246 MY AMERICAN FRIENDS

of primaryrimportance in the nation's life to the
place of secondary importance, 9-nd changed
from a thing of awful majesty to a thing of
common utility* Obedience became a virtue
of minor rank at best and a vice at worst; discipline
tended towards the minimum and " liberty"
came into being.

Traditionally, therefore, " government/' fto
the American mind, is not the factor of supreme
importance in the national life. Recent events
no doubt have weakened the tradition; but it is
still sufficiently strong to throw a light on two
outstanding features in American mentality.

Many years ago I remarked to Edward
Everett Hale, then Chaplain to Congress, on
the apparent unwillingness of the best minds
in America to adopt the political career and their
indifference on seeing political office fall to
second-rate men. His answer, which I noted
at the time, was significant, " In our country,"
he said, " we need very little government. We
are not a government-minded people"—the
connexion of which with Jefferson's principles
is obvious enough.

To assess the results1 is not easy. On the one
hand, a people not habituated to attaching
supreme importance to " government" enjoys
a favourable position for learning to find supreme
importance in something yet higher; and I
have met Americans who believe that "edu-
cation," will ultimately become the central object