2>emocraq? anD "Religion.

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her Presidents were the sons of peasants orworkmen ; candidates for the highest offices inthe State boast of having been in their youthmanual labourers, if possible cowboys.

Formal equality before the law is to be surethe first step to the realisation of that real equalityof which the fathers of democracy caught a glimpse.But equality before the law may be perverted intoits opposite and combined with far reaching classdivisions through the privileges attaching toeducation. No privilege is felt more cruelly thanthat of so-called culture (Bildungsprivileg).Accordingly Democracy demands equal oppor-tunities for education for all, and especially for thegifted children of the poor. By grading educa-tional opportunities, it aims to make transitionfrom class to class, and especially from that ofmanual labour to that of head workers, almostunnoticeable. It aims at an homogeneous intel-lectual level among the broad strata of society.Similar ideals, similar standards and habits oflife, even similar amusements and similar clothingcombined with similar education tend to form anew middle class of which organised and skilledlabour will be an important element.

America can justly point to the considerablygreater progress it has made towards this idealthan Europe with all its class divisions. Incapitalistic Europe " two nations " in many caseslive side by side, which are as far apart as if theywere born in different zones. According to GarvinAmerica spends more on educational purposesthan all the other States in the world put together.