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From: "charles moyer" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]>EDU
Subject: FW: Pound on Jefferson
Date: Thu, Jun 1, 2000, 9:15 AM




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From: "charles moyer" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Pound on Jefferson
Date: Thu, Jun 1, 2000, 8:37 AM


 from "A Casebook on Ezra Pound" by Edward Stone. The author cites an
article by Jack LaZebnik which appeared in "New Republic" April 1, 1957.
    "He (Pound) defined himself as a Jeffersonian republican: '...you can
throw in Confucius and Van Buren, but you must distinguish between 1820 and
1930 and you must bring your Jefferson up to date.' His preconception of
democracy
    "...as it existed in the minds of Jefferson and Van Buren, is that the
best men... will take the trouble to place their ideas and policies before
the majority with such clarity and persuasiveness that the majority will
accept their guidance... The preconception of let us say the Adamses, or
aristodemocratic parties is that privilege, a little of it, will breed a
sense of responsibility... It seems fairly proved that privilege does NOT
breed a sense of responsibility... 95 percent of all privileged classes seem
to believe that the main use of privileges is to be exempt from
responsibility... Obviously no best, no even good governing class can be
spineless... 'good' must include a capacity for action, some sense of
relation between action and mere thought or talk."