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SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVIII. No. 720 



developed or heterogeneous society, like our 

 present, however, conditions are different. 

 Here we find classes performing different 

 services to the community and securing un- 

 equal rewards in proportion to the im- 

 portance of their class functions. It is 

 essential for the preservation of democracy, 

 that under such conditions equality of op- 

 portunity to pass from one class to another 

 shall remain absolutely open to all indi- 

 viduals. Great inequalities of material 

 wealth are not incompatible with demo- 

 cratic government, or democratic society, 

 but the pursuit of wealth as the principal 

 object of the members of that society and 

 its adoption as the criterion of personal 

 success and worth, are a danger to democ- 

 racy. It is necessary, therefore, to have 

 tests of success and ideals of life, in addi- 

 tion to those of a mere economic character. 

 Hence, we must have a variety of social 

 classes in different important pui'suits, suc- 

 cess in each of which is as well thought of 

 by the people and is as well rewarded by 

 public applause as success in any other, 

 and the opportunity to pursue any one of 

 which is equally open to all. It is true, 

 therefore, that in a democracy there is 

 room for a class of scholars as well as for a 

 class of carpenters. But it is not enough 

 for my pui-pose to say that there is a place 

 for scholarship in the democratic scheme. 

 We must show the need for it and show 

 that scholarship will supply the need. 



Intellectual aud spiritual inequality are 

 established by nature, and no form of 

 society can do away with them. Now the 

 preservation of opportunity to secure 

 equality of status in intellectual and 

 spiritual matters, depends on the existence 

 of an accessible class whose service is the 

 promotion of scholarship and research and 

 who are devoted to the service of the 

 public. For, in the first place, the exist- 

 ence of this scholarly class and the promo- 

 tion of scholarship will open up ever new 



lines of industi'ial opportvmity and will 

 therefore tend to prevent the permanent 

 lodging of the power of wealth in any one 

 group, since the poor man of to-day may be 

 the rich man of to-morrow. 



In the second place, and of far more im- 

 portance, the promotion of scholarship and 

 the existence of a scholarly class will fur- 

 nish the true leaders of democracy. For 

 the destiny of democracy will be de- 

 termined, in the last analysis, by the char- 

 acter of the influential few who mold public 

 opinion. The people demand and follow 

 leaders. No race and no class can make 

 progress without them. The opportunity 

 for the talented to become leaders should 

 be furnished, therefore, by a democratic 

 society. The scholar is and should be the 

 pioneer of such a society to discover new 

 lands for democracy to possess; its fron- 

 tiersman, to push forward the boundaries 

 of its life, to enlarge the possibilities of 

 its prosperity and happiness, to leaven its 

 mass and create the conditions of a chang- 

 ing type of democratic citizenship. The 

 pioneer discoveries of the scholar become 

 in time the substance of the education and 

 life of the democratic masses. As the 

 problems of democracy become more 

 numerous and complex the need for such 

 leadership is more keenly felt. In its ab- 

 sence, caused in part by misunderstanding 

 and distrust of those who are devoted to 

 higher education, the people have turned 

 to that curious and contemptible product 

 called the "boss." But the boss can not 

 always retain his leadership. He will re- 

 treat before the advance of intelligence. 

 What is necessary is a proof that the 

 scholar is a more honest and competent 

 guide than the boss, and signs are not 

 wanting that the public is learning to have 

 more confidence in him. In short, if a 

 democracy is to be stable, progressive and 

 permanent, it must itself provide educa- 

 tional facilities which will maintain and 



