Chapter III 

 THE WISDOM OF OLD EGYPT 



More than ten years ago it seemed to me that the 

 main principle of the evolution of civilization— of 

 human progress, in other words — is conflict of cultures 

 and minds. It is misleading to think that social life 

 as such promotes progress. The oldest social animals 

 in the world are corals and sponges, and they have 

 remained corals and sponges for something over 

 twenty million years. On the other hand, there is 

 complete social life among the blacks of Australia or 

 the Melanesians of New Guinea or the Hottentots of 

 Africa, yet they have remained unprogressive for, 

 perhaps, a quarter of a million years. Mere social 

 contact, even with a power of intercommunication, 

 is not enough. There must be a stimulating clash 

 of ideas and ideals and habits. 



This is not the place to study the psychology of 

 this principle ; though it is, I may remark, quite easy 

 to work out. But any reader will find the story of 

 man, as well as the present great diversity of peoples, 

 more intelligible if he bears the principle in mind. 

 Isolation (of an individual or a tribe) means stag- 

 nation ; association with differing individuals or 

 peoples means progress. The scattered peoples of 

 the earth have remained unprogressive. The advance 

 which we call the evolution of civilization always 

 occurs where the scattered peoples, with differing 



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