istian life, to
that better community, where one half of the world is not happy while
the other half is miserable.

Of the little guidance which is needed, a part we may get from others, a
part from ourselves. From the English, _before_ their entrance upon
their progressive stage, we may learn the importance of two bonds, that
of the family, and that of the neighborhood. National, state, even
municipal organization is denied us. The village is the highest unit of
population in which we may hope to develop our political instincts. The
village gave birth to literature, manners and customs; as indeed it did
to all institutions, political and social; for, let us not forget, that
for centuries, the western European peoples, so powerful to-day, had,
except in time of war, no other life than that of villagers. Deeper yet
in our nature the family has its source. To it we owe our earliest
expressions of chivalry, care and protection; of obedience, loyalty,
devotion, faith.

The basis upon which the historic monogamous family rests is reverence
for parents and respect for women: the basis upon which the village
community rests is the common ownership of land;--and it is in just
those great countries of Europe, where common ownership of land longest
prevailed, namely, in Russia and Germany, that great cities are fewest
and the inequality of wealth, least. In such village communities we
would be strong enough to resist single handed aggression, yet too weak
to warrant persecution; rich enough to escape the degradation of
unending toil, though not rich enough to arouse in our oppressors the
spirit of avarice. He who seeks to maintain himself in his social
privileges and political rights must have in reserve abundant means of
subsistence, and beyond this, rugged manhood. If he is going to defend
himself in the possession of anything which another covets, he must be
prepared to fight down the whole decline from civilization to savagery.

Not only would the village community furnish us with centres of
resistance to oppression, but what is of greater importance, with
custom, and tradition, that understanding among men and between
generations which is stronger than law. It is the peculiar weakness of
our efforts at organization, that they proceed from the minds and wills
of a few individuals, and not from any popular demand, and until our
many society constitutions, in part at least, codify existing customs,
it is like making ropes of