The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-05-14

ANOAh1AAlSldlNl4ll5 lllG SACftb NAAaa-45o at the top involved in the setting aside of monarchical and aristocratic gov eTnment in modern republics. the sub stance of the old social system, with its respect for the rights of private prop erty. has been preserved. Modern de- mocracy has simply engrafted upon that system an assertion of the right of equal individual opportunity, so that no barrier of birth or caste or priv ilege shall stand between any man and whatever careers his ability and indus try and courage entitle him to achieve. The very basis of that social system is now widely questioned. Socialists, in no negligible numbers, demand reor- ganization of society, upon entirely diff ferent principles; limitations upon the right of private property are widely favored; and limitations upon individ- ual opportunity are still more widely enforced among all that part of the Wagewerkers who believe in putting a limit upon the amount of work which each workman shall be permitted to do io his days labor. so that the most industrious, skillful and ambitious workman shall be permitted to do no more and to earn no more than the most dull. idle and indifferent work man. A common benefit of property and common standard of exertion arc liable to be substituted for all in- equalities of fortune and achievement, After many centuries of struggle for tho right of equality there is some req son to think that mankind is now en- tering upon struggle for the right of inequality. It remains to be seen how democracy will work under these new conditions.
 "One thing we have learned during , the experience of popular government is that the progress of the world has carried civilized people to a point where We are not now voluntarily trying the experiment of government by self-con- trol. but where society must rely upon that and can not possibly so back to the old method of keeping peace by force or the threat of force.
 Our country Is not safe in leaving unused any possible influence and eff fort towards the maintenance and growth of patriotic idealsm and prac- tlcal loyalty.
 There are probably few readers of history who do not ask themselves the | question whether the civilization of our time is to pass through the cycle of development and decay, yield to the dis integrating passions of human nature, and leave the world to begin the pro- cess again as 1t has so often done. Is the New Zealander indeed to stand on the ruins of London bridge?
 "The hope for the permanence of modern civilization is that it Is being built up from the bottom through the l participation of the whole people in that universal, combined action for the common good which we call popular government
 "H we turn to education, we find that instead of this being thing apart, the education which enables the great body of democracy primary education, which opens the door of knowledge to the mass and the door of unlimited opportunity to the exceptional intel- 1 ligence-is almost universally supplied by government as a part of the politi- cal qualification for citizenship. On the other hand, 1t is very doubtful whether the higher academic education contributes much to capacity for poli- tical usefulness. As rule, political 1 wisdom in the best sense, comes in life and not in study. and the tend- ency of highly educated men to neglect | a1I te .rt, d.1lt 1 too general.
 The greatest, most useful educa- l tional process ever known in the world occurs every four years in the United States when, during Presidential ! election, some fifteen million voters are i engaged for months in reading and hearing about great and difficult ques- tions of government in studying them, in considering and discussing, and forming matured opinions about them.
 We sometimes hear complaints that elections interfere with business and come too frequently. Oin the contrary, nothing else Is so valuable and i'm l portant for business, because it is this 1 educational process that is laying the l solid foundation of sound Judgment,
 sober self-restraint, and familiarity
 with political questions among the gov erning masses, upon which the security
 of all business depends.
 Doubtless there have been abuses in
 raising and applying campaign funds; but, in the main, there is no more use ful expenditure of money from the pub lie point of view than this, which in
 the last presidential election, accord ing to official statements. amounted to only three and a half cents per capita for the people of the United States, on
 one side and probably somewhat less
 on the other; for the great bulk of 1t
 is applied to the political education of
 voters.
 "The essential feature of the present
 condition is that the burden and duty of government rest upon all men, and no man can retire to his business or his pleasures and ignore his right to share
 in government without shirking a duty
 The experiment. of popular government
 cannot be successful unless the citi
 zens of a country generally take par
 in the government There is no mar
 free from the responsibility; that re-
 sponsibility is exactly proportioned t
 each mans capacity-to his education
 to his experience in life, to his disin
 terestedness, to his capacity for lead
 ership; in brief, to his equipment fo
 effective action in the great struggl
 that is continually going on to deter
 mine the preponderance of good ant
 bad forces in government, and upol
 the issue of which depend results s momentous to himself, his family, hi children, his country and mankind
 The selfish men who have special in