pon a policy of commercial
expansion, which in turn has to be supported by stronger military and
naval establishments. It is led by primitive impulses that to it
carry their own moral justification, to possess the territory of its
neighbors. The immediate occasion is probably some matter of internal
politics, such as growing discontent and democratic sentiment among
the people. Nations with slowly growing populations, and still
possessed of ample territories to maintain their accustomed standards
of life, naturally favor the _status quo_, and are pacifist or
nonmilitarist. If they arm it is for their own safety. In this view,
militarism is seen to consist not in having drilled soldiers and
stores of munitions, but in the national state of mind that would
use these for aggression, not merely for defense. When, therefore,
a powerful nation has reached a certain stage in the relation of its
population to resources, limitation of population not limitation
of armaments is the real pacifism; and increase of population, not
increased military training or a larger navy, is the real militarism.

Sec. 16. #Problem of maximum military power.# It is a grave question,
however, whether a nation with a comparatively sparse population,
high wages, and great wealth can safely limit that population in the
presence of a capable, ambitious, and efficient rival that covets such
opportunities. On the one hand, a population may be so sparse that
it has not soldiers enough to defend its territory against a numerous
enemy; on the other hand, it may be so dense, and consequently average
incomes be so low, that it cannot properly train, arm, and support
its population of military age. The recent developments in the art
of warfare call for great use of the mechanical industries, for
great power to endure taxation, and for great financial resources,
conditions found only where the average of national income is high.
The point of maximum military power must be far short of the maximum
possible population. It would seem that a nation of 100,000,000
inhabitants favorably situated to resist aggression, well supplied
with the natural materials for munitions, and well equipped to produce
them, might safely limit its numbers so as to ensure a high level of
popular income. This safety would be greatly increased by permanent
alliance with other peoples likewise limiting their numbers and,
therefore, interested in maintaining the peace of the world. In
this