On Fouth of July Week, a peek back and when things worked right

(From Sunday's TIMES and NEWS-STAR)

Louisiana and the Lusitania. Don’t see those two words in the same sentence often.

But on the eve of Fourth of July week and in light of the goings-on at home and in the world, something Louisiana did a century ago served as a bit of fortifying and even reviving news when I read about it recently in “Dead Wake,” a book by everyman historian Erik Larson about the sinking of the British ocean liner Lusitania.

It was 100 years ago last month — May 7, 1915 — that the Lusitania, for a while the largest passenger ship in the world, was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-20. Nearly 1,200 people died, including American citizens. It would be 23 months before the United States would become involved in the actual fighting in World War I.

There are reasons. President Woodrow Wilson was reluctant to go to war, a sentiment that seemed shared by much of America, Larson writes. Of course, no one wants to go jumping into World Wars all over the place. It took the nation almost a year to become galvanized to the prospect that such a fight was inevitable.

But there was plenty of meaningful and telling dialogue in the aftermath of the sinking. Most of it reads as civilized, or the opposite of what you might expect to hear on a news talk show these days. Although the prospect of war was at hand, cooler heads, as they say, prevailed. And later, when America knew it was time, the war was fought, and then quickly won.

In Larson’s research, he came across this, a resolution from the state of Louisiana that Larson said was “refreshing … in light of the rancor in American politics that prevailed at the time I completed this book (2013-14).” It was written less than two weeks after the great liner’s sinking and after such a loss of life which, in retrospect, could likely have been easily avoided had the ocean liner’s captain known what British intelligence knew, which is another story.

From the U.S. National Archives in College Park, Md., here’s the post-Lusitania-sinking resolution from our state:

“Such a crisis as now confronts our country calls for coolness, deliberation, firmness and precision of mind on the part of those entrusted with the power of administration.

“Under the providence of God this country has such a leader in Woodrow Wilson … who with his advisers has shown the temper and courage and great humanity that reflects the sentiment of his loyal countrymen.” Resolution, May 20, 1915, Louisiana Legislature.

Respeck!, the teens might say. Wilson had earned it. And just to hear such phrases as “providence of God” and “loyal countrymen” coming from an American legislature is so rare today that you wonder if it happened at all.

But it did. Such was the norm, when America was a much different place than it is today. Here are words that were broadcast June 6, 1944. Guess who said them:

“Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

“Lead them straight and true...They will need thy blessings...

“And for us at home...help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice...

“Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer...And O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade...With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy...Lead us to the saving of our country...”

FDR. On D-Day. A fireside chat. He asked the entire nation, “...join with me in prayer.”

You’ll recall we won. It was in all the papers.

Think about what has changed since then, what’s not allowed, what’s been left out. Think about the news and arguments of the day. It’s not so much the symbols and flags and guns and daily cry for political correctness, which is just making America appear silly and cry “Uncle.” All that’s on the outside. It’s the stuff on the inside that needs fixing. But that involves some sort of personal responsibility, and that’s always the hardest thing to do. It’s easier for me to fight to fix what I think is wrong with you than it is for me to fix what I know is wrong with me.
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