INTRODUCTORY. 5 



society, which may be broken at any time. While 

 forms of government may change, the organization, 

 the state idea, promises to be permanent. This con- 

 ception of the permanency of the state, the realiza- 

 tion that it is not a thing of to-day and for a limited 

 time, but forever, widens its functions and extends 

 its sphere of action ; for it is no longer to be re- 

 garded as merely the arbiter between its present 

 members, but it becomes the guardian of its future 

 members; government becomes the representa- 

 tive, not only of present communal interests, as 

 against individual interests, but also of future 

 interests as against those of the present. Its 

 object is not only for the day, but includes the 

 perpetuity of the well-being of society, and the 

 perpetuity of such favorable conditions as will con- 

 duce to the continued welfare and improvement 

 of the same ; in short, its activity must be with 

 regard to continuity, it must provide for the fu- 

 ture, it must be providential. We do not create 

 this special providence for the individual, but for 

 society ; the individual will have to work out his 

 own salvation to a large extent, with the opportu- 

 nities for advancement offered by society, but so- 

 ciety itself can only act through the state ; and, 

 as the representative of the future as well as the 

 present, the state cannot, like the individual, "let 

 the future take care of itself." In our present 

 state activity and legislation there is as yet but 

 little realization of its providential functions. Even 



