the political clubs which go about under the generic name of Bourgeois Parties have been anything else than societies representing certain distinct classes and professions, and they have nothing finer to do than to defend selfish interests as best they can. It is obvious that a guild of bourgeois politicians, such as ours, is fit for anything rather than fighting ; especially when the other side consists not of cautious shopkeepers, but proletarian masses, violently aroused and absolutely determined.
It is the duty of the State to turn the young scions of the race into worthy instruments for increasing the race later on.
With this in view, the national State must direct its education work, in the first place, not so much towards pumping in mere knowledge as towards culti¬ vating thoroughly healthy bodies. After that comes development of mental capability. Here again forma- tion of character comes first, especially encouragement of will-power and determination, combined with teach¬ ing the joy of assuming responsibility, and not till last comes schooling in pure knowledge.
The national State must act on the presumption that a man of moderate education, but sound in body, firm in character and filled with joyous self-confidence and power of will, is of more value to the community than a highly educated weakling.
Cultivation of the body is, therefore, not an affair for the individual in the national State, nor even a matter which affects parents alone, being of second or even third-rate interest to the community, but it is a requisite for maintenance of the race, which the State is to defend and protect. The State must so distribute its work of education that the young bodies are handled in earliest childhood and receive the hardening neces¬ sary for later life. It must take particular care that a generation of stay-at-homes is not produced.