WORLD-POPULATION AND NATIONALISM gg 
or when the consequences of so doing seem to be of 
little material—not moral—moment. . 
The intrinsic difficulties arising from differences in 
language, in education, in social ideals, and in race are 
very real, but are by no means wholly insuperable. But 
when the possibilities of being the victim of bad faith 
and of cruel attack are superadded, that co-ordina- 
tion of effort and necessary co-operation, which are a 
prime requisite, become quite impossible. Perfidies as 
between nation and nation really mean that physical 
disasters are inevitable. They mean also something 
vastly worse, viz., the antagonism of human souls, 
and the degradation of the human spirit. They 
involve the culture of a cynicism for which we pay 
dearly. 
This brings one to the heart of the whole question, 
viz., “What is the spirit which should be behind 
nationalism?” Is the aim only organisation for power, 
or is it organisation for the soul of humanity? In 
short, is this to be considered really a non-moral world, 
in which force and material ends are the things to be 
regarded as of supreme value, and dreams of the en- 
nobling of the life and spirit of man to be treated as 
afutile phantasy? Orisit a world in which a moral law 
is deep written in the constitution of things, where the 
real object of unspeakable value is nobility of character 
and the development of the human mind? One’s 
answer to these questions goes to the basis of the whole 
matter. Is the cynic right, or is the believer in some 
sort of higher destiny of Man right? 
We shall venture to assume that Man’s greatest dis- 
covery is that, after all, there is an ethical foundation 
in the heart of this world. Attempts apparently to 
dominate the world do not succeed, though judged by 
the probabilities of the issues, on the basis of the 
persistent physical and mental preparation made, 
they may have seemed certain of success. One