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Show What is America? By RUTH TAYLOR What is Ameica? What is the intagable thing that binds people of all creeds, all antionalities, into one homogeneous whole? The answer was given in this morning's metropolitan newspapers newspap-ers by two of the greatest living Americans two men whose lives have been devoted to their country, whose talents have ever been at the call of their fellow men, whose unselfish devotion to the ideals of democracy have never been questioned. ques-tioned. First Harlan Fiske Stone, Cheif Justice of the Supreme court of the United States, in accepting the degree of Doctor of Laws from Yeshiva College, a Jewish Theological Theo-logical Seminary, said: "Man lives by symbols. Truly these are times of shifting standards stand-ards and moral confusion. This is due more than all else to the fact that man, despite his struggle up from barbarism is not yet willing to accept the truth that there can be no civilized society, there can be no peace and happinesss among men unless all men enjoy freedom free-dom of the spirit of mind and, unless we preserve intact our capacity cap-acity for moral indignation against cruelty and injustice, and the urge to give it vigorous expression.'" The same night Bernard Baruch in accepting the annual award given by the Churchman, an Epis. copal paper, expressed the same idealism and faith in the American Amer-ican spirit in these words: "In another day Cicero said the proudest boast a man could utter was "Oiva Romanus sum" (I am a Roman citizen.) It is my prayer that our conduct may always al-ways be such as to carry greater praise in the accolade: 'I am an American.' "One last word. Some ask why we fight? This is my answer: We fight for "Ancient Rights unnoticed by the breath we draw, Leave to live by no man's leave, underneath the law." That is what America is a homeland for all who believe in the Fatherhood of God and in the Brotherhood ' of Mon, for those who have high courage, who stand ever ready to lift their voices against ag-ainst injustice to fight cruelty and to demonstrate in their lives theiir friendship for their fellow men. This faith made America. Through this faith America grew. By this faith America will live. |