n kings and
forms of government; but the attracting force, assisted by forces from
without, has proved too much for them, and the great and powerful united
kingdom of Germany is the result.

But why, you may ask, have not the people in Hindustan united in the
same way? There the agricultural settlements remain as they did ages
ago; separate petty chieftains rule under the all-governing power of
England. Why have they not united?

To this objection I reply that there is in social science, as in Nature,
a _vis inertia_; that is to say, there is a tendency in matter to remain
at rest if unmoved by any external agency, and also of persisting to
move, after it has once been set in motion. The _vis inertia_ of some
bodies is greater than that of others, and depends upon their weight
and density. Now it so happens that the moral _vis inertia_ of the
Hindustani is very great, hence their tendency to amalgamation is
small. They remain in the state in which they happen to be.

On the other hand the inertia of Englishmen is small, of Englishwomen
smaller, and therefore their power of combining is greater. Here let me
observe that the quality of inertia is one which ought to be removed as
far as possible from each social system. Inertia was regarded as a
capital crime by the Egyptians. Solon ordained that inert persons should
be put to death, and not contaminate the community. As savages bury
living men, so does inertia practise the same barbarous custom upon
States and individuals. Observe the putrid state of inert water, the
clear and sparkling beauty of the moving stream, bearing away by the
force of its own motion aught that might contaminate it. Men more often
resemble the stagnant water than the rivulet. A healthy social state
enforces labour by natural laws, and banishes inertia as much as
possible from the system. If the principles of some noisy English
politicians were fully carried out, and all things made '_free_,'
inertia would be increased, and listless indolence pervade the masses of
our countrymen. I may say that inertia is not entirely unknown in our
sister University of Cambridge.

The existence of social forces is supported by the testimony of Dr.
Tyndall, who plainly recognises their power, though he does not attempt
to expound their origin. 'Thoughtful minds are driven to seek, in the
interaction of social forces, the genesis and development of man's moral
nature. If they succeed in their search--and I think