HENRY JAMES SUMNER MAINE. 363 



out, first, the consequeuces of certain ideas, what institutions they give 

 rise to, and, secondly, the consequences of certain institutions, what 

 ideas they suggest. 



The works and institutions of a people are expressive of its ideas. 

 They are the monuments and records of its intellectual life. At the 

 same time, the ideas of a people are determined almost wholly by its 

 works completed and institutions established. Ideas produce institu- 

 tions, and institutions produce ideas. So the question for the historian 

 and philosopher is what ideas have produced the best institutions, and 

 what institutions have produced the best ideas ; for we want to cultivate 

 the ideas which have had the best issues, and we want to establish the 

 institutions which give us the best ideas. 



Perhaps Maine had some such thoughts as these in his mind when 

 he wrote his Essays on Popular Government. He takes up in these 

 essays the idea of popular government, the idea of democracy, and he 

 describes its growth and the institutions to which it has given rise. 

 When the book was published, first in the Quarterly Review and 

 afterwards in book form, it was described as " a rattling Tory pamphlet 

 under the disguise of philosophy." Mr. John Morley is, I believe, 

 responsible for the epigram. It is amusing, but inapplicable. The 

 book is a compendium of Maine's political philosophy, written, as all 

 his books were, without any practical motive or purpose, and with per- 

 fect sincerity. Maine takes an unfavorable view of popular government. 

 He surveys its history, and observes that it is not an energetic form of 

 government, not efficient, not economical, not very successful. He con- 

 cludes that a democratic assembly is incapable of governing a great 

 nation as it should be governed. He says that the most successful form 

 of government has been, not that of the many, but that of the few. 

 This is all very true. Democracy considered simply as a means of 

 government is not very active, efficient, or economical. It is spend- 

 thrift both of mental and of physical forces. Nor has it been in the 

 experience of the past very successful as a means of government. But 

 we must not consider democracy as a means of government simply. It 

 is much more than that. It must be regarded as an educational insti- 

 tution. Here lies its highest utility and surest success. Democracy 

 is the most comprehensive educational institution that has ever been 

 established. 



Taking Maine's point of view, and considering democracy merely as 

 a means of governing states and nations, we may, reasonably enough, 

 agree with him. But we need not take his point of view. Instead of 

 considering merely the institutions to which the idea of democracy has 



