In the civilization of Rome, again, limitations were put on the
expression of the social side of man’s nature. Within the precincts of
Rome, under her eagles and within her roads, there was a sinking of the
individual and an expression of the social side, that has been rarely
equaled in history. It was this merging of the individual units into the
social whole of Rome, that made it possible for her to formulate the
legal measures and provisions which continue to protect human life and
property. But sacrifice, companionship, social cohesion on the inside,
could not, for many centuries, be accompanied with fierce opposition
and cruel hate for others on the outside. It was inevitable that sooner
or later the disposition on the outside would get distributed among the
individuals on the inside.
VI.
The realm, then, to which man on the social side of himself is related,
is larger than that encompassed by any national boundaries. The Greek,
on the social side of himself, was larger than Achai, the Jew than
Palestine, and the Roman than the Empire. The Greek developed thought,
the Jew produced religion, and the Roman formulated law. But the larger
side of man’s nature is not met by thought simply, or by religion simply,
or by law simply, but by the combination of these in right proportions.
Man, on the social side of himself, is correlated through reciprocal
relations to the human race. To limit the social expression of man’s life
is to contract its nature, and to violate the moral laws in accordance
with which it must act. The understanding cannot rest in unrelated
phenomena. Through science it reduces the forces of nature to one force,
its energies to one energy, and its matter to its constituent elements.
So the social nature must find harmony in the union and cohesion of
scattered, separated human beings. It must have companionship, such as
the relations of all men help to make. It must have a range as wide
as the world. Because of the continuities of life and thought secured
through universal social cohesion, it must be able to pass and repass
through the length and breadth of human life. If man’s social nature is
to find its correlate, the race must be so completely one, so compact
and contiguous in the spirit of fraternity and good will, as to make it
possible for each man to share in the work, thought, and virtue of all
men. Individuals must be gathered into the network of social relations,
so that, instead of separate and isolated units, they shall be known
as farmers, merchants, blacksmiths, mechanics, shoemakers, lawyers,
doctors, editors, and ministers. The calling of each must relate to the
well-being of all. Every man must make for others and receive in return
for the supply of his own wants something of all the others make. Into
the multiplex flow of exchanges the shoemaker may put in simply one pair
of shoes per day, as his personal contribution. To that extent he must
be able to make levies on the contributions of all the rest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account