[LC]

29

would impel us to help the new nations even if Communism had
never been heard of.

3. Everything depends then on the attitude with which we approach our challenge. Our history suggests a certain capacity for the task of construction that awaits us. America was a promise before it was a nation. It represented a purpose before it became a reality. The people who came here to tame a wilderness were engaged in a venture not merely material but essentially intellectual and spiritual. The authors of this nation's freedom were men and women bound together by one quality: a preference for even a precarious dignity over the shallow safety of the familiar, the complacent acceptance of the old.

4. Our challenge is no less important and more subtle. We must show the relevance of our principles to the world. We have constructive tasks transcending those of any future generation. We need not fear our problems for they are also our opportunities.

Let us dedicate ourselves to the adventure of our lifetime.