THE NEW DEMOCRACY 217 



ized. The lone man cannot be really free. True free- 

 dom implies working with one's fellows. Both self- 

 interest and public interest demand cooperation. The 

 individual becomes responsible to all the rest to an ex- 

 tent that makes his attitude toward them the real test 

 of morals. If he works for the common good he is a 

 good man; if he works against it he is a bad man. In 

 the same way all of us must assume a new responsibil- 

 ity for each individual's well-being. 



Perhaps some one will discover a better word than 

 " efficiency " to describe the idea that is now conveyed 

 by that word; but we cannot dispense with the idea. 

 Democracy must be truly efficient if it is to be perma- 

 nent. Now the key to efficiency is organization that 

 process by which each person does in the best way 

 what he can best do to help carry out some common 

 plan. But organization usually means a planning and 

 directing mind. There must be a leader, usually a 

 " boss." Democracies realize this and so they choose 

 their " boss." This man is cheerfuly obeyed so long 

 as he himself is efficient and fair; when he is not, he is 

 displaced. An autocracy gives the participants in any 

 given piece of work no chance either to choose or to re- 

 call the leader or commander. If democracy so wills, 

 it can be more truly and permanently efficient than an 

 autocracy, because it can substitute free, interested, in- 

 telligent, cooperating groups for coerced underlings. 

 These truths apply to industry as well as to govern- 

 ment. Here lies one of democracy's great tasks when 

 the war is over to unite freedom with efficiency, to 

 make cooperating groups, under expert leadership, take 

 the place, the world over and in all departments of 

 human work and life, of compulsory terms of labor 

 and of autocratic methods of organizations. 



