asses a chance to become
real men, would make their governments and institutions serve the
people, would dispense with kings and gross privileges and become
free. Well, they haven't done it. France is nominally a republic,
but the masses of its people are far, far backward. Switzerland
_is_ a republic, but a very small one. Denmark is a very free
state, in spite of its monarchical form of government. In South
America they think they have republics, but they haven't the
slightest idea of the real education and freedom of the people.
Practically, therefore, the United States and the self-governing
British colonies are the only really free countries of much
importance in the whole world--these and this Kingdom. Our example
hasn't been followed. In Europe, Germany and Russia in particular
have monarchs who are in absolute command. Thus on both sides the
world, so far as government and the danger of war are concerned,
there hasn't been very much real progress in five hundred years.

This is a little disappointing. And it means, of course, that we
are likely to have periodical earthquakes like this present one
till some radical change come. Republics have their faults, no
doubt. But they have at least this virtue: that no country where
the people really have the control of their government is likely to
start out deliberately on any war of conquest--is not likely to run
amuck--and will not regard its population as mere food for shell
and powder.

Nor do I believe that our example of our government has, relatively
to our strength and wealth and population, as much influence in the
world as we had one hundred years ago. Our people have no foreign
consciousness and I know that our government knows almost nothing
about European affairs; nor do our people know. As regards foreign
affairs our government lacks proper machinery. Take this as an
illustration: The President wrote vigorous and proper notes about
the _Lusitania_ and took a firm stand with Germany. Germany has
paid no attention to the _Lusitania_ outrage. Yet (as I understand
it) the people will not run the risk of war--or the Administration
thinks they will not--and hence the President can do nothing to
make his threat good. Therefore we stand in a ridiculous situation;
and nobody cares how man