THE NEW AGE--ARTICLE--MAY 1990--ARTCANN.MAY THE BICENTENNIAL OF THE CONSTITUTION: WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? MARK W. CANNON Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars Smithsonian Institution Building, Washington, D.C. 20560 Remarkable results came from volunteer efforts to commemorate the Constitution, especially by members of the Scottish Rite. These results were laid out in last month's Scottish Rite Journal. Now let us explore what was learned from the Commemoration. First, undaunted initiative is alive and well. Innumerable stories of people creating their own ways to honor the Constitution inspired us -- Cheryl Niro had the Constitution read to thousands during lunch hour at Daley Square, Chicago; Jeannie Piazza-Zuniga produced a puppet show on the Founders that entertained some 20,000 children in Miami schools; and James Algernon Johnson, of London, Arkansas, became the first person to fly to all 48 contiguous States in a single trip, and spoke about the Constitution throughout. Second,volunteers internalize the subject being promoted. This is one of the least recognized aspects of volunteer programs. Well constructed, they may convert sympathetic bystanders into persuasive advocates. Third, freedoms reinforce each other. For example, of the active Bicentennial leaders that responded to a survey, 93 percent believe that "free enterprise and the rights of private property are critically important both for political freedom as well as for prosperity." Freedom produces a cascade of creativity and benefits, but once lost is costly, if not impossible, to regain. Governed under a variation of our Constitution, Japan has produced an economic miracle, going from one-sixth of our per capita income after World War II to in excess of our per capita income now. Taiwan, having started off with a per capita income similar to Communist China, but with more freedom, now has 17 times the per capita income of the mainland. South Korea's development, with greater freedom, has outstripped North Korea's. West Germany, a constitutional democracy, has surpassed East Germany. As Winston Churchill emphasized, "Democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried." DIRECTION FOR THE FUTURE For freedom to succeed, opinion leaders must urge responsible values and behavior by example and precept, particularly in the following five areas: One. Let us recognize the conditions of freedom. Since the United States has the longest period of expanding freedom with popular sovereignty, this suggests the importance of dispersing power among independent branches of government, the States, and private organizations, such as a free press. This allows public and private checks to stop abuses of power. Two. As Tocqueville said, our first duty is to "educate democracy." The document, Education for Democracy, for instance urged moving beyond the self-condemnation of the Vietnam era and called for a curriculum that would extol democracy as "the worthiest form of government ever conceived." Scornful of value- free education, they declared, "It is hardly necessary to be neutral in regard to freedom over bondage, or the rule of law over the rule of the mob." Three. We must nurture the American willingness to serve others. We must cultivate these qualities in an on-coming generation that is decreasingly trained in them. Youth seek practical ideals. Young Americans need to understand the reasoning of the Founders that we can only survive through widespread public virtue--which they can exemplify. As President George Bush stated: "From now on in America, any definition of a successful life must include serving others." CONCLUSION Volunteerism is exemplified by George Washington, the launching of whose Presidency we commemorate this year. To create a free nation, he served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, forgoing, in advance, any compensation. For the benefit of America he rebuked proposals that he become king. Washington served as Chairman of the Constitutional Convention without compensation. He also refused a salary as President. Washington's example still guides America. International polling shows that Americans stand out in doing volunteer work, in valuing science, in saying that a "feeling of accomplishment" is the most important aspect of their work, in religious faith, and in confidence in their institutions. Eighty percent of Americans are proud of their country compared with 38 percent of Europeans. Let us keep Washington's image bright. The challenge to the members of the Scottish Rite is to teach people to cherish our Constitution and the free system it undergirds, to carry out the responsibilities that will sustain it, to gain the joys of giving of ourselves to help others, so that "We the People" are solving some of the most difficult problems we have ever faced. Only this prescription can counter corrosive greed and cynicism. Our individual challenges are of lesser magnitude than George Washington's, but as he changed history, so each of us can make a difference. _______________________________________ Remarkable results came from volunteer efforts to commemorate the Constitution, especially by members of the Scottish Rite. "Democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried." Winston Churchill Young Americans need to understand the reasoning of the Founders that we can only survive through widespread public virtue--which they can exemplify. As President George Bush stated: "From now on in America, any definition of a successful life must include serving others." Our individual challenges are of lesser magnitude than George Washington's, but as he changed history, so each of us can make a difference. [Editor's Note: Part one of this article appeared in the April issue. It is excerpted and adapted from a keynote address to a triennial convention of Phi Kappa Phi.]