| Show POLITICAL BREVITIES The discontent of the masses of the people in England the most enlightened government of the Old World and the consequent growth of Democratic principles princi-ples has enlisted much thought upon the science of government It is to Sir Frederick Pollocks History of the Science of Politics that I am indebted in-debted for the following collection of political po-litical maxims Socrates enforces obedience to the laws as they stand comparing a citizen who disregards the law because it may be changed to a soldier who runs away in battle because there may be peace This may be said to contain a doctrine of civil allegiance See clause 8 bf the platform of the Democratic Club It was Plato who first worked omit the theory lightly touched by Socrates that government is a special art and like the other special arts can be rightly exercised exer-cised only by competent persons See clause 9 in Platform of the Dem Club Aristotle struck out a new and altogether al-together different path In the first place he made the capital advance ad-vance of separating the science of ethics from the science of politics Without abandoning the ideal construction of the state as it ought to be he sets himself to make out the natural history of the state as it is A state is a community and every community com-munity exists for the sake of some benefit to its members for all human action is for the sake of obtaining some apparent good The state is that kind of community which has for its object the most comprehensive comprehen-sive good The full citizen in Aristotles meaning is defined by the right to take part in legislation legis-lation and the administration of justice The merit of good government must be tested by its promotion of the common weal of all the subjects Aristotle says that it is of more importance im-portance to equalize mens wants than their substance The minimizers tell us that the state exists only for protection Aristotle tells us that it was founded on the need for protection but exists for more than protection Not only material security but the perfection of human and social life is what we aim at in that organized or-ganized cooperation of many mens lives and works which is called the state S |
