My copy of the book got here, and I had a chance to read the essay last night. I'll probably have more thoughts later but I wanted to quickly write here.
What a great essay! He made some very interesting points about how "sternness" (ferocity) is naturally opposed to meekness (which of course, in this context, means unaggressive or socially polite or passive). He talks about how people must be trained to have both qualities, as they'll generally gravitate towards one or the other. Combining them, he says, is more like a work of art than a work of nature. He discusses the examples of societies that historically were obliterated by invading barbarians, who themselves settled down and became meek, only to be invaded and destroyed by some other set of barbarians later.
He mentions wartime heroes who have no place in society during peace, and others who have no means to defend themselves.
I'm not aware of any online copies of the essay, which is a shame since I'd love to just post a link here.
