igation in South Africa," published in the
_Fortnightly_ for August, 1903. "A careful study of educated natives,"
writes this pious gentleman, "has almost persuaded me that secular
education is not a progressive factor in social evolution. The
salvation of a primitive people depends upon the force of Christianity
alone, special attention being paid to its all-important rule 'six days
shalt thou labour.' ... In the education of the world it has ever been
true that slavery has been a necessary step in the social progress of
primitive peoples."--Reinsch, "Colonial Administration," New York,
1912, p. 383.

{99}

CHAPTER VIII

IMPERIALISM AND WAR

If the entire imperialistic process could be directed by one omniscient
individual, representing the interest of all industrial and
agricultural countries, the progress of imperialism would be regular,
rapid and easy. Or if one nation, say England, could take over all
colonies and run them in the common interest of the industrial nations
alone, imperialism would be robbed of its greatest peril, that of
embroiling the nations in war. Unfortunately we have hit upon no such
device for preserving the common interest of imperialist nations, while
safe-guarding their separate interests. Each nation desires the
biggest share for itself. Imperialism is directed by the conflicting
ambitions, crude pretensions and confident vanities of selfish nations,
and in the conflicts of interest that break out, the soup is spilled
before it is served.

From an economic point of view, this special interest of the nations in
imperialism, like their common interest, is three-fold: markets for
manufactured products, opportunities to invest capital and access to
raw materials. If trade never followed the flag, if India imported as
much from Germany as from Great Britain, and Madagascar as much from
Austria as from France, if there were an absolutely open door in each
colony and a real as well as legal equality for all merchants, there
would be a weaker competition for the dominion of backward countries.
{100} Germans, Englishmen and Frenchmen might then compete on equal
terms in Morocco, Egypt and Southwest Africa as they compete to-day in
Chile or Argentina. But no such equality exists in countries
controlled by European powers, and many of these colonies are
consciously utilised in a bitter economic competition between the
nations.

To what such competition may lead is suggested in