The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-12-16


IL took courage OF the highest order "a
advocate the ideas and champion the cansss
| hs hal masi- his own IN the height ol
their unpopularity Hut h. never rinchrd
| ne never hrsttateSi. Not Socrates him.e'i
I IN ancient Athens was moro sublime
| hgIr~ than Goldvin smith, in London, IN
ithaca, IN Toronto. s.renely devoted to tho
championship of unpopular CAUSES "A cham
pion-hip a. persistent and uncompromising
M u was able. Tr-ourceful and intrepid.
Sometime h. Was an ithIRasius cohfra
m uadgm. And the world he opposed was
cruel and bitter Hut he put behind him
The easy and pleasant VA OF compromiss
or acque-cence with heroic courage. with
firm resolution he oh-yrd the call Of duty.
he vas loyal and faithful to tn. truth
Men like Goodwin Smith ar. the salt that
keeps republic sound and healthy. lou
have only Ia consider th. chief dangers to
which democracl-s are exposed tn rscog-
niz. this truth. We say ours l. "a govern
ment nv Law That certainly ~ our ideal
Rut the Irresistible tendency in ali govern
mcnts. and especially in dsmocracies. II Ia
turn the government Of law into the gov
ernment of persons And since law IA i'm
personal and men are selfish and passion
ate and laSle--. We may describe tho cor
ruption of all dsmocracies IA the psrversion
u government Of imp.r-onal law into n
The agent IN bringing about this per
version Is the demagogue. for IN. dema-
aogue plays upon the passions OF the people
as the rattsrer plays upon the Passions OF
tho tyrant. His fayoriie method Of opera
ton IL by attacking the rich. The whole
thing was we'll understood a. it was clev"rly
practised. III the republics OF the ancient
world. Revolutions in democraci.s." says
Aristotle. are generally caused by the in
~ A.ar,, h. k.,
on to explain. coming forward in public.
stir up the people against them Becom-
Ing in this way the supposed champions OF
the plain people. they utilize their position
and reputation to gather up into their own
hands the power and lnfuenc. Of the people.
This predominance Of tn. ind Vidual Is
fatal TO democracy u IL. a. Aristotle. cor
rectly observes. condition Of AFFAIRS out
of which there arises monarchy. and
therefore IN some places. a. AT Athens and
Argos. they have reCour~. TO ostraCi-m'
b>tTacism MAS indeed an heroic remedy
for the tyrant and the demagogue, Yet the
ancient world knew none better. 1t H. not
a remedy available in the modern world
W" have. however. the better engine Of
public opinion. by the breath Of which
political leaders rise and fall To rnliRhten
public opinion on public measures and public
men - the highest service any citizen can
render to republic. No man ever dis
charged that flnC ton morr Loyalty and more
than Goodwin Smith. lie could
jis-ect the dcma Iogu-. the most noSious
creature that draws breath in democracy.
80 that you actually saw the inner springs
Of his conduct and watched him barter for
pelf OF power the peace and the dignity and
the interests nj his country. Self-Hovcrn-
ment IL not a possession Of a state. but an
act and unless the people validate the act
by performing 10. the demayogue stands
ever ready TO profit by their Iach.s and
usurp long with tn. neglected function
the power with which IL Is invested. To
remind citizens or their duty and warn them
of danger was tn. high mission OF men like
Socrates apd Goodwin Smith
| say that isoltwn smith WAS like Soc
rates. the brave~t and most heroic politician
Of his time There are those who advocate |
war with all it, horrors TO keep alive IN IN en- J
the virtue OF courage But the courage OF |
the mere warrior ~ physical instinct. II |
leads him To cOnteinn psriis and death as
even the brute- do But the man of moral |
faces In defence OF righteous
cause attacks and obloduy which are bitterer
than death With all the world against him ,
he stands lnmovahle for truth and Justice
Was the public opinion OF England in favor
Of the south al the tune OF the civil war in
his country it mattered not to Goodwin
smith lie knew that slavery was wrong
and with trenchant pen defended the Just
cause of the North Did the nited states
make eStrayagant demands on England for
the Alabama outrage AZ Cornell | nIvrr-
sity Goodwin Smith soberly sypoundsd the
facts in reply to- senator sumner ana helped
10 prepare the way for the Geneva arbItra-
ion. bid canada grow Wild with enthu-,-
Ism for tn" Bocr war. In Toronto Goodwin
smith denounced that war ~ shame 20
England and an outrage on humanity Did
Amcri,an Jingoism grow Intoxicated a.
he prospect Of the stars and Stripes in the
Philippines Goodwin smith Rravely re-
nInds-i H. that the issue was one Of empire :
against republic" md parties everywhere
demand allegiance to the platform and the
'auCu-' Goodwin Smith Indignantly rapu-
hated that claim a. an insult to free rtti-
"nshtp. and pointed Ia a day when the
,-ople might govern themselves without
n" In~olence and the tyranny of machines
mi bosses
Where IN public ~. or IN private can YOU
ind another SoCrauC politician iIk. Gold
\ m SMITH man " no tells tn. truth Who y
lolds Ia his ideals and measures men and
,oIcIes by them. Who champions unpopu-
nr causes because they are lust and right
nd IA the public interest. and who N the
sTvice OF righteousness - not afraid OF
or disgrace or obloIuy or am
hing but his own conscience and the moral
iulcr of IN" world