# Chapter XVII explained — The National Being

> Chapter companion for The National Being by George William Russell.

## What happens

The author proposes a radical vision for Ireland: civil conscription, where every young man would serve two years in a national labor army for public works, training, and beautification, arguing it would foster national pride, discipline, and brotherhood, and transform Ireland's mean cities and countryside into a beautiful civilization, contrasting this with the expense and spiritlessness of current state projects and the alternative of military conscription.

## Themes in this chapter

### The National Being and Identity

The chapter argues that civil conscription would create a 'real brotherhood in work' and national pride, contrasting Ireland's potential for beauty and dignity with the meanness of modern industrial civilizations.

### Critique of Individualism and Materialism

The author criticizes the current system where private enterprise is cheaper than state work due to price-gouging, and laments the lack of national sacrifice and pride, proposing collective labor as a remedy.

### Cooperative Economics and Rural Community

The proposal for a national labor army to undertake public works, reclaim waste land, and beautify cities reflects a cooperative, state-led approach to economic and social development.

### Spiritual vs. Material Forces in Civilization

The chapter contrasts the 'titanic architecture' and 'majestic civilizations' of the past with the 'weight upon the soul' of modern industrial cities, advocating for a civilization built on beauty, health, and dignity through collective service.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown Narrator

The narrator reflects on a letter from a 'bloodthirsty correspondent' advocating military conscription during a railway strike, and develops the idea of civil conscription as a nobler alternative for Ireland.

## Key lines

> Where there is no national sacrifice there is no national pride.

A nation cannot feel proud unless its citizens are willing to make sacrifices for the common good.

_This encapsulates the chapter's central argument for civil conscription as a form of national service that builds pride._

> To walk into Manchester, Sheffield, or Liverpool is to feel a weight upon the soul. There is no national feeling for beauty in our industrial civilizations.

The industrial cities of England are depressing and lack any sense of beauty, reflecting a deeper spiritual poverty in modern civilization.

_The author contrasts the ugliness of industrial cities with the grandeur of ancient civilizations to argue for a new approach to public works in Ireland._

> The real danger for society is that it may become spiritless and hidebound and tamed, and have none of those high qualities necessary in face of peril.

Society's greatest threat is losing its courage and imagination, which are essential for overcoming challenges.

_This highlights the author's call for bold, imaginative solutions like civil conscription to revitalize Ireland._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_national_being_se/chapters/xvii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_national_being_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_national_being_se/chapters