New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-23
THE DEMOCRATIC STATE
The Difficult Problem of Arousins D..
votion to a Vague Ideal.
To tho Editor OF The Tribune.

To tho Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: It is very difficult thing 70 plan :,
way by which democratic state can maj,
each citizen feel tina. he or she owes duty "a
a vague, loosely constructed and quite is..,
centre. democracy soon begins 70 leara
the lesson Of its duty to the poorer, ls,,
satisfactory elements Of the community. N.
pauper or the ill-Atted. The need 10 TAX.
these elements into consideration is created
perhaps as much by the consciousness OF s.t.
protection as by a large humanitsrisni,m
But conservation 10 concrete reality, A via.
ible centre, is hard to rouse, and the poin,
has come 70 be with US how can We mai.
every man or woman feel he or sae h, 70
pay as much service to the democratic stat.
and this voluntarily. as pressure hs. shown
the citizen may be forced to pay 70 the auto
cratic state?
It is probably not without signiheanc. tina,
our movement for preparedness coincide,
9ith this Great War, which We trust will
liberate at least one nation from unaus,.
tioning obedience 70 militaristic centre.
This preparedness seems the first great or.
ganized attempt TO create the idea tina, Their,
is centre which has a right 20 call UPON
us for service and devotion-a centre which
we are at the same time creating and s.ry
ing. which is to prove its right 70 Us ana
all we are, and at the same time 20 max. our
service willing and voluntary. Why should
the alien within our gates feel any special
devotion when he sees the native born going
in and out absorbed in his personal interests,
Why should not our state be exploited
robbed. served by men OF mean capacity when
it demands so little direct service or con.
scious allegiance? The very going 10 Pls,t,.
burg, small thing as it seems, and wh,..v.r
its avowed purpose may be, is a step in III.
right direction.
We need somehow 70 create q great, clean.
vigorous, serviceable civilization, and shoud
we ever be called upon TO face defensive Or
protective war II will be well aud tly
wsged
And II some OF the preparedness talk seen
foolish or exaggerated, or as placing the
wrong emphasis, it is not smiss for each
one OF US 20 ask what We can contribute 70
the democratic state, not only In an em.r-
gency, but along our everyday path
The Swiss system seems 70 me 70 cover
more ground than anything suggested. The
conditions under which men OF all elssse,
and occupations are to be together in the
open will help in the solving Of our perous
economic questions. Master and man, en-
ployer and employee, cannot lie together in
the same tent without common understand
ing which will at least modify industrial
strife. And many man through such free
association will have a chance which might
never have come TO him otherwise
We may refresh our imagination with thi,
paragraph from Plato's Laws, longing that
it shall be a prophecy OF our own future:
"And the state will be perfected and be-
come a waking reality, which little while
ago we attempted 10 create a. a dream and
in idea only, mingling together reason and
mind in one image, in the hope that on;
citizens might be duly mingled and rightly
and being educated and dwelling
in the citadel Of the land. might become per
feet guardians, such we have never seen
in all our previous life, by reason Of the
saving virtue which is in them"
/. s. ". PERKINS
Concord, Mass, May Is, 1916.