The Cordova daily times., 1918-02-19
WILL MODERN NATIONS VANISH?

Chuga1 Shinron, a Japanese maga- zine, recently asked Dr. Charles w. Eliot, president emeritus of Harvard. to reply to the question: Are modern civilizations to perish like the ancient 0nes?"
 The article that Dr. Eliot wrote in response to this query has been trans lated into English from the magazine Like all of this educators articles, it makes readers think.
 Without answering the question di- rectly, this leading scholar concluded that the present war has bound up in it the fate of civilization in this century, at least. He believes that the new fac &Or ln civilization is the prominence of the individual man. This war is man. atestly conflict over this principle; between Germany that glorifies the state and submerges the individual. and the great democracies that glorify the individual man.
 Dr. Eliot calls attention that all the great nations of antiquity rose bv tba power of arms and fell through the same power. He sees no reason to be- ieVe that modern nations will not reach the same end if they travel inc same road.
 All extinct states were dominated by an artistocratic ruling class, under whom was a strong professional mill f-ary class, and below was the third element the ordinary run of peop1e who could be moved by religion. faua. ucal patriotism, or love of loot and glory to conquer neighboring states. A state would conquer as long as if was able, and when the time came that it could not extend it's boundaries u inevitably became the prey of other states and went into a more or less speedy decline.
 Most modern nations, it must be con- fessed are travelling, partly at least, on this road to final ruin. Most of them have autocracies, all of them FRaRe professional soldiers, and many of them are willing to Wage war for or commercial c0hquests. Therefore, it would seem that modern nations will meet the same fate as the states ruled by Alexander, Caesar, and MOhamet.
 But Dr Eliot sees many advantages possessed by nations today that may save from ruin. Nature has been con siderably conquered The welfare of i the masses rather than of the privil- | eged classes is becoming the common concern. Education is becoming gen eral and compulsory. The span of human life has been increased. Ma chinery has multiplied by many times | the productiveness of human hands. | Numbers of dread diseases have been banished and people have surrounded themselves with comforts. These are all now elements in the strength of na- tions, and they must be reckoned with in ascertaining the virility of states.
 But as the various states have ac- quired new strengths in recent years, Dr. Eliot finds they have contracted new weaknesses. He notes the spread of luxury, the growth of alcoholism and social diseases, and the decline of an out-of-doors life. The congestion of people in cities and the factory sys- tenn are other elements of weakness, the doctor believes.
 Dr. Eliot himself does not attempt to answer the question that called out his article. He presents the facts as he sees them. And he leaves the read er to speculate on that always highly interesting question whether nations, like the individuals that compose them, are destined forever to run their little hour and disappear.
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 DEAHE nI hNc Nn ANI IMMEDIMH