while climbing, she had not only to exert force, she had also to
guide the force with wisdom. So we see that, in the ascent, a nation
has to use both force and wisdom; on the table-land, wisdom; in
the decline, neither. Among the nations of antiquity one might
suppose that, because of the slowness of transportation and
communication, and the feebleness of weapons compared with those
of modern days, much longer periods of time would be required for
the rise of any nation, and also a longer period before her descent
began. Yet the vast empire of Alexander lasted hardly a day after
he expired, and the Grecian cities maintained their greatness but
a century and a half; while Great Britain, France, and Germany
have been great nations for nearly a thousand years.

Why have they endured longer than the others?

The answer is hard to find; because many causes, and some of them
obscure, have contributed to the result. But, as we observe the
kind of constitution and the mode of life of long-lived people,
in order to ascertain what kind of constitution and mode of life
conduce to longevity in people, so perhaps we may logically do
the same with nations.

Observing the constitution and mode of life of the British, French,
and German nations, we are struck at once with the fact that those
peoples have been by constitution active, ambitious, intelligent,
and brave; and that they have observed in their national life a
skilfully balanced relation between the arts of peace and the arts
of war; neglecting neither and allowing neither to wax great at the
expense of the other. In all those countries the _first_ aim has
been protection from both external attack and internal disorder.