New-York tribune., 1874-03-18
THE LECTURE.


civilization. Civilization. he said with me shall nean
not moro wealth. hnery, more solfindugence,
even aesthetic and artistic luxury but more virtue,
more knowledge, selfcontrol. though earn
scanty bread by heavy toll; and when compare the
Cesar OF Rome, the great King. whether OF Egypt.
Babylon, Persia, with the hermit OF the Thebaid'
starving In his rock OF camc3 hair with his soul fixed
the ineabo gores Of the unseen, and striving how
ever wildly and Enthusiastically. to become an angel and
not ape, will say the hermit and not the C@,ar,
the civilized man.
There are plenty OF histories Of civilization and
theories OF civilization, abroad In the world just now,
which profess TO show you now tho primeval savage
has at may have, become the CIVILIZED man TO
Kingey attaches little value for the
simple reason that have facts The facts are lost
II you almost proposition as certainly true,
It ia enough usually TO prove IL to your own satis
faction. II you that you can make silk purse
out q sOws oar, you easily invent for yourself all
the intermediate stages OF tho transformation however
startling You have some warrant too. in the word
make. But II your theory s that the sow's ear
grew into tho silk purse OF itself. unconsciously,
and without any intention OF boterng itself In life
those who have studied the history which lies behind
them, and the poor human nature struggling SHINING
sorrowing and falling round them-and AS 1t seemed
the greater part Of this planet going downward and
not upwardmaY be excused for Withholding their judg
ment For himself. the speaker confessed that he know
man sprang from single pair; and, II so, there
must have been among their individual descendants
equality far greater than any which has been known
earth during historic times But that equality was. at
best, but the nantlo innocence Of the primary race.
which doubt faded quickly in the 1t does
in the individual child
The eldest OF things which we actually history
is not equality, but bideOus inequality, already do
yeloped and trying to perpetuate ITSELF and Ye by
it takes to keep alive In Hildoo cosmogony the
world stands on elephant, and the elephant on q
tortoise, and the tortoise on-whatf No man knows;
but Mr.. Kingsley feels he did not stand upon the
savages VINO Clipped hints and fed on mammoth and
reindeer North Western Europe shortly after the age
OF ice a few hundred thousand years ago. Surely the
civilized and his world stand not upon creatures
like 10 any savage known upon tho earth. We see
no proof OF il. We no sayages really becoming
civilized men, not merely who apo civilization.
but truly civilized men, who will think for themselves
ana invent for themselves. Ii history we find no record
OF any savage tribe ciyizng itself. But somewhere
civilization must have becunwhere was it. and howf
To this question Mr. Kingsley confessed that no had
ready no authoritative answer but he had dream. an
idea and he would state it. What II the beginnings ~
true civilization had been-terally and in actual fact
supernsturali What il the few first chapters OF the
most ancient and most sacred book should point under
whatever Symbols to the actual and only possible origin
OF civzatOn--the education OF man, or family, by
beings OF some higher than mani What If the old
Puritan doctrine Of Election should be even OF deeper
and wider application than dvines have been wont TO
thinkf What IL individuals il peoples, have been
out, from time time, for special illumination
that they might be the lights o: the wordf What II
they have each, In turn, abused that high calling and
made themselves tyrants instead or teachersf Thus
runs his dream and If the enlightened philosophical
nineteenth century will still think him worth listening
to, he will proceed.
At all events what we see at the beginning Of all
known and half known history is-not savagery. but
high civilization at least Of outward and material
kind Recoect that the three Oldest peoples known to
history this planet are Egypt, China. Hndostan
Back OF these there loom up out OF the darkness or
legend into the yet dim dawn OF history, what the
old Arabs call Races Of preAdame Sultans-colossal
HES with fixed and often elaborate laws Gus
TOMS creeds; with aristocracics, presthoods-seem-
ingly always OF a superior and conquering race; with
a mass Of common folk, whether FREQ or half free,
composed OF earlier conquered races; OF imported
slaves too and their descendants But whence comes
the royal race the sristocracy the presthoodt They
do not know themselves They have crossed the neigh
boring mountains they have by sea, ike Dido to
Carthage like Nance Cassac and Mama Bello to Amer
ica-and they have sometimes forgotten when. But
they from afar aud they wiser stronger,
farer aborignes. They not that they
are descended from gods They the Children Of
the Sum- what not At first probably they are civil
izers conquerors for they are at first few in
ber In all tradition is not tho many who influence
the few but the few the many.
Thus arstOcraces, In the true are formed But
soon the light darkened. The OF God take the
daughters OF to wife and mixed race springs up.
The arstocracy OF virue and wisdom becomes an
unjust one Of power and privilege; and that
one Of wealth. Then the king must become the
sate the people think it better to stand in fear of
% .untv xn.l -.
nearest wood Thus sprang up those monstrous East
ern desposms Of which modern Persia Is the only re-
maning specimen; for Turkey and Egypt too
ameuabo Of late years to the influence of the free
to be counted longer as depotsms, pure and
simple. despotsm has, in fact been the last stage Of
every civilization, even that OF Rome, except among
the men who speak the Teutonic tongues and who
have preserved, through all dangers, the free ideas
which inspired Tacitus with respect when he behed
Empire.
The old despotsms arc dead, never to revive but
their corpses the corpses not OF enemes but OF
our friends predecessors and they fill the trenches
over which must march to victory. to ruin. For
IL are to boast the salt Of the earth.
what II the salt should lose its God help u.s.
whom He has laid tho heavy obligation Of Freedom
We responsible each individual OF US not only to
ourselves, but to Him. and to all mankind. How those
old desp0tisms-the mighty empires Of old timefe,
know Corrupt, luxurious eeminate, eaten out by uni
versal seshness and mutual fear they had at last
organic conference. Some Drawer aber, and more vir
people; often little, hardy, homey mountain
tribe. that the fruit was ripe for gathering aud.
caring naught for superiors numbers-dd Dot German
Alario say Of the Romans The thicker the
hay the easier IL Is moved rsruck brave blow at
the huge, inflated wnd-bagas Cyrus and his Persians
struck the Medes Alexander and his Greeks struck
afterward at the Persians-and behold 1t collapsed on
tho spot And then tho victors took the place Of the
conquered; became IN their turn arisocracy, and
then despotlsm, and in their turn. rotted down and