Sentence:  He says : `` Beside the Protestant philosophy of Progress , as expressed in radical or conservative millenarianism , should be placed the doctrine of the democratic faith which affirmed it to be the duty of the destiny of the United States to assist in the creation of a better world by keeping lighted the <WSD>beacon</WSD> of democracy '' . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance