Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1910-06-09

came far quicker than II needed to come,
because of shortcomings on her part to
which both Great Britain and the United
States would be wise to pay heed. Her
government was singularly ineffective. the
decentralization being such as often to
permit the separatist. the partlcularIst.
spirit OF the provinces to rob the central
authority of all efficiency. This was bad
enough. But the fatal weakness was that
so common In rich. peace-loving societies,
where men hate to think OF war as posi-
bic, and try to justify their own reluctance
to face II either by high-sounding moral
platitudcs or else by a philosophy of
short-siShted materialism. The Dutch
were very wealthy. They grew to be-
lieve that they could hire others to do
their fighting for them on land; and on
sea. where they did their own fighting,
and fought very we'll. they refused in
time of peace to make ready fleets so ef-
fcient ns either to Insure the Dutch
against the peace being broken or else
to give them the victory when war
came. To be opulent and unarmcd Is to
secure ease in the present at the almost
certain cost of disaster In the future.
1t Is therefore easy to see why Holland
lost when she did her position among the
powers; but II is far more difficult to ex-
plain why at tho same time there should
have come at least n partial loss of posi-
llbl III the WbTlu VI II all ltlltT9. some
spark of divine fire burned itself out in
the national soul. AS the line of great
statesmen. of great warriors. by land and
sea, came to an end, so the line OF the
great Dutch painters ended. The loss OF
pre-emincnCe IN the schools followed tho
loss OF pre- cminence In camp and in
council chamber.
In the little republic Of Holland. as In
the great empire Of Rome. 1t was not
death which came. but transformation.
Both Holland and Italy teach us that
races that fall may rise again.
Danger Of Race Suicide.
There are questions which we OF the
great civilized nations are ever tempted to
ask of the future. III our time of growth
drawing to an enc? Are we as nations
soon to come under the rule of that great
law of death. which is itself but part OF the
great law of life? None can tell. Forces
that we can see and other forces that are
hidden or that can but dimly he appre-
hended are at work all around us. both
for good and for evil. The growth in lux
ury, In love of ease. In taste for vapid
and frivolous excitement. Is both evident
and unhealthy. The most ominous sign
ia the diminution In the birth-rate. In tho
rate OF natural increase, now to a larger
or lesser degree shared by most OF tho
civilized nations of central and western
Europe, OF America and Australia: a dim
mutton 80 great tina II It continues for the
next century at tho rate which has OBJ
tanned for the last % years. nil the more
highly civilized people will be stationary
or else have begun to go backward In
population. while many OF them will have
already gone very far backward.
There IL much that should give us ron.
Germ for the future. But there Is much
also which should give us hope. No man
is more apt to be mistaken than the
prophet of evil. ! believe with all my
heart that n great future remains for us;
hut whether 1t does or does not. our
duty is not altered. However the bat
tie may go, the soldier worthy OF the
name will with utmost vigor do his al
loted task, and bear himself rs valiant
" In defent as In victory. Come what
VIII. we belong to peoples who have not
Welded to tho craven fear OF being great.
In tho ngcs that nave gone by, the
great nations. the nations that have cx-
panied and that have played n mighty
part I'm the world. have In the end
grown old and weakened and vanished:
but SO have the nations whose only
thought was to avoid all danger, all ef-
fort. who would risk nothing. and who
therefore gained nothing. In the end the
same fate may overwhclm all alike; hut
the memory of the one type perishes with
It while the other leg Ses its mark deep
on Abe history OF all the future OF man
kind.
In the first part of this lecture I drew
certain nnalOGics between what had oc-
CURED to forms OF animal life through
the procession of the ages on this planet,
and what has occurred and IL occurring
to the great artificial civilizations which
have gradually spread over the worlds
surface during the thousands OF years
that have elapsed since cities OF temples
and palaces first rose beside the Nile and
the EuphratcS, and the harbors of
Mlnoan Crete bristled with the masts OF
the Aegean craft. But OF course the
parallel Is true only In the oughest
and most general way. Moreover. even
between the civilizations OF today and
the civilizations OF ancient times there
are differences so profound that we must
he cautious In drawing any conclusions
for the present based on what has hap
pcned In the past. While freely admit
ting all of our follics and weaknesses Of
today, II Is yet mere pervcrsity to refuse
to realize the incredible advance that
has been made In ethical standards. / do
not believe that there is the slightest nee
cssary connection between any weaken
Ing OF virile force and this advance in
the moral standard, this growth OF tho
sense of obligation 10 ones %ncighbor and
OF reluctance to do that %neighbor wrong.
Problems Of Modern Nations.
Every modern civilized nation has many
and terrible problems to solve within its
own borders, problems that arise not
merely from JuXtaposition OF poverty and
riches. but especially from the self-con-
seriousness OF both poverty and riches.
Each nation must deal with these mat
ters In It's own fashion. and yet the spirit
In which the problem Is approached must
ever be fundamentally tho same. 1t
must he n spirit OF broad humanity; OF
brotherly kindness; Of acceptance OF re-
sponsibility. one for each and each for
all; and at the same time a spirit as re-