1 88 ARISTOCRA C Y AND E VOL UTJON 



Book ii sense derive their power from the many. They do 

 so even in countries where the supreme governor is 

 an autocrat. In countries with a popular constitu- 

 tion they derive their power from the many by an 

 organised and conscious system ; but even in the 

 extremest democracies the average men can exercise 

 their power only by constant processes of surrender- 

 ing it into the hands of exceptional men. They 



THUS even in surrender it into the hands of the exceptional men 



e^tremest" 5 for the simple and enduring reason that, with very 

 e few exceptions, which will be examined in another 



essential. place, it comes into existence only in the very act of 

 surrendering it ; and the many accordingly place 

 themselves in the hands of the few because, from 

 the very constitution of human nature, they cannot 

 avoid doing so. 



We thus see that even in that sphere of political 

 action in which, if anywhere, the many should be 

 independent of the few, the many without the few 

 would have no power at all. 



Democrats. The apologists of democracy, however, have 



however, may 



argue that another argument left them. 1 hey may contend 



under demo- .1 , 



cracy the few that the exceptional men, who are necessary to the 



development of the collective powers of ordinary 

 men > though each of them is constantly, with regard 

 man y- to particular questions, following his own devices 



rather than the instructions of the electorate, do on 

 the whole, and in the long-run, substantially carry out 

 the intentions and devices of those who are theoreti- 

 cally their masters ; and that though they may do what 

 their masters could never have thought of for them- 



