Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1910-06-09
ROMANES LECTURE GIVEN
BY THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Event Postponed by Kings Death Attracts :
Large Audience at Oxford Lord Curzon
Introduces the Distinguished American.

| AND England. The differences betwee,
tnese new American and these ''old'
european nations are not as great as thos,
which separate the new nations on,
from another and the "oid" nations on,
from another There are in each cas-,
very real dinerences between the new ant
the ola Acknowledgement both for goot
.ho TOT evil; but In each case there II
the same ancestral history to reckon with
.he same type OF civilization, with its at
.enuant Dement'S and shortcomings; and
aiter the pioneer stages are passed, the
problems to be solved. In spite OF superfi.
clal oinerences. are I'm their essence the
same they are those that confront al
clVinzed peoples. not those that confront
peoples struggling from barbarism into
civilization.
30. when we speak OF the death" OF
tripe' nation or a civilization, the term
may De used for either one or two totally
olnerent processes: the analogy with
what occurs In biological history being
complete. Certain tribes OF savages, the
iasmsnians, for instance, and various lit
tie clans OF American Indians, have within
the Iast century or two completely died
out; all OF the individuals have persisted,
leaving no descendants, and the blood has
disappeared Certain other tribes of
INDIANS nave as tribes disappeared or
are now disappearing; but their blood
remains being absorbed into the veins of
the white intruders. or OF the black men
introduced by these white intruders; 30
,nat IN reality they are merely being
transformed into something absolutely
oinerent from what they were.
A like wide diversity in fact may be
covered In the statement that q civiliza-
ton has died out"
Phenomena That Puzzle.
In dealing. not with groups of human
beings In simple and primitive relations,
put with highly complex, highly special
lzed' civilized, or semi-civilized societies.
there 10 need OF great caution In drawing
snaiogies with what has occurred in the
development OF the animal world. Yet
even in these cpses II IL curious to se,
now some Oh the phenomena In the
growth I'D disappearance OF these COM
pes. artificial groups OF human beings
assemble what has happened in myriads
or instances In the history OF life on this
planet.
Why do great artificial empires. whose
citizens are knit by bond OF speech and
culture much more than by a bond of
blood, show periods OF extraordinary
growth. and again OF sudden or lingering
decay? In some cases we can answer
readily enough; In other cases we can
not as yet even guess what the proper
answer should be- II in any such case
the centrifugal forces overcome the CEN
tripetal. the nation will OF course fiy to
pieces, and the reason for its failure to
become a dominant force is patent to
every one. The minute that the spirit
which finds Its healthy development in
local self-government, and in the antidote
TO the dangers OF an extreme centraliza-
tion, develops into mere particularism,
into inability to combine effectively for
achievement Of a common end. then II is
n O.
and certain republics OF the western
hemisphere are the standard examples of
failure of this kind: and the United States
would nave ranked with them, and It's
name would have become a byword OF
nerision IL the forces OF union had not
Iriumphed In the civil war. So the
growth of soft luxury after II has reached
4 certain point becomes a national danger
patent to all. Again, II needs but little of
me vision OF seer to foretell what must
happen In any community II the average
woman ceases TO become the mother of a
-amily OF healthy children. II the average
nan loses the will and the power to work
ID 10 old age and to fight whenever the
leed arises. IL the homely, commonplace
firtues die out. II strength OF character
'anishes In graceful self-indulgence, II the |
1rle quantities atrophy, then the nation
las lost what no material prosperity can
,ffset.
But there are plenty OF other phenom- |
ma wholly or partially inexplicable. 1t is
asy 10 see why Rome trended downward |
when great slave-tilled farms spread over |
'hat mad once been countryside Of |
'easant proprietors. when greed and lux |
ny and sensuality ate like acids into the |
Der or the upper classes. while the mass
4 the citizens grew TO depend, not upon
heir own exertions. but upon the state.
or their pleasures and their very liven-
900. But this does not explain why the
onward movement stopped at different
lines, so far as different matters were
oncerned; at one time as regards litera-
ure, at another time as regards architec-
ure, at another time as regards city
uiIding We cannot even guess why the
prings OF one kind OF energy dried up
nile there was yet no cessation of an
Their kind.
Holland as an Example.
Take another and smaller instances. that
Holland. For period covering a
tile more than the seventeenth century.
like some OF the Italian civ
Iates at an earlier period. stood on the
angerous heights OF greatness beside ma
ons so vastly her superior In territory
M population as to make II Inevitable
lat sooner or later she must fall from the
Iorious and perilous eminence to which
ne mad been raised by her own indomita-
- Aiti ldll came IL could not 1
ave been indefinitely postponed: but Il
ime Tar quicker than II needed TO come.
scause or shortcomings on her part to |
men both Great Britain and the United
lates would be wise TO pay heed Her
'Nernment was singularly Ineffective the
Capitalization being such as often TO
'imit the separatist. the particularist.
'lft OF the provinces TO rob the central
OF all efficiency This was bad
louRh. But the fatal weakness was that
common In rich. peace loving societies
mere men hate 10 think OF war as possi
G, ana try TO justify their own reluctance
race u either by high-sounding moral
attitudes or else by a philosophy OF
ort-sighted materialism. The Dutch /
ere very wealthy. They grew TO be-
we that they could hire others to do
cir nghting for them on land and on
a. where they did their own fighting, ,
10 lought very we'll. they refused in :
ne OF peace TO make ready fleets so eff 1
lent as either TO insure the Dutch ,
alnst the peace being broken or else !
give them the victory when war !
me. TO be opulent and unarmed Is to :
cure ease In the present at the almost =
rtsln cost OF disaster in the future. !
! - therefore easy TO see why Holland n
y when she did her position among the y
Wers' out u is far more difficult 10 ex- n
IN why at the same time there should v
We come at least partial loss OF posi- 8
y IN me world OF art and letters. Some a