THE NEAR FUTURE. 593 



more &quot; thatch &quot; that is, skulls for his roof, and who is 

 absolute master of all individuals and their property. Lit 

 erally fulfilling the boast &quot;L Mat Jest moi,&quot; the State, 

 in his person, owns everybody and everything. 



No other traits of social structure are equally radical with 

 those which result from the relative powers of the social 

 unit and the social aggregate. Chronic warfare, while re 

 quiring subordination throughout the successive grades of 

 an army, also requires subordination of the whole society to 

 the army, for which it serves as a commissariat. It requires, 

 also, subordination throughout the ranks of this commis 

 sariat: graduated subjection is the law of the whole organ 

 ization. Conversely, decrease of warfare brings relaxation. 

 The desire of everyone tor use his powers for his own advan 

 tage, which all along generates resistance to the coercion of 

 militancy, begins to have its effect as militancy declines. 

 Individual self-assertion by degrees breaks through its rigid 

 regulations, and the citizen more and more gains possession 

 of himself. 



Inevitably, with these forms of social organization and 

 social action, there go the appropriate ideas and sentiments. 

 To be stable, the arrangements of a community must be con 

 gruous with the natures of its members. If a fundamental 

 change of circumstances produces change in the structure of 

 the community or in the natures of its members, then the 

 natures of its members or the structure of the community 

 must presently undergo a corresponding change. And these 

 changes must be expressed in the average feelings and 

 opinions. At the one extreme loyalty is the supreme virtue 

 and disobedience a crime. At the other extreme servile sub 

 mission is held contemptible and maintenance of freedom 

 the cardinal trait of manhood. Between these extremes are 

 endless incongruous minglings of the opposed sentiments. 



Hence, to be rightly drawn, our conclusions about im 

 pending social changes must be guided by observing whether 

 the movement is towards ownership of each man by others 



