[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 21920-21921]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES ON ITS 40TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES A. LEACH

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 29, 2005

  Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the 40th anniversary of 
the National Endowment for the Humanities and to offer my 
congratulations to its chairman, Bruce Cole.
  In 1965, Congress discovered that the most successful democracies 
consist of the most informed, the most curious, and the most creative 
citizens. When the 89th Congress created the National Endowment for the 
Humanities, it declared that ``Democracy demands wisdom and vision in 
its citizens.''
  For 40 years, the NEH has promoted ``wisdom and vision'' by advancing 
the study and understanding of history, literature, languages, 
archaeology, philosophy, and other humanities subjects, throughout the 
United States.
  As Chairman Cole has so profoundly observed, ``The humanities are the 
study of what makes us human: the legacy of our past, the ideas and 
principles that motivate us, and the eternal questions that we still 
ponder. The classics and archeology show us whence our civilization 
came. The study of literature and art shape our sense of beauty. The 
knowledge of philosophy and religion give meaning to our concepts of 
justice and goodness.''
  Today, the role humanities play in education is increasingly 
important. Of all the learning disciplines, they tap and expand the 
human imagination the most. In a world of exploding options for 
individuals and families, it is imperative that history provide 
reference points, and when there is no experience to serve as guide, 
that the imagination be stimulated, and perspectives applied and values 
brought to bear. Without reference to the guide posts of the 
humanities, society loses its soul. It becomes rudderless in the seas 
of societal change.

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