CIVILISATION'S FUTURE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9718, 21 July 1917, Page 2

CIVILISATION'S FUTURE

THE NEW ORDER OF THINGS. LONDON, July 10. General -Smut*, in the preface to an edition of In's war-time speeches, which have just boon published, refers to tho necessity for tho Allies attaining a moral as "'ell as a military victory. As the basis of the now order of things, he sii\s tho method of subjection by force must give way to tho method ot co-operation on the I asis of freedom. This transition from tho old legalistic idea of political sovereignty based on force, to the new social idea of constitutional freedom based on consent has been gradually evolving for more than a century in the British Empire, or, rather, in the British commonwealth of nations. The elements of the future world-government, no longer resting on Imperial ideas adopted from the Homan law, already operate in our commonwealth of nations, and will rapidly develop in tho near future. As Roman ideas guided European civilisation 2000 years ago, so, the newer ideas embedded in the British constitutional and colonial system may, when fully developed, guide future civilisation for ages to come. But some development of the structure of the commonwealth and the greater equalising of its constituent parts are necessary before British precedent can fruitfully be applied to the society' of nations at large.