Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 1.djvu/171

 Rh far as political policy is concerned, because it is best that the people do as they will, even though the result of their action may be a temporary misfortune, inasmuch as the highest object that can be attained is the training of the people, and the people can learn only by experience. One may, however, question whether it is not ultimately going to be possible for the people to be so well trained that they may profit by the experience of others, and thus save much suffering for themselves.

But what do we mean by public opinion? How is it constituted? Is it a judgment clearly formed after careful study?

At present the question that is most prominent before the country is that of free coinage of silver. Almost every person that we meet upon the street is ready to express an opinion regarding this question. How has this opinion been formed? It is certainly true that very, very few have thought carefully upon the question, or have studied it fairly on both sides. There are wide differences of opinion, and there are doubtless good reasons for these differences. They arise chiefly, perhaps, because of different local circumstances affecting local industrial conditions, or the conditions of influential classes. Many, especially in the southern and western states, feeling the pressure of the industrial depression through which we have just passed, finding themselves deeply in debt and finding it difficult to pay their debts, and having been told the undeniable fact that money has appreciated in value since their debts were formed (i. e., a dollar will buy more goods now than then), feel a sense of wrong and injury. It is simple and natural for them to believe, whether it is true or not, that if money has appreciated in value it costs them a greater effort to pay a debt than would have been needed under a system of free coinage of silver, and that consequently they have been wronged. Almost every person is likely to feel a sense of injury under the pressure of an unpleasant burden. Now this opinion is not one clearly reasoned out. It is made up mostly of sentiment, based upon a somewhat erroneous knowledge of some few facts in the situation. Many of these people, as well as many of their opponents, have gained their ideas mostly from