Principles of western civilisation

426 WESTERN CIVILISATION CHAP.

Yet the crudity and even barbarism of the principle that has projected itself into the modern economic process remains visible even in these circumstances. The deterioration likely to be produced by charity to the individual, even under the most carefully guarded conditions, is well known. There is no reason to expect that the same result could ultimately be avoided in the case of charity on a large scale to the public or the State. It is not necessary to agree with the statement recently made in a responsible manner,’ that the effect of capitalistic influences in American academic endowments will be marked for evil in the future political evolution of the United States, to see what is clearly in evidence in other respects in England, namely, that it is not a healthy social state in which enormous sums of wealth and capital are devoted to public purposes, under such conditions of private charity or munificence however well intentioned. It is easy to conceive to what a state of profound public and private demoralisation, and even degradation, such practices might lead if continued on a large scale through a few generations.

If we go now a step farther and lift the veil from the inner working of the prevailing phase of the competitive process as it is displayed in the general business life of the world, it may be distinguished how the whole process falls gradually, as by an inherent law of gravity, ina particular direction. As the competitive process in modern business has grown slowly to its full natural intensity, the effect has been more and more to eliminate all principles and considerations from the struggle but those con-

2 F.C. S. Schiller, Zhe Spectator, 16th March rgor.

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