The Gentry

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln understood that the world had been, and mostly still was, made up of the gentry and the people. The gentry ruled and the people worked. The idea of Ab and George was that the people could, and should, rule themselves.

There was some discussion as to how:

The republicans said that rule should be by representatives. Others suggested that such representatives would become a sort of gentry.

The democrats said that rule ought to be directly by the people. Some said that would be rule by rabble.

Republicans won this argument, but have nearly completely lost our republic.

Do not worry. If you are not interested in these arguments, you will be ruled by someone.

You have heard that' rule or governance 'of the people, by the people, and for the people' has perished form the earth. Perhaps it was never here. I suspect that the people of Iceland came close. I have reminded you that 'the people' in the quote means 'not the gentry.' You may find it useful to review the meanings of 'of,' 'by,' and 'for.'

Guess one might say 'by' is the democratic part.