Bates. — On Democracy. 105 



place in England since the Eevolution. One thing is proved 

 by it — namely, that the just demands of the people cannot in 

 the long-run be resisted. A special good which resulted from 

 the victory of the plebeians was that out of the patrician and 

 plebeian elements of the body social was formed an assembly 

 — the Eoman Senate — which has been described as "the first 

 political corporation of the world." 



In our day the more advanced stages of democracy are 

 represented mainly by the Eepublics of France, Switzerland, 

 and the United States, and by the Australasian Colonies. 

 Each of these types is well worthy of the closest study, but 

 probably the one that will teach the most important lessons 

 and have the greatest interest for mankind will be that of the 

 United States. Here we have the sturdy, self-reliant Anglo- 

 Saxon, long trained in the difficult art of self-government, 

 applying on a vast scale the principles of democracy. This 

 great social experiment, if such it must be regarded, is entitled 

 to the most kindly and hopeful sympathy of all lovers of their 

 species. We are hardly justified in predicting the failure of 

 democracy in the modern world, and as exhibited in the 

 Teutonic race, because of the breakdown of the two ancient 

 republics. Teutonic democracy has been developed on differ- 

 ent lines. Unlike the Greeks and Romans, the Teutonic did 

 not pass through the urban commonwealth to the stage of 

 national existence. " The nations of the Teutonic race," says 

 Freeman, " alike in Germany, in Britain, and in Scandinavia, 

 grew from tribes into nations without ever going through the 

 Greek stage of a system of isolated cities." Where the pro- 

 cess of development has been so diverse, the resulting type of 

 democracy, if less brilliant, may prove more permanent. It 

 is certainly less concentrated and stimulating than that of 

 Greece, and on this ground alone might be expected to be 

 more lasting. A widely - scattered population, with most 

 diverse interests, must exercise much coolness and considera- 

 tion in order to carry on government with any degree of 

 success. It is in just such circumstances and under such 

 conditions that modern democracy lives and acts. 



The innate tendency of the Aryan race to self-government 

 has already been touched upon, but in the Teutonic branch 

 the system of representation has enabled the people at large, 

 when unable to be present in person at the law-making body, 

 to have a voice in the government of themselves. Ancient 

 democracies had no representative system. This happy device 

 is distinctive of Teutonic democracy, more especially in recent 

 times; but science has aided and abetted the genius of the 

 race, and rendered the modern development of democracy 

 possible and inevitable. By the telegraph and other means of 

 rapid communication contagious thought is enabled to travel 



