SHEMITIC CIVILIZATION. 139 



not make up its mind to become Christian. 

 Wavering between Judaism and Christianity, 

 between native superstition and memories of 

 the old patriarchal worship, disgusted by 

 the mythological elements which the Indo- 

 European race had introduced into the heart 

 of Christianity, she would return to the re- 

 ligion of Abraham. She founded Islamism. 

 Islamism rose up in its turn with an im- 

 mense superiority in the midst of the debased 

 religions of Asia. With a single blow it 

 overturned Parsee-ism, which had been 

 strong enough to triumph over Christianity 

 under the Sassanides, and reduced it to the 

 position of a petty sect. India also saw, 

 in turn, but without being converted, the 

 Divine Unity proclaimed victoriously in the 

 midst of her ancient Pantheon. Islamism, 

 in a word, brought over to Monotheism, 

 nearly all those pagan lands which Chris- 

 tianity had not yet converted. It is finish- 

 ing its mission in our times by the conquest 

 of Africa, which is now becoming almost 

 entirely Mahometan. Thus with a few 



