The growing and maturing individual is he who comes to take a more definite and serviceable position in his surrounding society,--he who performs excellently a special work adapted to his abilities.

The maturing nation is in the same way the nation which is capable of limiting itself to the performance of a practicable and useful national work,--a work which in some specific respect accelerates the march of Christian civilization.

There is no way in which a higher type of national life can be obtained without a corresponding individual improvement on the part of its constituent members.

There is similarly no way in which a permanently satisfactory system of international relations can be secured, save by the increasing historical experience and effective self-control of related nations.

Any country which declares that it is too good (or too democratic) to associate with other nations and share the responsibilities and opportunities resulting from such association is comparable to the individual who declares himself to be too saintly for association with his fellow-countrymen.