The state herald. (Holyoke, Logan County, Colo.) 1887-1921, 1910-06-10
ROMANES LECTURE GIVEN
BY THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Event Postponed by Kings Death Attracts a
Large Audience at Oxford---Lord Curzon
Introduces the Distinguished American.

pean type, as SHOWN IN PORTUGAL, SPAN.
and England. The differences between
these new" American and these "old"
European nations are not as great as those
which separate the new nations one
from another and the "old" nations one
from another. There are In each case
very real differences between the new and
the old acknowledgements both for good
and for evil: but In each case there Is
the same ancestral history to reckon with,
the same type of civilization. with Its at
tendant benefits and shortcomings; and,
after the pioneer stages are passed. the
problems to be solved. In spite of superb
cial differences. are In their essence the
same: they are those that confront all
civilized peoples, not those that confront
peoples struggling from barbarism into
civilization.
So. when we speak Of the death" OF
q tribe. nation or n civilization. the term
may be used for either one or two totally
different processes. the analogy with
what occurs in biological history being
complete. Certain tribes OF savages. the
Tasmanlans. for instance. and various lit
tie clans Of American Indians, have within
the last century or two completely died
out: all OF the individuals have perished
leaving no descendants and the blood has
disappeared. Certain other tribes of
Indians have 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; so
that In reality they are merely being
transformed Into something absolutely
different from what they were.
A like wide diversity In fact may be
covered in the statement that a civiliza-
ton has died out
Phenomena That Puzzle.
In dealing. not with groups Of human
beings In simple and primitive relations.
but with highly complex. highly special
lied. civilized. or semi-civilized societies.
there is need of great caution in drawing
analoGies with what has occurred in the
development OF the animal world. Yet
even In these cases II is curious to SEQ
how some OF the phenomena in the
growth and disappearance OF these COM
pick. artificial groups OF human beings
resemble what has happened in myrlads
OF instances In the history OF life on this
planet.
Why do great artificial empires. whose
citizens are knit by n 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 fly TO
pieces. and the reason for its failure to
become n dominant force IL 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 centralixa-
ton. develops into mere particulnrism.
Into Inability TO combine effectively for
achievement OF a common end. then Il IL
hopeless to expect great results. Poland
and certain republics Of tho western
hemisphere are the standard examples OF
failure OF this kind and the United States
would have ranked wtth them. and Its
name would have become n byword OF
derision. II the forces OF union had not
triumphed In the civil war. So IN.
growth OF soft luxury after Il has reached
a certain point becomes n national danger
patent TO all. Again. Il needs but little OF
the vision OF seer TO foretell what must
happen In any community II tho average
woman ceases to become the mother OF a
family OF healthy children. n the average
man loses the will and the power to work
up to old age and TO night whenever the
need arises. II the homely, commonplace
virtues die out. II strength Of character
vanisheS In graceful self-indulgence. n the
virile qualities atrophy. then the nation
has lost what no material prosperity can
OFFSET.
But there are plenty OF other phenom.
ena wholly or partially ineSpllcable II Is
easy 10 see why Rome trendei downward
when great slav--tilled farms spread over
what had once been a countryaid. Of
peasant proprietors. when greed and lux
ury and sensuality ate like acids into the
nber OF the upper classes, while the mass
OF the citizens grew TO depend. not upon
their own esertions. but upon the state.
for their pleasures and their very liveli-
hood. But this does not explain why tn.
forward movement stopped at different
times 50 far Ms different matters were
concerned; nt one time rs regards litera-
ture. at another time as regards srchitec-
ture. nj another time as regards city
building. We cannot even guess why the
springs Of one kind OF energy dried up
while there was yet no cessation OF an.
other kind
Holland as an Example.
TAX. another and smaller instane,. that
OF Holland, For n period covering a
little more than the seventeenth century,
Holland. like some OF the Italian city
states at an earlier period. stood on tho
dangerous heights Of greatness beside ma.
uons 10 vastly her superior In territory
and population as 10 make Il Inevitable
that sooner or later She must fall from IN.
l
she had been raised by her own indomltn.
bic soul ilef fail came. II could no,
have been indefinitely postponed. but II
came far quicker than Il needed 10 come,
because of shortcomings on h-r part 10
which both Great Britain and the United
| States would ba wise 60 pay heed Her
government, was slnEuiafly inenoetivo. the
decentralization being such ~ often 10
permit the HopatatiHi. the partirulart-t,
spirit of tho provinces 10 rob the central
authority of all efficiency This was had
enough iut the fatal weakness was that
90 common In urh, poac".inying societies,
wher" mon hate 10 think of war as posi-.
bio aud ny "a Justify their own r-iurtanea
TO face II either by hiHhssoundinH noral
piatiludrH or Else by philosophy of
HhuftsHiEhtsi mairfiaiisn. The Dutch
were very wealthy. They grew 10 bs.
ll.ye thni they could hire Others 20 ia
| their nEhtlnK for them on land. aud on
sea, where they aid their own nzhtinE,
ana fought very we'll, they refused In
tine NJ peace 10 make ready fleets 80 81.
nclunt ne either 10 Insure the Dutch
against tho peace hoinn broken or uiur
10 Hiye them the victory when war
came. To ba opuirni and unafmei IL Ia
Il