CHAPTER VII THE QUALITY OF THE PEOPLE What kind of people are we? However wisely the economic activities of the people may be controlled by government, morals, and religion, and however sound and rational their economic institutions may be, much will depend upon the quality of the people themselves. In fact, all these agencies in a democratic country will themselves be determined by the quality of the people. A wise and benevolent despot might conceivably give degraded people a much better government than they would ever originate, and he might even encourage a sounder system of morals than they would ever practice if left to themselves; but democratic people have no one to depend upon but themselves, and if they are of poor quality, there is no hope for them, because their system of control and their economic institutions are likely to be of poor quality. How much civilization can we stand? There is a story of an aged savage who had lived since his early youth under civilized conditions, but who in his old age returned to his native tribe, saying that he had tried civilization for forty years and it was not worth the trouble. Much of the philosophy of civilization is contained, or at least implied, in his remark. Civilization consists largely in taking trouble. Civilized people are a great deal of trouble to themselves; and civilization will never seem worth the trouble to anyone whose mind is so constituted as to be incapable of taking trouble without great fatigue and irksomeness. It is more trouble to plan for the future than to live on the impulse of the moment; it is more trouble to save seed corn than not to save it; it is more trouble to invest one's income in productive enterprise than to consume it all as one goes along,-in short, it is more trouble to think, to plan, to exercise self-control, to direct one's conduct with a view to one's needs ten or twenty years hence than to live wholly in the present, allowing the future to take care of itself. Of course it works better in the long run to take trouble of this kind. People who are willing to take this kind of trouble become civilized; people who do not, remain savages. To one kind of person, with low mentality and little moral self-control, the alternatives present themselves of taking trouble every day with a view to his interests in the distant future. and of refraining from taking trouble and facing hardship in the distant future. Which alternative he will choose will depend on the kind of man he is. If the hardships of the future seem less burdensome than the fatigue of taking trouble in the present, he will not take the trouble but will accept the hardships of the future. Such a man will never become civilized, or if he ever does become civilized he will ultimately decide, as did our aged savage, that it is not worth the trouble, and he will, therefore, relapse into savagery. On the other hand, an individual of higher mentality and moral self-control, when facing the same alternatives, will choose the other one. Taking trouble is not so very burdensome to such a person. Thinking, planning, subordinating the whim of the moment to the larger interest of the future, are easy to such a man. He will naturally, therefore, choose that alternative and will, almost automatically, become civilized. In the long run, therefore, the fate of our civilization will be determined by the kind of people we are, which will determine the kind of choices we make when facing alternatives of the kind mentioned. 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 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. 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 c. Courage d. Fidelity 4. Reasonableness, as shown by a. Eagerness to learn b. Obedience to law c. Willingness to coöperate Man has achieved "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all 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 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 to have 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. Thrift. Thrift differs from industry in that it consists in saving that which is already produced or possessed, whereas |