we have given no offence and do not intend
to give offence. The other nation will be the judge of that. And if
we become imperialistic we shall have given offence enough.

Neither will our religion, our almost universal Christianity, strike
the weapons from our hands. It is doubtful whether religion ever kept
a nation out of war. The Germans and the English are both Christian
peoples and therefore quite willing to fight God's battle, which is
their battle. If a crisis arose in America out of our economic
conflicts with Europe and our own psychological instability, we should
find the ministers of the Gospel on the same side as the editors,
politicians, and the people generally, as they have been at most times
when peace has been threatened. A war rooted perhaps in the rival
interests of American and foreign oil companies in Venezuela would be
hailed on both sides as a battle for civilisation and the Lord. Not
even our diversity of racial stocks would prevent such a war, though it
would no doubt make us hesitant. We should be loath to fight against
Germany, Austria, Italy or England, because of the presence in our
midst of natives of these lands. Once the fighting had begun, however,
all opposition would be overcome, and the war would go on despite its
spiritual costs.

If we are to decide therefore not for imperialism and imperialistic
wars but for a policy which will mean peace for ourselves and peace and
international reorganisation for Europe and the World, we must begin
our labours at home. Unless we are able to build a democratic
civilisation upon the basis of a thoroughly scientific utilisation of
our own resources, unless we so direct our American development that we
shall not be forced to fight for a {166} larger share of the remaining
exploitable regions, we shall make little progress towards a settlement
of the grave problems which now divide the nations. To promote an
economic internationalism we must make our own internal economic
development sound; to help cure the World we must maintain our own
health. Internationalism begins at home.

[1] It is difficult to find terms in which to express clearly the two
policies between which we are choosing. In a sense the issue is
between imperialism and internationalism, but since any international
attempt to solve the problem of the backward countries must lead to
some joint occupation, exploitation or dominion, which may be called
imperialistic, th