278 POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS. 



equilibrium, threatens some day to illustrate by its fall the 

 incohesion arising from lack of congruity in components. 



451. One of the laws of evolution at large, is that inte 

 gration results when like units are subject to the same force 

 or to like forces (First Principles., 1G9) ; and from the first 

 stages of political integration up to the last, we find this law 

 illustrated. Joint exposure to uniform external actions, and 

 joint reactions against them, have from the beginning been 

 the leading causes of union among members of societies. 



Already in 250 there has been indirectly implied the 

 truth that coherence is first given to small hordes of primitive 

 men during combined opposition to enemies. Subject to the 

 same danger, and joining to meet this danger, the members of 

 the horde become, in the course of their cooperation against 

 it, more bound together. In the first stages this relation of 

 cause and effect is clearly seen in the fact that such union as 

 arises during a war, disappears when the war is over : there 

 is loss of all such slight political combination as was begin 

 ning to show itself. But it is by the integration of simple 

 groups into compound groups in the course of common re 

 sistance to foes, and attacks upon them, that this process is 

 best exemplified. The cases before given may be reinforced 

 by others. Of the Karens, Mason says : &quot; Each village, 

 being an independent community, had always an old feud to 

 settle with nearly every other village among their own people. 

 But the common danger from more powerful enemies, or 

 having common injuries to requite, often led to several villages 

 uniting together for defence or attack.&quot; According to Kolben, 

 &quot; smaller nations of Hottentots, which may be near somo 

 powerful nation, frequently enter into an alliance, offensive 

 and defensive, against the stronger nation.&quot; Among the New 

 Caledonians of Tanna, &quot; six, or eight, or more of their villages 

 unite, and form what may be called a district, or county, and 

 all league together for mutual protection. .... In war 

 tw T o or more of these districts unite.&quot; Samoan &quot; villages, in 



