Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1917-12-28

cndoUyor have been abundantly worth
their cost, John liuskn declares that
the justification for a plant IL fur
nishod by ms 1gwcs; that in the
thought Of nature there IL in a plant
nothing else but flowers, / thought Of
that in Washington last spring, Mt the
time OF the visit Of the Right Honor,
able Arthur Bolfour rs head of the
/ British Commission, when II was my
privilege 10 observe from day 10 day
the breeding of tho mantle refine.
mcnt Of his kindly face; the modest
unaffected courtesy Of his bearing; the
mingled simplicity and strength Of his
public uttormcc There, It seemed 10
me, was the very flower Of nation 3
social systcm-o splendid justification
Of English aistocr0cy,
And what was the goal however
distant, however dimy deserted,
toward which our Pilgrim fathers set
their f0ccs2 Or, to use the Ruskn
figure, what was to be the bright, con.
summatc flower that should Justify the
seed they sowcd in the soil Of new
world' What, indeed, hut the ideal
community, multiplied, with q nation 's
growth, around ten thousand centcrs
and dotting all It's vast cxpOnsc "from
sea to shining sca"2 And the worth
lest way for us TO do them honor, the
task to set before ourselves on occa.
sions such as this, is to make Of Mid.
dlebury the community Of their dream
But how shall we 90 about II, and
what shall he the guagc of our success ;
The query brings us to closer quarters
and demands definition, or, If not n
definition Of democracy itself, at least
a clcan'cut statement ms to the fruits
by which il shall be known. I recall
no better statement, simple yet com
prehcnsivc, than that of the great
French scientist, Pastcur; "Thc true
democracy" he SAYS, "is one which
permits each individual to put forth his
maximum effort, " It is at once n def.
milton and test, and not alone Of an
ideal democracy but Of an ideal com.
munity as well; n test. moreover ready
TO our hand whenever serious self.
searching shall take the place of n
satisfied complaccncc.
We cannot perhaps do better than
to suppose concrete ease, To the
child that is born in Middlchurv tn.
dav, how much have we to offer
When his soul "drcw from out the vast
and struck its being into bounds" was
he fortunate in the SPOT il chose? Is
Middlcbury good place in which to
be born and reared, in which to live
and love and labor, in which to spend
ones declining days and be gathered
at lest to ones fathcrs' That child
is born, whatever his status with Ger.
tain capacities and powers whose flu
turc fortunes are closely linked with
socicty'S wellbeing, and it is one of
his inalienable rights if the principles
of democracy are sound, this privilege
in Pastems phrase, of putting forth
his maximum of effort. How com.
pletclv may he do it hcre2 Is the vii.
lagc life which must foster those ca.
paritlcs ana powers of such n sort as
will insure, or at least as will not hin.
der, their fun development? viii it
permit him to become, in all the sue.
ccssivc stages Of his activity, the most
that he is capable Of being. or will il
rctard or pcver his growth in posi-.
tive and negative WAYS? II is the
answer TO questions such rs these that
must determine the worh--thc safe.
ncSs-of our democracy. If in any
phase Of that child 5 career it shall
prove a handicap. not a help, to have
been born in Middlcburv. then some.
thug needs adjustment in our corpor-
ate ailairs-thcn by Just that much our
village fails of being safely democratic.
And the test is strangely suggestive Of
that imposed, at thc last great dav. ON
the individual sonl As why. indeed.
should it >not be? When Mddchurv
is to be iudgcd-acain aud again one
thought returns TO that Fundamental
fact-it is we who are mp for Judgment
In their best estate. democracy proves
TO be Christian, Christianity democrat
ic; aud whether in our individual or
in oW corporate capacity. inasmuch as
we lid If unto one of the least of these
His brethren. we did it unto Him.
The identity that is here revealed is
\ warrant for further conclusions. Our
fault MS community is the wider
Fault of the uation--an excess of in.
lividualiSm. We lack and need the
harmony. the mfving. altmistic i'm.
.uISc, Of civic consciousness. ms the
lntiOu LoS ,yoitoJ Gft,. ,.o,re r,,.. a.,