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A STUDY IN KARMA
from this, and he must trim his sails to it as best he may. Even a Master can but slightly modify national karma, or change the national atmosphere.
The rise and fall of nations are brought about by collective karma. Acts of national righteousness or of national criminality, led up to by noble or base thinking, largely directed by national ideals, bring about national ascent or national descent. The actions of the Spanish Inquisition, the driving of the Jews and of the Moors out of Spain, the atrocious cruelties accompanying the conquests of Mexico and Peru-all these were national crimes, which dragged Spain down from its splendid position of power, and reduced it to comparative powerlessness.
Seismic changes-earthquakes, volcanoes, floods or national catastrophes like famine and plague, all are cases of collective karma, brought about by great streams of thoughts and actions of a
