NATIONS AND MEN.

Waikato Times, Volume II, Issue 98, 14 December 1872, Page 2

NATIONS AND MEN.

(Overlaid Athavicm and Daily News, Madras.) lIISTOEI* ever repeats itself, both as to nations and families, and hence have arisen the various cyclar theories and the notion, dear to the Bishop of Exeter, that tho whole human race is a gigantic man, and goes- through all the phases of human existence in like manner. We demur to the conelusion as to the human race, for it has a power of rejuvenescence not included in the phases of human existence to which the individual is liab'e. But the doctrine seeni3 true concerning all special aggregations of men, whether on the small scale of a family, or the large scale of a nation, or the material soalo of social organization, or the spiritual scale of sects or religions, in which we may include schools of philosophy. They all evince the same tendencies, to rise with sudden energy, to culminate for a period more or less brief, and then to fall, strictly according to the mechanical law of falling, slowly at first, but with rapidity ever increasing. And there seems to be no rejuvenescence for these aggregations; they may bo mummyfied or fossilized, but they can recover no new life except by such fusion with an external element as virtually destroys their identity

The feudal culture of Europe has fallen info the lean and slippered pantaloon, and ere lons will find it*olf sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything. The commercial or politico-economical phase of social organization is at present, on its trial, and has probably sometime longer (o last, but we suspect it ?ia3 reached its zenith and is just be.'inmni to tremble towards decline. But we note that, though all section? and phases of humanity seem fated to p.w through the cycle, the rule does not hold good of humanity itself. Bishop Temple's Colossal Man shows no sijns of senility. On the contrary, his highest, representative in any one milleniu'n is superior in knowledge, intelligence, energy, and genera! morality, to the highest representative of the niilleniiim preceding. The best cla?s of Enronpans of the present day are superior to the best class of R/maTT', who were superior to the best class of A.-svrians, who were doubtless verv superior to the best class of the men of the Stone Aae.

So that it seems to be not any natural or inherent defect in human nature wliic'i causes the cyclar rlecWion*, but rather some accidental (Infects in the principles upon which each cycle has been worked, some errors in the prows of the experiments which men have been making unon themselves in the matter of politics, social organisation,philosophy and religion. And observe, that the original temporary success of every experiment by no means proves its profess to have been without flaw, for while faith in a system is new and vigorous, or while men of exceptional ability guide and spur it, all stumbling blocks are leaped orer and not even noticed. It is when it consolidates into a formula that the errors it contains begin to sprout which sooner or later will split it to pieces. It is noteworthy that the duration of any phase of human development, whether political, social, or religious, is generally in proportion to the moral element involved in it. The Geeek ideal, aesthetic and unmoral, had a very brief terra of independent existence. It has indeed lasted by its beauty to this day, but only as an appendix or ornament to principles of higher vitality. The Roman ideal based upon duty and discipline appears imperishable. It kept alive the Roman political existence for so long a period that the very time it took to die by inches was longer than the whole existence of most nations, it lives still at the foundation of the laws of most civilised people. The patriurchal principle in China, a most benevolent one in theory, seems to have been the chief instrument for keeping- that huge mass of stagnation partially eweefc. And the Jewes.

i«t*il in its pjwrcst faith and strict though un-Cfttholic conSi«»«sW*hiKto th» day, after nearly 3,01)0 years of ex-'•β-onew a rigarom vitality such a» no other existing sectorial* n • cwte tdral can show. TWc British sense of just ice and lair play £J£b tto true back stay of British institutions, German SSS?«nd »t«K«i»» •« at the root of German thriving. Sr3Jfot.herhaHd.il marked defect of moral element ba* fallen Franc from the Saint bSoSwV to the Cbminuno of 1871. Setting rel-g.oua. Sen ions altogether on one side, it appears from Ins ory thai Imitation has almost invariably been flowed by lar-c battalion*, Tliennopylw and Mnrathon, Morga Uin,. «S Gvanson, Croc,, and Agincourt, Holland '*™*«*™ of its independence in d.Oauce of both bpain and Aus m, are all historical facts, and there arc plenty more where they Sow from We are not absurd enough to mamtain that ue Sars prevails, or that the handful of always brat "the host ove« of cowards, but we tlimk it the vervVinest matter of fact that the sterner virtues andl the earnestness and vigour which always accompany them do constitute a most important item oi strength to Uie a. y that possesses them, and that the baser vices with the beitisil ness and perfunetorinee* that always accompany them are an equally certain element of weakness. It real v does. ncjt «em impossible that if, some of these days after all other cont.cn able cxroriinents have been tried and iound want.ng, a nation wire renllv to try to live righteously, observing to pol !en rule anrf keeping eellishness in-the back ground, to Strong alw,vs helping tho weak and the weak l.avnig; tho grace to be tlinnkful, the wise guiding the stupid and tl.o etuni'l having humility enough to bo gui.l«l, every man sticking to truth and honesty and do:n« whatever he had g to do a, well a, he posnJWy could, that snid nahon might b, found to have dr.vwi M...1 into the cyclar thoor ad .stopped its rotation, might be lound to have «hed he orob'e it of permanence and surpassed in pcrfoct.on an 1 Imppiness all the Utopias of which poets and phdosophers have ever dreamed.