Years ago one of my English professors poeticlly expressed this innate prejudice when he said, "Memory is partial to the first times." (We should add a post script of sorrow for those who don't smile when reflecting on this comment.)

The past, however, doesn't seem to stay anchored in the hard soil of reality. "Once upon a time" often becomes a reflex signaling memory's idealized flight into fantasy. Many historians ride the wings of imagination. Or, as Voltaire put it: history becomes the bag of tricks we play on the dead.

A nation usually colors its past golden. Like ancient myths, paradise marks the beginning, with heroes as founding fathers. Consequently, fact gets mixed with fiction and justified as interpretation. And America's history as perceived by most of us is no exception.

We have attributed to America a virgin birth. (And consequently looked to her as the Saviour of the world.) The real Lady of Liberty was not so virtuous. She was born in revolution and was declared a traitor by her relatives. Her founding fathers wanted religious freedom, but they expelled many from their colonies who dared to believe differently than they. And although Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason was a radical attack on religion, his "Crisis Papers" are hailed as the primary instrument which fanned the fires of the freedom revolution. (A true founding father!) We quote the constitution as if it were sacred, inerrant political Scripture, but we forget that some of its framers were Deists.

All of us make bad historians when we are dealing with family. However, our distortions tell us much about ourselves which is true. Despite our exaggerations about our past, from that past we have hammered out some principles which we experience as basic and true. Who cares if our memory is a little colored with hope? Although most of us now know that there is no historical evidence that little George cut down that cherry tree and made his famous declaration of honesty, we feel sure that he must have been that type of kid or the story would never have arisen and taken flight.

We will always need to revise our narration of history. A critical analysis of our past cannot be exempt from the canons of integrity. However, we must not forget what embellished history truly teaches--even if it doesn't teach history truly.

Bill Stroud, of Richwood, Texas, has an extensive background in three areas: theology, philosophy and psychology (B.D, Th.D., Ph.D). Although semi-retired, he is active as a speaker, free-lance writer and a workshop presenter for educational and service agencies. Address comments to d rstroud@comcast.net