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Show The Bias of Patriotism Much Is heard In these days of the bias of patriotism and Its warping effects on tho Judgment. Americans, standing aloof from tho enthunlaams, the bitterness and prejudices aroused by the European war, have an excel lent opportunity for estimating tho extent to which reason Is stifled by the emotions In even the most highly civilized peoples when the Instinct or racial self preservation becomes dominant. dom-inant. It Is a splendid lesson, for It should teach ua that In tho hour ot our own trial we are Just as hpt to lose our own sense of values. That the great masses of each country should see no vlrtuo but In their own, and should view tho one-my one-my as a combination ot all tiio shit, vices and cruelties, Is, ot fiurso, tho most natural thlig on earth, but It may surprlso us to And that tho greatest scientists nnj 'ihholiophers usually credited with otilm, dlspar-Blonato, dlspar-Blonato, International thought, mo Just as full of animus as thoso who cannot count a name for every fixed star, and know comparatively nothing noth-ing of psychology. Thero Is no need to nentlon names for It Is a fact sufficiently obvious that In England, France, Uelglum, Russia, Germany and Auntria thinkers think-ers who havo hitherto belonged to the world, hnd thought In universal terms, now belongs to :neir nation and think in terms, a little mor technical, but Just ns narrow as' those ot tho rank and file. They are protesting against the bigotry of their adversaries with a blissful un-. consciousness ot the truth 'Hat thny are Indulging in tho very weakness which they condemn. They arc proV; ing that Just as no race can ever bo-como bo-como so civilized as to eliminate tbo savage entirely, so no philosopher can over beconio bo saturated In absolute ab-solute ethics lis to dlspol nil '.ha mor-ullty mor-ullty ot the tribe when his trlbo is iu danger. The bias of patriotism has never been effected from tho most conscl; entlous of thinkers. Herbert Spencej In his Study of Sociology, dovoteu about forty pages to that particular form of mental warp, his object to-ing to-ing to put tho budding soclologlston his guard against tho errors In reasoning reas-oning likely to arise from that sourco, It still Btands as ono of the finest discourses dis-courses ever written on tho subject and yet Spencer in his eagerness to piovo that certain French and Oer-man Oer-man scientists had been too partial to tho achievements of their own countrymen, falls Into tho mistake ot unduly exalting tho results ot British investigation. However, ho does buc-ccod buc-ccod In establishing tho general truth that , by Incorporation In his so-: so-: clety, tho citizen Is In a measure incapacitated in-capacitated for estimating rightly Its characters and actions in relation to thoso of other societies. . . And It has been made manifest, also, that when he strives to emancipate himself him-self from these influences ot race, and country, and locality, which warp his Judgment ho Is apt to have his Judgment warped in tho opposlto way. From tho perihelion of patriotism ho is carried to tho aphelion of antl-patriotism; antl-patriotism; and Is almost certain to form vlows that are more or less ec; centric, Instead ot circular, allsided, balanced vlows. Spencer did not soy that of tho two forniB the antt-latrlotlc bias Is tho moro reprehensible, but It needs no philosopher to toll ub that. If men must havo h warp In their Judgments Judg-ments whero roco issues iiro concenv cd, It Is far bettor that they should lean to, "My country, right or wroiiB," tluin to that, unlovollness which sra no vlrtuo snvo in u foreign laud. , It is objected that from earliest youth up each nation trains Its citizens citi-zens to tho ballot that they nvo tho salt ot tho earth, mid furnishes thou; with histories giving a wholly distorted dis-torted vlow of foreign uffalrs, but tho vast body of patriotic projudlco Uuib created Is tho greatest of all wealth to a country whou thero is tho call to arms. " And tlio lesson to America In this hour ot Kuropo's trial is that wo should look with tho kindliest Indulgence Indul-gence upon pilrlotlsm which residents resi-dents and citizens of foreign birth havo not boon ablo to shako eft. We cannot expect tho first generation to forget Its national origins, but, by an attitude of Impnrtlal comment, coupled with thht philosophic ealm, which It Is our privilege to enjoy, wo may tlo much to remind them that tho advantages ot jicnco and prosperity pros-perity In this country nro too great to bo disturbed by the Intrusion of Old World hatreds .San Francisco Chronicle. |
