162 SOCIAL HEREDITY AND SOCIAL EVOLUTION 



the monarcli, and, accordingly, a most absolute 

 despotism has existed. But this great nation has 

 been prevented from falling to pieces by the fact that 

 it has been completely isolated from the rest of the 

 world. All the vigorous nations which have dom- 

 inated the history of the world have been in the 

 West, separated from the great Chinese race by 

 mountains and deserts. China has thus been left to 

 develop by itself, and under these circumstances, its 

 patriarchal government has expanded and has held 

 together a great nation. But the result has been 

 stagnation, for China has not progressed, and has 

 practically remained for centuries in exactly the 

 same state of civilization. The patriarchal system, 

 by crushing ambition, resulted in a complete stand- 

 still, and the great nation of China, held together 

 simply because it is isolated from other nations, has 

 remained almost unknown, and certainly unprogres- 

 sive. To-day this great sleeping nation has been 

 waked up by its contact with the communal system 

 of the West, and is undergoing a change so rapid 

 that it is impossible for us to understand its real sig- 

 nificance. The changes that are taking place in 

 China to-day are a most illuminating illustration of 

 the effect upon a nation founded upon the patriarchal 

 system coming in contact with the live, active nations 

 that have been developed under the influence of the 

 communal system of government. 



The Communal System 



Based upon Individual Ability. — In this type of nation 

 the relation of the chieftain to the people whom he 

 rules was originally wholly different, since he was 

 only a temporary leader. He obtained his position 



