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lands -- held in their very nature: memories of the pers~cuted, the inspiration of the reformer, the conscience of the dissenter, the daring o~ the explorer, the courage of the colonist, the ingenu ity of the pioneer, and the energy" skill and will to work, And they seemed to know that to form a government and to provide a social arrangement, which would satisfy and endure, would call for all those qualities plus a full measure of thosecompan- ion qualities of self-reliance, integrity, perseverance, loyalty, generosity, .faith and patriotism. They knew that they faced not only the probl~ms of setting up a workable form of civil government and a fair and encouraging social or~er, but also faced the labors of subduing and cultivating a dense and difficult nature, as well as the hazards of conflict and conciliation with a desperate and determined native.: i .' . How well these tasks were accomplished -- how wel,l the work of our founding fathers was done -- is reflected clearly in the bold and comprehensive preamble to our Constitution. "WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to fqrm a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common Defense; promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty!to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this CONSTITUTION of the United States of America". Five score and four years ago the eminent essayist 'and historian, Lord Macaulay, doubted if "We, the People" would be able by IXlPular vot~ to maintain for long a stable form of government. He wrote: "I have long been conv(nced that institutions, purely democratic, must, sooner or later, destroy liberty or civIlization, or both". The implication here is that the people, once they have learned the power of their vote, will demand the "welfare state", and cry out for "bteadand circuses" as did the citizens of the Roman Empire as that great government crumbled to its awful fall. If lord Macaulay was right in his apprehensions, if the great American Tradition cannot be maintained through the informed, devoted, and courage~us action of the people, then our Constitutional Americanform of Government will follow the course of the Cycle of Rise and Fall which has been followed by the world's earlier g:reat civilizations. This vicious cycle ru ns: . .' [:- Bondage to Spiritual Faith Spiritual Faith to Courage Cou r age to Li be rty Liberty to Abu ndance Abundance to Selfishness Selfish ness to Apathy Apathy to Dependence Dependence to Bondage! ) [- The most persistent problem of a democratic societ~ is that of preserving the delicate , - 30 -