Excerpt from Memoir, Letters, and Remains of Alexis De Tocqueville, Vol. 2 of 2 He points out the perils of democracy, and considers them as inevitable. All that remains to be done, he says, is to avert them as long as possible; and when at last they come, to cover one's head with one's cloak and submit to one's fate. For my part, I wish society to confront them like a strong man who knows that danger is before him and must be met, that he may reach his object; who exposes himself 'to it Without repining, as to a necessary part of his undertaking, and is alarmed only when he cannot see clearly what it is. Forgive me for treating this subject at so much length. I have tried to explain to you, not all my opinions, but the idea. That inspired the whole work, the parent thought; and I attach great importance to pre venting the public from forming mistaken notions on this point. I cannot conclude, my dear sir, Without expressing my gratitude, or without saying that I hope that after bestowing so much undeserved praise on the book, you will consent to become a friend of the author. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.