On democracy

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Prince 3abaheddin, the author of this article, belongs to the Imperial Ottoman Dynasty which fell on the proclamation of the Turkish Republic. At this time, Prince Saban.9do.1n nau

none into exile as had the other members of the dynasty. Some long time before this, however, he had voluntarily gone into exile at the time of Abdul Hamid, his uncle, and accompanied by his father and his brother, remained in Prance wnere he conducted a long Llber-.l campaign on behalf of the

Turkish

Oil DEMOCRACY.

gkfi—^Q-Q.&--*_or- &. OqqXdI and .Spiritual gonoeption 2L P A a p<?r.« W ..

Democracy attracts more ancl more attention to-day. Sven the most rebellious of its adversaries claim to support it. As for its sincere partisans, they generally regard it as the right of the people to choose their political representatives freely, and this naturally implies respect and freedom of individual opinion, freedom of the press, etc. All that is certainly very just. How, therefore, does it come about that a large part of humanity Is still bent under the yoke of a variety of dictator­ ships while another part enjoys, more or loss, the benefits of liberty?

VrlUft P* Social Science.

In order to answer this question of universal interest, it is necessary to refer to the objective demonstrations of "Social

Science" which must not bo confused with soeculative or ohilo- sophical sociologies. In effect, this science created in the nint til century in France by F. Leplay, H. de fourville,

. Démolins, Robert Pinet, Paul de Camps and many others, Including several very conscientious Turkish sociologists, is based not

upon any abstract thoughts or personal opinions, but on the direct observation of human society.

The method of "Social Science" Is so well adapted to its subject and so productive that it has for aoi&o considerable time furnished undeniable proof of its essential value to those who understand It. If these discoverios were known at least to the political leaders of the Great »fee-tern Beware, and if, after the first orld far they had acted with greater understanding and goodwill towards the dofeated peoples - thesis elves led into war without perceiving it - what catastrophes would have been avoided.' Even to-day, knowledge of this science would contribute in a

certain measure to the avoidance for future generations of numerous misfortunes which have beset and continue to beset present generations.

;ig-y,on_a.f Social Formations.

By the truth which it contains, this notion helps us to understand why & part of humanity lives under the tyranny of different groups while another enjoys social liberties. There are two groat fundamental currents which divide humanity into two opposed social formations, the communistic formation and the

These two social currents have, in their turn, given rise to other very different formations explained in the *social*

classification. This, together with the "repertory of social repercussions", with a large series of studies and monographic articles are the result of an immense amount of work which throws a brilliantlight on the constitution of human societies such as does not yet exist, to my knowledge, in other sociological

schools. Just as there are various anatomical formations, so there are various sociological formations. But while one cannot change by human will vastly different anatomical formations, one can very well change and improve social formations thanks to the knowledge of social science. This is fundamentally a problem of

education. If I had not suffered several confiscations and

sentences while working in the past for the honour and freedom of the Turkish people, I would have been able, together with my

friends, to undertake the work of summarising these voluminous ana scattered investigations in order to make them available to people of goodwill but engrossed in other occupations. Such an enterprise would require much effort and expenditure as it would be necessary to make journeys of complementary study in various continents and countries. Judged by the peremptory lessons of the first brld War, this would be worth, while - for the catastrophic events of which we are the saddened witnesses give tragic support to the discoveries of social science.

,flo,;.u,uniatJLc and "Particularistic14

Edmond Dé;.xolins, in his unforgettable work HA quoi tient la supériorité des Anglo-Saxons", had given an idea, if not

sufficient, at least precise on these two formations. "The societies of a communistic formation are characterised", he states, "by the tendency not to lean on thenselves but on the

community, tribe, clan, state, etc. The societies of the East are the most accentuated types." We add that all the 31av countries, a large part of Central Europe, the inhabitants of Central and South America and others still belong to the communistic formation. These formations engender administrative centralisation, the

abuses of bureaucracy and inevitably dictatorships. The achieve­ ment of parliamentarism also, depend exclusively upon the sooial formation; it is sufficient to watch what is going on in Latin America, for example, in order to appreciate this.

"Societies of particularistic formation", continues our author, "are characterised by the ten ency to lean not upon the community but upon one's self. The Anglo-3axon populations offer us the most characteristic specimen of this. Unfortunately the

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two world ware have reinforced almost everywhere centralisation and State control, but it will always be the partioulariatic formation which alone will create, in lasting fashion, social liberties.

The communistic formation preceded the other in history. The particularistic formation was born in Scandinavia in the fjords of Norway. Prom there it gained the Saxon plain, Westphalia,

Switzerland, the north of Prance and Italy, and finally spread to England and later to the United States of America, Canada, etc.

Naturally there is no society composed exclusively of

particularists. In England, for example, the Celtic, Norman and Welsh elements belong to the oorruaunistic formation. A large part of Germany, notably Prussia, belongs also to this formation. However, as we have Just indicated, the North-West of Germany previously belonged to the formation sketched. The Hanseatic League, that Liberal institution of times gone by, proves it amply. After the formation of the empire and the establishment by Bisraarok of

State socialism, a veritable social plague, the corarunistio formation, gained in modern Germany a victory the more unfor­ tunate in that it implanted in that unluoky oountry the oulture of aggressive militarism which was to end in the first Vorld War.

A Promise that was ,not Kept,

At the beginning of the 1914 war, the Allies of that time had solemnly declared in the Anglo-French press that they were not waging war against peoples but against their despotic governments. If, after their victory, this Just promise had been kept and if instead of following a policy of blind vengeance and of anarchical rivalry, they had given Germany and her allies governments com­ posed of men sincerely Liberal such as Professor Poerster, for example, it is evident that events would have taken a totally different turn. It is very unfortunate that this unique oppor­ tunity was lost at the expense of all humanity and because of lack of social knowledge and lack also of healthy and benevolent Judgment. At the basis of all the catastrophes, even economic, one finds again the same causes.

A Tribute, to President T r m & L

Fortunately Mr Truman has now understood the danger which comes from the East of Europe. In wishing to come to the aid of Turkey and of Greece, he, with the majority of American senators, has rendered an immense service to the future of peace, for the

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-exlstenoe of an Independent Turkey Is necessary to world security. Turkey, whatever her faults, respects in every case the rights of her neighbours. She asks nothing better, moreover, then to live In friendly relations with Russia on condition that the latter also respects her rights to independence. Is it not in the interest of the Russian leaders that they should give up their policy of aggression and of crushing domination? In pursuing this policy, the Kremlin will accomplish the ruin of the whole of Europe and will finally ruin itself. If it does not change its line of oonduot, the consequences will certainly be a third world war.

The Need for C.pllaboriitlpn„3e U ^ n m _ ^

Anglo-h-xoiA jLoui&riefl-

2frpse jfcfl..As^ine

to. Democracy.

The more effective this co-operation the better will the essential interests of humanity, including those of Russia, be served. Tragic as was the triumph of Nazism in Germany, it is not by starving a people of 60 million inhabitants that one will succeed in improving the tragic situation in Europe. That would be only another additional cruelty and a source of fresh disasters.

Social science, which discovered the superiority of the particularistic formation, should be taught in secondary schools for the greater well-being of the youth of to-day. It is all very well certainly to plead the cause of democracy, but it is necessary

to know beforehand in what conditions it can be achieved. Even the Western Democracies require reforming as events abundantly prove.

San.

A&lefi&e,

For this, one will have to graduate beyond the limits of social science and pass to the study of spiritual science such as is taught by Rudolf Steiner (the majority of his books and those of his worthy successors are translated into English but It is feared that they are known only to a minute minority), the greatest of the m o d e m initiates. This vital knowledge continues to remain completely foreign to the mentality of our frivolous

epoch. However, it is thanks to spiritual science that we know from whence we come and where we are going. Apart from anything else, it throws a strong light upon all other human knowledge, as matter is only the product of the creative spirit. The same

science brings us also a new cosmology and demonstrates how man is the citizen of the Universe. Obviously, it is Impossible in a single article to enter into details, but if the subject is of interest to the reader, I could furnish further ideas.

A Tribute to the British Liberal International

Council.

The constitution in England of an International Liberal movement is certainly worthy of all praise and will serve tbs cause of democracy. X take the liberty to congratulate warmly the founders wlio have to intelligently endeavoured to throw a bridge of solidarity between all peoples. This movement happily fulfils a great want, and I close with the wish that it will in time succeed in its noble aims.

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SAbAKCDDIH.