The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-07-08
,rRaAGrn or DEMOCRACY.
Rev. D. =. Bmnic Gave an Appropri,',
Discourse sunday Evening.

.Nu able discourse ON the strcug, ii
and weakness of Democracy was dr.
l,crcd by Rev Douglas =. Birnic at
Central Uuuoiu Church Sunday eve
ming. lie said in part:
Tonight ON this anniversary of the
independence of the United States of
America we shall consider simply thc
last form of rulc-that of democracy.
The mighty Republic of America
stands before the world to day as the
most conspicuous attempt on the part
of the people to govern themselves,
and we ask i'm profound seriousness
what is the strength and where lies
the weakness OF democracy?
There was n time when culture
was confined to the favored few; liter
allure was bound up in manuscripts
are was the luxury of the rich. Now
the printing press has put the treas
ures of the world into the hands of the
masses. and he who can read has the
door open before him to the best
thought of the world. The engraveI
reproduces the painting, the photo
grapher pictures the world, and the
magazine. with its illustrations, car
make every man a traveller.
"Permit me to name three sources
of weakness in the current manifesto
ton of democracy. The old idea was
the divine right Of Kings. The new
teaching is the divine right of the ma
iority. 1t merely transfers from the
one to the many.
1.-The stress of battle today is in the
field of economies. Why the few ricl
and the many poor? The marvellous
advance in machinery and in discovery
has lifted to thrones railroad kings
1t is upon oil, sugar, electricity, tha
the modern uncrowned monarch has
built his throne, ana the bond holder!
whisper into the ears of Prime Minis
ters, and dictate foreign policy. The
masses of the people are stirring. I
is no passing fancy. The movement
is as deep as life; the spirit of demor
racy is stirring in the politics of thu
world; her intellectual life is animal
ed by it.
"a second false theory which is cur
rent among the crowd: All men arr
born equal This has been turned in
to the phrase of the street: 'One maj
is as good as another There is some
thing of truth and much of falsehood
In the sight of God all men are equal
He is no respecter of persons.
"A third weakness in the presen
of the sense of responsibility. Wha
is everybody's business, is nobody
business. The King is conspicuous
He is compelled to realize his respon
sibility.. The officers in an oligarch,
are known and the public understand
where to lay Che blame 0f failure
manifestation of democracy is a los
In pure democracy the individual j
iOSt III lie lldSS. II Is ulllCult W red
lie that one man can do anything"
In speaking of the tremendou
power in the hands of monopolies
the speaker gave this vivid illustra
eff Adam were created 5000 year
ago, and had lived till this time, an
had succeeded IN laying up 500 day
for every working day of the GOO
years of his life, he would not, with
out interest. have made as nue.
money in 5000 years as the elder Coz
nelius Vanderbilt is said to have mad
in his lifetime.
This tremendous accumulation o
wealth in the hands of the few give
enormous power, and is a source o
great danger to democracy"