MANKIND IN THE FUTURE. 369 



sophers of antiquity to their fellow-men wlio were striving 

 to ennoble themselves. "Know thyself!" is the cry of the 

 Theory of Development, not merely to the individual, but 

 to all mankind. And whilst increased knowledge of self 

 becomes, in the case of every individual man, a strong force 

 urging to an increased attention to conduct, mankind as 

 a whole will be led to a higher path of moral perfection 

 by the knowledge of its true origin and its actual position 

 in Nature. The simple religion of Nature, which grows 

 from a true knowledge of Her, and of Her inexhaustible 

 store of revelations, will in future ennoble and perfect the 

 development of mankind far beyond that degree which can 

 possibly be attained under the influence of the multifarious 

 religions of the churches of the various nations, — religions 

 resting on a blind belief in the vague secrets and mythical 

 revelations of a sacerdotal caste. Future centuries will 

 celebrate our age, which was occupied with laying the 

 foundations of the Doctrine of Descent, as the new era in 

 which began a period of human development, rich in bless- 

 ings, — a period which was characterized by the victory of 

 free inquiry over the despotism of authority, and by the 

 powerful ennobling influence of the Monistic Philosophy. 



• VOL. II. 2 b 



