Civilisation : Its Cause and Cure 



from it, that it falls a prey to parasites which 

 overspread and devour it ; so, when the central 

 inspiration departs out of social life, does it writhe 

 with the mere maggots of individual greed, and 

 at length fall under the dominion of the most 

 monstrous egotist who has been bred from its 

 corruption. 



Thus we have briefly sketched the progress of 

 the symptoms of the " disease/* which, as said 

 before, runs much (though not quite) the same 

 course in the various nations which it attacks. 

 And if this last stage were really the end of all, 

 and the true Democracy, there were indeed little 

 left to hope for. No words of Carlyle could blast 

 that black enough. But this is no true Democracy. 

 Here in this " each for himself" is no rule of the 

 Demos in every man, nor anything resembling 

 it. Here is no solidarity such as existed in the 

 ancient tribes and primaeval society, but only dis- 

 integration and a dust-heap. The true Demo- 

 cracy has yet to come. Here in this present 

 stage is only the final denial of all outward and 

 class government, in preparation for the restora- 

 tion of the inner and true authority. Here in 

 this stage the task of civilisation comes to an end ; 

 the purport and object of all these centuries is 

 fulfilled ; the bitter experience that mankind had 

 to pass through is completed ; and out of this 

 Death and all the torture and unrest which accom- 

 panies it, comes at last the Resurrection. Man 

 has sounded the depths of alienation from his own 

 divine spirit, he has drunk the dregs of the cup of 



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