FINAL CHAPTER 239 



have exerted the predominant power in their influence on the 

 development of governments, and the success of governments 

 has been controlled, not by the wisdom of their laws but by the 

 energy of their law-makers, as each class of the community 

 takes part in the formation and then takes a rest. These 

 seven more days of evolution that are yet to come must be 

 evolved in the same manner as in the past, but with this differ- 

 ence, that the mind will triumph over physical forces. 



Now all study of Evolution and Religion has often 

 failed to work in harmony together for very long, because man 

 has not evolved his soul sufficiently to understand Religion, 

 Science or Wisdom. But now we are at last beginning to have 

 a living, not an unborn soul by the birth of understanding, 

 and the possibility of the third great departure in the course 

 of Evolution, the conquest of right over might is now within 

 the realms of probability. This will open up the possibility, 

 as our knowledge increases, of remodelling both Science and 

 Religion as the next ages of Evolution, those of Use and 

 Peace are evolved. In these ages we are to evolve, the 

 powers of reason which are to become active not as a property 

 of an aristocracy only, but as the characteristic of the majority 

 of mankind. But this will mean an entire revolution in the 

 course of evolution as regards our customs and practices in 

 every-day life. Thus we see that the advancement of a nation 

 is a constant struggle by the three great divisions of mankind 

 to obtain the reins of Government, viz. : the agricultural 

 class which represents the three highest virtues in the 

 greatest degree, that is to say, Energy, Thrift and Charity. 



These are characteristics not from choice, but from 

 necessity to fight the adversities caused by climate and nature. 

 The agriculturist, therefore, has to evolve the highest superio- 

 rity in physical energy and the greatest amount of thrift lo 

 prevent going to the wall. Their occupation also necessitates 

 waiting, not for three, six or nine months to turn over their 

 capital, but for a period of one, two or five, or even, in the 

 case of the cultivation of trees, ten, twenty or fifty years for 

 a return on the capital they invest. This makes thrift a 

 necessity of husbandry, hence we use the word in its secondary 

 meaning to denote thrift and speak of a man as husbanding 

 his resources. There is no other occupation so dependant on 

 the assistance of one's neighbour as agriculture, both to protect 



