Racial Experience 



water, and to break up water into the gases. I 

 am convinced of the truth of his statement. 

 Similarly I grow wise in life by trying experi- 

 ments and by watching the experiments of others. 



Some one tells me that a carp or crow will 

 live to be one hundred years old. This state- 

 ment can be proved or disproved by experiment. 

 But it will take a long time. The man who starts 

 the experiment will not live to see it finished. 

 Many or most important experiments affecting 

 human life and happiness require more than one 

 generation for their completion. 



Many experiments which affect social life de- 

 mand the cooperation of many men through 

 long periods. Is slavery right or wrong, benefi- 

 cent or maleficent in modern civilization? We 

 are not asking now whether in prehistoric times 

 it was better than putting captives to death. 

 The question was settled by the clash of civi- 

 lizations, by experiment more than by argument. 

 The free civilization outpopulated and outgrew 

 its rival. It cost thousands of lives and millions 

 of money to settle that question. But the solu- 

 tion will stand. The experiment has been tried 

 many times under varied conditions. We do not 

 need to try it again. 



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