ADDRESS, AMERICAN LEGION BOYS STATE

U. S. NAVAL ACADEMY

June 24, 1965

I am delighted to be here today to welcome you young men who
are delegates to the 1965 session of Boys State to our capital city.

Youth, it has been said, is the season of enjoyment, but youth,
also, must be the season of responsibility, because in a very few years
you young men who are gathered here will be called upon the shoulder
the heavy responsibility that those of us who are older than you
now must bear. In a democracy, such as ours, government, the agency
through which organized society maintains the order that is essential
to its survival, is the responsibility of every citizen. It is well, there-
fore, that in your young years you learn as much as possible about
the machinery of government so that in the years of the future you
will be well-equipped to discharge the obligations of good citizenship.

By coming here to Boys State this year you have demonstrated your
willingness to undertake the responsibility of good citizenship, and you
are to be highly commended for this effort. Also in this connection,
I should like to pay tribute to the Maryland Department of the
American Legion for its sponsorship of these sessions. It is just one
of the many patriotic projects which this great organization has
conceived and carries through for the betterment of our State and
our nation.

It is always encouraging and stimulating, to those of us who occupy
positions in public life, to observe young people like yourselves dis-
playing so much interest in the processes of government. Many
centuries ago, the great Greek philosopher, Aristotle, wrote these
words:

"If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be
found in a democracy, they will best be attained when all persons
alike share in the government to the utmost. "

Aristotle here sounded a keynote that has been heard throughout
the history of civilization — that liberty and equality thrive in
democratic societies when people are good citizens. And he defines
the good citizen as one who shares in the government "to the utmost".
I would urge you young men, here and now, to pledge yourselves to
a life in which you participate in your government "to the utmost".

Sometime ago, the American Heritage Foundation, published what

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