The United States have been very definitely influenced in their
University education both by Germany and England; and their Government
has in primary education certainly established for all states the
transforming possibilities of a school system. It must be remembered
that the crudity of civilization and its apparent corruption in the
United States are European not American. It is because Europe has
neglected its duty, enslaved and brutalized its peoples, that social and
political evil enters with the immigrants; and all this mass of European
incompetence, the result of neglect or evil-doing in Ireland, Poland,
the Slavonic Countries and Italy, the Government of the United States
exorcises with education: and the effect is spreading beyond the
frontiers of the States. A further effect of influence passing from
nation to nation has been the change with regard to the relations of
State and Church. In England it is some years since the State persecuted
in the supposed interest of religion; but we remember that the abolition
of tests against Roman Catholics was as late as 1830 and as against Jews
as late as 1850. Even the most backward of European countries have been
affected by the general feeling. In 1874 Austria for the first time
allowed any creed, not dangerous to morals, to be preached; and
ecclesiastical power is not any longer to be used against any but
members of the particular Church which is offended. In Spain there are
still some obstacles to public manifestations of any religious belief
but that which is most prevalent; free worship in private, however, is
at last allowed. Thus, the general tendency, spreading from the nations
which are most intricately divided in religion, has been towards what is
called toleration. Connected with this has been the gradual recognition
of civil marriage; in which the old privilege of the most powerful
Church is no longer recognized by the modern State. Law and custom have
both changed.
Perhaps the general attitude has not really changed. We persecute more
for political than for religious unorthodoxy; or it may be that in our
more economic age we forbear to burn heretics only because we cannot
afford the faggots. But in any case the relations between men in society
are more justly arranged, even where religion is concerned.
* * * * *
We have thus examples of (1) joint governmental action and (2) separate
actions of governments influenced directly by foreign governments.
There are also certain results of the interchange of ideals between
nations which are not yet, or only in part, registered in legal or
political institutions. Such for example is the changed position given
to women. A change has occurred quite outside the political or even the
economic sphere, both in the habits of western humanity and in their
guiding conceptions.
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.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account