Politics and Social Changes 



supreme moment, and things have slipped back 

 into the old groove, and it is idle to dwell 

 upon the might-have-beens. Franco and his 

 enthusiastic young lieutenants were doubtless 

 too far in advance of the circumstances of their 

 time and country. No permanent reform will 

 be effected until there is an overwhelming 

 public opinion, and public opinion can hardly 

 exist until the people are educated. It is said 

 that, both on the mainland and here, eighty to 

 ninety per cent, of the adult population cannot 

 read or write. An illiterate man, necessarily 

 quite uninformed, cannot exercise any influence 

 for good in politics, though he may be an 

 instrument on the other side. We have to p;o 

 back some distance in English history to find 

 such a state of affairs prevailing, and then we 

 see not wholly dissimilar conditions as regards 

 corruption. We have heard of Paymasters- 

 General making vast fortunes in a few years, 

 and we know that the connections of the 

 governing families swarmed in sinecure offices. 

 Some atrophied survivals of such a system may 

 still exist, but toleration of them is not one of 

 the faults of an educated electorate, whatever 

 they may be. 



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