Words we need — from 1941

Following is the foreword from the 1941 “Southerner” yearbook of South High School in Denver. It is my father’s yearbook. He went on to join the Army and was stationed in Germany. I also attended South High School and find the similarities of our two generations, and those of the current day, to be quite compelling.

“Democracy does not come in cellophane packages … It comes from a melting pot, a huge crucible filled with sweat and labor, words and war: a united people. Today, as we look from our place of sanctuary upon a troubled world, we are afraid that the light under our melting pot will go out; we see the surface of the melting pot clouding over with panic and crisis. We feel that we are prepared to meet that crisis.

“These pages record our progress. We hope that we can leave our sanctuary to build another — our democracy of the future. We look to our code — that all men are created equal, with equal opportunities for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness — to guide us safely on our way. Our hope lies in the future; without that future there can be no hope!”

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 8:54 AM with the headline "Words we need — from 1941."