My Two CountriesAstor, Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess
General
My Two Countries
Astor, Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess
Reconstruction (1914-1939); Women -- Political activity
When I landed here in New York about six weeks ago I expected to make
two speeches and then go to Virginia and renew my youth. I have made
altogether forty speeches--I spent only eleven days in Virginia and my
youth has obviously not been renewed. However, in spite of talking, I
have learned a lot--I have found out what a glorious thing it is to
belong to two countries and try to be prejudiced against none. I’ve
learned, too, how well all countries and all states think of Virginia,
and well they might. It was in Virginia that the first laws of the best
law-makers in the world were put into practice on this North American
Continent--the common laws of England. It’s a wonderful tribute to
these laws when one thinks of how well they have worked away from the
little island on which they were started. Changed and improved, if you
will, but always the same. Here we see all kinds of people from all
kinds of countries, living uncommonly well and peacefully under these
common laws. They seem almost like the Divine law in that they embrace
all sorts and conditions of men.
The great merit of these common laws is this: They enable everyone to
work out his own salvation in his own way. Now, we know that neither
the law nor the state can make a man. But a good law, and a good
state can go a long way toward helping a man to make himself. We must
have law, humanity, and Christianity to make a perfect state. I think
we--and to-night I speak as a Virginian, not a British M. P. (so bear
with me, as my time is growing short and I won’t speak as a Virginian
again for some time)--we can feel that we have built this country on
these three--a good deal of law, some humanity, and some Christianity.
Think of what America has taken on to her shores in the last hundred
years! Now, it was not only humanity or Christianity which made us
welcome the immigrants, any more than it was the search of these two
qualities which brought them. They have come from necessity and we
welcomed them from necessity. They brought much to the country and
some have taken much away. It’s amazing to see how many returned to
their native countries after a period of about twenty-five years. In
the meantime they have helped develop the country, and if your common
law and common humanity and common Christianity has been brought into
action, we will have helped to develop them, and when they leave these
shores they will carry away more than mere money. When we look at
Europe to-day we almost wish we had sent more.
Many of these immigrants make fine citizens. Just think what Mr. Straus
has done for the infant welfare of this city. Many never leave the
country again. But many of them--until they learn better--just make a
mass of illiterate voters who are used by our less fine citizens for
political purposes, and their purposes are not for the betterment of
our country or any other country, but too often for a richer and a
fuller life in the worst sense of the word.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account