Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 229, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 September 1920 — Americanism [ARTICLE]

Americanism

By LEONARD WOOD

Ft God and take your owu part.—Theodore Roosevelt. THIS Is one of the strongest and most frequently quoted of Theodore Roosevelt’s utterances. The seven words might stand for his autobiography. He feared God and took his own part—as an American citizen. ~There is a double significance in the word “take" as Roosevelt used it. It haw its self-defensive significance and it has the meaning also of playing your own part for the good of your country. Roosevelt preached the strenuous life. He.did not believe in soft bring His contempt for the idle American was almost beyond the reach of the words of his vocabulary. He could not conceive any sight more pitiful than that a man willing to acrept the benefits of go<Mi government end yet unwilling to bear his share of Hie burden of the work of securing It. Roosevelt’s words “Fear God and take your own part,” were addressed to every man anti woman in this land. Roosevelt „ was Godfearing and he knew that a God-fearing nation was, a nation which would survive. He knew also that the God-fearing man is the man who. ft he Interprets aright his duty to God, is the man who is willing to take his own part and play his own part in the world. There are dvic duties which every American should do ms utmost to fulfill. There are duties which admit of no timidity or inaction. .The timid have no place in a government of the people. The timid cannot be depended upon properly to guard their treasure of liberty, a treasure which came down to them as a heritage from fearless forefathers.

There have been times when people of this country seemingly have been afraid to take their own o part, let alone to play it. It was tpore in seeming than in reality. It takes a whole people a long time to make UP its mind just what is right. When the nation’s mind finally was made up, however, that the national conscience demanded action, action always has followed. But even in times of stress there □have been those timid souls who would ‘ hold back, pleading this or pleading that in order to justify a hesitating policy, It was to all the people that Roosevelt appealed when he said “Fear God and take your own part," but it was Ms desire to strengthen particularty the hearts of the timid ones and to .clear their vision so that they could see straight the path of American duty. Americans should take their own part not only in matters -directly affecting the government, but in all the matters of every day life which make for wholesome conditions in the communities. Civic duties begin at home. If eveky American household trains its children along the Unes of Amerleanism the whole body of people gets its training and our Institutions are •■cure.