The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-14

u. A. Cra1nD or queen COllege,
~ London, prepared a series Of es-
savs on the origin and Destiny
OF Imperial Britain" They are par
tlcularly interesting At the present
moment and 30 are now being pub
lished for tho first time by f.. =. Dut-
ton & Co.
Though life Itself and all It's modes
are transient, saws Prof. Cramb, but
shadows cast through the richly tinted
veil of Maya upon the everlasting deep
of things, yet such dreams as those
of perpetual peace and of empires ex-
empt from degeneration and decay.
like the illusion OF perpetual happiness,
the prayer of Sp,noza for some me
supreme. continuous. unending bliss"
have Knocked man from me beginning
of recorded history to the present hour.
They are ancient az the rocks and
their musings from eternity, inextin-
g%ulshahle as the elan of the soul m
pr,soned In time toward hat which is
beyond time.
And yet the effect Of these, as OF all
false illusions. IL but 20 render the
value ~ reality had almost said of
the real ~illusion-more poignant. In
decd. false" and unreal" at all times
are mere designations we apply to the
hours Of dim and uncertain vision
when tested by the standard which
tho moments Of perfect insight AFFORD.
Nothing IL more tedious, yet nothing
In more instructive, than the study OF
the formulated ideals, the imaginings
OF what life might be or life ought 20
be. OF poets or Systematic philosophers.
Nothing 20 instantly ~reconciles us to
war as the d~clineations OF humanity
under meek eyed Peace; and to the
passing Of visible things. empires.
sta.es, arts, laws and this universal
frame OF things. as such attempts az
have been made 20 stay time and
change, and sbrogate the ordinances
of the world.
Was machs, tu al der welt- 81. ist
echon gemacht.
Why n pee, thou the world? twas
sNnpen long ako
Nor does this result IN :hs mood OF
Candide. The effort unconquered and
intending 20 behold the visible and tho
passing. as IN very truth v Is. leads
10 a deeper vision OF the unseen and
OF the eternal, es IN very truth Il -.
Thus we are prepared to consider
the following question: Given that
death Is nothing and the decline " en-
pires but a change of form. Will this
empin, OF imperial Britain also decline
and fall? VIII the form z now en-
shr.nes pass away. as n. forms OF
Persia. Rome. the Empire OF Akbar.
ave passed away? The question re
sl.ves tsclf INTO Two pa-ts-in what
does NO youth y a race or OF an en-
p.re consist? And. secondly. IS & pos
s.hle by any analogy from the past 20
measure ar gauge the possible or prob
able duration OF !mpera. Britain. 10
determine TO what era, say IN the h's-
tory ~ such an empire az Rome or
Islam, tho present era IN the history
o. imperial Britain corresponds?
First ~ all Wit regard 20 the
former question. Recent studies IN
ethnology have made = clear that
youth. and All that this term implies ~
latent or realized energies, mcntal.
physical. intellectual. - not tho tn
ov''ab,o attribute and exclusive possrs-
sion ~ uncivN'zod or OF recently
,!N Wed races. Yet hts assumption
s,i' uulcrlles much ~ the curr"n,
speculation on :Ne subject. Last cen
fury q was received a. an automatic
truth. Thus IN The Tine Of Louis XIV,
when a romantic Interest first invested
| the American Indians. French writer's
saw In them he prototypes Nf the
/ Germans described by Tac,'us. Not
only Na''a!re and Rousseau, bat
Manifestation himself. regard them