Problems in American Democracy Part 72

Especially ought the press and the school to be encouraged to give both sides of debatable questions. Every agency dealing with the issues of American life, indeed, ought to be careful not to distort those issues by suppressing or misusing facts. Above all, we must be careful not to pander to low ideals by emphasizing the negative and destructive side of our problems.

491. RESPONSIBILITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL.--A progressive civilization confers more and more benefits upon the individual, but his duties and responsibilities increase with equal speed. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, "It is not difficult to be virtuous in a cloistered and negative way," but honestly and effectively to fulfill the obligations of citizenship in a complex society is less easy. And yet the need of individual responsibility is infinitely greater in a modern community than among the members of an isolated and self-sufficient group. When small isolated villages were the dominant form of American settlement, the laxness of one group did not vitally affect the welfare of other groups. But so entwined are the present-day citizens of the United States that the acts of one individual may vitally affect the national well-being. The carelessness of a food canner on the Pacific coast may cost the life of a family on the Atlantic seaboard; a swindle originating in the East may demoralize individuals throughout the country. The obligations of citizenship have become national as well as local; in thought and in action the individual must function, not only in terms of his locality, but in terms of the nation as well.

492. THE POWER OF THE INDIVIDUAL.--Measuring himself against more than a hundred million of his fellows, the average American citizen is likely to be overpowered by the apparent futility and powerlessness of his personal opinions. And yet the power of the nation is only the result of the combined influences of its individual citizens. All power is with the individual. However much the absolute monarchy may have suppressed the individual, in a democracy he can become a vital force in government. We are too fond of taking censuses on the one hand, and of deferring to governmental mechanisms on the other. The individual _is_ master of his fate, and he _is_ the ultimate determinant of government. If government is sound, the misbehavior of the individual can ruin it; if government is defective, the a.s.sumption of responsibility by the individual must ultimately reform it. We do not need a fool-proof government half as much as we need active, responsible individuals to run the government we already have. "How long will American democracy last?" a European statesman once asked.

"Just so long," the answer might have been, "as Americans honestly and intelligently grapple with the problems confronting them, holding themselves individually responsible for the conduct of government, and seeking consistently to exert an influence upon their community life which shall be constructive and inspirational."

QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT

1. Define Public Opinion.

2. What is the relation of Public Opinion to law?

3. What is the importance of Public Opinion in a democracy?

4. Why should the opinions of individuals be clarified and organized?

5. Describe the importance of home life in this regard.

6. How does the school affect the opinions of individuals?

7. What is the significance of the church with regard to Public Opinion?

8. What is the effect of the theatre upon Public Opinion?

9. Explain clearly the relation of the press to Public Opinion.

10. What are the dangers of unregulated Public Opinion?

11. In what way is freedom a safeguard against unsound Public Opinion?

12. What two facts justify the guidance of Public Opinion?

13. Discuss the relation of Public Opinion to the individual.

14. What can be said as to the power of the individual?

REQUIRED READINGS

1. Williamson, _Readings in American Democracy_, chapter x.x.xviii.

Or all of the following:

2. Brewer, _American Citizenship_, chapter v.

3. Bryce, _Modern Democracies_, vol. i, chapter xv; vol. ii, chapter xliv.

4. Lowell, _Popular Government and Public Opinion_, chapter iii.

QUESTIONS ON THE REQUIRED READINGS

1. What is the relation of h.o.m.ogeneity of population to Public Opinion? (Lowell, pages 34-35.)

2. Why must the minority be free to express its dissent? (Lowell, pages 36-37.)

3. How is the drift of Public Opinion to be determined? (Bryce, vol.

i, pages 155-156.)

4. What is the relation of Public Opinion to voting? (Bryce, vol. i, pages 159-161.)

5. Compare Public Opinion in the United States with Public Opinion in other countries. (Bryce, vol. ii, pages 112-113.)

6. Compare the press of the United States with that of Europe. (Bryce, vol. ii, page 118.)

7. What is the relation of Public Opinion to local self-government?

(Bryce, vol. ii, pages 115-116.)

8. What is the relation of Public Opinion to social legislation?

(Bryce. vol. ii, page 126.)

9. What is the great defect of Public Opinion? (Bryce, vol. i, page 162.)

10. What is the one great clear purpose in civic life? (Brewer, pages 120-121.)

11. What qualities must we possess in order to carry out this purpose?

(Brewer, pages 120-121.)

TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION AND REPORT

I

1. Make a list of some of your beliefs and opinions concerning the recent World War, and try in each case to trace the origin of each belief or opinion.

2. Toward which political party are you inclined? To what extent is this inclination due to

(a) the influence of your parents;

(b) what you have read in the newspapers;

(c) what you have personally observed?

3. Make a list of the opinions which you originally acquired in your home, and which have since been modified by what you have studied in school.

4. To what extent are your personal standards of conduct traceable to what you have seen at the theatre?

5. List the private organizations in your community which exist for the purpose of advocating reforms of various kinds.