OCR Text |
Show AN AMERICAN SPEAKS By RUTH TAYLOR I've been accused of using my friends for copy material, and told that no conversation is safe from my pencil. I admit the justice of the accusation but, after af-ter all. the democracy of which I try to write is not the democracy democ-racy of the lecture hall, but just the plain every day life of each and every one of us. It is the "practical freedom of men,'' and the actual "sanctity of the individual", indi-vidual", not the idealogical basis that is of primary importance. Therefore, I don't apologize for retailing another conversation. The other evening I was listening to a group of men talking about various things, when, across their theories, came the words of the oldest of the group, who up to then had been silent. j ''You talk about the problems of Europe being reflected here," he said. "I want to tell you this. I've read some of the vicious, scurrilous, scur-rilous, smutty, un-American ma. terial that is going the rounds today. It's disgusting. I've read it only because I had to in my work, as much for democracy is I do), no decent American would give house room to it, let alone read the stuff, some of which is anti-Semitic, anti-Semitic, some of which is anti-Catholic anti-Catholic and all of which is plain anti-Christian. Decent people don't read or believe that kind of thing. You can't live in America without knowing that it is all lies. Nobody is fooled by it and only the vicious will lend an ear to it." He went on to say, "I have lived in this town my entire life time. Many of those I knew as boys are dead. I've outlived my years but those I used to know, those I've always known, have come from all sorts of homes their parents par-ents spoke English with different accents, we went to different churches but rich or poor, first or sixth generations here, Protestant, Protest-ant, Catholic or Jew we were all Americans and we were friends. I We knew each other. We understood under-stood each other and it's hard to dislike a man when you really real-ly know him." "This country has given me many opportunities. Some I've used wisely. Others not so well. I've had a chance to work at the work I enjoyed. I've prospered and been honored by my fellow citizens. citi-zens. But others with different backgrounds than mine have done the same or better. They are still my friends, my fellow Americans. And it is as Americans that I think of them! I do not narrow them down to any group either of class or creed. And I hold that what I do, any real American will do if he gives any real thought to the matter as I have. Don't talk to me of any European Euro-pean problems being reflected over here! Such issues are plain un-American; and I, together with all real Americans, will have no part in them." |