Down the broad green expanse of University Mall in Orono stands the sculpture of a snarling black bear, his paws outstretched as if to guard the doors of Memorial Gym. Once through the doors, the loyal alumna sees the tributes paid to past athletes who won great honors for Maine. There stand trophy cups of silver, medallions struck from gold and plaques of bronze.
Each man treasures his awards, no matter how great or small, for they are proof he has found a place in the hearts of others. The greatest of athletes have been content with a crown plaited from laurel leaves, because it is not the worth of the award which matters, but the worthiness of the man, and the gratitude and affection he has earned.
Just before the gubernatorial election, a survey showed Maine to be the state with the poorest business climate. Some Republican leaders were delighted, since the survey gave them yet another opportunity to claim that a better economy is the answer to all Maine’s problems. This view is shared by the co-director of Gov.-elect Paul LePage’s transition team, who is also the director of the Maine Heritage Policy Center.
Yet the heritage of our people is more than an economic policy. The desire for wealth counts for little in the story of our founding.
The first settlement on the banks of the Kennebec was made up of men and women who fled the corruption of the ruling class in England. They braved poverty and a forbidding wilderness for the sake of faith. And they admonished their flock that if their mission failed, it would fail because the pursuit of wealth replaced the de-sire to see the Kingdom of Heaven.
The inner vision of our forbears did not produce men of the caliber of Donald Trump or Diamond Jim Brady. Instead, this inner vision produced Dorothea Dix, from the village of Hampden. Some credit this kind woman, who reformed the care of the mentally ill, as the most influential woman in human history.
In like fashion, the town of Albion produced Elijah Lovejoy, whose printing presses carried the abolitionist message far and wide. The message brought little fame and fortune to Lovejoy. On the contrary, it earned him martyrdom at the hands of an angry mob.
And there have been countless other Mainers who have lived sacrificial lives for the sake of their fellow man. This is the laurel wreath of Maine, a crown brighter than silver, more durable than gold.
When the 125th Legislature convenes this week, the good men and women who gather in Augusta will have an opportunity to make Maine “Number One” again. They can do so by making Maine “Number One” in the care of the weak and defenseless.
Our state can lead the nation by enacting laws that care for and rehabilitate the homeless; protect our women and children from attack by vicious dogs; and restrict the sale of violent video games to children. This after all, is the meaning of our motto “Dirigo — I Lead” and the phrase “As Maine Goes, So Goes the Nation.”
The leadership Maine provides must be moral, and not economic.
Economic prosperity will not solve all our problems. If we take New York, Las Vegas or San Francisco as our model, we will surely become like those cities. And if we embrace the global economy, we will certainly lose our unique heritage.
The state we live in, the neighbors we cherish, is the world’s close approach to a “Shining City on a Hill.” But for some, that light has grown dim, just as the sun grows dim when a penny covers the eye. We must look past the material into the light of the spiritual.
Government must strive for the good of the community, and not the wealth of the individual. This is our true heritage, and the honor we must seek above all.
Fritz Spencer of Old Town is the former editor of the Christian Civic League Record.