8.  That’s the only way we’ll ever awaken in our whole people a foreign consciousness that will enable us to assert our natural influence in the world—­political, financial, social, commercial—­the best way to make the rest of the world our customers and friends and followers.

All the foregoing I have fired at the Great White Chief for a year by telegraph and by mail; and I have never fired it anywhere else till now.  Be very quiet, then.  No man with whom I have talked or whose writings I have read seems to me to have an adequate conception of the colossal changes that the war is bringing and will bring.  Of course, I do not mean to imply that I have any adequate conception.  Nobody can yet grasp it.  The loss of (say) ten million men from production of work or wares or children; what a changed world that fact alone will make!  The presence in all Europe of (perhaps) fifteen or twenty million more women than men will upset the whole balance of society as regards the sexes.  The loss of most of the accumulated capital of Europe and the vast burdens of debt for the future to pay will change the financial relations of the whole world.  From these two great losses—­men and money—­God knows the many kinds of changes that will come.  Women are doing and will continue to do many kinds of work hitherto done by men.

Of course there are some great gains.  Many a flabby or abject fellow will come out of the war a real man:  he’ll be nobody’s slave thereafter.  The criminal luxury of the rich will not assert itself again for a time.  The unparalleled addition to the world’s heroic deeds will be to the good of mankind, as the unparalleled suffering has eclipsed all records.  The survivors will be in an heroic mood for the rest of their lives.  In general, life will start on a new plane and a lot of old stupid habits and old party quarrels and class prejudices will disappear.  To get Europe going again will call for new resolution and a new sort of effort.  Nobody can yet see what far-reaching effects it will have on government.

If I could make the English and Scotch over, I could greatly improve them.  I’d cut out the Englishman’s arrogance and key him up to a quicker gait.  Lord! he’s a slow beast.  But he’s worked out the germ and the beginning of all real freedom, and he has character.  He knows how to conserve and to use wealth.  He’s a great John Bull, after all.  And as for commanding the sea, for war or trade, you may properly bow down to him and pay him homage.  The war will, I think, quicken him up.  It will lessen his arrogance—­to us, at least.  I think it will make him stronger and humbler.  And, whatever his virtues and his faults, he’s the only Great Power we can go hand in hand with....

These kinds of things have been going on now nearly two years, and not till these ten days down here have I had time or chance or a free mind to think them over; and now there’s nothing