The Self Reliance of Americans

1900

Above all the American is personal. He is responsible to himself. He is ready to declare at any time, "My deeds upon my head."

Some of us go to church. We read in our service books, "From all evil and mischief, from sin, from the crafts and assaults of the devil, good Lord, deliver us." We know that this is only a form of words. We rely upon nothing intangible. We have the words and the habit of repeating them by inheritance. We trip over them while we accept nothing Dei gratia, nor do we shirk our own responsibility in affairs by pleading a special order of Providence.

The child is taught that if he walks into mischief and is caught at it the excuse that he was unduly persuaded into evil doing will not save him from the retributive slipper. The school and college boy and girl pay the piper personally for all unlawful dancing. The man behind the plow, the man behind the counter and the man behind the gun know that results depend. — Self Culture.