84 THE SHADOW OF THE WORLD’S FUTURE 
even migration may be promoted with a sinister inten- 
tion. It may even happen that one nation is anxious to 
see migration promoted elsewhere, in order to relieve 
its own fears of consequences. 
The whole plexus of relations which modern trans- 
port and economics, and the intricacies of trade and 
commerce have established, have really welded the 
peoples of the earth into a kind of pseudo-solidarity. 
The evidence of this is that disaster to any one people 
means some measure of disaster to all. By the applica- 
tion of science to industry, and by the magic of inven- 
tion, the life of humanity has been quickened and 
enriched, and the possibilities of physical and psychical 
enjoyment have been promoted. The plane of possible 
moral and intellectual effort has also been raised. 
Through this the destinies of the peoples of the earth 
have become a much deeper and more intricate 
problem. It is one, however, which needs to be 
faced. Every day this need becomes nore pressing. 
There is a reason for this. Man’s power to destroy has 
been enormously enhanced by recent achievements in 
chemical and physical science. On the other hand, 
although his power to ameliorate and meet all evils has 
also advanced, the measure of this advance is relatively 
insignificant as compared with his powers of spreading 
ruin and disaster. As a consequence war has become 
more pregnant with horror, and more frightful in its 
effects both material and psychical. In addition to the 
magnitude of the wreckage actually done, a still greater 
avil is that war tends to engender perpetual distrust 
and a sense of insecurity, and further it breeds suspicion 
and dislike and a deep hatred. These deflect human 
=fforts into a markedly anti-social direction. 
Behind evils such as have been referred to lies the 
spirit of selfishness. Its manifestations are of course 
protean, and often it is masked behind what, on a 
superficial view, appears to be a commendable national