cted by what seemed a confirming creed, and deterred by what
looked like a relaxing creed. The inspiriting doctrines fell upon the
ardent character, and so confirmed its energy. Strong beliefs win
strong men, and then make them stronger. Such is no doubt one cause why
Monotheism tends to prevail over Polytheism; it produces a higher,
steadier character, calmed and concentrated by a great single object;
it is not confused by competing rites, or distracted by miscellaneous
deities. Polytheism is religion IN COMMISSION, and it is weak
accordingly. But it will be said the Jews, who were monotheist, were
conquered by the Romans, who were polytheist. Yes, it must be answered,
because the Romans had other gifts; they had a capacity for politics, a
habit of discipline, and of these the Jews had not the least. The
religious advantage WAS an advantage, but it was counter-weighed.

No one should be surprised at the prominence given to war. We are
dealing with early ages; nation-MAKING is the occupation of man in
these ages, and it is war that makes nations. Nation-CHANGING comes
afterwards, and is mostly effected by peaceful revolution, though even
then war, too, plays its part. The idea of an indestructible nation is
a modern idea; in early ages all nations were destructible, and the
further we go back, the more incessant was the work of destruction. The
internal decoration of nations is a sort of secondary process, which
succeeds when the main forces that create nations have principally done
their work. We have here been concerned with the political scaffolding;
it will be the task of other papers to trace the process of political
finishing and building. The nicer play of finer forces may then require
more pleasing thoughts than the fierce fights of early ages can ever
suggest. It belongs to the idea of progress that beginnings can never
seem attractive to those who live far on; the price of improvement is,
that the unimproved will always look degraded.

But how far are the strongest nations really the best nations? how far
is excellence in war a criterion of other excellence? I cannot answer
this now fully, but three or four considerations are very plain. War,
as I have said, nourishes the 'preliminary' virtues, and this is almost
as much as to say that there are virtues which it does not nourish. All
which may be called 'grace' as well as virtue it does not nourish;
humanity, charity, a nice sense of the rights of others, it c