of the aloofness of the present generation from even the memory
of war. Our last great war ended in 1865; and since then only the
light and transient touch of the Spanish War has been laid upon
us. Even that war ended seventeen years ago and since then only
the distant rumblings of battles in foreign lands have been borne
across the ocean to our ears.

These rumblings have disturbed us very little. Feeling secure behind
the 3,000-mile barrier of the ocean, we have lent an almost incredulous
ear to the story that they tell and the menace that they bear;
though the story of the influence of successful and unsuccessful
wars upon the rise and fall of nations is told so harshly and so
loudly that, in order not to hear it, one must tightly stop his
ears.

That war has not been the only factor, however, in the longevity of
nations is obviously true; and it is also true that nations which
have developed the warlike arts alone have never even approximated
greatness. In all complex matters, in all processes of nature and
human nature, many elements are present, and many factors combine
to produce a given result. Man is a very complex individual, and
the more highly he is developed the more complex he becomes. A
savage is mainly an animal; but the civilized and highly educated
man is an animal on whose elemental nature have been superposed
very highly organized mental, moral, and spiritual natures. Yet
even a savage of the most primitive or warlike character has an
instinctive desire for rest and softness and beauty, and loves
a primitive music; and even the most highly refined and educated
gentleman raises his head a little higher, and draws his breath a
little deeper, when war draws near. Thus in the breast of every man