250 COSMIC PHILOSOPHY. [ft. n. 



somewnat exceeds that of the Northern and Southern States 

 in the American war. But to make a fair comparison, we 

 must include the circumstance that the population of these 

 ancient communities was not more than one-sixth as great 

 as the population of the United States ; and tliat in ancient 

 times the normal rate of increase of population was very 

 much slower than in such a community as ours. The second 

 Punic war was, therefore, relatively as murderous as our 

 civil war would have been had it continued until between 

 three and four million lives were destroyed. And if we 

 would appreciate the direct damage to industry which it 

 entailed, we have a sufficient datum in the fact that during 

 those seventeen years more than four hundred flourishing 

 towns and villages in Italy alone were blotted out of 

 existence.^ 



]S"ow opinions may differ as to the possibility of our 

 carrying on for seventeen years a war which should drain 

 our resources as the Hannibalic war drained the re.^ources of 

 Italy. Probably no country could so well sustain such a trial 

 as the United States, owing to the favourableness of our 

 iiocial conditions for exceedingly rapid growth in wealth and 

 population. Nevertheless, even omitting foreign interference 

 from the account, I do not believe the thing would be possible. 

 I believe it perfectly safe to assert that a war like the one 

 we have lately passed through Vvould, if prolonged to seven- 

 teen years, entail social disintegration throughout the com- 

 munity. Yet the absolute military power of the United 

 States is incomparably greater than that of ancient Eome : 

 wherein, then, lies the difference ? 



The explanation will be found, and the particular conclu- 

 sion reinforced, when we consider the enormous increase of 

 heterogeneity and "interdependence in the modern as con- 

 trasted with the ancient community. In ancient Italy there 

 was but little division of labour : it required but a few simple 

 * Mommsen, Eomisehe Geschiehte, torn. up. 671 ; fee also p. 536. 



