MAN'S ACCOUNT WITH THE LOWBE ANIMALS 21 



places all the resources of the earth at our disposal, but the 

 result is likely to be just the same. The struggle for existence 

 is only so much the keener and more deadly. 



The curse of mankind to-day is still brutal mechanism," 

 uncontrolled — or very imperfectly controlled — by any higher 

 faculty. Have we already gone too far in this direction, or is 

 it still possible to save our present civilisation, perhaps by a 

 more rational system of education and the consequent develop- 

 ment of higher ideals 1 This is the greatest of all the problems 

 which will have to be solved when the war is over, and it is 

 obvious that it can only be solved by common agreement 

 between all the nations, for so long as one nation insists upon 

 devoting a large part of its resources to armaments, others 

 must do the same in self-defence. 



If, however, we are coming to the end of our tether what will 

 take our place ? Judging by past experience, it will be some 

 unspecialised offshoot of the human race itself, which will 

 begin once more in a comparatively humble fashion and, with 

 infinite toil and pains, build up a new civilisation and finally 

 reach a level a little higher than that attained by its pre- 

 decessors. 



It is safe to prophesy, for none of us will be here to see 

 whether or not the prophecy is fulfilled — at least we may 

 hope not. 



