THE NEW DEMOCRACY 215 



the poverty of such resources is characteristic. This 

 would not be so serious if there were not increasing lim- 

 itations of a more fundamental sort. On the whole the 

 country child does not have as good a chance for a 

 thorough schooling as the city child. The country 

 church is not, as a rule, exercising as much leadership in 

 constructive thinking about the application of Christian 

 principles to human problems as the city church. 

 Books and solid periodicals are found everywhere in 

 the country, but it is a question whether, for example, 

 there are to-day among farmers as many real students 

 of democratic policies as there are among working men. 

 The isolation of the farmer has helped him to a real 

 independence or freedom, but it tends also gradually to 

 lessen his chances for an equal race with his fellows in 

 other occupations. 



RESPONSIBLE PARTICIPATION IN AFFAIRS 



We say that in a democracy the people rule. We 

 mean that each citizen has his chance to express his 

 views about how all the people shall act. He partici- 

 pates in government because the whole thing eventually 

 comes back to him for approval or disapproval. Now 

 the oncoming fight for more democracy is based on the 

 idea that the people shall manage their work as well as 

 their politics. We were so proud of our freedom 

 which allowed an individual to manage his own busi- 

 ness, that when big business grew up we were inclined 

 to forget that the men who furnish labor as well as the 

 men who furnish capital or those who supply executive 

 ability, should have a part in the management of the 

 entire business. We are now asking ourselves whether 

 this scheme is fair. Does the workman really get his 



