“ Is man no more than a beast who at the slightest provocation flies at his brother's throat ? Was Machiavelli right when he said, "Man is more prone to evil than to good? We read of the awful atrocities with which each side charges its foe. ”

“ We must remember that it is not within human power to determine which theory is the most practical. Even the wisest men can only see "some hairbreadths deeper than we see into the Deep that is infinite, without bottom as without shore." The problems with which Machiavelli dealt are primitive, arising from conditions of all human societies. ”

“ At what stage of development have these nations arrived? Surely no one will maintain that they are in the period of Idleness, or Peace, or yet of complete Ruin. According to Machiavelli's classification they must be either in the period of Virtue or in the period of Disorder. If in the period of Disorder we may hope for only Ruin to follow. Here again we must remember that Machiavelli drew his inferences from a careful study of history and reached his conclusions by a method of reasoning as perfect as that of Aristotle. The Greek civilization in many ways was superior to that of today. ”

“ Why does he suffer all of these hardships in order to fight men against whom he has no personal grudge? We say that he is carried away by a noble patriotism. Yet what is patriotism but a fervent passion for his country which makes a man forget his own interests to serve his country—which makes him place his duties as a citizen above all other relations. ”

“ But since nothing can be imitated to perfection, the nations are gradually changing; some are advancing in civilization, others are declining. Thus the state goes through a cycle of evolution. It improves until it has reached its highest point and then begins to decay. First comes a period of conquest known as Virtue. During this period the power is necessarily firmly concentrated, and is generally a monarchy. Primitive men always elect the strongest among them as their chief, and he can maintain himself in power as long as his state is threatened by external dangers. ”

“ The fear of punishment is all that restrains him from revealing these latent instincts. "A man will more readily endure the death of his father than the loss of his patrimony," is one of Machiavelli's most renowned statements. ”

“ To one of a fantastical turn of mind the present European war offers an excellent opportunity of giving free rein to his imagination, Be fore the outbreak of hostilities few people dreamed that the world was on the verge of such a horrible struggle. Many people believed that knowledge and commerce had bound the world together "by gold filaments" too strong to be torn asunder. ”

“ With this conception of humanity in his mind Machiavelli proceeds to portray for us an ideal man from whom we draw back in awe. In the consideration of political science the ideal man is essentially the practical man. According to Machiavelli failure is a disgrace: success, "the Divine Seal of Approval." The man set forth in Machiavelli's "Prince" is primarily a practical man. ”

“ He is first of all master of himself. He can at all times rise above the dictates of his own conscience, can reject all sense of morality, and will not flinch if cruelty, dishonesty, or irreligion are necessary for his success. ”

“ The Bishop of London, although influenced by reasoning radically different from that of Machiavelli, believes that at the close of the European war the world will enjoy a peace which will last for a thousand years. ”

“ The average Greek was a better man both physically and mentally than his twentieth century brother. Yet the Greek culture fell in disorder and ruin. The Roman Republic in many respects was considered by Machiavelli an ideal government. ”

“ Reactions are constantly occurring which change the form of that evil, but the total amount of evil relative to the total amount of good remains unchanged. The nature of these reactions is varied. Imitation is natural to man. Being lazy, he is more willing to conform to old customs than to form new ones. ”