8 president's address. 



spirit, which can only be attained by an honest regard for the 

 rights and feelings of others. 



The egoism of states, of races, has its good side, as in the 

 liberty-loving consciousness of the British and American, but 

 such egoism is always in peril of being manifested, under provo- 

 cation, in ways which, while giving freedom in one direction, 

 may take it away in another. 



It must ever be a defective patriotism from the standpoint 

 of the scientific spirit which includes only the love of its own 

 nation as worth consideration. Science demands the recognition 

 of all the facts, and one very real fact must always be the 

 patriotism of other people, patriotism as a lateral interest. A 

 patriotism wh'ch is merely French, or German, or British, or 

 even South African, carries its own retribution, narrowing its 

 own outlook and creating potential foes. 



To lessen the evils of national consciousness may not be an 

 easy task, but it is of some assistance to remember that ideas 

 and prejudices, however deeply rooted, do not necessarily remain 

 stable, and one hope of the human race tending to international 

 amity is that the race permeated with the idea of its own unity 

 shall strive after a larger unity of aim in the solution of the 

 great social problems of humanity, which, after all, concern the 

 people more closely than mere boundaries, or dynasties, or even 

 forms of government. 



In the past, too often, national consciousness has unfortu- 

 nately become identified with national selfishness, and though 

 the words of Stuckenberg may be strong, they are, nevertheless, 

 only too true: "An unprejudiced reading of history establishes 

 one thing beyond all controversy : their power and magnitude 

 and selfishness have often made the States, in their treatment of 

 each other, the worst pirates, the most unscrupulous robbers, 

 the most cruel oppressors, and the most brutal assassins.'' The 

 desire on the part of one nation to advance its own fancied 

 interests regardless of the interests of others, or the necessity 

 of defending the interests of the nation against the attacks of 

 other nations with specially exaggerated ideas of personal 

 interest, has produced disaster. 



With the interests of despotic dynasties largely eliminated 

 a reduction of the war-making elements in the world has now 

 taken place, and it is for humanity to ensure that they are suc- 

 ceeded, not by other elements pointing in the same direction, 

 but by such peace-securing elements as will stabilise the peoples. 

 Again, this reminds us that attention to the lateral, human 

 interests of the peoples in all communities nmst more and more 

 engross our attention if security is to be ensured. 



An apt illustration of the contrast produced by attention to 

 such interests, as distinguished from vertical divisions of 

 different peoples, is seen in the respective relations of Scotland 

 and Ireland to England at the present time. In the case of Scot- 

 land the truth was long since discerned that the 'future progress 

 of its people was to be found along the line of interests belong- 



