New Bern Public Librai^
Federal Judge John D. Lark
ins—an old friend of ours—
impressed us with his remarks
the other day, when he adminis
tered the naturalization oath to
18 new citizens In the Federal
Courtroom here.
With his permission, we are
using his words In their entirety
for this week’s column. All
citizens can profit from taking
the following lines to heart:
“You have just taken an oath
which makes It proper that I
address you as my fellow citi
zens of the United States. I
enjoy the high privilege of citi
zenship through the accident of
birth; you have acquired it
through the exercise of your
own free wills.
“The rights and responsi
bilities enjoyed by and resting
upon each of us are the same.
With the exception of the Amer
ican Indian, all people of this
country are either Imigrants or
the relatively close descend
ants of imigrants. All of us are
here because we or our
ancestors came to this new
country hoping for a better
world In which to live.
“This citizenship Is a pos
session which should be prized
highly. It represents the dreams
and struggles of the human race
down through generations. I
shall not undertake to discuss
the form and principles of our
government. Your presence Is
proof of your familiarity with
these.
“You are aware of the fact
that our government belongs to
the people, and by the same
token the responsibilities of the
government rest upon the
people. This situation has not
come about through accident.
This concept of human rela
tions did not originate over
night.
“Our Bill of Rights, which
has been called the charter of
human liberty and which defines
the rights of the Individual as
contrasted with the rights of the
mass, was obtained at a high
price. As a result of struggles,
sacrifice and suffering. In this
country each citizen has a voice
In the affairs of his govern
ment.
“He Is free to worship as
he pleases, to speak as his
conscience dictates, to come
and go as he may wish, bear
ing ever In mind his obliga
tions to his fellow man. In
short, one of the basic prin
ciples upon which our govern
ment Is founded Is the right
of the Individual to pursuit of
human happiness.
“This condition has been
achieved through the contribu
tions of many. Some of the con
tributors have become national
heroes—others were the ob
scure victims of oppression and
Iniustlce whose misfortunes
spurred their friends and neigh
bors to redoubled efforts In
their endeavors to Improve
conditions.
“To this eternal striving,
valuable contributions have
been made by newly arrived
citizens, such as you. Some of
them have become celebrated
and their names recorded on the
pages of history. Others have
played simple but none the less
Important roles.
“None of us should be content
with the progress already made.
Much remains to be done to
make this a perfect country.
If there can be such a country
In this world, and I would not
(Continued on page 8)
The NEW BERN
PUBLISHED WEEKLY
IN THE HEART OF
EASTERN NORTH
/ Per Copy
VOLUME 6
NEW BERN,' N. C., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22. 19A3
NUMBER 34
NEVER GrAVE UP—Pictured above are the Golden
Knights (light helmets) and the lions (dark helmets).
It was a disappointing season for both teams in New
Bern’s midget football league, sponsored by the City
Recreation Department. The best of ball clubs taste
defeat, however, as the Green Bay Packers and the
Cleveland Browns can testify after last Sunday’s loss
to Chicago and St. Louis. It’s no pleasure to be on the
small end of the score, at the end of most of your
games, but the Lions and the Golden Knights displayed
raw courage far beyond their years, and acquired a
special kind of glory in their also-ran roles. Life’s
valuable lessons are often painful, if not downright
humiliating. These kids learned how to lose and keep
on fighting, and that’s the greatest thing any athlete
can aspire to. They’ll make good use of their spunk
in future gridiron battles.—Photos by John R. Baxter.