History teaches that wherever individuals are engaged in wars,the prosperity of mankind is at its lowest stage, and that itincreases in the same proportion in which the concord of mankindincreases.In the primitive state of the human race, first unionsof families took place, then towns, then confederations of towns,then union of whole countries, finally unions of several statesunder one and the same government.If the nature of things has beenpowerful enough to extend this union (which commenced with thefamily) over hundreds of millions, we ought to consider that natureto be powerful enough to accomplish the union of all nations.Ifthe human mind were capable of comprehending the advantages of thisgreat union, so ought we to venture to deem it capable ofunderstanding the still greater benefits which would result from aunion of the whole human race.Many instances indicate thistendency in the spirit of the present times.We need only hint atthe progress made in sciences, arts, and discoveries, in industryand social order.It may be already foreseen with certainty, thatafter a lapse of a few decades the civilised nations of the earthwill, by the perfection of the means of conveyance, be united asrespects both material and mental interchange in as close a manneras (or even closer than) that in which a century ago the variouscounties of England were connected.Continental governments possessalready at the present moment in the telegraph the means ofcommunicating with one another, almost as if they were at one andthe same place.Powerful forces previously unknown have alreadyraised industry to a degree of perfection hitherto neveranticipated, and others still more powerful have already announcedtheir appearance.But the more that industry advances, andproportionately extends over the countries of the earth, thesmaller will be the possibility of wars.Two nations equally welldeveloped in industry could mutually inflict on one another moreinjury in one week than they would be able to make good in a wholegeneration.But hence it follows that the same new forces whichhave hitherto served particularly for production will not withholdtheir services from destruction, and will principally favour theside of defence, and especially the European Continental nations,while they threaten the insular State with the loss of thoseadvantages which have been gained by her insular position for herdefence.In the congresses of the great European powers Europepossesses already the embryo of a future congress of nations.Theendeavours to settle differences by protocol are clearly alreadyprevailing over those which obtain justice by force of arms.Aclearer insight into the nature of wealth and industry has led thewiser heads of all civilised nations to the conviction that boththe civilisation of barbarous and semi-barbarous nations, and ofthose whose culture is retrograding, as well as the formation ofcolonies, offer to civilised nations a field for the development oftheir productive powers which promises them much richer and saferfruits than mutual hostilities by wars or restrictions on trade.
The farther we advance in this perception, and the more theuncivilised countries come into contact with the civilised ones bythe progress made in the means of transport, so much more will thecivilised countries comprehend that the civilisation of barbarousnations, of those distracted by internal anarchy, or which areoppressed by bad government, is a task which offers to all equaladvantages -- a duty incumbent on them all alike, but one which canonly be accomplished by unity.
That the civilisation of all nations, the culture of the wholeglobe, forms a task imposed on the whole human race, is evidentfrom those unalterable laws of nature by which civilised nationsare driven on with irresistible power to extend or transfer theirpowers of production to less cultivated countries.We seeeverywhere, under the influence of civilisation, population, powersof mind, material capital attaining to such dimensions that theymust necessarily flow over into other less civilised countries.Ifthe cultivable area of the country no longer suffices to sustainthe population and to employ the agricultural population, theredundant portion of the latter seeks territories suitable forcultivation in distant lands; if the talents and technicalabilities of a nation have become so numerous as to find no longersufficient rewards within it, they emigrate to places where theyare more in demand; if in consequence of the accumulation ofmaterial capital, the rates of interest fall so considerably thatthe smaller capitalist can no longer live on them, he tries toinvest his money more satisfactorily in less wealthy countries.
A true principle, therefore, underlies the system of thepopular school, but a principle which must be recognised andapplied by science if its design to enlighten practice is to befulfilled, an idea which practice cannot ignore without gettingastray; only the school has omitted to take into consideration thenature of nationalities and their special interests and conditions,and to bring these into accord with the idea of universal union andan everlasting peace.
