Notes on Democracy

“Democracy came into the Western World to the tune of sweet, soft music. There was, at the start, no harsh bawling from below; there was only a dulcet twittering from above.”

When H. L. Mencken wrote Notes on Democracy the country was coping with the aftermath of World War I, contending with Prohibition, and watching the Scopes trial play out; the air of the nation was full of paranoia and intolerance. And while it may seem that certain views and statements in the book are dated and out of ...