The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-03-14
A FLIGHT FROM DEMOCRACY.

/, The most democratic institution in the world
is the family; workshop, field and the family
circle used to make the places where people
lived by far the largest part Of their lives.
Modern society invented the club; at first this
! was place where people gathered to be So
!, |clal, but soon it became refuge of people who
desired to be unsocial. 1t was at first nom
Egastronomic opportunity for general conversa-
ton; it became an opportunity for having a
luncheon and business appointment coalesce.
In the larger cities, people used to live in
homes widely scattered; but presently these
homes approached one another until they be-
lcame contiguous and at last were superlmposed,
lone upon the other, in apartments and tene-
lments. In all this the social philosopher has
!. proclaimed physical factor in developing the
brotherhood of man. AS men were brought
, closer together he has seen the democratic
sepirit grow, so he says Again, from small
states great nations have grown and at last,
lit is alleged by the social philosopher, that the
day is dawning when the brotherhood of man
Il to sweep even nations into one great human
society; when democracy is to see its final tri-
umph.
But it is possible for an enquiring mind to
question this whole philosophy of democratic
spirit as the remaker of the world; it is pos
slble to argue that what is breaking down the
barriers is desire to flee from the rigors of de-
mocracy, which man has by long experience
found too trying to his utmost power of pa
Itience.
This is the way of it: People have decor
lously talked of the family as staid, stable and
peaceful refuge from the world. Now people
really know that the family is not stad stable
|or peaceful: that it is made Of militant units;
that in it posing is impossible; that in it things
are really what they seem. 1t was because of
IN l,o,{
the family that people began to seek less
strenuous environment; that clubs and societies
came; and that later came sects and cliques
where the selective process of choosing kindred /
minds made conflict less imminent than it is /
in true democracy like the family. In this
same way the little village sought to expand
Ito the town and city, the neighborhood sought I
to loose It's nelghborliness and become simply |
Ia part Of an indefnable whole. People were
seeking to escape the ngors of democracy as
practiced by neghbors and took refuge in the /
irresponsible freedom of city life. Now the I
nation is becoming too small; the democratic i
knowledge is too intimate; we are too we'll
aware of each other; our differences of opinion 1
can be brought home too vehemently by the /
people next door to u.s. the whole world is a |!
freer place In which to thresh out questions
and broader ground of choice for members
of particular ciques and sects.
1t Is not much democratic emotion: not
SO much brotherliness of feeling; not so much
the emotion of common humanity as the fear
of the turmoil of real democracy that is af-
fecting many Of US. Right at our doors are
our neighbors whom by holy writ we are bid
den to love as ourselves If this admonition
were needed, is it probable that the need of
great outreaching to utter1nost ends of the
earth would be found desirable to make the Ii
world safe for democracyG Wrongs righted
by actual neighborly cooperation in communi-
ties in cities, in industrial plants in industries,
in states and in nations, would do the business Il
Because it is SO hard to be true to the duty
Of neighborllness breaking up neigh
borhoods, societies and nations. We are really
running away from responsibility, or seeking
to; we are afraid of the rigors of democracy
because they mean actual effort and sacrifice j
by each and every one of us.
Great Britain has released from bond fifty
per cent more spirits, in spite of the protests of
reformers and prohibitionists. But having kept
their spirits up III emergency that covered =
four bitter years, Englishmen are going to vim
dictate the right of personal liberty by putting
them down.