If ever you need a shot of spiritual adrenaline to give you confidence in the enduring promise of America, visit the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Completed in 1897, its breathtaking sculptures, murals and paintings trace our cultural heritage and represent every aspect of civilized life and thought. It is the official repository for copyrights; its shelves hold what is claimed to be "approximately the entire current product of the American press"; its research resources are among the best in the world. The Latin inscriptions in the family corridor of the main entrance capture its essence: Litera scripta manet (The written word endures); Liber dilectatio animae (Books, the delight of the soul); Efficiunt clarum studio (Study, the watchword of fame); and In tenebris lux (In darkness, light).

For me, visiting the library was a pilgrimage. Most inspirational were the quotations lettered above the symbolic sculptures in the west gallery of the Rotunda. Religion, holding a flower in her hand representing God revealed in nature, has the inscription: "What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8). History, holding a mirror turned backward to reflect the past: "One God, one law, one element. And one far-off divine event, To which the whole creation moves" (Tennyson). And most remarkable, Science, holding a globe of the earth in her left hand, and in her right a mirror, held forward so all may look into her images of truth. Hard-nosed Science, with her traditional demand, "Prove it to me before I will believe," has above her statue Psalm 19:1: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." Proof enough!

With tears in my eyes I paused and reflected, thanking God for the enduring faith of our forefathers, indelibly inscribed in the halls of the Library of Congress.

Almighty and all merciful God, through the witness of those who have gone before us, and with prayers for those who will come long after us, continue to bless America.

Fay Angus