ToestablishsomesortofcompromisebetweentheancienregimeandthenewidealswasthemostdifficultoftheproblemswhichBonapartehadtoresolve。HehadtodiscoverinstitutionswhichwouldsuitthetwomentalitiesintowhichFrancewasdivided。Hesucceeded,aswehaveseen,byconciliatorymeasures,andalsobydressingveryancientthingsinnewnames。
HisreignwasoneofthoserareperiodsofFrenchhistoryduringwhichthementalunityofFrancewascomplete。
Thisunitycouldnotoutlivehim。Onthemorrowofhisfallalltheoldpartiesreappeared,andhavesurviveduntilthepresentday。Someattachthemselvestotraditionalinfluences;othersviolentlyrejectthem。
Ifthislongconflicthadbeenbetweenbelieversandtheindifferent,itcouldnothavelasted,forindifferenceisalwaystolerant;butthestrugglewasreallybetweentwodifferentbeliefs。ThelayChurchverysoonassumedareligiousaspect,anditspretendedrationalismhasbecome,especiallyinrecentyears,abarelyattenuatedformofthenarrowestclericalspirit。Now,wehaveshownthatnoconciliationispossiblebetweendissimilarreligiousbeliefs。Theclericalswheninpowercouldnotthereforeshowthemselvesmoretoleranttowardsfreethinkersthantheselatterareto—daytowardtheclericals。
Thesedivisions,determinedbydifferencesofbelief,werecomplicatedbytheadditionofthepoliticalconceptionsderivedfromthosebeliefs。
ManysimplesoulshaveforlongbelievedthattherealhistoryofFrancebeganwiththeyearI。oftheRepublic。Thisrudimentaryconceptionisatlastdyingout。Eventhemostrigidrevolutionariesrenounceit,[10]andarequitewillingtorecognisethatthepastwassomethingbetterthananepochofblackbarbarismdominatedbylowsuperstitions。
[10]WemayjudgeoftherecentevolutionofideasuponthispointbythefollowingpassagefromaspeechbyM。Jaures,deliveredintheChamberofDeputies:``Thegreatnessofto—dayisbuiltoftheeffortsofpastcenturies。Franceisnotcontainedinadaynorinanepoch,butinthesuccessionofalldays,allperiods,allhertwilightsandallherdawns。’’
ThereligiousoriginofmostofthepoliticalbeliefsheldinFranceinspirestheiradeptswithaninextinguishablehatredwhichalwaysstrikesforeignerswithamazement。
``Nothingismoreobvious,nothingismorecertain,’’writesMr。
Barret—Wendell,inhisbookonFrance,``thanthisfact:thatnotonlyhavetheroyalists,revolutionaries,andBonapartistsalwaysbeenmortallyopposedtooneanother,butthat,owingtothepassionateardouroftheFrenchcharacter,theyhavealwaysentertainedaprofoundintellectualhorrorforoneanother。Menwhobelievethemselvesinpossessionofthetruthcannotrefrainfromaffirmingthatthosewhodonotthinkwiththemareinstrumentsoferror。
``Eachpartywillgravelyinformyouthattheadvocatesoftheadversecauseareafflictedbyadensestupidityorareconsciouslydishonest。Yetwhenyoumeettheselatter,whowillsayexactlythesamethingsastheirdetractors,youcannotbutrecognise,inallgoodfaith,thattheyareneitherstupidnordishonest。’’
ThisreciprocalexecrationofthebelieversofeachpartyhasalwaysfacilitatedtheoverthrowofGovernmentsandministersinFrance。Thepartiesintheminoritywillneverrefusetoallythemselvesagainstthetriumphantparty。WeknowthatagreatnumberofrevolutionarySocialistshavebeenelectedtothepresentChamberonlybytheaidofthemonarchists,whoarestillasunintelligentastheywereatthetimeoftheRevolution。
OurreligiousandpoliticaldifferencesdonotconstitutetheonlycauseofdissensioninFrance。TheyareheldbymenpossessingthatparticularmentalitywhichIhavealreadydescribedunderthenameoftherevolutionarymentality。Wehaveseenthateachperiodalwayspresentsacertainnumberofindividualsreadytorevoltagainsttheestablishedorderofthings,whateverthatmaybe,eventhoughitmayrealisealltheirdesires。
TheintoleranceofthepartiesinFrance,andtheirdesiretoseizeuponpower,arefurtherfavouredbytheconviction,soprevalentundertheRevolution,thatsocietiescanberemadebymeansoflaws。ThemodernState,whateveritsleader,hasinheritedintheeyesofthemultitudesandtheirleadersthemysticpowerattributedtotheancientkings,whentheselatterwereregardedasanincarnationoftheDivinewill。NotonlythepeopleisinspiredbythisconfidenceinthepowerofGovernment;
allourlegislatorsentertainitalso。[11]
[11]Afterthepublicationofanarticleofmineconcerninglegislativeillusions,Ireceivedfromoneofourmosteminentpoliticians,M。Boudenotthesenator,aletterfromwhichI
extractthefollowingpassage:``TwentyyearspassedintheChamberandtheSenatehaveshownmehowrightyouare。HowmanytimesIhaveheardmycolleaguessay:`TheGovernmentoughttopreventthis,orderthat,’&c。Whatwouldyouhave?therearefourteencenturiesofmonarchicalatavisminourblood。’’
Legislatingalways,politiciansneverrealisethatasinstitutionsareeffects,andnotcauses,theyhavenovirtueinthemselves。Heirstothegreatrevolutionaryillusion,theydonotseethatmaniscreatedbyapastwhosefoundationswearepowerlesstoreshape。
TheconflictbetweentheprinciplesdividingFrance,whichhaslastedmorethanacentury,willdoubtlesscontinueforalongtimeyet,andnoonecanforeseewhatfreshupheavalsitmayengender。NodoubtifbeforeoureratheAthenianscouldhavedivinedthattheirsocialdissensionswouldhaveledtotheenslavementofGreece,theywouldhaverenouncedthem;buthowcouldtheyhaveforeseenasmuch?M。Guiraudjustlywrites:``A
generationofmenveryrarelyrealisesthetaskwhichitisaccomplishing。Itispreparingforthefuture;butthisfutureisoftenthecontraryofwhatitwishes。’’
2。SummaryofaCentury’sRevolutionaryMovementinFrance。
ThepsychologicalcausesoftherevolutionarymovementswhichFrancehasseenduringthepastcenturyhavingbeenexplained,itwillnowsufficetopresentasummarypictureofthesesuccessiverevolutions。
ThesovereignsincoalitionhavingdefeatedNapoleon,theyreducedFrancetoherformerlimits,andplacedLouisXVIII。,theonlypossiblesovereign,onthethrone。
Byaspecialcharterthenewkingacceptedthepositionofaconstitutionalmonarchunderarepresentativesystemofgovernment。HerecognisedalltheconquestsoftheRevolution:
thecivilCode,equalitybeforethelaw,libertyofworship,irrevocabilityofthesaleofnationalproperty,&c。Therightofsuffrage,however,waslimitedtothosepayingacertainamountintaxes。
ThisliberalConstitutionwasopposedbytheultra—royalists。
Returnedemigres,theywantedtherestitutionofthenationalproperty,andthere—establishmentoftheirancientprivileges。
Fearingthatsuchareactionmightcauseanewrevolution,LouisXVIII。wasreducedtodissolvingtheChamber。Theelectionhavingreturnedmoderatedeputies,hewasabletocontinuetogovernwiththesameprinciples,understandingverywellthatanyattempttogoverntheFrenchbytheancienregimewouldbeenoughtoprovokeageneralrebellion。
Unfortunately,hisdeath,in1824,placedCharlesX。,formerlyComted’Artois,onthethrone。Extremelynarrow,incapableofunderstandingthenewworldwhichsurroundedhim,andboastingthathehadnotmodifiedhisideassince1789,hepreparedaseriesofreactionarylaws——alawbywhichanindemnityoffortymillionssterlingwastobepaidtoemigres;alawofsacrilege;
andlawsestablishingtherightsofprimogeniture,thepreponderanceoftheclergy,&c。
Themajorityofthedeputiesshowingthemselvesdailymoreopposedtohisprojects,in1830heenactedOrdinancesdissolvingtheChamber,suppressingthelibertyofthePress,andpreparingfortherestorationoftheancienregime。
Theeffectwasimmediate。Thisautocraticactionprovokedacoalitionoftheleadersofallparties。Republicans,Bonapartists,Liberals,Royalists——allunitedinordertoraisetheParisianpopulace。FourdaysafterthepublicationoftheOrdinancestheinsurgentsweremastersofthecapital,andCharlesX。fledtoEngland。
Theleadersofthemovement——Thiers,Casimir—Perier,LaFayette,&c。——summonedtoParisLouis—Philippe,ofwhoseexistencethepeoplewerescarcelyaware,anddeclaredhimkingoftheFrench。
Betweentheindifferenceofthepeopleandthehostilityofthenobles,whohadremainedfaithfultothelegitimatedynasty,thenewkingreliedchieflyuponthebourgeoisie。Anelectorallawhavingreducedtheelectorstolessthan200,000,thisclassplayedanexclusivepartinthegovernment。
Thesituationofthesovereignwasnoteasy。HehadtostrugglesimultaneouslyagainstthelegitimistsupportersofHenryV。thegrandsonofCharlesX。,andtheBonapartists,whorecognisedastheirheadLouis—Napoleon,theEmperor’snephew,andfinallyagainsttherepublicans。
Bymeansoftheirsecretsocieties,analogoustotheclubsoftheRevolution,thelatterprovokednumerousriotsatvariousintervalsbetween1830and1840,butthesewereeasilyrepressed。
Theclericalsandlegitimists,ontheirside,didnotceasetheirintrigues。TheDuchessdeBerry,themotherofHenryV。,triedinvaintoraisetheVendee。Astotheclergy,theirdemandsfinallymadethemsointolerablethataninsurrectionbrokeout,inthecourseofwhichthepalaceofthearchbishopofPariswassacked。
Therepublicansasapartywerenotverydangerous,astheChambersidedwiththekinginthestruggleagainstthem。TheministerGuizot,whoadvocatedastrongcentralpower,declaredthattwothingswereindispensabletogovernment——``reasonandcannon。’’Thefamousstatesmanwassurelysomewhatdeludedastothenecessityorefficacyofreason。
Despitethisstrongcentralpower,whichinrealitywasnotstrong,therepublicans,andabovealltheSocialists,continuedtoagitate。Oneofthemostinfluential,LouisBlanc,claimedthatitwasthedutyoftheGovernmenttoprocureworkforeverycitizen。TheCatholicparty,ledbyLacordaireandMontalembert,unitedwiththeSocialists——asto—dayinBelgium——toopposetheGovernment。
Acampaigninfavourofelectoralreformendedin1848inafreshriot,whichunexpectedlyoverthrewLouis—Philippe。
HisfallwasfarlessjustifiablethanthatofCharlesX。Therewaslittlewithwhichhecouldbereproached。Doubtlesshewassuspiciousofuniversalsuffrage,buttheFrenchRevolutionhadmorethanoncebeenquitesuspiciousofit。Louis—Philippenotbeing,liketheDirectory,anabsoluteruler,couldnot,asthelatterhaddone,annulunfavourableelections。
AprovisionalGovernmentwasinstalledintheHoteldeVille,toreplacethefallenmonarchy。ItproclaimedtheRepublic,establisheduniversalsuffrage,anddecreedthatthepeopleshouldproceedtotheelectionofaNationalAssemblyofninehundredmembers。
FromthefirstdaysofitsexistencethenewGovernmentfounditselfthevictimofsocialisticmanoeuvresandriots。
ThepsychologicalphenomenaobservedduringthefirstRevolutionwerenowtobewitnessedagain。Clubswereformed,whoseleaderssentthepeoplefromtimetotimeagainsttheAssembly,forreasonswhichweregenerallyquitedevoidofcommonsense——forexample,toforcetheGovernmenttosupportaninsurrectioninPoland,&c。
InthehopeofsatisfyingtheSocialists,everydaymorenoisyandexigent,theAssemblyorganisednationalworkshops,inwhichtheworkerswereoccupiedinvariousformsoflabour。Inthese100,000mencosttheStatemorethanL40,000weekly。TheirclaimtoreceivepaywithoutworkingforitforcedtheAssemblytoclosetheworkshops。
Thismeasurewastheoriginofaformidableinsurrection,50,000
workersrevolting。TheAssembly,terrified,confidedalltheexecutivepowerstoGeneralCavaignac。Therewasafour—daysbattlewiththeinsurgents,duringwhichthreegeneralsandtheArchbishopofPariswerekilled;3,000prisonersweredeportedbytheAssemblytoAlgeria,andrevolutionarySocialismwasannihilatedforaspaceoffiftyyears。
TheseeventsbroughtGovernmentstockdownfrom116to50francs。
Businesswasatastandstill。Thepeasants,whothoughtthemselvesthreatenedbytheSocialists,andthebourgeois,whosetaxestheAssemblyhadincreasedbyhalf,turnedagainsttheRepublic,andwhenLouis—Napoleonpromisedtore—establishorderhefoundhimselfwelcomedwithenthusiasm。AcandidateforthepositionofPresidentoftheRepublic,whoaccordingtothenewConstitutionmustbeelectedbythewholebodyofcitizens,hewaschosenby5,500,000votes。
VerysoonatoddswiththeChamber,theprincedecidedonacoupd’etat。TheAssemblywasdissolved;30,000personswerearrested,10,000deported,andahundreddeputieswereexiled。
Thiscoupd’etat,althoughsummary,wasveryfavourablyreceived,forwhensubmittedtoaplebisciteitreceived7,500,000votesoutof8,000,000。
Onthe2ndofNovember,1852,NapoleonhadhimselfnamedEmperorbyanevengreatermajority:ThehorrorwhichthegeneralityofFrenchmenfeltfordemagoguesandSocialistshadrestoredtheEmpire。
InthefirstpartofitsexistenceitconstitutedanabsoluteGovernment,andduringthelatterhalfaliberalGovernment。
AftereighteenyearsofruletheEmperorwasoverthrownbytherevolutionofthe4thofSeptember,1870,afterthecapitulationofSedan。
Sincethattimerevolutionarymovementshavebeenrare;theonlyoneofimportancewastherevolutionofMarch,1871,whichresultedintheburningofmanyofthemonumentsofParisandtheexecutionofabout20,000insurgents。
Afterthewarof1870theelectors,who,amidsomanydisasters,didnotknowwhichwaytoturn,sentagreatnumberofOrleanistandlegitimistdeputiestotheConstituentAssembly。Unabletoagreeupontheestablishmentofamonarchy,theyappointedM。
ThiersPresidentoftheRepublic,laterreplacinghimbyMarshalMacMahon。In1876thenewelections,likeallthosethathavefollowed,sentamajorityofrepublicanstotheChamber。
Thevariousassemblieswhichhavesucceededtothishavealwaysbeendividedintonumerousparties,whichhaveprovokedinnumerablechangesofministry。
However,thankstotheequilibriumresultingfromthisdivisionofparties,wehaveforfortyyearsenjoyedcomparativequiet。
FourPresidentsoftheRepublichavebeenoverthrownwithoutrevolution,andtheriotsthathaveoccurred,suchasthoseofChampagneandtheMidi,havenothadseriousconsequences。
Agreatpopularmovement,in1888,didnearlyoverthrowtheRepublicforthebenefitofGeneralBoulanger,butithassurvivedandtriumphedovertheattacksofallparties。
VariousreasonscontributetothemaintenanceofthepresentRepublic。Inthefirstplace,oftheconflictingfactionsnoneisstrongenoughtocrushtherest。Inthesecondplace,theheadoftheStatebeingpurelydecorative,andpossessingnopower,itisimpossibletoattributetohimtheevilsfromwhichthecountrymaysuffer,andtofeelsurethatmatterswouldbedifferentwereheoverthrown。Finally,asthesupremepowerisdistributedamongthousandsofhands,responsibilitiesaresodisseminatedthatitwouldbedifficulttoknowwheretobegin。
Atyrantcanbeoverthrown,butwhatcanbedoneagainstahostoflittleanonymoustyrannies?
IfwewishedtosumupinawordthegreattransformationswhichhavebeeneffectedinFrancebyacenturyofriotsandrevolutions,wemightsaythatindividualtyranny,whichwasweakandthereforeeasilyoverthrown,hasbeenreplacedbycollectivetyrannies,whichareverystronganddifficulttodestroy。ToapeopleavidofequalityandhabituatedtoholditsGovernmentsresponsibleforeveryeventindividualtyrannyseemedinsupportable,whileacollectivetyrannyisreadilyendured,althoughgenerallymuchmoresevere。
TheextensionofthetyrannyoftheStatehasthereforebeenthefinalresultofallourrevolutions,andthecommoncharacteristicofallsystemsofgovernmentwhichwehaveknowninFrance。Thisformoftyrannymayberegardedasaracialideal,sincesuccessiveupheavalsofFrancehaveonlyfortifiedit。StatismistherealpoliticalsystemoftheLatinpeoples,andtheonlysystemthatreceivesallsuffrages。Theotherformsofgovernment——republic,monarchy,empire——representemptylabels,powerlessshadows。
PARTIII
THERECENTEVOLUTIONOFTHEREVOLUTIONARYPRINCIPLES
CHAPTERI
THEPROGRESSOFDEMOCRATICBELIEFSSINCETHEREVOLUTION
1。GradualPropagationofDemocraticIdeasaftertheRevolution。
Ideaswhicharefirmlyestablished,incrusted,asitwere,inmen’sminds,continuetoactforseveralgenerations。ThosewhichresultedfromtheFrenchRevolutionwere,likeothers,subjecttothislaw。
AlthoughthelifeoftheRevolutionasaGovernmentwasshort,theinfluenceofitsprincipleswas,onthecontrary,verylong—
lived。Becomingaformofreligiousbelief,theyprofoundlymodifiedtheorientationofthesentimentsandideasofseveralgenerations。
Despiteafewintervals,theFrenchRevolutionhascontinueduptothepresent,andstillsurvives。TheroleofNapoleonwasnotconfinedtooverturningtheworld,changingthemapofEurope,andremakingtheexploitsofAlexander。Thenewrightsofthepeople,createdbytheRevolutionandestablishedbyitsinstitutions,haveexercisedaprofoundinfluence。Themilitaryworkoftheconquerorwassoondissolved,buttherevolutionaryprincipleswhichhecontributedtopropagatehavesurvivedhim。
ThevariousrestorationswhichfollowedtheEmpirecausedmenatfirsttobecomesomewhatforgetfuloftheprinciplesoftheRevolution。Forfiftyyearsthispropagationwasfarfromrapid。
Onemightalmosthavesupposedthatthepeoplehadforgottenthem。Onlyasmallnumberoftheoristsmaintainedtheirinfluence。Heirstothe``simplicist’’spiritoftheJacobins,believing,likethem,thatsocietiescanberemadefromtoptobottombythelaws,andpersuadedthattheEmpirehadonlyinterruptedthetaskofrevolution,theywishedtoresumeit。
Whilewaitinguntiltheycouldrecommence,theyattemptedtospreadtheprinciplesoftheRevolutionbymeansoftheirwritings。FaithfulimitatorsofthemenoftheRevolution,theyneverstoppedtoaskiftheirschemesforreformwereinconformitywithhumannature。Theytoowereerectingachimericalsocietyforanidealman,andwerepersuadedthattheapplicationoftheirdreamswouldregeneratethehumanspecies。
Deprivedofallconstructivepower,thetheoristsofalltheageshavealwaysbeenveryreadytodestroy。NapoleonatSt。Helenastatedthat``ifthereexistedamonarchyofgranitetheidealistsandtheoristswouldmanagetoreduceittopowder。’’
AmongthegalaxyofdreamerssuchasSaint—Simon,Fourier,PierreLeroux,LouisBlanc,Quinet,&c。,wefindthatonlyAugusteComteunderstoodthatatransformationofmannersandideasmustprecedepoliticalreorganisation。
Farfromfavouringthediffusionofdemocraticideas,theprojectsofreformofthetheoristsofthisperiodmerelyimpededtheirprogress。CommunisticSocialism,whichseveralofthemprofessedwouldrestoretheRevolution,finallyalarmedthebourgeoisieandeventheworking—classes。WehavealreadyseenthatthefearoftheirideaswasoneoftheprincipalcausesoftherestorationoftheEmpire。
Ifnoneofthechimericallucubrationsofthewritersofthefirsthalfofthenineteenthcenturydeservetobediscussed,itisnonethelessinterestingtoexaminetheminordertoobservethepartplayedbyreligiousandmoralideaswhichto—dayareregardedwithcontempt。Persuadedthatanewsocietycouldnot,anymorethanthesocietiesofold,bebuiltupwithoutreligiousandmoralbeliefs,thereformerswerealwaysendeavouringtofoundsuchbeliefs。
Butonwhatcouldtheybebased?Evidentlyonreason。Bymeansofreasonmencreatecomplicatedmachines:whynotthereforeareligionandamorality,thingswhichareapparentlysosimple?
Notoneofthemsuspectedthefactthatnoreligiousormoralbeliefeverhadrationallogicasitsbasis。AugusteComtesawnomoreclearly。Weknowthathefoundedaso—calledpositivistreligion,whichstillhasafewfollowers。ScientistsweretoformaclergydirectedbyanewPope,whowastoreplacetheCatholicPope。
Alltheseconceptions——political,religious,ormoral——had,I
repeat,nootherresultsforalongtimethantoturnthemultitudeawayfromdemocraticprinciples。
Iftheseprinciplesdidfinallybecomewidespread,itwasnotonaccountofthetheorists,butbecausenewconditionsoflifehadarisen。Thankstothediscoveriesofscience,industrydevelopedandledtotheerectionofimmensefactories。EconomicnecessitiesincreasinglydominatedthewillsofGovernmentsandthepeopleandfinallycreatedafavourablesoilfortheextensionofSocialism,andaboveallofSyndicalism,themodernformsofdemocraticideas。
2。TheUnequalInfluenceoftheThreeFundamentalPrinciplesoftheRevolution。
TheheritageoftheRevolutionissummedupinitsentiretyintheonephrase——Liberty,equality,andFraternity。Theprincipleofequality,aswehaveseen,hasexertedapowerfulinfluence,butthetwoothersdidnotshareitslot。
Althoughthesenseofthesetermsseemsclearenough,theywerecomprehendedinverydifferentfashionsaccordingtomenandtimes。Weknowthatthevariousinterpretationofthesamewordsbypersonsofdifferentmentalityhasbeenoneofthemostfrequentcausesoftheconflictsofhistory。
TothememberoftheConventionlibertysignifiedmerelytheexerciseofitsunlimiteddespotism。Toayoungmodern``intellectual’’thesamewordmeansageneralreleasefromeverythingirksome:tradition,law,superiority,&c。TothemodernJacobinlibertyconsistsespeciallyintherighttopersecutehisadversaries。
Althoughpoliticaloratorsstilloccasionallymentionlibertyintheirspeeches,theyhavegenerallyceasedtoevokefraternity。
Itistheconflictofthedifferentclassesandnottheiralliancethattheyteachto—day。Neverdidamoreprofoundhatreddividethevariousstrataofsocietyandthepoliticalpartieswhichleadthem。
Butwhilelibertyhasbecomeverydoubtfulandfraternityhascompletelyvanished,theprincipleofequalityhasgrownunchecked。IthasbeensupremeinallthepoliticalupheavalsofwhichFrancehasbeenthestageduringthelastcentury,andhasreachedsuchadevelopmentthatourpoliticalandsociallife,ourlaws,manners,andcustomsareatleastintheorybasedonthisprinciple。ItconstitutesthereallegacyoftheRevolution。Thecravingforequality,notonlybeforethelaw,butinpositionandfortune,istheverypivotofthelastproductofdemocracy:Socialism。Thiscravingissopowerfulthatitisspreadinginalldirections,althoughincontradictionwithallbiologicalandeconomiclaws。Itisanewphaseoftheinterruptedstruggleofthesentimentsagainstreason,inwhichreasonsorarelytriumphs。
2。TheDemocracyofthe``Intellectuals’’andPopularDemocracy。
Allideasthathavehithertocausedanupheavaloftheworldofmenhavebeensubjecttotwolaws:theyevolveslowly,andtheycompletelychangetheirsenseaccordingtothementalitiesinwhichtheyfindreception。
Adoctrinemaybecomparedtoalivingbeing。Itsubsistsonlybyprocessoftransformation。Thebooksarenecessarilysilentuponthesevariations,sothatthephaseofthingswhichtheyestablishbelongsonlytothepast。Theydonotreflecttheimageoftheliving,butofthedead。Thewrittenstatementofadoctrineoftenrepresentsthemostnegligiblesideofthatdoctrine。
Ihaveshowninanotherworkhowinstitutions,arts,andlanguagesaremodifiedinpassingfromonepeopletoanother,andhowthelawsofthesetransformationsdifferfromthetruthasstatedinbooks。Ialludetothismatternowmerelytoshowwhy,inexaminingthesubjectofdemocraticideas,weoccupyourselvessolittlewiththetextofdoctrines,andseekonlyforthepsychologicalelementsofwhichtheyconstitutethevestment,andthereactionswhichtheyprovokeinthevariouscategoriesofmenwhohaveacceptedthem。
Modifiedrapidlybymenofdifferentmentalities,theoriginaltheoryissoonnomorethanalabelwhichdenotessomethingquiteunlikeitself。
Applicabletoreligiousbeliefs,theseprinciplesareequallysotopoliticalbeliefs。Whenamanspeaksofdemocracy,forexample,mustweinquirewhatthiswordmeanstovariouspeoples,andalsowhetherinthesamepeoplethereisnotagreatdifferencebetweenthedemocracyofthe``intellectuals’’andpopulardemocracy。
Inconfiningourselvesnowtotheconsiderationofthislatterpointweshallreadilyperceivethatthedemocraticideastobefoundinbooksandjournalsarepurelythetheoriesofliterarypeople,ofwhichthepeopleknownothing,andbytheapplicationofwhichtheywouldhavenothingtogain。Althoughtheworking—