220 THE THRESHOLD OF EVOLUTION 



for life, death or supremacy, midst bloody wars born out of 

 their spite and jealousies, as the two new aspirants, Commerce 

 and Invention, endeavour to outshine the veteran heroes, Reli- 

 gion and Government. For during the four thousand years 

 ending 1000 A.D., the Governments of the East and the Roman 

 Empire control the powers of Commerce and Invention directed 

 by the guiding hand of youthful Science. Then about 1000 

 A.D. Commerce revolts from the rule of Government, and siding 

 with Religion wages bloody wars on all sides to establish 

 church rule by Christianising and conquering the known world, 

 and ruling it by the feudal vassals, 



I maintain that vassalage was in reality as much a 

 religious as a state development, and was instituted under 

 religious instigation to place the Church of Rome at the head 

 of the world. I read a work forty years ago which minutely 

 described this matter, but the author's name has escaped my 

 memory as I was only a boy at the time. Thus Commerce was 

 handed over to the care of Religion till about the period which 

 occupies the two hundred years between 1250 and 1450 A.D. 

 when the people finally released it from the control of both 

 church and state, and moved evolution a step further ahead 

 by permitting individual enterprise to introduce that pretty 

 maiden, the charming young damsel, Commerce, to all parts 

 and nations of the globe. So the curse of Cain and Lamech, 

 the curse of murderous warfare, is multiplied by seven times 

 seven and carried to the utmost bounds of the world to crown 

 with laurels the heads of Religions, Governments and Com- 

 merce, until after to-day when Science and Invention 

 will join their youthful hands in a war, not of blood, but of 

 wisdom, and demand the surrender of the besieged city of the 

 world of Wealth, which by their combined influences, through 

 the agency of the present war, they are fast bringing to the 

 verge of starvation ; and sternly demand the truce of an eternal 

 peace, and the doing away with of this long-abused fallacy of 

 all religions and past forms of government, namely, control by 

 means of ignorance, might and strife, instead of by wisdom, law 

 and co-operation. Although the heading of this chapter in- 

 cludes only two out of the last five stages of the Epoch of 

 Hope I have included Commerce and Invention in it also. 



In this manner were involved the earliest forms of govern- 

 ment which grew out of the early religions of idolatry as agri- 



