Page:The Awakening of Japan, by Okakura Kakuzō; 1905.djvu/118

 When the passion of fraternity has culminated in universal cooperation, what purpose is it to serve? If mere self-interest, where do we find the boasted advance?

The picture of Western glory unfortunately has a reverse. Size alone does not constitute true greatness, and the enjoyment of luxury does not always result in refinement. The individuals who go to the making up of the great machine of so-called modern civilization become the slaves of mechanical habit and are ruthlessly dominated by the monster they have created. In spite of the vaunted freedom of the West, true individuality is destroyed in the competition for wealth, and happiness and contentment are sacrificed to an incessant craving for more. The West takes pride in its emancipation from