o do his bidding, while the spirit is in concealed
rebellion. Such a government, in proportion as it severs this national
soul from the body, is weak through constant liability to overthrow,
from any chance failure of its material props.

A free government, on the other hand, possesses both the elements of
strength. It rests upon the free will and affection of the people, as
well as upon the abundant material support which they must ever yield to
a government of their own creation, and which exists solely for their
own use and benefit. Such a government is capable and strong in exact
proportion to the virtue and intelligence of the masses from whom it
emanates.

Thus it is seen that a despotism differs from a free government as to
the reciprocal action that takes place between the people and the
government. In a despotism, all authority flows only in one direction,
viz., from the central head down to the different ranks of subordinate
officers, and through these numerous channels it reaches all classes of
the people. But there is no returning stream of authority from the
people to the government, from the parts to the centre. The only return
flow is that of military service and revenue.

But a free government returns to the people all that it receives from
them. From the masses there converges, through a thousand channels, to
the central government, both the elements of national strength, viz.,
authority to act, and the means of carrying out this authority, that is,
money and military service--the body, of which the popular will and
authority is the soul. The people declare their will that such and such
individuals shall be clothed with, and represent their united power, and
act for them in this representative capacity. The persons thus chosen,
and who constitute the government or central head, with its subordinate
agencies, declare from this central position of authority with which
they have been invested by the people, that such and such things are
necessary for the welfare and orderly activity of the people, and in the
name, and with the cooeperation of the people, they _will_ to carry these
measures out.

Thus life, energy, power, from the people, flow from all points to the
government, to the centre; and from the government it flows back again
to the people as _order_, as the force that arranges, methodizes,
harmonizes, and regulates the outflow of the popular energies in all the
departments of human activity.