THE VALUE OF LIFE 



scholasticism and the Church and of the philosophy of 

 Aristotle; the founding of empirical science by Francis 

 Bacon (1620). 5. The spread of scientific knowledge by 

 the press (Gutenberg, 1450) and wood-engraving. The 

 way was prepared for modern civilization by these and 

 other advances in the sixteenth century, and it quickly 

 arose above the barbaric level of the Middle Ages. How- 

 ever, it was confined at first within narrow limits, as 

 the reactionary civilization of the Middle Ages was still 

 powerful in political and social life, and the struggle 

 against superstition and unreason made slow progress. 

 The French Revolution (1792) at last gave a great im- 

 petus in practical directions. 



B. Middle cultured races. This name may be given 

 to the leading nations of Europe and North America in 

 the nineteenth century. We may illustrate in the fol- 

 lowing achievements the great advance which this "cen- 

 tury of science" made as compared with all preceding 

 ages: i. Deepening, experimental grounding, and gen- 

 eral spread of a knowledge of nature; independent es- 

 tablishment of many new branches of science ; founding 

 of the cell-theory (1838), the law of energy (1845), and 

 the theory of evolution (1859). 2. Practical and com- 

 prehensive application of this theoretical science to all 

 branches of art and industry. Especially 3. The over- 

 coming of time and space by the extraordinary speed of 

 transit (steamboats, railways, telegraphs, electrotech- 

 nics. 4. 'Construction of the m^onistic and realistic 

 philosophy, in opposition . to the prevailing dualistic 

 and mystical views. 5. Increasing influence of rational 

 scientific instruction and abandonment of the religious 

 fiction of the Churches. 6. Increasing self-conscious- 

 ness of the nations on account of having a share in gov- 

 ernment and legislation; extinction of the belief in the 

 divine right of rulers. New distinction of classes. 

 However, these great advances, to which we children of 



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