Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-10-08
NO. 237.
ter of the idea is said to have been German
state official, DIR. Stephan. Austria was the
first to adopt it. twelve years ago.
Social Tendencies.

| Where activity in destroying enemies is
| chronic, destruction will become a source of
pleasure; where success in subduing fellow
| men is above all things honored. there will
| arise delight in the forcible exercise of mas
terry; and. with pride in spofaing the van
quished, will go disregard for the rights OF
property at large. As it is incredible that
men 81 ould be courageous in face Of foes and
cowardly in face of friends, so il il incredi-
BILE that the other feelings fostercd by perpet-
lal conflicts abroad should not come into play
at home. We have just seen that. with the
pursuit of vengeance outside the society. there
goes the pursuit of vengeance inside the So
cie,y and whatever other habits of thought
and pction constant war necessitates must
| show their effects in the social life at large.
Facts from various places and times prove
that in militant societies the claims of life,
liberty and property are little regarded.
The Dahomans, warlike to the extent that
both sexes are warriors, and by whom slave
hunting invasions are. or were, annually un-
dertaken "to furnish funds for the royal ex-
chequer," show their blood-thirstiness BY
their annual customs at which multitude
nous victims are publicly slaughtered for
the popular qualification. The Feejeeans.
again. highly militant in their activities and
type of organization, who display their reck
lessness of life not only by killing their own
people for cannibal feasts. but by destroying
immense numbers OF their infants and by sac
rifcing victims on trivial occasions, such as
launching a new canoe, so much applaud fe-
rocity that to commit murder is glory.
Early records of Asiatics and Europeans show
| us the like relation. What accounts there
are of the primitive Mongols, who, when
united, massacred Western peoples wholesale.
show us n chronic reign Of violence, both
within and without their tribes: while domes-
tic assassinations, which from the beginning
have characterized the militant Turks, con-
tinue to characterize them down to our own
day.
In proof that il was so with the Greek and
Latin races, it sufhces to instance the slaugh-
ter of the two thousand Helots bv the Spar
tans, whose brutality was habitual, and the
murder of large numbers of suspected citizens
by jealous Roman emperors, who also, like
their subjects, manifested their love Of blood
| shed in their arenas. That where life is little
regarded there can be but little regard for
liberty, follows necessarily those who do not
hesitate to end another's activities by killing
him will still less hesitate to restrain his ac-
| tivities by holding him in bondage. Militant
savages, whose captivcs, when not eaten, are
| enslaved, habitually show us this absence Of
| regard for fellow mems freedom. which char
acterzes the members Of militant societies in
| general.
How little under militant regime, more or
less markedly displayed in all early historic
| societies there was any sentiment against
deprivng men of their liberties. 10 sufficient
~ shown bv the fact that even in the teach
ings of primitive Christianity there was no
express condemnation Of slavery. Natural
ly the like holds with the right of property.
Where mastery established by force ia hon
orable, claims 10 possession by the weaker
are likely to be little respected by the strong
er.- Herbert Spencer. IN Popular Science
Monthly.