We quickly discovered how wrong we were. Yet, it is only recently that we found someone to articulate the deep truth about the prosperity of this nation and the relations between human freedom, government, capital and business.

In every one of our weekly case studies we look at the anatomy of prosperity. And while we have plenty of anecdotal evidence about the real well-springs of value and wealth, we turn to one of America's great thinkers and writers to provide the intellectual context.

You meet Michael Novak, the author of over 25 books translated into most major languages. He holds the George Frederick Jewett chair of religion, philosophy and public policy at the American Enterprise Institute. In 1994 he received the million dollar Templeton prize for progress in religion.

Consider this our primer, an apologetic for demo- cratic capitalism. The bedrock of our economy, the sustainer of our government, and the only proven system that lifts people from poverty to prosperity.

MICHAEL: People still had until 1989 extraordinary expectations about socialism which were clearly, plainly flaws. I said in The Spirit Of Democratic Capitalism, "... the most unreported fact of the 20th Century is the death of socialism." And so a great miracle was wrought here.

We've moved a lot of people out of poverty, but we still have in this hemisphere 200 million who haven't shared in that and we've got to find those new entrepreneurs and we've got to teach the skill. We've got to tell people how valid and important it is; and it's the only hope of the poor.