Such were the migrations of the tribes of Northern Europe, and of the Asiatic hordes, which were a powerful element in the overturn of the Roman Empire. In late years there has been an increasing interest in the biographies of the great men who have moved the world. 'No view of history is more interesting than this study of personalities. It has sometimes been pushed to an absurd extent, in the attempt to reverse historical verdicts, to rehabilitate tarnished reputations, and

THE DEMOCRATIC IDEAL. 145

in the exaggeration of hero-worship. The relation of great men to their times has been a fascinating theme for the historian to dwell upon in every age. All these, and many more inquiries, are worthy of the most painstaking study. We cannot know too much about them. They are all a part of " the moulding together the great mysterious incorporation ofthe human race." But the moral lesson of history is larger than any exceptional episodes. Whatever way governments began, they have been, they are, and they will be, until human nature and human needs undergo a tremendous transformation. As has been said, stable governments have been rare. Some of the forces of modern civilization may make the crystallization of society into localized governments possibly more un^tcble than ever. In favor of the permanence of any existing order however, there has always been one conserving factor-- habit. Prof. J. M. Baldwin in his instructive work, " Mutual Development," calls authority " that most tremendous thing in our moral environment," and obedience " that most magnificent thing in our moral equipment." Psychologists also tell us that habit, one of the phenomena of consolidation, indicates downward growth. With the race, as with the individual, habit, or what Bagehot calls " the solid cake of custom," has been one of the impediments to progress.