Saturday, July 30, 2005

 

Holy Books

I'd wager most adults in the United States have never read the Declaration of Independence or the Gettysburg Address. In the first place, increasing numbers of United States residents don't speak or read English. And for many of those who do, the language of these documents is too archaic, the syntax is too contorted, and the sentences are too long. Finally, they are probably not required reading in many American schools today.

These documents are books of our civic Bible. Pauline Maier entitled her treatise on the Declaration of Independence American Scripture. They should be read aloud to a reverent public in solemn ceremonies on our civic holidays (holy days), the Gettyburg Address on Memorial Day and the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July (Independence Day).

Because they are so difficult for many to understand, maybe these modern translations would be useful:



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