Cook and Cook: Biology and Government 



253 



tries than among civilized people. To 

 know what should be done is the first 

 qualification of constructive leadership. 

 Fully intelligent, right-minded men no 

 more desire to control than to be con- 

 trolled. For those who are anxious to 

 find their place in the world and to do 

 their share of the work, external compul- 

 sion is not needed. Organization, plans, 

 and directions that coordinate effort are 

 understood and obeyed, but arbitrary, 

 unnecessary orders are resented. 



The sense of present-day humanity — 

 that popular government is the best — ■ 

 is the product of the long experience 

 that history records and is not in con- 

 flict with biology or with the scientific 

 spirit. Freedom is the eldest daughter 

 of Science, according to Thomas Jeffer- 

 son, who saw very clearly that the 

 human mind must be liberated in order 

 to work out a higher destiny, and that 

 this provision for progress must be a 

 fundamental consideration in govern- 

 ment. The Napoleonic theory that 

 "governments are established to aid 

 society to overcome the obstacles which 

 impede its march" is less profound 

 because it does not so clearly recognize 

 the source of constructive progress in 

 the scientific mind, and the need of 

 excluding all forms of artificial domina- 

 tion and oppression of the mind, as well 

 as the physical forms of injustice. 

 Scientific men, even more than others, 

 should appreciate the need of progress 

 in government to meet changes of other 

 kinds. Our experiment in democracy is 

 very different from any that preceded 

 it, in being aimed toward scientific 

 government. 



Mr. Ireland's theory of government 

 does not appear progressive, but dis- 

 tinctly archaic. It is conceived, as he 

 says, "on the level plain of routine," 

 the object being "to direct the energy 

 of the mass," a project like making all 

 the clocks strike at the same instant, as 

 in the traditional effort of another disil- 

 lusioned specialist in government. In- 

 stead of looking forward to a world of 

 capable, right-minded people, "wisdom 

 and talent" are to be established in 



authority as a select class, to avoid a 

 catastrophe that threatens the existing 

 order through the advance of democracy. 



But there would be more danger that 

 placing a select class in control would 

 in,sure its destruction in the usual way, 

 instead of tending to preserve it. Re- 

 sponsible majorities are not dangerous, 

 but irresponsible minorities, of parasites 

 or fanatics. Where has democracy pro- 

 duced any such reactions as the French 

 Revolution a century ago, or the Rus- 

 sian Revolution of today ? What are 

 the principles or theories that need to be 

 applied in government, but cannot be 

 presented and explained for the ap- 

 proval of a free electorate ? 



Not too much power in the hands of 

 the people, but too little of active, con- 

 structive interest in problems of general 

 welfare, even among intelligent citizens, 

 is the most serious danger in popular 

 government. People think of the gov- 

 ernment much as they think of an 

 insurance company. They pay their tax 

 assessments passively and assume that a 

 mysterious system will attend properly 

 to the public work. Our theories are 

 democratic, but many of our habits are 

 still feudal or monarchic. We are far 

 enough from monarchy to think of the 

 government as responsible to the people, 

 yet not far enough for people to think of 

 themselves as responsible for govern- 

 ment. A special lesson on this point is 

 now being had in Germany. 



The general problem of government is 

 to develop popular systems along lines 

 of wider and more direct interest to the 

 people, not to restrict interest or re- 

 sponsibility to a special governing class 

 and revert to institutions of arbitrary 

 power. The discussion of eugenics and 

 other applications of biology no doubt 

 will lend more constructive interest to 

 political questions. Eventually there 

 may be developed a truly biological 

 conception of the race as a living organi- 

 zation, and of governments and other 

 social institutions as means of conscious 

 adaptation, to meet progressive needs in 

 each generation. 



