If society deteriorates, the school may not be wholly at
fault, but it evidently is unable to supply to society reenforcement in
such quantity and of such quality as will keep the level up to normal.
=Responsibility of the individual.=--In society each individual raises
or lowers the level of democracy according to what he is and does. The
idler fails to make any contributions to the well-being of society and
thus lowers the average of citizenship. The trifler and dawdler lower
the level of democracy by reason of their inefficiency. They may
exercise their right to vote but fail to exercise their right to act the
part of efficient citizens. If all citizens emulated their example,
democracy would become inane and devitalized. Tramps, burglars,
feeble-minded persons, and inebriates lower the level of democracy
because of their failure to render their full measure of service, and
because, in varying degrees, they prey upon the resources of society and
thus add to its burdens. Self-reliance, self-support, self-respect, as
well as voting, are among the rights that all able-bodied citizens must
exercise before democracy can come into its rightful heritage.
=The function of the school.=--All this and much more the schools must
teach effectively so that it shall be thoroughly enmeshed in the social
consciousness or their output will reveal a lack of those qualities that
make for the larger good of democratic society.
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