Page:Democratic Ideals and Reality (1919).djvu/43

Rh and poet exaggerated in order to emphasise opposing tendencies; even a democracy must have organisers, just as there must be some remnant of kindliness even among the students of Kultur. The real question is as to which shall have the last word in the State—the idealists or the organisers. Internationalists are in futile revolt against all organisation when they would have war of the proletariat on the bourgeoisie.

Democracy refuses to think strategically unless and until compelled to do so for purposes of defence. That, of course, does not prevent democracy from declaring war for an ideal, as was seen during the French Revolution. One of the inconsistencies of our pacifists to-day is that they so often urge intervention in the affairs of other nations. In the Middle Ages vast unorganised crowds set out to march against the infidel and perished fecklessly by the way. It was not from lack of warning that the Western democracies were unprepared for the present War. At the same moment, early in this century, to cite only the case of Great Britain, three honoured voices were appealing to our sovereign people and were not heard; Lord Rosebery called for efficiency, Mr. Chamberlain for economic defence, and Lord Roberts