In our previous post, we discovered an extraordinary and meaningful quote on equality from Dr. Alice Hamilton. Her words form an integral part of the fabric of our novel, Swirled All the Way to the Shrub.
Now, let’s have a look at another quote from a great American; a quote that gets to the heart of fairness in our culture. This one, too, serves a role in our story arc.
Here, our character the Gantseh Macher reads a letter that President Theodore Roosevelt wrote to a friend in 1908. Gantseh Macher is a Yiddish phrase that translates not so much as “the boss” or “the big cheese” but moreso “the oiler of wheels,” “the one who makes things happen.” Let’s let this always-dapper gentleman bring the mighty TR’s words back into the light:
***
The Gantseh Macher broke into his one-lipped smile. He then reached into his coat pocket with the most graceful and fluid of motions and drew out a piece of crisp, clean paper. Unfolding it, he said, “This is a copy of a letter that President Theodore Roosevelt wrote to a friend in 1908.”
He cleared his throat. “It reads like this:
‘You must keep reasonably good-natured; but above all things you must not lose heart; and you must battle on valiantly, no matter what the biggest business men may say, no matter what the mob may say, no matter what may be said by that element which chooses to regard itself as socially the highest element. You are in a fight for plain decency, for the plain democracy of the plain people who believe in honesty and in fair dealing between man and man. Do not get disheartened; and keep up the fight.’
***
President Roosevelt gave a name to his philosophy of fair play in American life: the Square Deal.
And his Square Deal circles right back around to that key phrase from our Declaration of Independence, to which we need to pay heed if we are to move forward and improve this culture we all must live in.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.