The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1915-04-22
CIVILIZATION VERSUS
MORAL GROWTH
Civilization an influence up
on the Thot of Mankind
An Able and Scholarly Analysis Of the
Moral and Cultural Evolution Of Anci-
ent Civilization Compared With Modern
Culture and Morals.
By l.. S.

By L. S.
The twentieth century man as he
draws his self-righteous robe about
him with an Lam better -than-thou
shrug feels in his soul be is, indeed,
the heir to all the ages; superior to
to his semi barbaric ancestors, and
would feel chagrined to know that
deep in the inner recesses of his sub
consciousness lie the slumbering in
stincts of the Cave man. The edu-
cation, refinement and culture-the
heritage of the ages, has to his cur
sorry insight wrot transformation
complete. but to the deeper discern
ment all these is but veneer behind
which, when torn aside, the inner
man stalks in his barbaric nudity,
the heritage is but social,
In the mind of childhood, ere the
mauling influence of civilization and
environment has wrought it's soften
ing influence upon the soul, the
slumbering instincts of the little bar
barian may often be seen in the keen
delight he takes in plucking the legs
and wings from a captive fly or elic-
iting cry of pain from it's pet kit
ten.
1t is striking fact, says DR.. L..
Muhlin in writing from field hos
pital in Europe, that the first few
days in the hospital, there is to be
observed little difference due to
variations of civil education or de-
gree education. The war which
has called to colors, the rich and the
poor, the lofty and the lowly, the
cultivated and the uncultivated, the
educated and the illiterate and with
in whose trenches all differences
quickly disappear.
Impossible, he will say. in his big
oted egotism, history substantiates
me. Men of today are in every way
mentally. morally, and physically
superior to those in ages past, in
proof of which, he will cite our
science, our art, our philosophy, our
social legislation, our philanthropy,
our colleges, our universities. True;
but with all these, with all your col
leges and universities, with every
facility known to science for re-
search, what have you accomplished?
What have you added to the intel
lectual endowment of the ages that
gives you precedence over that al
ready attained by the civilized ma
tions of the Mediterranean at the
very dawn of history, and without
the facilities you now possess? l
need but to mention such scientist
as Archimedes, Eratosthenes, Hip
parchus and Hippocrates; Poets like
Homer, Sappho and Virgil; Artists
and Sculptures like Raphael, Apelles
and Phidias; Philosophers like Plato
and Aristotle; Legislators like Solon,
Moses, Hammurabi, and Caesar;
Moralists and Teachers, like Socra-
tes, Christ, Buddha and Confucius;
to maintain you have made small
progress. The times which created
the Egyptian temples aud pyramids
and statutes of the Greek Gods, says,
Wiseman, most undoubtedly display
the achievements of the human in
tellect at it's best. You will point
to the growth of Christianity. Yes,
but an age that was capable of pro-
ducing the gentle and forgiving
Christian Philosophy amidst the
more turbulant virtues of the age,
and not only maintaining, but pro-
pagating it in the teeth of intoler-
ance and opposition shows us, says
Weisman, that as regards character
and feeling the human mind had at
tanned it's highest development.
A change in mans innate moral
nature is admitted, but an advance
is denied. What are the contribut-