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
are two opposing forces; one urging him to the action and excitement
of war, the other to the comparative inaction and tranquillity of
peace. On the side that urges war, we see hate, ambition, courage,
energy, and strength; on the side that urges peace we see love,
contentment, cowardice, indolence, and weakness. We see arrayed for
war the forceful faults and virtues; for peace the gentle faults
and virtues. Both the forceful and the gentle qualities tend to
longevity in certain ways and tend to its prevention in other ways;
but history clearly shows that the _forceful qualities have tended
more to the longevity of nations than the gentle_. If ever two
nations, or two tribes, have found themselves contiguous, one forceful
and the other not, the forceful one has usually, if not always,
obtained the mastery over the other, and therefore has outlived
it. If any cow and any lion have found themselves alone together,
the lion has outlived the cow.

It is true that the mere fact of being a lion has not insured long
life, and that the mere fact of being a cow has not precluded it;
and some warlike tribes and nations have not lived so long as tribes
and nations of softer fibre. This seems to have been due, however,
either to the environments in which the two have lived, or to the
fact that the softer nation has had available some forces that
the other did not have. The native Indians