The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-01

free church. free school, q free field
and the tools to him who can use then1.
Here. on a great scale, is the fellow
ship of the games of the. kindergarten;
for the secret@o of this vital and practical
unity is the discovery that every occupa-
ton serves society, and that every man
attains freedom and completeness only
as he stands in free and just relations
to his fellows. Towards this higher
unity men steadily advance; they are
drawn together in spite cot themselves.
It is idle to try to keep out OF the
stream; the long evolution from the fami-
" to the race will not pause until it has
been perfectly worked out. Better
thousand times for this country the perils
Of Intimacy with other ma tons and; there
fore with the race at large, than the
I>erils OF isolation-that is. of detach-
ment from the race at large. This NOV
ing together of races On the attempt TO
transfer the highest unity from thought
to action, is the most majestic move
ment Of the day. Men may strive against
it. but they cannot arrest it; IS the
sublime opportunity of modern history
it promises to be the most Impressive
evolution OF the twentieth century. I he
times are full of signs of the approach
Of this more inclusive race unity. We
are talking to-day of an $AnSlo-SaIon
union. an harmonious action between
two great nations for the furtherance OF
the higher aims of Civilizations move
ment which touches the Imagination
and awakens the enthusiasm or every
generous spirit; but we are already aware
that this union must be more inclusive.
If we retrace one emigration of our race
we find ourselves in England, but we
cannot stop there; We must retrace earl
Ter emigration; and we are on the shores
of the Baltic; flor the German, the Eng
lishmans and the American are all one
race. and it is the Germanic7 union which
is the logical outcome Of the attempt OF
these races to cooperate. But when
we have grown up to the idea OF the
Germanic union (and we certainly shall
grow up to it in time), we shall have
been educated to such q point thatswe
shall understand the services to civiliza-
ton OF the Latin genius and the neceS-
sity of taking account Of the Latin char
acter. and then will come a movement
for tho Germanic-Latin union. And when,
two centuries hence, men have: grown
up to that great conception and become
at home, in that great relationship, they
will perceive the immense spiritual ener-
gy the great race qualities of tho Siav,
and their ideas will expand to the con-
ception Of the Germa -Slavonic
union. And beyond this there is still
another step--the reunion of the East and
the West of which the prophetic lines
are already cast Then will come the
fulfillment of the historic cycle; the,
return of the race after that long wan
dering which was always a homecoming.
to the place where it first dreamed the
great dreams of human destiny This
may seem like al vision, but when it is
realized it will have involved changes
less radical and of smaller magnitude
than those already accomplished by the
race and soiocry recorded by the his
torans.
Three words arc sacred in the creed
of Democracy; of these, two-iLiberty
and Equality'-are bound up and charg-
ed with meaning by the fundamental
conception of free personality; while the
hird-'tF'raternity''-is the inevitable pro-
duct Of the idea of race-unity.
Froebel seems to have conceived from
the educational point of view. not only
the fundamental principles of Democracy
but it's greatest peril. There are minor
perils which face modern society and
which Democracy must meet, but the
supreme peril is the possible loss of
true scale of values. The great question
Of the future is the supremacy or the
subsection of the spirit Of man to the
immense machinery which he is calling
into existence, to the colossal wealth
which he is creating. Compared with
the bare facts of that wealth, the an
cient dreams of avarice are pallld ana
insignificant; it is estimated that thlr-
teen billions of dollars OF wealth We're
created in this country last year NOW
that science has allied itself with bust
ness and is lending it's immense produc-
tive power-its creative genius, so to
spealrto the man of affairs there is
no limit to the possible creation OF
wealth The world does not yet dream
of the enormous material resources which
are to be at it's command in the next
century, those resources by their very
magnitude will constitute an appalling
danger to society. VIII man master or
will he be mastered by this enormous
accumulation OF material? There Is
but one source of safety from this great
danger, and that is the possession of the
vision, the JOY and the freedom of the
creative spirit, handling this vast ma
terial and shaping it to spiritual uses.
Man cannot be too highly prospered;
wealth cannot come to him too freely
if he holds himself superior to IL, and II
it remains in his hands what the matcle
is to tho sculptor-the material which
shall give Immortality to the highest
visions Of his soul.-hinderSarte keVleW.
In the last eight years we have gained
at slower rate than has Germany IN