Civilisation : Its Cause and Cure 



essentially democratic — as being merely a choice 

 of leaders among blood-relations and social equals. 

 But when the delusion that man can exist for himself 

 alone — his outer and, as it were, accidental self 

 apart from the great inner and cosmical self by 

 which he is one with his fellows — when this delusion 

 takes possession of him, it is not long before it 

 finds expression in some system of private property. 

 The old community of life and enjoyment passes 

 away, and each man tries to grab the utmost he 

 can, and to retire into his own lair for its consump- 

 tion. Private accumulations arise ; the natural 

 flow of the bounties of life is dammed back, and 

 artificial barriers of Law have to be constructed 

 in order to preserve the unequal levels. Outrage 

 and Fraud follow in the wake of the desire of 

 possession ; force has to be used by the possessors 

 in order to maintain the law-barriers against the 

 non-possessors ; classes are formed ; and finally 

 the formal Government arises, mainly as the ex- 

 pression of such force ; and preserves itself, as 

 best it can, until such time as the inequalities which 

 it upholds become too glaring, and the pent social 

 waters gathering head burst through once more 

 and regain their natural levels. 



Thus Morgan in his " Ancient Society " points 

 out over and over again that the civilised state 

 rests upon territorial and property marks and 

 qualifications, and not upon a personal basis as 

 did the ancient ge?is^ or the tribe ; and that the 

 civilised government correspondingly takes on 

 quite a different character and function from the 



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