The first of the duties which are at this time imposed upon
those who direct our affairs, is to educate the democracy; to
renovate, if possible, its religious belief. -- Democracy in America.

THAT the writings of Alexis de Tocqueville ( 2 ) should be
much better and much more widely known than they
are to-day is the prevailing opinion among those who
are acquainted with his work. Some excellent contributions
have recently been added to the literature on one of the most
acute and stimulating thinkers of the last century, a man whom
no less a historian than Wilhelm Dilthey mentioned in one
breath with Aristotle and Machiavelli. Yet these studies have
dealt almost exclusively with his political philosophy. They have
evaluated his inquiries into the structure and working of the
two great democracies in which he was interested -- France and
the United States -- and they have tried to familiarize us with the
fascinating personality of the man and his career ( 3 ). But there
are many aspects of de Tocqueville's life and thought which
still lack adequate treatment; the role of friendships in his life
and the ideas on religion in his writings are two of them.

It is characteristic of the man that his theoretical views and
his practical attitude towards any important subject will be
rightly understood and appreciated only by those who include
his correspondence in their study of his thought. And not until
his letters have been published in their entirety -- a day unfor-
tunately far off -- will any biographer be able to portray this
great man satisfactorily ( 4 ).

-171-