Political Science Of The State

DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRACIES. 10$
in this country, because a vote more or less among so many
will be of no account.
It ought to be said, however, that these advantages of
unrepresented democracies were counterbalanced by great
evils. In the first place, slaves and citizens seemed both to
be necessary in the ancient system. The greater part of the
industrial classes in a city democracy must have been almost
exclusively devoted to labors which gave no training to the
mind. Out of five men addicted to labor, four were inca-
pacitated to exercise political rights, the remaining" one-fifth
comprehended the intelligence and breadth of view of the
whole. How to secure a government against immense masses
of ignorant citizens would have been a great—nay, an unsolv-
able problem. Further, the close contiguity of men in a city-
state gave room for combinations and conspiracies, which
might be aided from abroad ; to clubs for mutual assistance
in getting office, to factions leading to tyranny or intestine
war. And again, the intense excitements of the assembly
were often such as we have no conception of in modern times ;
the nearest approach to them is found in municipal assem-
blies where taxes are to be voted, or in elections for munici-
pal officers, when there are strong parties formed for some
temporary purpose. These, however, are nothing compared
with the political agitations of ancient city-states. On no
arena in modern states can oratory excite to such a de-
gree as it did in the little ancient republic. Nowhere arc
examples to be found of suspicion, hatred, lawlessness so ex-
treme.
With the strong interest in the state and in political life,
the desire would grow to have a share in public office, at
least in these forms of government where office was open to
all In a large state there will be office-seekers, but the ratio
of places to citizens is much less than in a small one. It is
this desire that especially recommended the lot at Athens and
in other extreme democracies, as Aristotle remarks; and this
may have led to the great multiplication of offices for which
Athens was remarkable.