Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: The American and the Intellectual Life moulding the traditions of a virile race, though for a time he may make its fashions. ‘ In like spirit a contemporary statesman, speaking from the vantage ground of a unique public service in a most difficult post, has written:
Occasions do occur, which in these democratic days are becoming more, rather than less frequent, when the best service a government official can render to his country is to place himself in opposition to the public view. Indeed, if he feels certain that he is right, it is his bounden duty to do so, especially in respect to questions as to which public opinion is ill informed. 2 A majority carries no moral weight because it is a majority, although it may, if it chooses, enforce its views and preferences by brute force. A majority carries moral weight only when it is right. A democracy learns this invaluable lesson only when it has first learned to give weight to the reflective habit of mind. The vast and unremitting educational activity in the United States, the constant and generous support of literary and scientific undertakingsof every kind, and the increasing deference paid The Popularity versus worth Educational activity 1 Oliver, Alexander Hamilton, p. 436. 1 Earl of Cromer, Modern Egypt, 1:438. to the opinions of those who speak with the au- American thority of knowledge, are all evidences that at and tjle bottom the American people do believe that re- Life flection is a better guide for life than appetite. The demagogue is constantly telling those who will listen to him that the voice of the people is the voice of God, and that it is better to trust the instincts and common-sense of the masses to solve political and economic problems than to follow the guidance of the expert…