Evening star., 1961-08-07
Justifies Centennial

S0SGubSS SSHSCBI1IGQb
It is evident, from reading
your July % editorial, Sham
Battle" and letters which
appeared July 81, that many
citizens, including members
Of your staff, have errone-
ously interpreted the mission
Of the National and 46 State
Civil War Centennial Com
missions and the objective of
the observance of the Civil
War Centennial. The objec-
tive of the Centennial period
is not to open old wounds,
promote commercial inter-
ests, nor to celebrate in the
sense that we use the word
celebrate" today. Congress
did not set up a Civil War
Centennial Commission to
plan and guide a "celebra-
tion." The commission, COM
posed Of IS distinguished
Americans, headed by the
President as an ex-officio
member, was established to-
provide for appropriate OBJ
Servances and to coordinate
ceremonies to commemorate
a period Of American history.
The Centennial years offer
suitable occasions for COM
memoration, reflection and
patriotic rededication.
The Commission explained:
"The Centennial could not be
ignored because there was a
too widespread and insistent
demand for. national recog-
milton and leadership. Two
groups Of citizens had al
ready Incorporated to organ
ize for its observance, and
Congress wisely stepped in to
provide suitable Federal rec
ognition and leadership . :"
Perhaps the best juStifica-
ton of the Centennial OBJ
servance was expressed by
President Eisenhower. July 6,
1859, in q letter to the Civil
War Centennial Commission
printed in the pamphlet
Facts about the Civil War"
Senator Harry r. Byrd said:
"The Civil War Centennial
is an object lesson to us
of the tragedy which results
when men seek to use force
to solve their problems. In
the struggle with interna-
tional communism in which
we are engaged, the Ameri-
, can people must be willing to
display the same spirit of
sacrifice which they showed
in the Civil War. -. The
Civil War, like any other
war, was a tragedy. There
fore, its Tooth anniversary
is not a celebration. 1t
is a commemoration. . The
chief purpose of the Centen-
nial is to strengthen the
unity Of the country through
mutual understanding e. an
understanding derived from
the realization that there
was dedication and devotion
on both sides. North and
South, there were those who
gave all they had in support
of what they sincerely be-
lieved was right. :"
If there ever was a time
when Americans should en-
ulate the character and 10y
atty to convictions that
marked Americans Of 100
years ago, 1t is now in this
perilous period. Why don't
people realize that Provi-
dence may have given us one
last chance to reaffirm our
confidence in the United
States of America? Why
don't newspaper writers in
general take the attitude
that Congress, former PreSi-
dent Eisenhower and Presi-
dent Kennedy, together with
millions of American citi-
zens, are sincere in commem-
Grating the Centennial?
I have been privileged to
have a part in making the
Centennial meaningful to
Americans. AS the son Of an
immigrant who came to the
United States in 1908, I am
equally proud of men, North.
South, East and West, who
are big enough and wise
enough toi commemorate a
chapter Of American history
involving q war between
Americans, called by Sir
Winston Churchill. THE
noblest and least avoidable
of all the great mass con-
flicts." Citizen-Soldier.