Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1906-01-08
Books, BOOkish
People and Things
THE ETHICS OF IMPERIALISM.
BY Albert z. carman.s

guided by the facts he is too much in
olined. perhaps, to attribute every
good Intention and act to purely selfish
motives. Or, at least, to refer such an
indication of good will to instincts de-
rived from egoistic qualities in our an.
cestors.
There is such thing as running ev.
olution to the ground: of ending IL
like the life of papaya tree which
grows to a point and dies. II is all
very true, no doubt. that the excuses
for carrying on modern war are only
excuses offered as justification in an
age that asks for excuses without go.
ing farther, and the authors refusal
TO accept such excuses for the real
reason is quite right There is no mod.
ern war that might not have been aver.
ted by arbitration-even the Civil War
Ct America.
And the Inconsistency of Christian
men and women who send out mission.
cries to rescue the heather from their
traditions and then kill these same
heather In order to demonstrate nee.
essary superior force deserves the
scorn of the Writer of the Book.
Mr.. Carman acknowledges that inn
perialism is not altrulstic. He glories
In the fact that II seeks its own and
not the good others, and so cannot be
charged with Hypocrisy or inconsist.
ency. Yet IL is not n high stand to
take. There is better attitude even
II IL subjects its defenders to the
charge OF disloyalty and want of pa.
1 triotlsm.
Notwithstanding the counter argu.
ment that might be adduced, this book
I is infinitely depressing. 1t makes one
feel that all the higher qualities of
men are brought low; that mother
love and disinterested friendship, the
ties that bind father to son and broth
er to brother, are only so much self
seeking.
Surely, II all this be true, life is not
worth the living. for of what value is
all the vicissitude incident TO individ-
rails and nations, II nothing Is to come
OF II except material prosperity-pow.
or? II, after all, there are no really
unselfsh instincts, no real altruism,
why delude ourselves with hopes and
struggles?
Schopenhauer or the lament of Ec.
| Clesiasticus would be nearer right than
the optimistic philosophers.
After a reading of the book, Goodwin
Simth says: "Mr Carman treats al.
lruism as a fancy. In this he Is right
There Is really no such thing as altru.
ism proper. II by altruism proper is
! meant doing or forbearing to do any.
thing solely for the benefit OF others.
All our actions even the most public
spirited, are egoistic."
Now we have here two very strong
instincts" says our author. "The in.
Stinct Of patriotism, which leads a man
TO fight for his country, and the in.
stinct Of brotherhood, which leads a
man to help brother man. They both
shine out brilliantly on the battlefield
Kill an enemy and succor n comradc.
/ Here they work together, the one com.
rlementing the other; and we feel no
contradiction between them until We
are told to love our enemy in the
name OF human brotherhood To sue.
cor comrade Is to help in the work Of
killing an enemy, but to love our en-.
emy'-what triiling with words It
would be TO pretend to love him while
logging from boulder to boulder in a
fierce hope of putting bullet in his
/ Train. Yet tomorrow we may be lov.
ing him."
This Is all true and very sad, too.
Yet Notwithstanding all that may be
said with seeming reason, there is dis.
Interested affection In this world; in
many loyal heart there is a deep, un.
selfish love for others, many a man
does good to those who hate him and
for whom he has, no physical regard.
and there are many self-sacrlficing
men and women who never expect any
return for what they do; who do not
even have Joy In their sell. denial, hut
who do It for Chrlst's sake.
However, this book is In the main
true.
motives OF men. II Is a good book to
read because Its hard, uncompromis.
ing philosophy may help us to discover
our Inconsistencies and ahsurdities;
wake us up 10 the fact thaS our patrl.
cite spirit Is often the worst sort of
on impulse; that our national fervor
/ may often lead us far away from the
high ethical path we had been follow.
ing.
Let us be one thing or another all
the way through; Saint or Sinner, but
never Hypocrite.
The anti.imperlalists took the only
consistent course, and they had an alb.
solute right TO their opinions. We call.
ed them disloyal and unpatriotic, but
perhaps they were loyal to much
higher, better standard than our own,
and we were the selfish, unchristian
ones willing to do murder and sacri.
hce human lives for the sake OF perpet
uating the power of a Nation, or even
for the sake of increasing our trading
Outposts.
Surely we shall at least be willing ia
reconsider our damaging impetuosity
later on, just as In maturer life we
look back and keenly regret some
things which we once thought the
whole world could not make us sorry
for.
1t doesn't take long to get per.
spective in such things. We cannot
serve God and Mammon.
1.-THE Ethics OF Imperialism" by Al.