92 The Evolution of the State. 



Constantly, through the ages, some great soul, out of the 

 many people, has arrested the attention of mankind by 

 mastering all the known facts of life, and giving expres- 

 sion, in thought or deed, to the highest known human ideal. 

 Such a man, in ethics, was Jesus ; in literature, Shake- 

 speare; in state-craft, Lincoln. Tliese were types of an 

 unusual order of humanity. They marked, at different 

 ages of the world, the possibilities of manhood. It has 

 required the long perspective of eighteen centuries to 

 approximately estimate the worth of Jesus, so long, 

 indeed, that his human nature has been resolved by millions 

 of his believers into the qualities of a supernatural being, 

 a God. These great men, and all the exceptionally 

 strong natures of all known periods, have signally served 

 to indicate the heights to which our common human nature 

 could attain. They constitute the exceptional beings of 

 their time. 



Now it is manifest that all problems, dealing with 

 humanity as a whole, must take into consideration every 

 living human being. " Society," says Thompson, our lead- 

 ing American Psychologist, '' is an organic whole, of 

 "whose members each is at the same time the means and the 

 end of all the rest." And when Ave inquire to what pres- 

 ent height has the State evolved, Ave have to determine, 

 not Avhat achievements have been made possible for special 

 sons of genius, but how the State deals Avith the average 

 man, the Avorld over. And in the first place Ave must 

 clearly recognize Avhat the State is. 



Obviously the evolution of the State is not merely the 

 evolution of man. It deals rather Avith the growth of 

 mankind in association, considered solely as a governing 

 entity. Whenever tAvo men come together in their habitat, 

 agreement becomes necessary ; in other Avords, they must 

 he. organized, and there is founded a rudimental State. 

 Herbert Spencer says, "Socially as Avell as individually, 

 organization is indispensable to growth, beyond a certain 

 point there cannot be further groAvth Avithout further organ- 

 ization." 



The State has been defined to be "a Avhole people united 

 into one body ])olitic"; and again, as "the visible embodi- 

 ment of justice under the conditions of human society." 

 Por the purpose of this j)a])er, the State Avill be considered 

 as the seat of supreme political poAver, Avhence proceed all 



