King's Business - 1920-03

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T h e Peril o f Democracy The Weakness of Democracy and the Course World Events A re Taking. From a Booklet by DR. I M. HALDEMAN

HE peril of democracy lies in the fact that its strength is its weakness. The strength of democracy is its individ­ ualism. But as soon as de­ mocracy is triumphant in order to sustain itself it

the sea when it is driven by contrary winds. But the law of self-defense remains when all other laws fail. It remains in a nation, a people, a society. This law will make itself known. The people themselves will demand that a stop,, a halt be put to lawlessness, to disorder. There will be a demand for strong men, men of courage, firmness, iron men. Wherever they may be found the peo­ ple will rally round them. Presently here and there throughout Europe and Asia these men will be seen coming to the front and leading their respective communities, peoples and nations; and when you count them up you will find they are tern in number. No matter what name you give them— rulers, pres­ idents or governors— they will be in au­ thority and power actual kings; five of them will be found in the territory which extends from Scotland eastward to the Adriatic line of the Balkan penin­ sula, and five from that line eastward including Persia. But these democratic kings will not be content to hold their power at the will of the people. They know the fickleness of the multitude, the tendency to revolution. They will come together They will form a league or federation of kings and this under them will result in a League of Nations. Such a league or federation will need unification, con­ centration of authority and decision, a general head; in short, for mutual pro­ tection and conservation of power the kings themselves will need a central deposit of kingly resource and power; There must be a final authority, an absolute head. The growing statue must have a head. 1

must be efficient. Efficiency is obtained only by concentration. Concentration eliminates the many and demands the few. The few must be men of strength, capacity, iron-like will and (^termina­ tion. Presently democracy finds itself in the hands of a few authoritative men; and every day in the name of efficiency, the authority of these men becomes more arbitrary; sooner or later one will begin to assert itself above all others. At this individualism takes alarm and no matter what may be the name of the' rulers or ruler it sees the shadow of autocracy again, protests, is resisted and by and by mak­ ing its protest energetic, a revolution is on. Thus in the nature of the case democracy is always on the edge of rev­ olution. It will be so in this case. A revolution is bound to come throughout Europe and Asia. Out of revolution will come more or less anarchic conditions. The Word of God declares the people will be in tumult and full of unrest as (Continued from previous page) its place in our answer to the Charge of pessimism— even if it be but a sub­ sidiary place— for the main consolation must ever be the certainty of a glorious future that depends on more solid ground for confidence than anything connected with the service, however faithful, of imperfect human beings.—

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