238 THE THRESHOLD OF EVOLUTION 



numerous half-formed conceptions that it gave rise to and 

 compelled me to touch upon that it was utterly outside the 

 capabilities of a person like myself who has led an active, 

 out-of-door life to undertake, at a moment's notice, so arduous 

 a task, and hope to perform it in a complete, competent, or 

 artistic manner, my excuse must be, therefore, that my father 

 taught me to work, not to write. Yet feeling that the task 

 had been thrust upon me in a semi-miraculous manner, and 

 feeling that I had some little spirit of logical argument and 

 mathematical ability, I decided to do what little I have been 

 able to do and ask others to do the rest, or at least help me to 

 do it, and to forgive my want of literary ability. 



So I decided to give the reader my first conceptions, 

 leaving him to form his own conclusions of my early 

 impressions and check them by his better knowledge. I know 

 I have only made a very meagre and brief case for my client, 

 but I felt it was too early in its evolution to attempt to do 

 much. But there is one fact I feel I cannot too strongly point 

 out, that is, that if in the case of the fourteen days of creation 

 which are already past I have shown beyond dispute the con- 

 nections I have endeavoured to demonstrate, it logically and 

 mathematically follows that the forecast of Peace, Use, Com- 

 fort, Content, Joy, Wisdom and Happiness as the succeeding 

 days of Creation are likewise a certain forecast of the future 

 course of Evolution, and that as we study past evolution with 

 more attention, we will with its aid now be better able to mould 

 and develop the course of events in the future to fit in with 

 stages yet to come. 



In the past .courage, energy and might have been the ruling 

 powers that have governed the world ; wisdom and brains and 

 right have been at a discount, but in the future Wisdom is to 

 take precedence of might. Thus in the past all attempts to 

 control the world by wise government have failed, not so much 

 because the wisdom has not been evolved by a few wise brains 

 who have conformed and moulded governments, but because 

 the power to .understand wisdom is not yet evolved, and con- 

 sequently no matter how perfect the schemes, they could not 

 last because the duty of evolution was still confined to the 

 physical evolution of human energy rather than to the evolu- 

 tion of mind and soul and wisdom, so physical force triumphed 

 over psychical influence. Hence the laws of fatigue and rest 



