Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 3.djvu/254

 240 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

the predominant element in all the- relations .... of public life."

From a study of Asiatic and African races one truth stands out clear. In natural societies personal control is all the positive con- trol there is. But the true nature of this voluntary subordination must be noted. The sentiments that underlie early allegiance are not love and devotion, but fear, trust, and admiration. Vague fear that comes to be inspired by an Attila, a Tecumtha, or a Chaka ; trust, inspired as in the case of Hastings, by his "con- stant successes and the manner in which he extricated himself from every difficulty;" admiration for preeminence in those qualities that insure success in an enterprise, such as superior cunning, sagacity, knowledge, athletic skill, strength, courage, or resource. But all this amounts merely to recognition of the able-man. Early man is too egotistic and practical to be swept from his moorings by any sentiment of personal devotion. There is no hint of idolatry for one of his kind.

Nothing can carry men beyond this hard-headed cult of efficiency but a dash of idealism. With noble idealizing races, like the Arabs or the Germans, we see almost from the first something chivalric in the relations of follower to leader. The chieftain of Tacitus' Germans was the Able-man to those who chose him in assembly, but to the band of comrades the comi- tatus that voluntarily clave to him he was the object of all love and fidelity. We get something better than a myrmidon allegiance contingent on success as soon as we get disinterested admiration, i. e., admiration for qualities that are not serviceable to the follower. When men begin to admire and obey him who is most conspicuous for eloquence or truth speaking, or justice or magnanimity, we get a loyalty that does not turn on the pros- pect of success. Suclvan attitude implies that in the course of social life certain values have come to prevail, certain ideals have infected the mass in other words, moral civilization has begun.

This disinterested appreciation of personality is but a phase of a larger movement. As a social environment becomes more