The Altruistic Type of Government 225 



governmental right to control right action, be socialistic, 

 rather than democratic. But that view is undoubtedly high- 

 est, in the morality of evolution, which is induced by the 

 altruistic considerations. Liberty is moral, in the value 

 which lies in the fact that the responsible individual knows 

 his needs and capacities, better than any other creature can 

 know them. Altruism is voluntary itself, and concedes vo- 

 lition to others. It allows to each one that he is better able 

 to judge and decide, than any other creature (not excepting 

 even a government or its agent), his own proper course of 

 private conduct. The idea of moral democracy is therefore 

 the minimum of control, and that only in negative expres- 

 sion ; preventing things injurious to the community. This 

 is all that human wisdom justifies, in its latest and highest 

 practice of politics. 



The progress of the democratic idea in favor of the re- 

 striction of the governing power to the function of restrain- 

 ing men from activities injurious to the community, tends 

 inevitably toward a lessening of its authority as a moral 

 control, yet it does not always lessen its influence toward 

 morality. Leadership remains natural to it, in relation to 

 matters necessitating unified collective action of the aggre- 

 gate. But in these the function of government is not always 

 to lead in its own wisdom, but it is often to find a speciaHzed 

 leader; as when, for war, a general is found, who is prefer- 

 ably not the chief executive. So too the social organization 

 for research work, prefers a specialist who is withdrawn 

 from the business life because of his peculiar ability. Al- 

 though many activities continue to be the proper duties of 

 the executive government, they are becoming more strictly 



IS 



