DEMOCRATIC PARTY. 113 DEMOGORGON. Tarty, and this advantage was greatly increased, on llie one hand, by the Kejpubiiean nomination of James G. Blaiiie, and the immediate develop- ment of the so-called .Mugwump ojjposition to him (see JliiiWiwii') , and, on the other hand, by the Democratic nomination of the reform Governor of New York, tirover Cleveland. A revolt against the alleged Kepublican corruption, and other unusual elements, conspired to bring about, for the lirst lime since the war, the election of a Democratic President; although in 1888 Cleve- land himself was defeated by Benjamin Harrison, only to be even more strikingly successful in IS!'-, receiving 27t) votes to the 144 given to Harrison. The plank of taritt" reform had thus within a decade carried the party through two successful campaigns, but the greatly increased power of the protectionists (see Tariff) made doulitful any further success in that line by the Democrats, while at the same time a faction in the party forced to the front a new issue, seemingly a sectional issue, and, hav- ing secured control of the convention of 1S9G, introduced the "free silver' plank into the plat- form, nominated William J. Bryan for the Presidency, and thus made the beginning of what threatened to become an entire revolution in the character of the party. In spite, however, of the aid given to the Democrats by the Popu- lists (q.v.l, the principles of the gold standard and a high tariff were indorsed in the election of William McKinley (q.v.). Four years later the Democratic Party once more nominated -Mr. Bryan, and was still more decisively de- feated. President ilcKinley receiving 292 elec- toral votes — more than ever before given to a candidate at any election. The defeat had the effect of lessening the influence within the party of the silver and Populistic faction. Consult: Gillet. Drmocracy in the United f^talcs (New York, 1868) : Van Buren, Political I'arlicx in the Vnitetl Stairs (Xew Y'ork, 1807) ; .Johnston, in Lalor. Ci/clopwdia of Political i^rioire. Political Kcoiinmy, and United States History (Chicago. 1881): id. American Politics (last ed., Xew York. 1000). DEMOC'EITUS (Gk. Ai,ii6kpitos, Demokri- /os). .-Vn illustrious Greek philosopher, often popularly spoken of in both ancient and modern times as 'the Laughing Philo.sopher,' just as Heraclitus was styled 'the Weeping Philoso- pher.' He was born at Abdera, in Thrace, iihout B.C. 470 or 4(10. Of hi.s life little is known. The statement that he was first in- spired with a desire for philosophic knowl- edge by certain Magi and Chaldeans whom Xerxes had left at .bdera. on his Gre<ian expe- dition, is as untrnstwiu'thy as that which repre- sents him as continiuilly laughing at the follies of mankind. His extensive travels, however, through a great portion of the East, prove his zeal for knowledge, as does also his ceaseless in- dustry in collecting the works of other phi- losophers. Democritus was by far the most harned thinker of his age. He had also a high icputation for moral worth, and appears to have loft a strong impression of his disinterestedness, nindesty. anil simplicity on the mind of the com- munity, for even Timon the ScolTer. who spared no one else, praised him. The period of his de.nth is uncertain. He lived, however, to a great age. Only a few fragment-; of his numer- ous physical, mathennitical, ethical, and gram- matical works are extant. These have been col- lected by .Mullach (Berlin, 1S43). Consult also Kitter and Preller, llisloriw Philosophiw Orwcce (7th ed., Gotha, 1888). Democritus's system of philosophy is known as the .-itomic System. Its essence consists in the attempt to explain tlie different phenomena of nature, not — like the earlier Ionic philosophers — by maintaining that the original character- istics of matter were qualitative, but that they were quantitative. He assumes, therefore, as the ultimate elementary ground of natui-e, an infinite multitude of indivisible corporeal par- ticles, atoms (see Atom), and attributes to the.se a primary motion derived from no higher prin- ciple. Tills motion brings the atoms into con- tact with each other, and from the multitudinous combinations that they form springs that vast and varying aggregate called Xature, which is presented to our ejes. Democritus did not acknowledge the presence of design in nature, but he admitted that of law. He believed strict- ly in secondary or physical causes, but not in a primary immaterial cause. Life, consciousness, thought were, according to him, derived from the finest atoms: those images of the sensuous phenomena surrounding us which we call mental representations were to him only material im- pressions, caused by the more delicate atoms streaming through the pores of our organs. De- mocritus boldly applied his theory to the gods themselves, whom he atBrmed to be aggregates of atoms, only mightier and more powerful than men. The ethics of Democritus set happiness as the aim, and by this he understands serenity of mind, undisturbed by fear or passions: hence temperance, uprightness, and noble actions are to be cultivated. The physical philosophy of Democritus was made the base of the system of Epicurus, who reared upon it a structure of ethi- cal doctrine. See EpicuBUs; Lucretius. Con- sult Zeller. Philosophic der Griechen, vol. i. (Leipzig, 1892). DEMOD'OCXTS (Gk. AtjMooms. Deinodokos) . The bard at the court of tlie Plueacian King Al- cinous, who entertained Odysseus after his ship- wreck. His songs are described in books vii. and viii. of the Odyssey. DEMOGEOT, dc-m6zh6', .J.vcques Cl.ude (1808-94). -V French author, born in Paris. He taught literature in the colleges at Beauvais, Rennes, and Lyons ; became professor of rhetoric at the Lycee Saint Louis in Paris, in 1843; and finally was appointed to a chair in the Facultc des lettres at the Sorbonne. His most importiint work is the Histoire de la littcrature frani;aise depuis ses origines jiisqu'a nos jours (18.51 : 25th ed. 1895), held in great esteem in the literary world. He published further: Etude stir Plin'e le jeune (1845-50); Les lettres et I'homme de lettres au XlXhne siecle (1856) : La critique et les critiques en Prance au XlXeme siecle ( 1857) ; Tableau df, la littcrature francaise au XVIIime siecle (1859): Contes et causeries en vers (1862); Histoire des litt^-ratures ctranyeres considcr^-cs dans letirs rapports aver le dcveloppe- ment dr l<i littcrature francaise (1880). DEMOGOR'GON (Gk. Sai^iwy, daimon, demon + yopyos, yortjos. horrible). . mysteri- ous being whose name first appears in some manuscripts of the commentary of Lactantius
