THE STUDY OF SOCIOLOGY. 709 



a higher life, seemed from a national point of view entirely evil. Ad- 

 mitting the truth so easily perceived in these cases, we must admit 

 that only in proportion as we emancipate ourselves from the bias of 

 patriotism, and consider our own society as one among many, having 

 their histories and their futures, and some of them, perhaps, having 

 better claims than we have to the inheritance of the earth only in 

 proportion as we do this, shall we recognize those sociological truths 

 which have nothing to do with particular nations or particular races. 



So to emancipate ourselves is extremely difficult. It is with pa- 

 triotism as we lately saw it to be with the sentiment that causes polit- 

 ical subordination : the very existence of a society implies predomi- 

 nance of it. The two sentiments join in producing that social cohesion 

 without which there cannot be cooperation and organization. A na- 

 tionality is made possible only by the feeling which the units have for 

 the whole they form. Indeed, we may say that the feeling has been 

 gradually increased by the continual destroying of types of men whose 

 attachments to their societies were relatively small ; and who were, 

 therefore, incapable of making adequate sacrifices on behalf of their 

 societies. Here, again, we are reminded that the citizen, by his incor- 

 poration in a body politic, is in a great degree coerced into such senti- 

 ments and beliefs as further its preservation : unless this is the aver- 

 age result, the body politic will not be preserved. Hence another ob- 

 stacle in the way of Social Science. "We have to allow for the aberra- 

 tions of judgment caused by the sentiment of patriotism. 



Patriotism is nationally that which egoism is individually has, in 

 fact, the same root ; and along with kindred benefits brings kindred 

 evils. Estimation of one's society is a reflex of self-estimation ; and 

 assertion of one's society's claims is an indirect assertion of one's own 

 claims as a part of it. The pride a citizen feels in a national achieve- 

 ment, is the pride belonging to a nation capable of that achievement : 

 the belonging to such a nation having the tacit implication that in 

 in himself there exists the superiority of nature displayed. And the 

 anger aroused in him by an aggression on his nation is an anger 

 against something which threatens to injure him by injuring his 

 nation, 



As, lately, we saw that a duly-adjusted egoism is essential ; so now, 

 we may see that a duly-adjusted patriotism is essential. Self-regard 

 in excess produces two classes of evils : by prompting undue assertion of 

 personal claims it breeds aggression and antagonism ; and by creating 

 undue estimation of personal powers it excites futile efforts that end in 

 catastrophes. Deficient self-regard produces two opposite classes of 

 evils : by not asserting personal claims, it invites aggression, so foster- 

 ing selfishness in others ; and by not adequately valuing personal 

 powers it causes a falling short of attainable benefits. Similarly with 

 patriotism. From too much, there result national aggressiveness and 



