"THE DAWN OF CIVILIZA'TlON 55 



grain or grass, she will surely beat out the seeds and carry 

 them home with her. Here some of the seeds and smaller 

 bulbs fall to the ground and are lost, but sprout and spring 

 up in the rich soil around the hut. Some wise woman noticed 

 this, pulled away some of the smothering weeds, and possibly 

 loosened the soil with, her digging stick. 



This is the beginning of the garden, far older than the 

 farm, for ploughing has not yet been thought of, and hoe- 

 culture is woman's work. As population increased, and game 

 became scarcer and warier, she had to furnish more and more 

 of the food. Her labors were* increased, but her importance 

 and value in the family and community increased even more. 

 Her knowledge of plants made her the first herbalist and 

 botanist, the first physician; her knowledge of the virtues 

 and harmful properties of certain roots and herbs gave her 

 an uncanny power. She has founded agriculture and given it 

 a high position and value. 



The great danger is that the man and the children in 

 hard seasons will eat up her scanty supply of seed grain or 

 the young growing roots, and thus put an end to the experi- 

 ment. There are signs that here the priest, medicine-man or 

 shaman took her part, and laid the terrors of taboo, the for- 

 bidden thing, on all interference with her efforts. If the 

 priests, the '' see-ers " and only independent thinkers, and 

 the women made alliance, the men could only yield. ^ The 

 garden grew apace. Before the end of the period the plough 

 was introduced and pulled by cattle, held and guided by the 

 man. Now the man is becoming a farmer. The economic 

 importance of this revolution cannot be overestimated. 



It had other deeper and higher influences and results. It 

 slowly and gradually bound man to the soil, made him do 

 many things which he preferred not to do. His reward 

 and wealth were proportional to his patience, industry and 

 skill. He is no longer foot-free to roam and wander as he 

 will. He is being tamed and house- and home-broken. He 



