CHAPTER IX THE QUALITY OF THE PEOPLE Why man rules over the rest of the animal creation. In attempting to discuss the quality of the people, we are not necessarily entering upon a discussion of the whole field of physiology, psychology, and morals. There are certain outstanding qualities which man possesses in greater degree than the brutes, which civilized man possesses in greater degree than the savage, and which, in any civilized community, the more successful classes possess in greater degree than the less successful. There are other qualities, such as muscular strength, which the brutes, many of them at least, possess in greater degree than man. If these were the important qualities, man could scarcely claim superiority over the brutes. There are other qualities, such as the sense of smell and the ability to endure pain, which certain savages seem to possess in greater degree than civilized man. If these were the important qualities, civilized man could scarcely claim superiority over the savage. Some savage races seem even to possess certain moral qualities in greater degree than civilized men. Travelers have frequently praised the honesty of certain tribes, their fidelity to their friends, their courage, and their fortitude. Civilized nations are each possessed of certain characteristic vices which can scarcely be apologized for, much less defended. One who thinks that the peculiar virtues of the savage and the peculiar vices of the civilized man are the important virtues and vices will certainly reach the conclusion that the savage is really superior morally to the civilized man. But it is very easy to be mistaken in one's emphasis. We need to consider carefully what qualities really give superiority to a people. ΙΟΙ Our present problem is to form some sort of intelligent opinion as to the qualities which a people need in order to become prosperous, powerful, and great in an economic and worldly sense. The following outline is suggested as expressing a tentative opinion on this subject. Whatever may be said on purely religious or moral grounds, a nation whose people are possessed of these qualities in superior degree will have an economic advantage, other things equal, over a nation whose people possess them in less degree. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A CAPABLE RACE 1. Knowledge of a. The physical environment b. The social environment 2. Forethought, as shown by b. Thrift 3. Dependableness, made up of a. Honesty b. Sobriety c. Courage d. Fidelity 4. Reasonableness, as shown by Man has achieved a. Eagerness to learn b. Obedience to law c. Willingness to coöperate dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" by reason of certain powers or qualities which he possesses in higher degree than they. These are, first, his greater knowledge of and control over the forces of nature; second, his greater forethought in making provision for the future and working for distinct ends; third, his greater power of organization, or teamwork. This power of organization is the result mainly of two factors, his dependability and his reasonableness. The same powers, or qualities, have given the civilized man dominion over the savage, and the intellectual man dominion over the ignorant man. In the future, as in the past, we must expect that the world will be ruled by the nations which possess these qualities in the highest degree. Physical advantages over the brutes. Man's erect posture, leaving his hands free to be used for other purposes than for locomotion, must be counted as a great advantage over the brute creation. A thumb which opposes the fingers and gives him a better grasp adds greatly to this advantage. These advantages, however, would not count for much if he did not have a mind which enabled him to devise tools to be grasped and used with his thumbed hands. So far as the upright posture and the thumb are concerned, while they give him an advantage over the brutes, they alone do not give the civilized man any advantage over the savage. The posture of the savage is as upright, and his thumb as handy, as the civilized man's. In seeking, therefore, the advantages which have given the civilized man dominion over the savage we must look at the mental and moral qualities. These are not necessarily physiological in their nature; they may be mainly the results of accumulated history, tradition, and training. Intellectual advantages of civilized men over savages. Knowledge of the forces of nature may almost be said to include control over them, though the erect posture and the thumb assist in that control. Our physical environment includes not only the physical objects which surround us but their properties and the forces which govern them as well. To know our physical environment, therefore, means to know the properties of matter and the forces which operate in and through it. In short, this is scientific knowledge. It is this which underlies all our mechanical improvements. Our social environment includes human beings and all their powers, characteristics, habits, emotions, etc. A knowledge of one's social environment includes such a knowledge of man and his ways as to enable one to work with other men comfortably, knowing what to expect and what to depend upon. This is particularly important in those who are intrusted with the work of governing or administering the affairs of government. Forethought. Forethought is only one aspect of what may be called the time sense. Among the many definitions of man is one which says that he is the being "who looks before and after." His memory of the distant past and his forethought for the distant future modify his actions in the immediate present more than the actions of any other creature are modified. But the past cannot be changed; only the future now lies within our control. Even industry is chiefly carried on because of the vivid appreciation in the present of those needs which are certain to arise in the future. Those creatures which appreciate future needs most vividly will, of course, labor most assiduously. The same difference shows itself among men. Those nations, as well as those individuals, who see most clearly in advance what their future needs are likely to be are the nations and the individuals who show the greatest industry as well as the greatest thrift. There is a story of an aged savage who, after having lived in civilized communities most of his life, returned in his old age to his native tribe, saying that he had tried civilization for forty years and that it was n't worth the trouble. Much of the philosophy of civilization is summed up in that remark. Civilization consists largely in taking trouble. Genius, in the individual, has been said to consist in the capacity for taking infinite pains in one's work. It is this capacity which marks the superior race as well as the superior individual. They who find the taking of pains too burdensome to be borne will naturally decide that civilization is not worth the trouble. They who do not find it so very burdensome to take pains will naturally decide that civilization is worth the trouble, and will therefore become civilized. This principle applies to every stage of civilization and progress. The greatest advancement is made by those who are capable of taking the greatest pains. It applies especially to agricultural progress. It is more trouble to select than not to select seed, and to select it in the field than in the bin. It is more trouble to test cows than not to test them, to keep accounts than not to keep them, to diversify or rotate crops than not to diversify or rotate, to mix fertilizers intelligently than to buy them already mixed, to coöperate with one's pigheaded neighbors, especially if one is one's self a little pigheaded, than to work alone. It is also more profitable. In all these and in a multitude of other cases it is found that it pays to take trouble. Thrift. Thrift differs from industry in that it consists in saving that which is already produced or possessed, whereas industry consists in producing or gaining possession of desirable objects. Even more than industry, thrift is a mark of forethought. It requires an even stronger self-control, combined with a keener sense of the importance of future needs, to lead one to refrain from consuming that which is already produced than it does to work to produce that which does not yet exist. However, the two things must always go together, in the community at least if not in the individual. The farmer, that is, some farmer, must at least save seed (which means that he must refrain from consuming it) before any farmer can labor successfully at the growing of next year's crop. One may, however, save the seed which another plants. There are some savages so thriftless as not to be able even to save seed. Needless to say, their industry, even if they were industrious, would not count for much. If cattle are benevolently given to them, they kill them all in time of scarcity. Therefore they cannot succeed even as herdsmen but fall back into a lower economic stage, namely, hunting and fishing. Such people are not likely to grow powerful enough to occasion much uneasiness to the rest of the world. Even if there were no other reasons for their weakness, they could never support numbers enough to be very strong. |