下载辰思小说免费APP
Amongstaristocraticnations，asfamiliesremainforcenturiesinthesamecondition，oftenonthesamespot，allgenerationsbecomeasitwerecontemporaneous。Amanalmostalwaysknowshisforefathers，andrespectsthem:hethinkshealreadyseeshisremotedescendants，andhelovesthem。Hewillinglyimposesdutiesonhimselftowardstheformerandthelatter;andhewillfrequentlysacrificehispersonalgratificationstothosewhowentbeforeandtothosewhowillcomeafterhim。Aristocraticinstitutionshave，moreover，theeffectofcloselybindingeverymantoseveralofhisfellow—citizens。Astheclassesofanaristocraticpeoplearestronglymarkedandpermanent，eachofthemisregardedbyitsownmembersasasortoflessercountry，moretangibleandmorecherishedthanthecountryatlarge。Asinaristocraticcommunitiesallthecitizensoccupyfixedpositions，oneabovetheother，theresultisthateachofthemalwaysseesamanabovehimselfwhosepatronageisnecessarytohim，andbelowhimselfanothermanwhoseco—operationhemayclaim。Menlivinginaristocraticagesarethereforealmostalwayscloselyattachedtosomethingplacedoutoftheirownsphere，andtheyareoftendisposedtoforgetthemselves。Itistruethatinthoseagesthenotionofhumanfellowshipisfaint，andthatmenseldomthinkofsacrificingthemselvesformankind;buttheyoftensacrificethemselvesforothermen。Indemocraticages，onthecontrary，whenthedutiesofeachindividualtotheracearemuchmoreclear，devotedservicetoanyonemanbecomesmorerare;thebondofhumanaffectionisextended，butitisrelaxed。
Amongstdemocraticnationsnewfamiliesareconstantlyspringingup，othersareconstantlyfallingaway，andallthatremainchangetheircondition;thewoofoftimeiseveryinstantbroken，andthetrackofgenerationseffaced。Thosewhowentbeforearesoonforgotten;ofthosewhowillcomeafternoonehasanyidea:theinterestofmanisconfinedtothoseinclosepropinquitytohimself。Aseachclassapproximatestootherclasses，andintermingleswiththem，itsmembersbecomeindifferentandasstrangerstooneanother。Aristocracyhadmadeachainofallthemembersofthecommunity，fromthepeasanttotheking:democracybreaksthatchain，andseverseverylinkofit。Associalconditionsbecomemoreequal，thenumberofpersonsincreaseswho，althoughtheyareneitherrichenoughnorpowerfulenoughtoexerciseanygreatinfluenceovertheirfellow—creatures，haveneverthelessacquiredorretainedsufficienteducationandfortunetosatisfytheirownwants。
Theyowenothingtoanyman，theyexpectnothingfromanyman;
theyacquirethehabitofalwaysconsideringthemselvesasstandingalone，andtheyareapttoimaginethattheirwholedestinyisintheirownhands。Thusnotonlydoesdemocracymakeeverymanforgethisancestors，butithideshisdescendants，andseparateshiscontemporariesfromhim;itthrowshimbackforeveruponhimselfalone，andthreatensintheendtoconfinehimentirelywithinthesolitudeofhisownheart。
ChapterIII:IndividualismStrongerAtTheCloseOfADemocraticRevolutionThanAtOtherPeriodsTheperiodwhentheconstructionofdemocraticsocietyupontheruinsofanaristocracyhasjustbeencompleted，isespeciallythatatwhichthisseparationofmenfromoneanother，andtheegotismresultingfromit，mostforciblystriketheobservation。Democraticcommunitiesnotonlycontainalargenumberofindependentcitizens，buttheyareconstantlyfilledwithmenwho，havingenteredbutyesterdayupontheirindependentcondition，areintoxicatedwiththeirnewpower。Theyentertainapresumptuousconfidenceintheirstrength，andastheydonotsupposethattheycanhenceforwardeverhaveoccasiontoclaimtheassistanceoftheirfellow—creatures，theydonotscrupletoshowthattheycarefornobodybutthemselves。
Anaristocracyseldomyieldswithoutaprotractedstruggle，inthecourseofwhichimplacableanimositiesarekindledbetweenthedifferentclassesofsociety。Thesepassionssurvivethevictory，andtracesofthemmaybeobservedinthemidstofthedemocraticconfusionwhichensues。Thosemembersofthecommunitywhowereatthetopofthelategradationsofrankcannotimmediatelyforgettheirformergreatness;theywilllongregardthemselvesasaliensinthemidstofthenewlycomposedsociety。Theylookuponallthosewhomthisstateofsocietyhasmadetheirequalsasoppressors，whosedestinycanexcitenosympathy;theyhavelostsightoftheirformerequals，andfeelnolongerboundbyacommoninteresttotheirfate:eachofthem，standingaloof，thinksthatheisreducedtocareforhimselfalone。Those，onthecontrary，whowereformerlyatthefootofthesocialscale，andwhohavebeenbroughtuptothecommonlevelbyasuddenrevolution，cannotenjoytheirnewlyacquiredindependencewithoutsecretuneasiness;andiftheymeetwithsomeoftheirformersuperiorsonthesamefootingasthemselves，theystandalooffromthemwithanexpressionoftriumphandoffear。Itis，then，commonlyattheoutsetofdemocraticsocietythatcitizensaremostdisposedtoliveapart。Democracyleadsmennottodrawneartotheirfellow—creatures;butdemocraticrevolutionsleadthemtoshuneachother，andperpetuateinastateofequalitytheanimositieswhichthestateofinequalityengendered。ThegreatadvantageoftheAmericansisthattheyhavearrivedatastateofdemocracywithouthavingtoendureademocraticrevolution;andthattheyarebornequal，insteadofbecomingso。
ChapterIV:ThatTheAmericansCombatTheEffectsOfIndividualismByFreeInstitutionsDespotism，whichisofaverytimorousnature，isnevermoresecureofcontinuancethanwhenitcankeepmenasunder;andallisinfluenceiscommonlyexertedforthatpurpose。Noviceofthehumanheartissoacceptabletoitasegotism:adespoteasilyforgiveshissubjectsfornotlovinghim，providedtheydonotloveeachother。HedoesnotaskthemtoassisthimingoverningtheState;itisenoughthattheydonotaspiretogovernitthemselves。Hestigmatizesasturbulentandunrulyspiritsthosewhowouldcombinetheirexertionstopromotetheprosperityofthecommunity，and，pervertingthenaturalmeaningofwords，heapplaudsasgoodcitizensthosewhohavenosympathyforanybutthemselves。Thustheviceswhichdespotismengendersarepreciselythosewhichequalityfosters。Thesetwothingsmutuallyandperniciouslycompleteandassisteachother。
Equalityplacesmensidebyside，unconnectedbyanycommontie;
despotismraisesbarrierstokeepthemasunder;theformerpredisposesthemnottoconsidertheirfellow—creatures，thelattermakesgeneralindifferenceasortofpublicvirtue。
Despotismthen，whichisatalltimesdangerous，ismoreparticularlytobefearedindemocraticages。Itiseasytoseethatinthosesameagesmenstandmostinneedoffreedom。Whenthemembersofacommunityareforcedtoattendtopublicaffairs，theyarenecessarilydrawnfromthecircleoftheirowninterests，andsnatchedattimesfromself—observation。Assoonasamanbeginstotreatofpublicaffairsinpublic，hebeginstoperceivethatheisnotsoindependentofhisfellow—menashehadatfirstimagined，andthat，inordertoobtaintheirsupport，hemustoftenlendthemhisco—operation。
Whenthepublicissupreme，thereisnomanwhodoesnotfeelthevalueofpublicgoodwill，orwhodoesnotendeavortocourtitbydrawingtohimselftheesteemandaffectionofthoseamongstwhomheistolive。Manyofthepassionswhichcongealandkeepasunderhumanhearts，arethenobligedtoretireandhidebelowthesurface。Pridemustbedissembled;disdaindaresnotbreakout;egotismfearsitsownself。Underafreegovernment，asmostpublicofficesareelective，themenwhoseelevatedmindsoraspiringhopesaretoocloselycircumscribedinprivatelife，constantlyfeelthattheycannotdowithoutthepopulationwhichsurroundsthem。Menlearnatsuchtimestothinkoftheirfellow—menfromambitiousmotives;andtheyfrequentlyfindit，inamanner，theirinteresttoforgetthemselves。
Imayherebemetbyanobjectionderivedfromelectioneeringintrigues，themeannessesofcandidates，andthecalumniesoftheiropponents。Theseareopportunitiesforanimositywhichoccurtheoftenerthemorefrequentelectionsbecome。Suchevilsaredoubtlessgreat，buttheyaretransient;
whereasthebenefitswhichattendthemremain。Thedesireofbeingelectedmayleadsomemenforatimetoviolenthostility;
butthissamedesireleadsallmeninthelongrunmutuallytosupporteachother;andifithappensthatanelectionaccidentallyseverstwofriends，theelectoralsystembringsamultitudeofcitizenspermanentlytogether，whowouldalwayshaveremainedunknowntoeachother。Freedomengendersprivateanimosities，butdespotismgivesbirthtogeneralindifference。
TheAmericanshavecombatedbyfreeinstitutionsthetendencyofequalitytokeepmenasunder，andtheyhavesubduedit。ThelegislatorsofAmericadidnotsupposethatageneralrepresentationofthewholenationwouldsufficetowardoffadisorderatoncesonaturaltotheframeofdemocraticsociety，andsofatal:theyalsothoughtthatitwouldbewelltoinfusepoliticallifeintoeachportionoftheterritory，inordertomultiplytoaninfiniteextentopportunitiesofactinginconcertforallthemembersofthecommunity，andtomakethemconstantlyfeeltheirmutualdependenceoneachother。Theplanwasawiseone。Thegeneralaffairsofacountryonlyengagetheattentionofleadingpoliticians，whoassemblefromtimetotimeinthesameplaces;andastheyoftenlosesightofeachotherafterwards，nolastingtiesareestablishedbetweenthem。Butiftheobjectbetohavethelocalaffairsofadistrictconductedbythemenwhoresidethere，thesamepersonsarealwaysincontact，andtheyare，inamanner，forcedtobeacquainted，andtoadaptthemselvestooneanother。
ItisdifficulttodrawamanoutofhisowncircletointeresthiminthedestinyoftheState，becausehedoesnotclearlyunderstandwhatinfluencethedestinyoftheStatecanhaveuponhisownlot。Butifitbeproposedtomakearoadcrosstheendofhisestate，hewillseeataglancethatthereisaconnectionbetweenthissmallpublicaffairandhisgreatestprivateaffairs;andhewilldiscover，withoutitsbeingshowntohim，theclosetiewhichunitesprivatetogeneralinterest。
Thus，farmoremaybedonebyintrustingtothecitizenstheadministrationofminoraffairsthanbysurrenderingtothemthecontrolofimportantones，towardsinterestingtheminthepublicwelfare，andconvincingthemthattheyconstantlystandinneedoneoftheotherinordertoprovideforit。Abrilliantachievementmaywinforyouthefavorofapeopleatonestroke;
