Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 1.djvu/795

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��724 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST [.v. s., I. 1899

are submitted to the voice of all the people for decision. The ideal of tribal government which is forever held in view, though it may be obscured, is that of a pure democracy founded on the I will of all the people directly expressed by them as individuals.

When national government is established on a territorial basis, democracy is overthrown and kingship with aristocracy takes its place, and monarchical society is organized. Monarchi- cal society, in turn, gives place to a fourth stage, which we here call republickism. We use the term in no partisan sense and select a new form of the word in order to avoid partisan implica- tions. The term republicanism, as used by statesmen, of what- ever party they may be, usually signifies a method of representative government. It is in this sense that we use the term republick- ism, and we leave the term democracy and also the term repub- licanism to be used with partisan meanings.

As the fifteenth century drew to a close, Columbus, the great

navigator and discoverer, became the promoter of an enterprise

to sail westward from Europe in quest of a better route to the

Indies, a land of fabulous wealth. For centuries scientific men

had believed in the spherical form of the earth, but the great

body of the people did not accept the doctrine. After many

unsuccessful attempts Columbus at last sailed westward with a

fleet bought at the price of the good Queen's jewels. Instead of

discovering a route to the Indies, he discovered a new world.

Perchance others had previously discovered land at the north,

but they knew it not as a new world, nor did they know it as a

gateway to the land of fabulous wealth, nor were they impelled

to the discovery by the acceptance of a doctrine of science. The

merit of Columbus was his faith in science, and as a reward for

i his faith history crowns him as the Great Discoverer. The new

world was the trophy of science.

The new world became the theater of new enterprise. The jl discovery gave to science the hope that it might prevail against

(M superstition. Perhaps the thought that science may be useful to

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