4/10/17

AMERICA AND WHAT IT MEANS TO ME (The House I Live In) Donald R. Fox


http://essaysbyfox.org/html/essays/


AMERICA AND WHAT IT MEANS TO ME
(The House I Live In)
Donald R. Fox

Our memory is a wonderful gift from our God. Truly, I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” (Psalm 139:14 KJV) Have you experienced your memory going back in remembrance of a time past? Yes, of course, you have. Sometimes our memories can be fearful and other times exceedingly pleasant. The other day, I started to hum a very old song I had not thought about it for ages. I would suggest that if you are not over seventy years old and just maybe closer to eighty, you never heard this song.

The House I Live In (1945) is a ten-minute short film written by Albert Maltz, produced by Frank Ross and Mervyn LeRoy, and starring Frank Sinatra. Made to oppose anti-Semitism and racial prejudice at the end of World War II, it received an Honorary Academy Award and a special Golden Globe award in 1946. In 2007, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historical, or aesthetically significant" (Reference, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

People forget history in the passing of time. It is very sad to observe this truism in our own times. Those who fought in WW II are dying off very rapidly. They have been called, “The Greatest Generation." Patriotism and Americanism were vibrant during and after the war. No pass generations are perfect? However, during this era, Americans understood what it meant in the saying, “God, Country, Apple Pie and Mom."

There are eight verses in the song, “The House I Live In." The song depicts the feelings of patriotism and fair play toward our fellow man. When the short film and song came out, it became very popular. Frank Sinatra was a big star and teen-age idol. I remember singing it in our school along with a study of the lyrics. Following is a few verses from this song. You will get the emotion of this meaningful song and the message it presented. In such a time as we now live, “The House I Live In” should be revisited. Don’t you think so?

The house I live in,
My neighbors white and black,
The people who just came here,
Or from generations back;
The town hall and the soapbox,
The torch of liberty,
A home for all God's children;
That's America to me.

The words of old Abe Lincoln,
Of Jefferson and Paine,
Of Washington and Jackson
And the tasks that still remain;
The little bridge at Concord,
Where Freedom's fight began,
Our Gettysburg and Midway
And the story of Bataan.

Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)(KJV)
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)(KJV)
To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian" (George Washington, May 2, 1778).

NOTE: “The House I Live In” see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWixP-LE3EI