Prof. Dewey's Essay

No. 1 of the second series of Philosophïcal Papers is just out. It is by John Dewey, Ph. D., assistant professor in Philosophy in the University, and is entitled "The Ethiesof democracy." It is an able defense of democracy, not, by any means, our present realization of it, but ideal Democracy. The writer demolishes the claims of aristocracy. He is keenly alive, however, to the fact that we have now rather a poor excuse for democracy. The most interesting part of the essay is that in which he discusses democracy in relation to our industrial system. Democracy must be industrial, as well as civil and political. Prof. Dewey says that as regards industry, "society is still a sound aristocrat," and he clearly recognizes that we can never be truly democratie in our political affairs until we are democratie in our industrial affairs. This does not mean that no man shall possess more property than another. It does not mean state socialism. The professor does not follow it out and state speciflcally what it does involve ; but certainly it means that we must in time be rid of monopoly, and realize a condition in which the few shall not live from the proceeds of the toil of the many. When this is reached, there can be no dangerous inequality in wealth, and there will be substantial democracy in industry. After that, civil and political democracy would follow as a matter of course. The trouble is that we have been trying to establish civil and political liberty and equality without equality in the struggle for daily bread.