PREFACE 



Two years ago, in the preface to another essay, the 

 present writer ventured to affirm that " Civilisation 



x moves rather towards a chaos than towards a 

 x/ 



cosmos." But he could not foretell that the 

 descensus Averni would be so alarmingly rapid. 



When we find Science, which has done so much 

 and promised so much for the happiness of mankind, 

 devoting so large a proportion of its resources to the 

 destruction of human life, we are prone to ask 

 despairingly Is this the end ? If not ; how are 

 we to discover and assure for stricken Humanity 

 the vision and the possession of a Better Land ? 



Not certainly by the ostentatious building of 

 peace-palaces nor even by the actual accomplish- 

 ment of successful war. Only by the discovery of 

 true first principles of Thought and Action can 

 Humanity be redeemed. Undeterred by the 

 confused tumult of to-day we must still seek a true 

 understanding of what knowledge is what are its 

 powers and what also are its limitations. Nor may 



