History, Tradition Forgotten
To The Editor:

Two score and fifteen [35] years ago, I first learned the names of two of the greatest men in history: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. At that time, each was honored on the day of his birth with a holiday, which inspired almost all our neighbors to display American flags of all sizes as well as photos which were scotch taped to the windows. Our classrooms were plastered from floor to ceiling with their photos, historical events along with quotable quotes which revealed their morality and vision for what we should be as a nation. Their lives, deeds and accomplishments instilled an appreciation and respect for our common values, heritage, language and culture.

Those "holidays" were not just days off from school but were a tradition that celebrated and helped sustain the knowledge and belief that we have a national identity with a common language, shared values and characteristics. Once lost, a tradition is very hard to rebuild and that part of our identity it helped sustain is in danger of dying.

Recently, a photo taken inside a current presidential candidate's campaign office showed a Cuban flag and a photo of Che Guevara prominently displayed. Is it no longer a tradition to display that which binds and unites us and proclaims our national identity? Have we forgotten the values and characteristics that make us "Americans"? Are we losing our identity?

In 1968, the Congress legislatively obliterated George Washington's and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays from the calendar and replaced [them] with a generic "any old" Presidents' Day. As the memories of these great men fade away, their vision, their purpose and courage, their monumental achievements will soon be forgotten as well and we will have lost a significant part of our American heritage.

During the Congressional debates, Representative Dan Heflin Kuykendall (R-Tennessee) warned, "Ten years from now our schoolchildren will not know or care when George Washington was born. They will know that in the middle of February they will have a three-day weekend for some reason. This time will come." …and it has. Ed Konecnik Flushing