Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-06-29
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE.
HARvARD's PRESIDENT TALKS ABOUT
POPULAR GOVERNMENT.

ways Abuut Rigbt-Iniiuenoe of Dem
ocracy ON NianneIs and Edueat!on-Oul
Ladies'" and sc ,ntiemen."
BusToN, June 90 The following is a syn
opsis of the Grafton delivered by President
Eliot at the annual meeting yesterday of the
Harvard Phi Beta Kappa society;
lpurpose TO examine some parts Of the expe
| rirncr of the American democracy, with the IN
tention Of suggesting the answers TO certain the
| oretical objections which have been urged against
democracy IL general, and of showing In part
| what inakes the strength of the Democratic form
| of government.
| For more than hundred years there has bceT
among civilized nation, a decided set of opinion
| toward democratic institutions, hut In Europt
| this set has been dett rmiued rather by unfavora
| bile experience Of despotic and oliparchic form
| of government than by any favorable experience
| of the democratic form. Government by one and
| government by few have been tried through
| many centuries, by different races ~ men, aud
under all sorts Of conditions, but neither has sue
| ceedcd not even In England In producing O
| reasonably peaceful secure, aud also happy So
Ctrty, No lesson upon thl subject could he more
| furcibr than that which modern Europe teaches
| Empires and m0narches like patriarchnt,e aud
ciIitflainships, have doubtless served their turn
but they have signaly failed 10 realize the social
! Ideals some ancient aud modern Ia origin
| which have taken firm hold of men's minds
| since the American revolution This failure cN'
| tends through all sorety from top to bottom II
| Is rs conspicuous in the moral condition of the
| uppcr classes as in the material condition OF the
| lower II Is unN in the United States that "A well
| rooted democracy upon great scale has oNcreX
| iStrl, aud hence the Importance Of accurate oh
| srrNatun aud just Judgment of the working of
| American democratic Institutions. both political
and sOcal. Upon the success of those institutions
| rest the best hopes Of the world,
| The first question wish to deal with is fundn-
mental one. How wisely, and by what process,
| has the American people made up its mind upon
public questions of supreme diflicnty and i'm
portance:
| The people of this country have had three SUI
premr questions to settle within the last 100
years; First-Ihe question Of iudepeud-
enCc of Great Britain; second the ques-
tion of forming firm federal uni0n,
aud third-the question of maintaining
| that union AT whatever cost Of blood and treas
urt.
The first two questions were settled by popu-
| latipn mainly English; but when the third was
decided the foreign adIniXture was already con
siderable Everybody can now see that in each
case the only wise decision arrived ut by the
| multitude in spite of difficulties aud dangers
which many contemporary statesmen and pub
lici,ts Of our own and other lands thought in'
suprrable. III each case the process was slow,
covering many years during which discussion and
debate went on in pulpits, legislatures, public
meetings, newspapers, and books
IL Is fair to say that one reason why demo
cratic decisions of great public queSt lns are apt
TO turn out well, and therefore, to to pos
,,.t,, t,h,, hon ,risa ia tbnt tho stata az tha
public mind and will is an all important factor in
deter lining the issue of such questions. Elk
perieuce has shown that democracy must not be
4, -, ,,,o,n IrIasa i,s ;,,trasts
=, 'et s -, m ;t .;,,.nt ,,ha i, lii ,
take the pains necessary to arrive at just concn
sions 10 engage public attention sufficiently to
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U,'nIic 'raenonsihiIitir., No,vhere has the freat
,,rinninIa nf religi,,S toeration hean % Thor
nugIIy ,rt in ,,rar,i,a as in the unitad states.
nowhere have .,,rh well meant and per.sstent
efforts heen moda T., ipnroye the legal status of
,r,,,,n. rn,pl,a,.. t,- tho conduct ~ bnonitoIo
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.arafulIy studi.I, rnyh here have legislative rom
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rnnr,. nrnrnntIv and nerseveriuulv snught The
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~ anu Stt a"' Stt1 VI manners ',ilEn.
American experience is already interesting. and
think concli.i.e Forty Years ago Emerson
said il wasa chief felicity of our country that it |
excelled il, Women 1t excels more and more
On the evidence of nv reading and NV personal
at home and abroad | fnliv believe
tbaa there isa larger pronortion Of ladies and