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-ordination
 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 ennobling
 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 discovery
 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