308 THE PRINCIPLES OF HEREDITY 



the greatest effect only by the most enlightened societies. 

 Our civilization and progress, therefore, have elements of 

 stability which were lacking in the ancient world. Our less 

 enlightened societies are compelled to take their tone from 

 the more enlightened. Paradoxical as it may sound, so long 

 as there is danger of war so long must our progress be 

 maintained. 



486. Under quite different religious systems the effects 

 of mental training similar to that which the early Christians 

 received may be seen in many modern lands. They are con- 

 spicuous in Thibet. Witness the prolonged stagnation, the 

 intense stupidity which arises from an almost brute impervious- 

 ness to new ideas, the extreme credulity as regards matters of 

 mystery, the foolish scepticism as regards matters of fact, the 

 resulting low standard of efficiency, the lack of great thinkers 

 and men of action, the widespread degradation of public 

 morals, the brigandage and general lawlessness. In states of 

 society similar to that in which arose St. Simeon Stylites, 

 arise the mad ascetics of India and Arabia, and the ferocious 

 fanatics of Afghanistan, Morocco and the Soudan. 



487. The final overthrow of Rome was due to foreign con- 

 quest ; but the decline of Rome had set in long before, and 

 without that decline the fall would not have occurred. The 

 barbarian conquerors were all converted to the prevalent form 

 of Christianity ; whereupon they lost, so far as we are able to 

 distinguish, the most of their own characteristics and adopted 

 those of the early Christians. A drear uniformity of mental 

 type spread all over Europe. Frantic asceticism was mingled 

 with savage indulgence. Superstitious reverence of ecclesi- 

 astical power was mitigated only by the occasional murder of 

 ecclesiastics. War was the normal condition of every nation. 

 Civil strife was seldom, and brigandage never, absent from 

 any Christian country. Millions of heretics who advocated 

 the doctrines we now maintain perished by the sword, and 

 thousands more by torture. Untold numbers of helpless and 

 feeble-minded old women were burnt as witches. A religion 

 which had become a sheer superstition entered into and 

 restricted every field of thought. No man could have new 

 opinions in faith but he was denounced as unorthodox. No 

 one could make new discoveries in many branches of science 

 but he was condemned as a heretic. No one could invent in 

 mechanics or investigate in chemistry but he was liable to be 

 tortured as a magician. All science, all accurate scientific 

 habits of thought were rendered impossible. 



488. At length after this prolonged period of intellectual 



