And now the main point may once more be stated. The salvation of the civilized peoples, their spiritualization in the effort to spiritualize the less advanced demands a new turn in the history of humanity. _Union in a common sublime object will overcome the antagonisms and discords that prevail among the civilized nations themselves._ The sword will never be turned into a plow-share until the nations come to love the work of the plow—the work of spiritual _tilth in the human_ field. The strong peoples will never cease to harm the weak, and in so doing to harm themselves, until they see in the weak, members of the _corpus spirituale_ of mankind, depositaries of potential spiritual life in liberating which they the strong themselves will find increased life. And the task of uplifting the lower peoples will never be successfully prosecuted until it is seen to be part of the task of humanity in general, which is to spread the web of spiritual relations over larger and ever larger provinces of the finite realm.[99] FOOTNOTES: [91] See Fouillée’s _Esquisse psychologique des Peuples européens_, also the Chapter on German, English and American Ideals in _The World Crisis_. [92] Each term in the series of social institutions is ethically defined by referring to the succeeding terms. The family prepares for the vocation, the vocation for the state or nation, the nation for the international society, and all the successive terms receive their ultimate definition from the infinite spiritual universe which includes them, and broods over them and dwells in each, so that the expanding ethical experience gained at the successive stations is spiritually the _ratio cognoscendi_, not the _ratio essendi_. [93] It is true that the state is concerned with those conditions of the spiritual reactions that are capable of being enforced, but in instituting such conditions the spiritual content is inevitably kept in view. And in the very process of fitting the body to the spirit, the form to the content, the content itself will be discerned more clearly and explicitly. [94] See the chapter in _The World Crisis_. [95] To myself as an individual I say: look to your radiations, consider the effects you produce on others; if the effects are harmful trace them to faults in your character, and let your desire and obligation to influence others beneficently be the spur to lead you to transform your own character. The same each people should say to itself. For instance the obvious faults of our democracy have retarded the progress of democracy in Europe. Our failure in municipal government is constantly quoted abroad as an argument against democracy. This should be a real incentive to rouse us out of our self-complacency. [96] Cf. Lord Cromer’s remarks on this subject in his book on Egypt.