nations as dependent on the specific char- 

 acter of the organisms destined for their re- 

 production. 



So far as the writer knows, the first one to 

 think of man thus as " an inhabitant," a 

 species in nature among other species and 

 dependent on nature's forces as other ani- 

 mals and other inhabitants must be, was 

 Benjamin Franklin. 



"All war is bad," said he, "some wars 

 worse than others." Then, once again, in 

 more explicit terms, referring to the dark 

 shadow of war cast over scenes of peace, the 

 evil of the standing army, Franklin said to 

 Baynes : 



" If one power singly were to reduce its 

 standing army it would be instantly over- 

 run by other nations. Yet I think there is 

 one effect of a standing army which must 

 in time be felt so as to bring about the ab- 

 olition of the system. A standing army not 

 only diminishes the population of a coun- 

 try, but even the size and breed of the hu- 

 man species. For an army is the flower of 

 the nation. All the most vigorous, stout, 

 and well-made men in a kingdom are to be 



The 



Human 



Harvest 



Words of 

 Franklin 



[V] 



