324 THIRD JOURNEY TO THE CAUCASUS. 



owes to its technical progress. With the great capacity 

 of the Asiatics for imitation and for utilizing their 

 acquirements, and with the ever advancing art of 

 depriving distance of its dividing power by improving 

 the means of communication, undoubtedly our little 

 Europe might be exposed to a new invasion from 

 Asia subversive of culture, but the first annihilating 

 blow would then light on the intervening countries, 



D o 



especially Russia, as history has indeed already re- 

 peatedly shown. For the rest this danger can only 

 arise, when the scientific and technical progress of 

 Europe comes to a standstill, so that it loses the great 

 start in its technical development, which most surely 

 protects its civilization from every inroad of barbarian 

 nations. Only internal suicidal conflicts could lead to 

 that, for in mental power and inventive faculties the 

 peoples of Europe are far superior to the Asiatics and 

 will doubtless remain so in the future. 



.. In Moscow it was already intensely cold, in St. 

 Petersburg sledging had actually begun and the Neva 

 was covered with drifting ice, so that after a short 

 stay we continued our journey and could still enjoy 

 for a while the milder climate of home. 



As in the two past years I have come here to 

 Harzburg at the end of June, in order to devote a 

 few weeks to recording these reminiscences, and do 

 not intend to leave before I have come to the end 

 of them. I have repeatedly tried in Gharlottenburg 



