Henrietta Hay's Column

Some things you outgrow as you age. Some things you don't. A really deep yen to shoot off fireworks on the Fourth of July is one that some of us carry through the years. When I was a little girl my grandfather would buy Roman candles and skyrockets and big firecrackers to set off under tin cans, and the two of us probably endangered all the houses in that part of Englewood. For the record, no houses burned and nobody was injured by our enthusiasm.

In recent years I have celebrated Independence Day with my friend the philosopher and her family -- complete with hamburgers and fireworks. We have our own fiery show, strictly for the benefit of the children, of course. But time marches on. The kids are getting bigger and the fireworks, thanks to more people and more safety regulations, are getting smaller.

What were we celebrating last week? The Fourth of July is America's big patriotic holiday, but while the means of celebration have changed little through the years, the significance of the day is not the same as it was in my youth.

Then, although I was not acutely aware of it, the war to end wars had been fought and won by our fathers and uncles. Justice had prevailed and we had made the world safe for democracy. There would be no more war in the world and we could live in isolated peace. It was, "my country, right or wrong."

Today patriotism is much more complex than simply waving a flag or singing the Star Spangled Banner. Old style, traditional patriotism has lost much of its meaning. We still wave flags and that makes us feel good, but not good enough to get up out of our lawn chairs when the flags go by in the Fourth of July parade. The flag is a symbol which we talk about a lot and try to legislate about, but which we take for granted.

Patriotism has become our security blanket in a world too frightening to face. The symbols which are so moving--the flag, the stirring music, the speeches--let us believe that our world is still the same, that we are still invincible, that we are always right.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." These stirring, beautiful words are as true a guideline for us today as they were on the day they were written. But after 200 years we still don't understand them very well or pay very much attention to them.

As a nation we are no longer isolated, protected by oceans. Telecommunications, jet airplanes and the atom bomb took care of that.

We are no longer a population consisting mostly of English and Germans like our founding fathers. We are a highly diverse people with citizens from every corner of the globe. Patriotism means tolerance to all of us. We are living in a global economy. We buy and sell all over the world. Patriotism means competing. Today one American is helping two Russians to save Mir, the Russian space station. Patriotism means cooperating.

In 1952 Adlai Stevenson spoke to the American Legion Convention on the nature of patriotism. He said, "What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? I venture to suggest that what we mean is a sense of national responsibility . . . a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."

When I was a kid I just shot off firecrackers. I still like to do that, but now I ask why. Along with the light and noise I think about the spectacular progress this country of mine has made in the past century, in spite of all its crazy ups and downs. I realize how glad I am to have lived in this century and how my love of country has deepened through the years.

My friend the philosopher summed it all up. Patriotism means loving and respecting our own land, but not fearing and hating everyone else's