Show cc s i g Ahead By DR GEORGE S. S B BENSON N ON Director National Director National Education Program Searcy Arkansas of Bs off Five generations of American Ameri Ameri- can citizens have enjoyed in individual individual individual in- in freedom as a matter of course course The present population population population lation of America with the exception of a 3 comparatively few immigrants was born into freedom and would find it difficult d difficult dif dif- i- i even to conceive of living living liv liv- ing under any other circum circum- i stances And yet no nation in all human history has ever achieved lasting freedom This is an extremely significant fact which Americans should under stand Mans Man's desire for freedom was first recognized when the development of civilization brought on the need for gov gov- Man quick quickly y found that government by its very nature encroaches upon individual individual individual indi indi- vidual freedom It must have power to operate and that power can only come from one source the people they must give up some power some freedom to the government When the founding fathers built the structure of the American way of life they surrounded surrounded surrounded sur sur- rounded government with various various various vari vari- ous kinds of restrictions limiting limiting limiting limit limit- ing its powers The Bill of Rights which was attached to the Constitution was written altogether to protect the individual individual individual indi indi- vidual citizen against his own government THE FOUNDERS KNEW The men who worked on the creation of the Constitution all al knew that freedom had never neve existed for long anywhere anc and that no nation had ever become become become be be- come a world leader and sur sur- Twenty world leading nations had floundered in the their own mistakes and eventually eventually had apen Washington Hamiton Hamil- Hamil Hamilton Hamilton ton Webster and t the e other othe framers of the Constitution were determined that th the American system should survive survive survive sur sur- vive and become a world pattern pattern pattern pat pat- tern for lasting freedom and human progress The structure they developed has lasting qualities qualities qualities-if if each succeeding generation will but understand its workings and safeguard its principles Can we who have benefited from this wonderful legacy of freedom take lessons from the l history story of the nations which have risen to world leadership and subsequently fallen into oblivion Indeed we can THE ONETIME IE LEADERS Among the most not notable ble world leaders lenders whose histories we have available in great detail detail detail de de- de- de tail are Old Babylon Ancient Egypt Assyria Egypt under the he New Now Babylon Greece in in Phoenicia Persia and Athens represented rep rep- which Sparta kinds of government govern govern- two resented Many of the I and Rome ment of these nations i achievements of contributed to the march human progress uman developed the basic I Babylon the duodecimal duodecimal duodecimal duo duo- science of astronomy of J numbers S I decimal system of the calendar calendar cal cal- and nd an nn Egypt early challen challenged form Bed mans man's man s r through fl the he imagination up by building the pyramids pyramids pyra pyra- I centuries r built the first Assyria known to mankind con cern roads strutted canals for irrigation the first co cotton cottom and d grew Greece the world to known head fountain of the became architecture and art andr and great first experiment experiment ex ex- experiment the he cradle of than mans man's s 's r with democracy a great republic republic republic re re- Rome contributed public established remarkable made and of justice courts notable achievements in artand artand art artand I and music CAUSES OF DOWNFALL r major causes of r I. I The three the downfall of these nations I al decay decay de- de political of the past were economic decay moral cay fall of and decay The decline characteriZed characterised each nation was I Iby by these three common causes i and we should note well 1 that each cause was something control had c over which people established b Many of these nations some degree of ofal un in ls al freedom which lasted while In each ench case g go gon- gon n- n became too ment ultimately too powerful and the citizens indifferent to what was going on around them Romes Rome's downfall was preceded preceded preceded pre pre- ceded by the governments government's attempt attempt at attempt at- at into tempt to bribe the people ina inaction tion against the political and moral decay within gov gov- The government provided provided provided pro pro- bread vided the populace with and circuses meaning circuses meaning that it undertook to feed the people and to provide entertainment a at t the coliseum games The decay decay decay de de- de- de cay went from bad to worse worse worse- to and the people didn't seem care Romes Rome's downfall ushered in the year long Dark Ages for mankind Yes human history presents powerful lessons Will Vill enough Americans recognize these lessons lessons lessons les les- sons and understand their significance significance sig sig- The future of freedom freedom freedom free free- dom will be determined by y our answer to this question |