il in Europe after the War, we have again, not
only the right, but the duty to do it.

Finally, a still higher call is upon us: we must somehow rise to the
point of placing humanity above the nation. It is true, "Charity begins
at home," certainly justice should. One should educate one's own
children, before worrying over the children of the neighborhood; clean
up one's own town, before troubling about the city further away. Often
the whole is helped best by serving the part; but it is with national
patriotism as it is with family affection. The latter is a lovely
quality and the source of much that is best in the world; but when
family affection is an instrument for gaining special privilege at the
expense of the good of society, a means of attaining debauching luxury
and selfish aggrandisement, it is an abomination. The man who prays
God's blessing on himself, his wife and his children, and nobody else,
is a mean man, and he never gets blessed--not from God. Similarly, the
man who seeks the interest of his own nation, against the welfare of
mankind, who prays God's blessing only on his own people, is equally a
mean man, and his prayer, also, is never answered from the Most High.
The world has advanced too far for the spirit of a narrow nationalism.
The recrudescence of such a spirit is one of the sad consequences of
this world War. Only in a spirit of international brotherhood, in
dedication to the welfare of humanity, can democracy go towards its
goal.

These are the obligations following upon the challenge of democracy we
have proclaimed to the nations.

VIII

THE GOSPEL AND THE SUPERSTITION OF NON-RESISTANCE

The first condition of fulfilling the responsibilities imposed upon us
by the challenge of our democracy is, now and hereafter, readiness and
willingness for self-respecting self-defense, defense of our liberties
and of the principles and ideals for which we stand. There is much
nonsense talked about non-resistance to evil. It is a lovely thing in
certain high places of the moral life. It was well that Socrates
remained in the common criminal prison in Athens and drank the hemlock
poison; but nine times out of ten it would have been better to run away,
as he had an opportunity to do. It was good that Jesus healed the ear of
the servant of the high priest,--and good that St. Peter cut it off.

In other words, acts of non-resistance and self-sacrifice are fine
flowers of the moral life;