New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-07-16
Democracy and Efficiency.

winston (nurcnlll, formerly TliSb hVi"
of the British Admiralty, calls attention.
TO the weakness and characteristic ineffl-
cheney of democracy as revealed by the
war. He saws that no nation, like Great
Britain, the United States or France, with
q parliamentary government, can plan or
prepare for an aggressive war. The pres
ent show of strength by the Allies would
appear to be something Of a refutation of
this criticism but it is noteworthy that
observations of this nature have occupied
thoughtful minds in England ever since
the war forced the democratic nations of
the West to match their strength against
German Imperialism.
H. G. Wells. former socialist, deplores
the clustering democratic habit Of per-
petually "muddlng through" its crises.
He mistrusts that short-sighted policy of
bluffing, CHANGING it and complacently
trusting to Providence to correct the blum
ders of popular leaders which character
ICES democratic nations. Even Bernard
Shaw, great apostle of democratic revolu-
ton, periodically hurls a thunderbolt of
Voltairian raillery at what he regards the
insincere, sentimental moralizing of Sir
Edward Grey and others, by which these
functionaries seek to cover up their official
incapacity with pious protestations.
Such misgivings might be regarded
as the expected thing when a nation is
struggling for its existence. We had
"a similar confusion of tongues in our
Civil War. But there are also signs
that as the American public begins to-
realize the seriousness of the social and
political problems of our own government
al system, there is a similar mistrust.
This mistrust is indicated in the growingl
tendency to look to the President, rather
than to Congress, for anything like a
courageous dealing with a question of ma
tional Importance. It is seen in the spread
of the commission form of city govern
ment. which concentrates power upon a
few administrators The same mistrust IS
shown in the general sense of the mex
perience, incapacity and disposition to-
play politics which characterize no small
portion of our popularity elected officials.
But criticisms of democracy are by no
means confined to governmental affairs.
There is a growing recognition of the
cheapness and superfciality of much of
the art. music. scholarship, literature and
even religion in the democratic society of
America. There is too much justice in
the charge that in every phase of our
activity it is the noisy, the sensational, the
intellectually shoddy-the thing done, writ
ten or said with the tongue in the cheek
which most easily gains popular applause.
Many of these criticisms are as old as
the idea of democracy itself, and the pres
ent disposition TO admit their truth does
not indicate an abandonment of demo-
cratic principles, either in Europe or
America. Democracy in Europe is being
defended on a hundred battlefelds with
more devotion than ever was enlisted IN
its cause before. We are, however, ap-
proaching a modification of democracy the
world over. The war has made imperative
a demand for higher degree Of efficiency
IN popular government and new sort OF
leadership. There is new democracy
coming, based upon the recognition of
merit and the social value of personal
superiority.
The older democracy was obsessed by
the eighteenth century dogma Of equal
ity." 1t was so intent upon doing justice
10 all men on the basis Of their mere hu
manitv that it was Indifferent to the finer
distinctions of personal worth. The only
types of merit which it recognized were
conformity to popular convention and in
dustrial efficiency; the former because,
fundamental as its specific virtues are, it
is the most impersonal and easily defined
idea of the good man; the latter because
business success lay closest to the popular
idea of the chief end of man.
The new democracy, instead of senti-
mentally ideaizing the mass and com2i-
menting it upon being a mass, will seek
10 find in the institutions of a free society
the most effective means Of selecting with
out the trammels of wealth or inherited
class distinctions, those individuals who
are best equipped by nature, genius and
training to take the responsibilities of
leadership.