THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK BOSTON CHICAGO DALLAS ATLANTA SAN FRANCISCO MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED LONDON BOMBAY CALCUTTA MADRAS MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN COMPANY TORONTO THE MEANING of DEMOCRACY WILLIAM F. RUSSELL Dean, School of Education, Teachers College, Columbia University THOMAS H. BRIGGS Professor of Education, Teachers College, Columbia University THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK 1941 COPYRIGHT, 1941, BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY All rights reserved-no part of this book may be re- PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA JC423 PREFACE This book is prepared in the belief that democracy is the highest type of society and of government yet devised by man and that it must be understood before it can be effectively lived. Democracy with its concern for the welfare and happiness of all mankind, regardless of birth, inheritance, status, color, or creed, with its respect for human personality, and its faith in the wisdom of pooled judgments is not a natural way of life. It is always in competition with the desire of the strong to dominate the weak and thus gain special privileges and superior advantages for themselves. Democracy, gradually developed by the struggles of man toward enlightened altruism, can be neither bestowed nor imposed. Every new generation, every individual must learn what its foundations and its ideals are, must develop a faith in its superiority over all other forms of social living, and must with that developed faith acquire a determination to apply it to all the problems of life. Most people in this country profess a loyalty to democracy, but that loyalty cannot be effective unless it is based upon a thorough understanding of what democracy is and of what it implies for human relationships. Although the fundamental principles and ideals M120095 |