MODERN ETHICS 269 



that are more and more distant in both space and 

 time. 



The Chinese call their country 'the flower of 

 the middle,' and believe it to be the central and 

 choicest portion of the earth's surface. All those 

 beyond the bounds of ' The Heavenly Flower 

 Kingdom ' are, by those on the inside, venomously 

 lumped together as ' foreign devils.' The people 

 of Spain look upon themselves in much the same 

 way as the Chinese look upon themselves, although 

 they are in reality the most belated of all peoples 

 to-day pretending to be civilised. There are a 

 few travelled and educated Spaniards who realise 

 the pitiful place held by their country in the 

 family of reputable states. ' But the great mass 

 of the people are not only perfectly satisfied with 

 their condition, but consider themselves the most 

 fortunate of all God's creatures. They never go 

 outside of their country and never read a foreign 

 newspaper or book. Like the Chinese, they con- 

 sider other nations barbarians, and point to Madrid 

 as the centre of civilisation.' The French, down 

 to the nineteenth century, confiscated the property 

 of all aliens who died within the realm ; and the 

 savage practice of punishing one alien for the 

 crimes of another alien was sanctioned by the 

 laws of England down to the middle of the 

 fourteenth century. It has been only a day 

 in the history of the world since Caucasians 

 hunted their dusky brothers in Africa like ' wild 

 animals,' and sold and loaned and lashed them 

 as we do horses to-day. Men now living can 



