NOTES ON DEMOCRACY. By II. L. Meneken. (Jona- han ('ape.
6s.)7--Don Quixote tilting at. windmills was as othing to Mr. Meneken, the American author, denouncing merican democracy—and, incidentally, castigating less erfeet democracies elsewhere. He cannot suggest a practical 'tentative, though he casts a regretful glance backward at eadalism. Yet this recklessly clever and bitterly sarcastic Say may serve to remind its readers that democracy, like ny other form of government, is not an end in itself, but fist be judged by its results. No one can honestly deny Mr. leneken's main charges, that democracy tends to be intoler- nt, that it is governed too often by fear and envy, that it is asily deceived by pretentious impostors. But as despots and ligarchs have erred in the same directions, we may infer that Ir. Meneken's real feud is -with human nature which, wing set in authority, proves unequal to the task. Indeed, ' Mr. Meneken quarrels with Lincoln and Roosevelt, as well
• with his pet aversion, the late President 'Wilson, he is iwinosly hard to Please. We are interested to observe 'at St. Paul comes in for a trouncing, as well as St. Peter ; r. Mencken's only praise is for "Christ's simple and magnifi- nt reduction of the duties of man to the duties of a gentle-
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