The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-04-14

content to commend 1t to your reflec.
ton as one OF the most momentous
that has ever occupied mems minds
Education and Politics.
A second question suggested by JEFF
fcrson's ideas and efforts Is this: What
will be the effect OF education on the
highly educated man. SO far as poll
tics Is concerned? Will knowledge
and training give him deeper SYM
patty with the people ana greater
fitness for leading the people, or Will
II rather cut him off from the masses.
making him detached. Nersaps super
cilious. possibly even scornful and cyn-
ical?
Instead of trying to discover what
sort of influence intellectual great.
ness might be expected to have on n
mans Iiolitical opinions. let us sec
What has, in fact been the attitude
OF such gifted men towards the notifies
OF their own countries. We shall find
plenty If instances on both sides. II
you take those republics of antiquity
which the contemporaries OF jefferson
We're so fond of talking about. you viii
ma some great thinkers on the side
y. democracy and some against 1t. This
hsppen.d also in modern Europe.
In England, for instance. we have
Milton, Locke, Addison, Adam Smith,
sentham, on the one side. and Hobbies.
swift. Bolingbroke. Hume, on the
other. Some great men, such as Burke,
Coleridge and Wordsworth, began ON
the one side and ended on tho other.
altering their position as life went on.
FIFTY years ago there were in Con-
stinental Europe no free governments
except in some small States, Switzer-
land, Holland, Belgium and the Scan
dinavian countries. In some countries.
such as Russia, Austria. Italy and to
some extent France. there was not only
arbitrary rule, but pretty bad sort of
government. In Prussia, administration
was good, but the people had little
influence upon it. Now in all these
countries at that time the great ma
jority OF superior minds were strongly
liberal They saw the evils of the ex-
listing system more clearly than other
men in their own rank OF life, and
whether or no they suffered personally
from misgovernment, they were dis
gusted by 1t and anxious to overthrow
it.
Conditions Have Changed.
To-day in Continental Europe the
position is quite different. I will not
attempt to decide to which side the pre-
ponderance of men distinguished In
literature and science belongs, but
such men, taken as a whole, are more
generally conservative in temper and
less heartily democratic in opinion than
men of the same type were in 1858.
Why is this? Partly because the lib
erty formerly sought has now been
attained, while the evils which then
excited indignation have now been
largely removed. Partly, also, because
experience has disclosed evils incident
to popular government which were not
felt while arbitrary government held
the field, and because demands are now
made in the name OF liberty for fur
Their changes which are deemed to be
dangerous.
S Democracy has not brought with Il
all that was hoped, so there has been
certain revulslon of feeling against
Democracy. Many of the most power
full minds are occupied In trying not
to broaden and deepen Its channel, but
to erect barriers that may check .,
guide its flow.
The finest kind Of mind may be
according to the circumstances Of hi:
time, either liberal or conserva'
tive man who cries FORWARD" OF
man who cries go warily." Blu
he will usually be one who rises above
the passions and prejudices of the mo
ment, who refuses to follow The crowd
who is not moved by popular cries. !
| is we'll that this should be sc.-provldet
always that the detachment CT The In
dependent thinker does not go SD la
as to put him out Of touch With thu