Guest Editorial - June: Summer and Civilization

A scene from the great opera by Richard Wagner set in 16th century Nuremberg which is the inspiration for an essay on the summer solstice, American liberty, and our presidential and congressional election of 2020.

By Jim Lowe

ON FRIDAY, JUNE 21, we entered the Summer of 2019. That leaves just one year until a tornado of roaring political rhetoric will surround us, completely inescapable if one so much as turns on a radio, television set, or Internet connection.

One would wisely pause this month to consider the depth of what's at stake during the coming year, and at the culmination of its frenzy on Nov. 3, 2020.

We face the potential destruction of American culture as we have known it -– its decency, respect for faith and fortitude, its work ethic and noble arts. In their place the left wing, with its anarchists, socialists, Democrats, Neocons and Commies, would further licentiousness, harassment of Christians, dilution of work and strength, reduction of art to unintelligible, often grotesque images and the replacement of beautiful, uplifting, inspiring music with the depths of primitive howls, perverse prose and anticultural dissonance. In short, a foretaste of Satan's fiery realm.

In the final scene of Richard Wagner's opera, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers of Nürnberg), the cobbler-poet Hans Sachs sings of a similar situation in early-16th century Germany: "Alien nebulousness and deception they implant in German land." But he assures the festive crowd that "Though the Holy Roman Empire collapse in dust, there remains to us our sacred German art."

"Honor your German masters!" the chorus responds, referring to masters of art, music, literature and culture in general. Even so we, sons and daughters of Western Christendom, need honor the creators of high culture, our faith and values, preserve them, and stand firmly against purveyors of alien ideologies, intrusions and perversions who would steal the soul of society. Should they ever clutch the nation entirely in their claws, their eventual collapse into dust would be inevitable. Sic semper tyrannis, Thus ever the tyrant, proclaims the motto of old Virginia below an image of Liberty standing above the fallen foe — today, the tyrannous Left.

Die Meistersinger is set 500 years ago at the time of the summer solstice, a time in which we find ourselves this month. In German it's called the Sommersonnenwende — the wending of the summer sun. Let's wend our own ways toward the light of truth, fend off the frothing maw of the "old evil Foe," his minions, and
"Conquer we must,
for our cause it is just,
and this be our motto:
In God is our trust."
From the 2nd stanza of the Star Spangled Banner

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Jim Lowe is a long-time, valued friend in Fredricksburg, Texas; an ethnic German born and raised in Virginia, a U.S. Army veteran, faithful Lutheran, accomplished writer and musician. He keeps up an email newsletter with his church friends and this is the first I've received something from him for a long time. I'm always pleased when I do and glad to be able to share it with my readers. Jim is an example that Germans and German-Americans have always been America's best friends.