The Detroit times., 1916-07-29
Bursting the Outgrown Shell
BY Or. FRANK CRANE
Copyright. 1913. by Frank Crane)

Every advance of the human race Is
accompanied with disaster. A plant can
grow sweetly, but mankind has to break
something at every stage Of its progress.
Humanity Is growing organism, as
an oak tree. 1t is coming up from acorn
to sapling, and then to sturdy wood.
The race grows from institution to IN.
stitution. First the family. then the
tribe, then the nation then humanity. At
every change there is lot of violence,
passion. and martyrdom. The tribes never
coagulated into the nation without fight
ing q long time first. And it seems the
nations cannot develop the world state.
with a sense of humanity instead Of the
combative sense of patriotism, without
vast amount of slaughter and destruc-
ton
Getting together Is the supreme task
OF mankind. 1t cannot be accomplished
except by much killing The path to uni
versal brotherhood is by way of univer-
sal hate. The prelude to the millennium
is wars and rumors of wars. Why, no
one knows.
The psychological explanation of the
present war epoch Is that the world Is
getting too big for its clothes. Our world
consciousness has gone beyond our po-
litical means Of expression. We are hv-
ing in world made up of nations. But
nations are an anachronism. They be-
long to past age of concerted activity.
We have outgrown the nation idea
And We have not yet formed new idea
wherewith 10 clothe ourselves.
Professor Krehbiel, in a recent num-
Der of the Survey ably points out how
the nation has lost its meaning. O A
nation is no longer geographical unit;
for instance, there is no natural boun-
Diary between the United States and Can
ada, between Germany and Russia, etc.
(2) A nation is no longer racial unit:
Great Britain and the United States are
substantially the same race (3) 1t is
no longer a unit in language: see Austria
and Switzerland. (4) Nor religious
unit. g. Nor an economic or CONNER
cia unit, since trade is worldwide.
A nation is not personality; 1t is
beehive.
He shows indeed that nationalism Is
no more nor less than a religion. 1t ex-
lists simply because we believe it to exist.
We believe this because our fathers be-
lieved IT, and we have not yet learned
better faith It's basis is tradition, lack
of imagination, and lack of vision.
A singular evidence of our Grass stu
pidity is an incident that occurred recent
ly in New York A radical preachet
burned the American flag. along WITH
those of other nations, to symbolic the
supremacy Of the international idea. HiS
act was not wrong it was worse; it was
foolish. Because | hold the state ST.
preme above the claims Of my family
don't need to kick my sister nor insuN
my mother. And can follow humanity
and still love and reverence my country.
Yet here is the one big idea that can
relieve the world Of the curse Of war, the
idea Of humanity as above the nation,
and not one newspaper or magazine OF
general circulation that | know OF is en-
Enthusiastically recommending it; all are
in the blind weller of nationalism, and
the only man to make the big idea lurid
before the public is an enthusiast who
shocks and offends our sensibilities.
Still, perhaps that is the way. You
remember Walter Pater's word THE
path to perfection lies through series
of disgusts."
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