And the success of the nations which possess these martial virtues has been the great means by which their continuance has been secured in the world, and the destruction of the opposite vices insured also.
Bagehot argues that nations with martial virtues are more likely to endure and thrive, while those with vices face destruction.
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More from Walter Bagehot
Perhaps such powers as these are what a wise man would most seek to exercise and least fear to possess.
They are solely concerned with his attractiveness as a candidate; they need not regard his efficiency as a ruler.
If the above reasoning be sound, compulsory constituencies are necessary, voluntary constituencies destructive; the optional transferability of votes is not a salutary aid, but a ruinous innovation.
Savages waste away before modern civilisation; they seem to have held their ground before the ancient.
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