“I think not,” said Father Payne, “because when there is fighting to be done, it is done just as courageously—­indeed I think more courageously than used to be the case.  No, I think it is the training of an instinct—­the instinct of self-restraint.  I believe that people have more imagination and more sympathy than they used to have; there is more tolerance of adverse opinion, a greater sense of liberty in the air:  opponents have more respect for each other, and do not attribute bad motives so easily.  Why, consider how much milder even the newspapers are.  If one reads old reviews, old books of political controversy, old pamphlets—­how much more blackguarding and calling names one sees.  Anonymous journalists, anonymous reviewers, are now the only people who keep up the tradition of public bad manners—­all signed articles and criticisms are infinitely politer than they used to be.”

“But,” persisted Rose, “isn’t that simply a possible proof of the general declension of force?”

“Certainly not,” said Father Payne, “it only means more equilibrium.  You must remember that equilibrium means a balance of forces, not a mere diminution of them.  There is more force present in a banked-up reservoir than in a rushing stream.  The rushing stream merely means a force making itself felt without a counterbalancing force—­but that isn’t nearly as strong as the pressure in a reservoir exerted by the water which is trying to get out, and the resistance of the dam which is trying to keep it in.  You must not be taken in by apparent placidity:  it often means two forces at work instead of one.  Peace, as opposed to war, is a tremendous counterpoising of forces, and it simply means an organised resistance.  In old days, there was no cohesion of the forces which desire peace, and violence was unresisted.  There can be no doubt, I think, that in a civilised country there are many more forces at work than in a combative country.  I do not suppose that we can either of us prove whether the forces at work in the world have increased or diminished.  Let us grant that the amount is constant.  If so, a great deal of the force that was combative has now been transformed to the force which resists combat.  But I imagine that on the whole most people would grant that human energies have increased:  if that is so, certainly the combative element has not increased in proportion, while the peaceful element has increased out of all proportion.”

“But,” said Vincent, “you often talk in the most bellicose way, Father.  You say that we ought all to be fighting on the side of good.”