The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-21

Therae are many objections made
against the love Of country. Some
people nay: The proof that the idea
cf country rests on nothing solid or
staple. IL that the country changes In
tho course Of time. as the results Of
con6uests. 90 that tho country which
u = your duty AZ patriot to hate to-
day, becomes tomorrow the country
which Il Ii your patriotic duty to love-
You arr from Brittany and II is your
patriotic duty to love Brittany and de-
test France. Then Brittany becomes
Incorporated In France and 1t be-
coSnes your duty to love France. A
feeling which may thus change ID
purely conventional and one may well
ask: Where II my country? !. a Ba-
vafian. Joined tho army In 1866 to de-
fend Bavaria against Prussia. 1t was
then my duty to love Bavaria In pref
erence to Prussia. how II is Prussia
which my sense Of patriotic duty or
dera me to love In preference to Ba-
vArta In case Bavaria revolts and
wants to seccdc. Where. then, il duty.
patriotism and country:
The objection seems strong at first
glance. but 4. is merely spccious. VII.
has over said that patriotism il abb
Boiute and that II cannot alter Its
course according to circumstancesr
What ono must love absolutely is ones
little country. ones country In tho
narrower sense. This Is what there
IL Of the absolute in patriotic duty.
sentiment and idea. But suppose this
little country Is absorbed by q greater
one. What are you to do, then,
A. long as this absorption IL not defl-
nite night for your little country. But
when the absorption is evidently def
mite. you must love your little. coun-
try within the great and for the sake
OF your little country you must serve
the greater one faithfully.
But surely cannot love IT,"
NO. but this will be a matter for
your sons or grandsons who have
known the little country only as part
Of the greater one. What Is 1t that
has happened? Patriotism has chang
ed IT. course. its attitude and way Of
making itself manifest. Has IL chang
ed its character or soul? No. II al
ways consists In loving your little
country with all your might. Has 1t
changed object? No. it always con-
sists In loving your little country.
This Ia the very foundation OF things
which proves that the rieissitades Of
history change nothing in this foun-
dalton.
Now. to 20 a little more into detail,
Il must be said that this patriotic
duty. variable In its attitudes. but I'M
chaneeabie In Its object. may. accord
ing 10 circumstances, impose widely
different obligations. Conquered. you
have been made slaves. YOU are treat
ed like slaves indefinitely. you are de-
MED rights as citizens. denied the pro-
viiege OF participating In the govern
uient OF your new country. In that
case your fight should be kept up
forever. for you are denied the chance
OF loving your little country as part of
the greater one.
On the other hand. suppose that
those who have conquered you per-
haps because of political necessities
which they could not overlook. take
you by the hand and make you their
equal In every sense. Then, IL not
tho first generation, at least the sec
ond or third may learn TO love the
new country which history has made
for them.
II even happens that the people
that conquers another people. by con-
quering II serves the patriotic feeling
OF that people Itself When France
conquers Brittany II ~ 10 defend her
self against England. Now. az Brit
tany does not love the English. France
actually serves the patriotism Of the
people OF Brittany. by conauering
Brittany. When Prussia corauers
Bavaria IL is to defend herself against