a Political Factor 71 



for the commonweal; and where special legislation 

 or administration is needed, as it often must be, for 

 a certain class, the need can be met primarily by 

 mere honesty and common sense. But if men are 

 elected solely from any caste, or on any caste theory, 

 the voter gradually substitutes the theory of allegi 

 ance to the caste for the theory of allegiance to the 

 commonwealth as a whole, and instead of demand 

 ing as fundamental the qualities of probity and 

 broad intelligence which are the indispensable 

 qualities in securing the welfare of the whole as 

 the first consideration, he demands, as a substitute, 

 zeal in the service, or apparent service of the class, 

 which is quite compatible with gross corruption 

 outside. In short, we get back to the conditions 

 which foredoomed democracy to failure in the an 

 cient Greek and mediaeval republics, where party 

 lines were horizontal and class warred against class, 

 each in consequence necessarily substituting devo 

 tion to the interest of a class for devotion to the 

 interest of the state and to the elementary ideas of 

 morality. 



The only way to avoid the growth of these evils 

 is, so far as may be, to help in the creation of con 

 ditions which will permit mutual understanding and 

 fellow-feeling between the members of different 

 classes. To do this it is absolutely necessary that 

 there should be natural association between the 



