Speaking at the Free Discussions Club on July 17, Dr. Mitchell defended the cause of Democracy against Communism and Dictatorship. His address took the form of a theoretical discussion of the underlying principles of these three systems.

Beginning with democracy, he stated that faith in human nature and in its latent potentialities is essential to democracy, because democracy is based on the rights of each individual to become the best man he can possibly be. The supporter of democracy believes (1) that every normal man is endowed with a personality; (2) that every man should be free to develop his own personality to the benefit of society as a whole; (3) that each individual is free, possessing a will of his own, and should not therefore be regarded as the product of a machine; (4) that individuals are rational (not ideally or 100 per cent rational, but still capable of development); and (5) that man is infinite in capacity and that every man possesses in some degree a progressive ideal or aim. Taking into account these five principals, we find that the fundamental principle of democracy is that of promoting human welfare—of developing personality rather than of amassing material wealth.