Civilisation : Its Cause and Cure 



question is, whether there is any absolute datum 

 in this direction or not. There have been men 

 through all ages of history (and from before) 

 who have declared that there is. They have 

 perhaps been conscious of it in themselves. On 

 the other hand there have been men who, starting 

 from their feet, declared that consciousness itself 

 was a mere incident of the human machine — 

 as the whistle of the engine — and thus the matter 

 stands. On the whole, at the present day, the 

 feet have it, and (notwithstanding their variety 

 in size and boot-induced conformation) are 

 generally accepted as the best absolute datum 

 available. 



Under the foot regime the universe is generally 

 conceived of as a medley of objects and forces, 

 more or less orderly and distinct from man, in 

 the midst of which man is placed — the purpose 

 and tendency of his life being ** adaptation to his 

 environment." To understand this we may im- 

 agine Mrs. Brown in the middle of Oxford Street. 

 'Buses and cabs are running in different directions, 

 carts and drays are rattling on all sides of her. 

 This is her environment, and she has to adapt 

 herself to it. She has to learn the laws of the 

 vehicles and their movements, to stand on this 

 side or on that, to run here and stop there, con- 

 ceivably to jump into one at a favourable moment, 

 to make use of the law of its movement, and so get 

 carried to her destination as comfortably as may 

 be. A long course of this sort of thing " adapts " 

 Mrs. Brown considerably, and she becomes more 



n8 



