Ootacamund and Anglo-Indian Life 351 



of tempest, earthquake, famine, pestilence, devastations 

 of wild animals, interminable jungle, impassable rivers, 

 terrible heat, and sudden death. 



The ancient literature of India -is a tissue of ex- 

 aggerated tradition, glowing and poetical, but purely 

 imaginative as opposed to reasonable. The mytho- 

 logy of India is based upon terror ; rank superstition 

 stands in the path of civilisation and progress ; the 

 rights and dignity of woman are utterly ignored ; life 

 is of little value ; bloody human sacrifice has been 

 rife ; there is no comprehension of such a virtue as 

 truth. 



How is it that civilisation in Europe, as far as 

 analogy can guide us, seemingly unlimited should in 

 this old world have been so long apparently stationary ? 

 The reason lies in the fact that Nature's powers are 

 limited. That is to say, that physical agents come into 

 play before any others, and they quickly produce a 

 civilisation and a population, such as spread over Asia 

 and Egypt, long before the energy of man has turned 

 less favourable climates and soil to his use. But 

 physical agents only serve up to a certain point : 

 they have in the shape of climate and soil pro- 

 duced a vast population, they rule that population, 

 it is dependent upon them ; enslaved by reason of them, 

 it stands in awe of their effects. 



On the other hand, the energy of man, which has 

 slowly triumphed over a cold climate and scarcity of 

 food, only turns more and more physical powers to 

 his own use year after year ; there is no end to the 



