76o CONSERVATION 



than either, which, for want of a better ther back throngh Epicurus to Democ- 



word to describe an ethical democracy, ritus, the founder of atomism and 



I call tentatively Nationalism. doubtless of the Democratic party, if 



It is due to Theodore Roosevelt al- Epicurus can be believed that Leucip- 

 most wholly, not only that the distinc- pius never existed. And, by the way, 

 tion has been made between the democ- speaking of the political atomism of 

 racy of individualism and ethical democ- democracy. Democritus, the first con- 

 racy, which is not exactly, perhaps, the sistent, and perhaps the original, Jeffer- 

 democracy of altruism ; but that founda- sonian Democrat, conceived the uni- 

 tions have been laid for a democracy verse as constituted of infinitesimal 

 which implies that human progress is atoms floating in an infinite void, 

 rational and not fortuitous, that its Everything happens from the accidental 

 foundations are scientific, and that they meeting of these atoms in this void, 

 do not lie in the quicksands of whim- There is a god upon the throne of this 

 sicality and blind chance and laisses- universe, endowed with two functions, 

 faire. namely, mixture and separation. The 



A new era in American politics dates atoms themselves, devoid of qualities, 

 from the beginning of the Roosevelt are regulated by a force outside, not 

 administration. While this new era is immanent, and Aristotle has not un- 

 revolutionary in its results, it is the justly named this god Chance. If this 

 simplest development, on conservative exact theory could be transferred to a 

 lines, of a principle as old as the Amer- theory of politics, excepting the doc- 

 ican Republic. He has opposed two trine that the atoms are devoid of quali- 

 philosophies, or at least drawn a sharp ties, you w^ould have a pure democracy 

 distinction between them — the philos- of individualism. In it you have indi- 

 ophy of individualism, that of all rights vidualism minus the selfish instinct, 

 and no duties, which has found its Endow each atom with a sovereign, 

 classic expression in the Declaration of selfish motive*; predicate of progress 

 Independence, and the philosophy of that everything happens from the acci- 

 duties as well as rights, of the reci- dental meeting of these self-seeking 

 procity of the golden rule, which has atoms floating in the social void ; as- 

 found its expression in the Constitution sume that there is no immanent rea- 

 of the United States. The trend of Mr. son or ethic among them, but that a 

 Roosevelt's work has been straight away blind god is shooting the arrows of 

 from anarchy and toward law and or- whimsically undirected forces at ran- 

 der. It has led away from individu- dom through time and space, and you 

 alism, and, while not toward socialism, have something like an individualism so 

 it has tended toward socialization, to- pure that Democritus and Thomas Jef- 

 ward national organization, in other ferson both might have claimed it as 

 words, so far as it can be conceived their own. 



from a strictly political standpoint, by And so the individualist and demo- 

 scientific methods, and limited by Amer- cratic conception of the American State 

 ican institutions. His position is that is that of a conglomeration of 85,000,000 

 of the old nationalism, developed and self-centers, in more or less of juxta- 

 up to date, which began to call order position, each moving toward some- 

 out of the individualist chaos of the thing or other with a selfish and intro" 

 national history from the moment spective instinct, and that something 

 Alexander Hamilton entered the de- certain pleasurable sensations to be en- 

 bates on the Constitution ; that nation- joyed by that particular organism, 

 alism which without cessation has been Each self-center pulls and struggles 

 encroaching upon the political atomism without common spirit or will, without 

 of democracy — the atomism Thomas archetectonic reason, or "oversoul," and 

 Jefiferson adopted from the school of unrestrained by considerations of right 

 the French Revolution ; the atomism or wrong, except in terms of pleasure 

 whose direct lineage can be traced or pain. The fundamental error in- 

 through Hobbes and Locke and fur- volved in this whole theory is that so 



