Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), President of the USA and inspiration of the Union in the Civil War. Buchan quoted Lincoln’s plea for a good definition of liberty, which should be read in the context of the struggle between Union and Confederacy. “In using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. We assume the word ‘liberty’ to mean that each worker can do as he pleases with himself and the product of his labour, while, on the other hand, it may mean that some man can do as he pleases with other men and the produce of other men’s labour.”
‘POPULAR,’ often used as an equivalent, means merely that the bulk of the people approve of a particular mode of government.* ‘Liberal,’ the other assumed equivalent, implies those notions of freedom, toleration and pacific progress which lie at the roots of Western civilisation.
The words are clearly not interchangeable. A policy or a government may be popular without being liberal or democratic; there have been highly popular tyrannies; the German policy of 1914 was popular, but it was not liberal, nor was Germany a democracy.* America is a democracy, but it is not always liberal; the French Republic has at various times in its history been both liberal and democratic without being popular. Accurately employed, ‘democratic’ describes a particular method, ‘popular’ an historical fact, ‘liberal’ a quality and an ideal.
The study of history will make us chary about the loud, vague use of formulas. It will make us anxious to see catchwords in their historical relations, and will help us to realise the maleficent effect of phrases which have a fine rhetorical appeal, but very little concrete meaning.
Abridged
Abridged from ‘The Nations of Today: British America’ edited with an introduction by John Buchan (1875-1940).
Buchan is simplifying a little. ‘A popular government’ is a government that is approved by a large majority; but ‘popular government’ is a technical term roughly equivalent to democracy, i.e. government responsible to the people rather than a monarch or an elite. That said, Buchan’s point is well-taken: the fact that a government or policy is popular in the sense of ‘widely liked’ does not make it either democratic or liberal (or wise).
This volume of ‘Nations of Today’ was published in 1923. Much the same happened again ten years afterwards, when on March 23rd, 1933, the German Parliament voted to let Chancellor Adolf Hitler introduce any law he wished without consulting them, for four years. Clearly, having an elected Parliament does not make for a democracy — at least not in the British sense of that word.
Questions for Critics
1. What is the author aiming to achieve in writing this?
2. Note any words, devices or turns of phrase that strike you. How do they help the author communicate his ideas more effectively?
3. What impression does this passage make on you? How might you put that impression into words?
Based on The English Critic (1939) by NL Clay, drawing on The New Criticism: A Lecture Delivered at Columbia University, March 9, 1910, by J. E. Spingarn, Professor of Comparative Literature in Columbia University, USA.
Archive
Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Assume. Machinery. Tyranny.
2 Chary. Circular. Government.
3 But. Count. Mean.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Opposites Find in Think and Speak
Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1.
Answer.
2.
Appealing.
3.
Ask.
4.
Fact.
5.
Fine.
6.
Less.
7.
Progress.
8.
Right.
9.
Worst.
Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding un-.
Homonyms Find in Think and Speak
Each of the words below has more than one possible meaning. Compose your own sentences to show what those different meanings are.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Right. 2. Circular. 3. Clear. 4. See. 5. Mean. 6. Current. 7. Fine. 8. Saw. 9. Kind.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
mst (5)
mast. mist. moist. most. must.
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