The Faith and Fire Within Us, an American Credo

The Faith and Fire Within Us was first published in 1944."All in all, the more I study the democratic tradition, the greater cause I see for faith and hope."However American are the faith and fire within us, however vital to America in time of war, they are also a part of the great tradition of the past, of all English-speaking nations. It is the importance of this continuity from age to age that gives strength to Elizabeth Jackson's treatment of American ideas. That Raymond Clapper is a direct descendant of Sir Francis Bacon, Leslie Howard of Sir Philip Sidney, Henry Wallace of Milton and Cromwell is soon apparent.The book speaks for today as well as for yesterday. Its ideas are the ideas of America at any time, now given new impetus by the war. Miss Jackson's is a very personal credo, but it is unmistakably American.Elizabeth Jackson thoroughly enjoyed her teaching at the University of Minnesota, and from her background in English and American literature she drew the many quotations of her book. Ranging in time from the Bible to Benet; prose, poetry, epic, radio talk, all contribute to the interpretation of modern America. While Miss Jackson's own experiences with people and places provide the personal anecdotes, it is her intense feeling about American ideas and ideals that strengthen The Faith and Fire Within Us.