity, our
present pre-eminent need Is to
reaffirm the sense of individual
obligation. to place clearly be-
fore ourselves the foundation
on which personal responsible
ity rests, to determine the
causes Of its decay and to seek
the means by which It can be
revived. 4
The foremost signs Of the
decline Of personal responsible
ity are to be found in the
family. Marriage, q sacred and
Winding contract, all too often
Is considered merely as ian
arbitrary arrangement to sat
tsfy the instinct Of pleasure.
Vie failure of parents to full
III their responsibilities, as
revealed in the frequency OF
divorce, desertion and broken
homes, is a national disgrace.
Any delinquency Of parents may
wen be reflected in the de-
linQuency Of youth, which is
now commonly considered our
greatest national dom e site
problem.
Equally conspicuous Is the
evidence of decline in the sense
Of responsibility within our in
dustrial organization and in our
general economic life. At q
time when so much depends
Apon the Soundness of our
economy and upon our ability
TO produce to meet the needs OF
a rapidly developing world. we
have been faced by a frequent
lack Of truly responsible leader
ship, both on the part of man
agement and Of labor. Among
the evident instances Of the
breakdown Of personal re-
sponsibility, most deplorable
has been the widespread cynical
reaction to the recent reveal
ton of dishonesty. waste and
malfeasance in industrial re-
1ations.
Reliance on COLLECTIVELY
Although personal respon-
sibility and initiative have
been our national character
istics, explaining in large
measure our country's progress
in human welfare, yet pres.
sures are growing for a con-
stantly greater reliance on the
COLLECTIVELY rather than or
the individual. An inordinate
demand for benefits, mos
easily secured by the pres.
sures Of organization, has lee
an ever-growing number Of
our people to relinquish theil
rights and to abdicate theil
responsibilities. This conces.
sion creates a widening spira
Of increasing demands and
pressures with a further in.
fringement on personal free
dom and responsibility. Tit
result Is the condition recently
noted by our Holy Father;
Modern man sees the sphere
in which he can think for him.
self. act on his own initiative
exercise his responsibilities and
affirm and enrich his person
.ality Is IN many cases restricted
TO, an excessive degree" Qettel
of July 10. 1860, to the
,"Semaine Sociale" in Gren.
.ohle). Intensive specialization
can achieve mass benefits, but
man and morality can be Sc.
.riously hurt in the process.
This tendency to delegate
excessive responsibility to ar
Organization Is discernible also
in, the realm of internationai
affairs. Some manifest NJ
sense Of personal responsibility
in the affairs of the interna.
tional community. On the
other hand, many citizens seen
to feel that our mere ad.
herence to the United Nation.
absolves us from further re-
Sponsibility in the interna.
tional order and that decision,
made by the United Nations
regardless of their OBJECTIVE
value. are always to be re-
garded as morally right.
Admitting the undoubtet
value of a policy of supporting
the United Nations and recog
MIXING the genuine contribution
it has made in many areas, W
must understand clearly tina
the citizens of this country
and of all countries, have
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