Our New Old Glory

"Old Glory" has acquired a new look - 49 stars in seven staggered rows of seven each. And on July 4, 1960, it will have 50 stars. The 49th star, of course, represents the new State of Alaska which was admitted to the Union January 3, 1959, when President Eisenhower signed an executive order setting the new design of 49 stars for the Official Flag of the United States. Now that Hawaiian statehood has been approved by Congress, Old Glory will have 50 stars, but the new design, whatever it is, will not become official until July, 1960."

A Help-Your-Self Booklet, 1959

Sweet Land Of Liberty

"When I arrived in America over 55 years ago, I had nothing except the suit of clothes I was wearing and faith in the new land I was coming to. I have been eternally grateful that this country was, in Benjamin Franklin's words, a land "where people do not inquire of a stranger, 'What is he?' but 'What can he do?'"

Good Reading Rack Service, no date

Needed: Uncommon Men

"Eighty years is a long time for a man to live. Mine has been a life of work in many lands under many kinds of governments, both good and bad. I have watched the two great World Wars with their holocausts of death, destruction and famine, and have taken some part in remedy of their terrible aftermaths. I have particiated in the search for a healing peace. I have witnessed the legacy of war - in doubting minds, brutality, crime and debased morals. Moreover, I have witnessed in 20 nations the workings and philosophy of that anti-Christ, Karl Marx. From all these experiences, there rise constantly in my mind the forces which make for progress and those which may corrode away the safeguards of freedom in America. I want to tell you something about these forces, but I shall endeavor to do so, not in the tones of Jeremiah, the Prophet of Doom, but in the spirit of Saint Paul."

Good Reading Rack Service, 1954

The Obligation of Freedom

"In a certain state there is no speed limit for automobiles on the open highway. One day, in this state, a highway patrolman stopped a man who was going ninety-five miles an hour around a curve, and cautioned him about speeding. The driver's answer was: "This is a free country - I can drive as fast as I want." In a small town in another state lived a man who belonged to an unpopular minority political party. This man published a small weekly newspaper in which he upheld his party's views, constantly criticized local government officials. One day he was visited by a group of citizens who told him that the community wanted no part of him or his newspaper and that he must stop publishing it. His reply was similiar to the driver's: "This is a free country - I can publish my opinions if I want to." Most Americans will agree that the driver was wrong and the publisher right. But why? Both were appealing to the individual's freedom to do as he wishes - and this is a freedom most American's value very highly. Neither man was breaking the law. What then was the difference between the two situations? Where do we draw the line between freedom and abuse of freedom?"

National Research Bureau Inc., no date

How We Can Keep Our Freedom

"It was evening. Benjamin Franklin was walking home. All through the long summer, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention had been sworn to secrecy about their discussions. Now, with the document signed and ready for ratification by the people, they were free to talk about what they had done. Out of a crowd of men clustered on a street corner, one man rushed up to Franklin. "Tell us, sir, what kind of government have you given us?" he asked. Benjamin Franklin paused. "A republic," he said. And then he smiled. "If you can keep it."

Good Reading Rack Service, 1959

The Difference Is Only Ten Cents

"The difference between success and failure in business," said the manager of a highly successful Detroit corporation, "is only $.10." He then went on to explain his remark. "The business man who takes in $1.00 and spends only $.95 is on the road to financial independence. But the fellow who takes in $1.00 and spends $1.05 is heading for the rocks." 

A Help-Your-Self Booklet, 1960

Pace-Setters For Prosperity

"America is a whale of success," said a wise statesman some years ago in referring to our thriving economy. But today, when our success in bettering our standard of living is more sweeping than ever, we are slow about admitting it. We seldom stop critizing our own shortcomings because we believe that nothing is fixed, frozen or final, and that the search for improvement is a continuing responsibility. Though "The Star Spangled Banner" is our official anthem, the refrain we constantly chant is "Anything You Can Do, You Should Do Better."

Good Reading Rack Service, 1953

How The Other Half Lives

"We Americans tend to think that our way of life is the normal thing - that everybody lives as we do. It's true that millions in the great cities of the world, and particularly in the more modern countries of Western Europe, live much as we Americans do. But all of them and all of us together represent less than half of the world's population, and our standards are not normal for the world as a whole. So let's look at how the "other half" lives. By the yardstick of the average Asian, African or South American and the rest of the two billion, three hundred million people of the world, our most commonplace standards are simply beyond imagination. Most of what we have and use in our daily life is available even in Europe only to the very rich. For example: The other half can't eat what they want to. The fact is - most of the people on earth eat what they themselves grow, and go hungry when they have no harvest."

Good Reading Rack Service, 1955

Other People Are Important, Too!

"Of course you are important! But are you one of those people who forgets that other people - the cop on the corner, the milkman, the secretary - are important too? Once you realize this fact - and do something about it - you are way ahead in dealing with people and in gaining popularity and success. This booklet will show you the little things that you can do to and for other people that will let them know just how important they are, too. It will show you how to use this asset (and it's a strong asset because it's a hidden asset) to make yourself better liked - and more successful in your everyday life."

Good Reading Rack Service, 1956

The Vanishing American

"When the United States was born some 200 years ago, it was dedicated to a new and bold concept of citizenship: freedom of the individual from domination by government. This philosophy became the so-called American way of life, which has given us the highest standard of living in the world. As a nation, we have grown rich. And by all indications, we have every intention of growing richer, materially, culturally, and in every other way."

A Help-Your-Self Booklet, 1959

A Quiet Revolution

"The American workman, though he shares and cherishes the political and moral heritage of his forefathers, has a living standard so far above any realized in the past as to be almost recognizable. It was only a few generations ago that the workingman, in America as in every other nation, accepted without question living standards that would today be considered impoverished in the extreme and cruel beyond measure. Like his ancestors, he had grown up in a world in which abundance was not known except for the rare man of wealth, and in which "living standard" was a synonym for bare survival. This booklet describes the "quiet revolution" that has brought about today's prosperity."

Good Reading Rack Service, 1959

Our Horn Of Plenty

"What are the major desires of American men and women - for themselves and their children and neighbors - and how can they make those desires come true? Wars, social changes, depressions, and political arguments sometimes make it seem that we Americans disagree over the road most of us want our country and its citizens to travel, but the great majority of the American people agree on six common goals. 1) A Growing National Income 2) A Bigger Share for Lower-Income Groups 3) Pay Based on Work Done 4) More Economic Security 5) Helping Each Person To Make The Most of Himself 6) A Chance For Each To Earn His Own Income"

Good Reading Rack Service, 1955

If The Shoe Fits

"You and I know that we live in the greatest country on earth, with the finest people to be found anywhere. Everything we know about our way of life compared to the rest of the world tells us we live on an island of plenty and freedom in an ocean of want and hideous tyranny. But that doesn't mean we're perfect - all of any of us. In fact some of us sometimes show such unpleasant traits that it's a wonder the rest of us tolerate us. I mean tax cheaters, sloppy tourists, non-voters, jury-dodgers, dangerous drivrs, and others we all know who make our glorious country less wonderful than it could be. Perhaps you have felt like telling off such pests in person or in print, but never quite got around to it. I've often choked off a blistering remark to a road hog or constant complainer, but now at last I've put my thoughts about them down on paper in a series of letters. Maybe you'd like to join me mentally in sending these letters to some friends or acquaintances who don't seem to understand or appreciate the America in which they live. "If the shoe fits..."

Good Reading Rack Service, 1955

What Are We Missing?

"I read an article recently which stated that Americans use 19 million sleeping pills a day, mainly to cure sleeplessness and headaches resulting from worry. Why, I asked myself, are we Americans in such a state today?"

Good Reading Rack Service, 1953