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Show 116 117 kamy‘unuw mum content itself with a partial organization. but is tending: irresistibly towards universalism. The generous ideal of world unity and peace is still looked upon by many practical men as a golden dream. liven the president of the Second llacue l‘eace Conference spoke of it as "the bright star of universal peace which we shall never reach, but which will always guide us." The cosmopolitan ideal has indeed in the past been often displayed in a form that had little connec- tion with living men and institutions. It has set up an abstract concept of humanity by which men were supposed to be directly impelled and actuated towards world unity. The national state was looked upon as an obstacle. \Var was personified into an evil entity that must be Combatcd directly and subdued by inhibition as demons and monsters were exorciscd in ages past. Such abstractions may indeed have a prophetic force; they may torc- cast the future of our race. Yet by men of atTairs they are looked upon as fanciful, until the detailed forces can be pointed out by which we may approach ourselves to the ideal conditions thus foreshadowed. Our age is realistic and practical; so our cosmo- politanism has become concrete. It rests upon the idea of cmoper~ ation in constantly widening circ s. l'niversal co-operation is the watchword which stands for positive action. for the develop ment of concrete facts in human life which correspond to the actual needs in our economic and social order. For this purpose adequate institutions are to be created so as to take international action out of the field of resolutions and to make it a part of the realities of human life. The void which the old cosmopolitan ideal left between the individual and humanity is being filled up by the creation of institutions through which the individual may grad» ually be raised, by almost imperceptible degrees, from the narrow limits of personality to the broad aims of civilization. The most important fact which we have become conscious of in our generation is that the unity of the world is real. The most remote parts of the earth are beingr made accessible. The great economic and financial system by which the resources of the earth are being developed is centralized. Our destiny is a common one; whatever happens to the nations of Africa and Asia affects our life. Should great material di. stcr devastate or wars dis:organize these distant societies, we ourselves must bear a part of the burden. Nor is there any development or advance in the perfected arts of civilization, the conditions and processes which make industry profitable and life agreeable, but that we ourselves shall share in the benefits. Science knows no national boundaries. \Vhat is achieved in Berlin, Paris or Rome today is tomorrow a part of the scientific capital of all the world. The positive ideal of the world today is undoubtedly that the whole. earth shall become a field of action open to every man and that all the advantages which may be secured by the efforts of humanity throughout the world must accrue to the citizens of each individual nation. In this new groupingr of social and economic life the national state will indeed continue to hold a prominent place. but public and associative action will dominate by forces and considerations which are broader than national life. Ctr-operation is the lccy to life and society. Neither the individual nor the nation is selfsufficing. There is a broader life; there are broader interests and more far-reaching activities surroundingr national life in which it must participate in order to develop to the full its own nature and sati. v completely its many needs. liven as the indi- vidual receives from society both protection and stimulus. so the nation would suffer intolerable disadvantages were it to exclude itself from world intercourse. Numerous public unions and asstwiations have recently been created for the purpose of organizing interests which transcended the boundaries of national states The absolute necessity of mutual intercourse and communication has led to the foundingr of unions for postal, telegraphic and railway communicatiou, and for the protection of the means and methods employed by these. No state can completely protect itself against the inroads of epi- demic disease nor against the plottin . of criminals without the CO-DpCrflllOll of other governments. l'nions have thus been estab- lished for mutual police assistance and for the development of international sanitation. in order that industrial competition may be raised to a plane where the individual laborer or manufacturer is protected against intole‘able conditions. nations unite and fol< low a common plan of economic and labor legislation. For the common development of such interests there have been founded the International Institute of Agriculture, the international Asst» ciation of Labor Legislation and many semi-public associations |