calvin coolidge on the import and reverance of great men

"Great men are the ambassadors of Providence sent to reveal to their fellow men their unknown selves. When the reverence of this nation for its great men dies, the glory of the nation will die with it. It is only when men begin to worship that they begin to grow. A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of great men to come, who shall still be able to instruct, to lead, and to inspire. It was not because it was proposed to establish a new nation, but because it was proposed to establish a nation on new principles, that July 4, 1776, has come to be regarded as one of the greatest days in history."