A Decent Respect
The founders of the Hall of Fame and their successors, whatever else they may have had in mind about fame and greatness, have built but not quite finished a splendid shrine of remembrance of the American past through the twentieth century, a century which may well turn out to be that which saw the United States reach the highest point in its history.
Decency, if nothing else, requires that we should maintain the Hall of Fame intact and in place as long as possible and — that they may judge for themselves — show to our descendants the leaders of the forces that in the shortest time span known to man settled a land and created the most powerful and prosperous democracy in the world.
Whether the year 200 will see us on a plateau before another journey upward, or on a descent into inferiority, remains to be seen.