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After the War 679the earth its spirit. The resurgence of Asia, if it means onlya redressing or shifting of the international balance, will be astep in the old circle, not an element of the renovation, not acondition of the step forward and out of the groove that is nowfelt however vaguely to be the one thing needful. The presentinternational policy of Labour carries in itself indeed at its end,— provided Labour in power is faithful to the mind of Labourin opposition, — one considerable promise, a juster equationbetween the national and the international idea, an internationalcomity of free nations, a free, equal and democratic league ofpeoples in place of the present close oligarchy of powers thatonly carries the shadow of an unreal League as its appendage.An international equality and cooperation in place of the pastdisorder or barbaric order of domination and exploitation isindeed a first image that we have formed of the better future.But that is not all: it is only a framework. It may be at lowesta novel machinery of international convenience, it may be atmost a better articulated body for the human race. The spirit,the power, the idea and will that are meant to inform or use it isthe greater question, the face and direction of destiny that willbe decisive.The two forces that are arising to possess the future representtwo great things, the intellectual idealism of Europe andthe soul of Asia. The mind of Europe laboured by Hellenismand Christianity and enlarging its horizons by free thought andscience has arrived at an idea of human perfectibility or progressexpressed in the terms of an intellectual, material and vital freedom,equality and unity of close association, an active fraternityor comradeship in thought and feeling and labour. The difficultyis to make of the component parts of this idea a combined andreal reality in practice and the effort of European progress hasbeen a labour to discover and set up a social machinery thatshall automatically turn out this production. The first equationdiscovered, an individualistic democracy, a system of politicalliberty and equality before the law, has helped only to a levellingas between the higher orders, the competitive liberty ofthe strongest and most skilful to arrive, an inhuman social in-