Since the early beginnings of the human race we can perceive the same processes in operation.  We can almost guess the grade of advancement reached among primitive tribes by simply taking note of their totems.  These were emblems of the things which held the mind of the tribe, as admirable or terrible, with which it was proud to identify itself—­the fox, for instance, or the bear, the kangaroo, or the eagle.  To be worthy of such ideals men fought.  Later, every little people, every knightly, family, every group of adventurers, adopted a device for its shield, a motto for its flag, a figure of some kind, human, or more often animal.  Even the modern nations have not got much farther; and we can judge of their stage of advancement by the beasts of prey they, flaunt on their banners or the deep-throat curses which resound in their national anthems.

But surely the time has now come—­even with this world-war—­when the great heart of the peoples will wake up to the savagery and the folly perpetrated in their names.  The people, who, although they enjoy a “scrap” now and then, are essentially peaceful, essentially friendly, all the world over; who in the intervals of slaughter offer cigarettes to their foes, and tenderly dress their enemies’ wounds; whose worst and age-long sin it is that they allow themselves so easily to be dominated and led by, ambitious and greedy schemers—­surely it is time that they should wake up and throw off these sham governments—­these governments that are three-quarters class-scheming and fraud and only one-quarter genuine expressions of public spirit—­and declare the heart of solidarity that is within them.

The leaders and high priests of the world have used the name of Christianity to bless their own nefarious works with, till the soul is sick at the very sound of the word; but surely the time has come when the peoples themselves out of their own heart will proclaim the advent of the Son of Man—­conscious of it, indeed, as a great light of brotherhood shining within them, even amid the clouds of race-enmity and ignorance, and will deny once for all the gospel of world-empire and conquest which has so long been foisted on them for insidiously selfish ends.

An empire based on brotherhood—­a holy human empire of the World, including all races and colours in a common unity and equality—­yes!  But these shoddy empires based on militarism and commercialism, and built up in order to secure the unclean ascendancy of two outworn and effete classes over the rest of mankind—­a thousand times no!  That dispensation, thank Heaven! is past.  “These fatuous empires with their parade of power and their absolute lack of any real policy—­this British Lion, this Russian Bear, these German, French, and American Eagles—­these birds and beasts of prey—­with their barbaric notions of Greed and War, their impossible armaments, and their swift financial ruin impending—­will fall and be rent asunder.  The hollow masks of them will perish.  And the sooner the better.  But underneath surely there will be rejoicing, for it will be found that so after all the real peoples of the earth have come one degree nearer together—­yes, one degree nearer together.”