or be changed; how
can the human race turn about, by means of its own power only, and
move in a direction the reverse from that in which it has been
moving throughout all the centuries of the past?

These considerations seem to indicate that nations, regarded in
their relation toward each other, will go on in the direction in
which they have been going unless acted upon by some external force.

Will civilization, commerce, or Christianity impart that force?

Inasmuch as civilization is merely a condition in which men live, and
an expression of their history, character and aims, it is difficult
to see how it could of itself act as an external force, or cause an
external force to act. "Institutions and laws," says Le Bon, again,
"are the outward manifestation of our character, the expression of
its needs. Being its outcome, institutions and laws cannot change
this character."

Even if the civilization of a given nation may have been brought
about in some degree by forces external to that nation, yet it is
clear that we must regard that civilization rather as the result of
those forces than as a force itself. Besides, civilization has never
yet made the relations of nations with each other more unselfish,
civilized nations now and in the past, despite their veneer of
courtesy, being fully as jealous of each other as the most savage
tribes. That this should be so seems natural; because civilization
has resulted mainly from the attempts of individuals and groups to
enhance the pleasures and diminish the ills of life, and therefore
cannot tend to unselfishness in either individuals or nations.
Civilization in the past has not operated to soften the relations
of nations with each other, so why should it do so now? Is not
modern civilization, with its attendant complexities, rivalries,
and jealousies, provocative of quarrels rather than the reverse? In
what respect is modern civilization better than past civilization,
except in material conveniences due to material improvements in the
mechanic arts? Are we any more artistic, strong, or beautiful than
the Greeks in their palmy days? Are we braver than the Spartans,
more honest than the Chinese, more spiritual than the Hindoos,
more religious than the Puritans? Is not the superior civilization
of the present day a mechanical civilization pure and simple? And
has not the invention of electrical and mechanical appliances,
with the resulting insuring of communication and transp