SUPPLY DEPENDENT ON THE FEW 235 



and to the few alone. The practical validity of this Book in 

 reasoning has been shown in the preceding chapter, 

 and defended against the common objections sure to 

 be brought against it ; and just now it was reinforced 

 incidentally when we were considering the influence 

 of the many on the doctrines of the Church of Rome ; 

 for whilst the essentially democratic origin of these 

 doctrines was insisted on, it was shown that the 

 religion of the Catholic democracy could have no 

 organic growth, no definition nor cohesion without 

 the aristocracy of theologians and the machinery of 

 popes and councils. It was further pointed out For though m 



. r -111 r 1 i tne process of 



that if even m the development of religion the production 

 many are dependent on the exceptional powers of dependent^ 

 the few, in the process of economic production they the few> 

 are incalculably more dependent. For whilst 

 Catholicism represents the ideas of the multitude, 

 analysed, perfected, and carried out by the few, 

 advanced economic production, such as the produc- 

 tion of a beautiful cathedral, represents the ideas of 

 the few carried out in partial or complete ignorance 

 by the multitude. 



Attention must now be called to certain further 

 facts which constitute the final evidence of the truth 

 of the same conclusions. 



The facts now referred to are those of con- (a fact which 



the powers of 



temporary trade unionism. These are supposed trade unionism 

 by many of the trade unionists and their sympathisers m ore u 

 to show the growth of democratic power in the appare 

 domain of production generally. What they do in 

 reality is to exhibit its essential limitations. They 



