 else could we settle them? You see in matters
which are merely personal which do not affect the welfare of the community - how
a man shall dress, what he shall eat and drink, what he shall write and read,
and so forth - there can be no difference of opinion, and everybody does as he
pleases. But when the matter is of common interest to the whole community, and
the doing or not doing something affects everybody, the majority must have their
way; unless the minority were to take up arms and show by force that they were
the effective or real majority; which, however, in a society of men who are free
and equal is little likely to happen; because in such a community the apparent
majority is the real majority, and the others, as I have hinted before, know
that too well to obstruct from mere pigheadedness; especially as they have had
plenty of opportunity of putting forward their side of the question.«
    »How is that managed?« said I.
    »Well,« said he, »let us take one of our units of management, a commune, or
a ward, or a parish (for we have all three names, indicating little real
distinction between them now, though time was there was a good deal). In such a
district, as you would call it, some neighbours think that something ought to be
done or undone: a new town-hall built; a clearance of inconvenient houses; or
say a stone bridge substituted for some ugly old iron one, - there you have
undoing and doing in one. Well, at the next ordinary meeting of the neighbours,
or Mote, as we call it, according to the ancient tongue of the times before
bureaucracy, a neighbour proposes the change, and of course, if everybody
agrees, there is an end of discussion, except about details. Equally, if no one
backs the proposer, - seconds him, it used to be called - the matter drops for
the time being; a thing not likely to happen amongst reasonable men, however, as
the proposer is sure to have talked it over with others before the Mote. But
supposing the affair proposed and seconded, if a few of the neighbours disagree
to it, if they think that the beastly iron bridge will serve a little longer and
they don't want to be bothered with building a new one just then, they don't
count heads that time, but put off the formal discussion to the next Mote; and
meantime arguments pro and con are flying about, and some get printed
