Q O 



6 A 



E. WALTER MAUNDER, F.R.A.S., ON 



few, are insignificant in face of the difference between God 

 and man. Therefore it is in God, and in the following of that 

 Man Who lived " by every word that proceedeth out of the 

 mouth of God " that we can, alone, find the sanction for World- 

 Empire. 



World-Empire, founded upon and exercised in the spirit of 

 these principles would be indeed desirable, and in it the cities 

 and nations of the earth would find unity ; and because unity, 

 therefore- peace, plenty, and the power of mighty achievement. 

 And such World-Empire is that 



One far-off Divine event, 



To which the whole Creation moves. 



These, then, are the principles of World-Empire : the 

 principle of Sovereignty, the principle of Liberty ; both Divine. 



Discussion. 



Mr. M. L. Eouse, while agreeing with the Lecturer that the 

 Eoman State showed a certain liberality of spirit towards its subject 

 peoples, thought that it could not be credited with liberality in 

 general ; the strength of the Roman sway lay in its system of 

 colonies, but its general character was well described by Daniel's 

 vision of the fourth beast — "dreadful and terrible and strong 

 exceedingly ; and it had great iron teeth ; it devoured and brake 

 in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it." 



Col. Mackinlay proposed a vote of thanks to the Lecturer, and 

 thought that the Institute was to be heartily congratulated upon 

 this excellent paper, which was at once the inaugural lecture in their 

 new premises and opened the new session. The Lecturer had laid 

 down sound reasons for the growth and decay of mighty empires in 

 the past, and had enumerated the four greatest empires existing at 

 the present day, but he had not forecasted their future. But, 

 applying the principles which the Lecturer had enunciated, might 

 we not look forward hopefully to the continued prosperity of the 

 British Empire 1 It looked as if our line of progress lay in the 

 development of our own sparsely occupied but vigorous colonies, not 

 in the acquisition of fresh territories. Aggressive wars had no 

 attractions for us ; we sought for peaceful growth. It must be 

 remembered that a war could last only for a time ; it was therefore 

 wise so to wage it that when it was over peace and confidence might 



