Lecture by the Leader

Until philosophers are kings, or kings philosophers . . . cities will never rest from their evils--no, nor the human race.

--Plato

Juan Peron is fond of saying that Plato's ideal of the benevolent philosopher-ruler has at last been achieved in Argentina. Doctor (honoris causa) of the University of Buenos Aires and author of the "20 truths" of Peronismo (social justice, old-age pensions, etc.), Peron sees himself as a sage as well as a strong man. Last week some of Peron's lectures at the Peronista Normal School for party leaders were published in book form in Buenos Aires; they glittered with inside dope on how to grab and hold political power. Points from the Peron philosophy:

P: Notwithstanding Peronismo's proclaimed Truth No. 1 that "true democracy is the one that does what the people want," the leader's real job is to decide what the people should want. "The masses are like the muscles directed by the brain . . . One must permit the people to have the 50% that they want--but be sure that one's own 50% is the half that matters."

P: The leader must stand, solitary and superior, above all others. "The sacred oil of Samuel is not for everyone . . ."

P: The leader, however, needs "apostles --men whose aim will be to make [his] doctrine heartfelt by the mob ... A hundred sheep led by a lion are worth more than a hundred lions led by a sheep."

P: The leader and his lesser lions must be ready for opposition from two species of benighted sheep--anti-Peronistas and independents. The proper way to deal with the anti-Peronistas is to "hit them" occasionally but not too often--"if you hit them every day, in the end they won't feel the blows any more." As for independents, "they are like the stool of the dove that smells neither bad nor good. Some leaders have lost what they had in an attempt to win independent opinion. Independents must be left alone--they cannot be led. They are the savages still permitted by civilization."

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