WHY DO NATIONS FALL?

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2688, 7 February 1916, Page 7

WHY DO NATIONS FALL?

« SERMON BY BISHOP SPROTT THE MORAL INTERPRETATION OF HISTORY. Why do nations fall? This question was discussed by Ihe Anglican Bishop .of Wellington (Dr. Sprott) in a striking sermon at St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral yesterday morning. He based his address oil tho words of the prophet Jeromiah: ''Be thou instructed, 0 Jerusalem, lest my soul depart (be estranged) from thee; lest- I uiako thee desolate, a land not inhabited." The shores of history, said the Bishop, are strewn with the wrcckago of nations U'hich.hnc] once been great. What is tho explanation of this fact? Some writers, like Mr. Benjamin Kidd, contend that tho.rise and fall of nations is governed by natural law. A nation, like an animal, is an organism.'' It passes through its childhood, youth, and maturity, and on to old ago and death. It is an inoyitablo process. This analogy is not convincing. Though a nation may bo an organism, it doos not follow, that its life story must be tile s'ame as that of an animal or a plant. An animal does not dio because it is organised, but because it is organised in a particular way. It does not follow that an entirely different kind of organism must liavo tho same fate as an animal. Another theory is that expounded by Hegel, who argued that special nations have special missions in the world, and when their missions arc fulfilled tnoy pass away or sink back' into the ranks. There is much that is noble and true in tliis idea, which finds support in the Old Testament, and is essentially religious; but, iiko tljo theory advocated by Sir.- Kidd, it is fatalistic. -It implies that the national organism dies inevitably; that it sheds its seed, droops, and fades away like a plant. Looked at from tho fatalistic point of view, history may bo interesting,. but it can. have no practical les-' sons for us; it- cannot tell us how to . avert our fate; it can have no inspiration for action in tho present, for nothing that we can do can save us from our fato when our time comes. There is a third answer to the question, Why do nations fall? It'is that their fail is the just- judgment of a living God on national sin. This answer has met with a wider response than the other theories from the general conscience of mankind. According to this view there is no inevitableness or fatality about a nation's downfall. forces may co-operate, but the jcal cause is moral. This interpretation of history is not pessimistic, becauso it teaches thafc\ national disaster can bo averted by national repentanca and regeneration. _It is in accordance with the moral instincts of mankind that a Holy Will should, if needs be, work destruction in orderto promote righteousness. Tho .recognition of thin idea of retributive justice .makes the history of the past an inspiration to $10 present. It teachos us that a nation is master of its own fate and holds its destiny in its own hands. Retribution has an important place in God's dealings with individuals and nations, but we'should not forget that the supremo aim is not the t punishment of wrongdoing, but tho promotion of righteousness. God works His. great purpose out by .patience and mercy, as well as by retribution ; but at last men and nations ■ must pay to the uttermost farthing. Tho retribution theory holds good all through. Retribution is one of the methods by which a natjon is carried on to its doom. If a nation flings away its day of grace, it becomcs- the instrument of its own downfall. " , Our enemies declare that England is now on the down grade; that our Empire is moving to its fall. ..The Ger--1 mans beliove that this war is to be the final shock. "I am not pessimistic," said the Bishop, "but I think the position is of the utmost gravity. I am amazed how little this seems to be realised." Dr.' Sprott went on to say that the last eighteen months have shown us the things that have hindered us in this war and are keeping us from, putting forth our full material, moral, and spiritual power. Ono of these weaknesses is lack of discipline. The, passing away of the spirit of discipline had been noticed long boforo the beginning of the war. It has been accompanied by a loss of the sense of sin and a corruption of-that freedom which we believo it is our special mission' to establish in the world. Men have becomo so accustomed to 6iicer at the theory of original sin that they havo got to think that there are no evil tendencies in us, and that we should let all our tendencies have play. They seem to_ think that 'freedom consists in doing what we like. Then there is the evil of intemperance. It has a strong hold on the nation and yet neither t'lio Imperial Government nor tho colonial Governments have dealt with it as they ought to, though tho Imperial authorities have don© more in this matter than our own Government. ?The perilous social cleavage which exists in tlio nation has become tragic in this crisis. A of the community, just as patriotic as the re?t of the people, is so mistrustful of other classes fhat it is opposing flie adoption of measures which, are generally regarded: as necessary for the national safety, because of the fear that such measures may be used for other purposes after tho war is over. The war is revealing these national evils and their consequences to us. It is in the hurricane that the faults of a ship become manifest. It is "in-times'of war that tho faults and flaws in a nation's lifo are brought to light. In this war God is speaking to us. '"Be thou instructed, 0 Jerusalem—o England, 0 Empire, 0 New Zealand —lest My soul depart from thee; lost I,.make thee desolate, a land not inhabited,"