Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1919 edition. Excerpt: ... "THE RELIGION OF DEMOCRACY" Foe over a thousand years the history of the world has been made by two great forces--the church and the state--the church basing its power on idealism and moral forces, the state . depending almost entirely upon military power. At times these two forces have seemed for a while to co-operate, and then to become antagonistic. Today they are absolutely distinct, working in different fields, with but little ground in common, and a rival claims the middle of the stage, for during the last century there has come into the world another force, which has concerned itself but little with our religious activities, and interested itself in our political activities only in so far as it could make the political forces serve its ends. I speak of the modern business system, based on the tremendously increased productive capacity of the race due to the advance of the arts and sciences. The rapid expansion of this new power has thrown all our economic mechanism out of gear, and because it failed to maintain a social purpose, which is common to both of the other forces, produces cross-currents and antagonisms in the community which are extremely detrimental to society as a whole. One hundred years ago, each family--certainly each community--produced nearly everything needed for the simple life then led. The village blacksmith and the local mill served the community, which existed substantially as a self-contained unit. With the growth of the transportation system and grand scale production many of the functions of the local artizans were taken over by the factory, just as the flour mills of Minneapolis supplanted the local mills, which went out of existence. In the same manner other large centralized industries by superior...
