The Scheme of Things

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 147, 23 June 1934, Page 19

The Scheme of Things

By M.H.C,

It is rather curious how many writers lately havo insisted on what appears •to be a fact—that present-day civilisation (as far as it goes) is not to be compared with the civilisations of the past, taking some thousands of years ago. After reading the works of a number of well-known writers, such as "The Conquest of Mv," by Colonel Townshend, an archaeologist of note, and also a soldier of undoubted renown who. shows in-that interesting book that a .wonderful civilisation, so far as art, science, beauty, and culture are concerned, belonged to bygone ages in a iigh degree, it' is impossible to doubt 4he present backwardness. As so much knowledge of these times has been lost in the thousands of years, it is likely that many of the so-called modern wonder? were known in" these ages past. Quite a number of writers stress this point, and a recent letter received from a New Zealand traveller, who visited Pompeii and Herculaneum, mentions (quite apart from any study of such recent writers, but from her own observation) that the degree of luxury and comfort shown at Herculaneum far surpassed anything of the present day. Pompeii was now easily seen to have been the business man's residential part and Herenlaneum that of the wealthy folk, who surrounded themselves with treasures of art and "beauty aud luxury. She was impressed with the- feeling that the people of long ago had a wonderful existence amidst, so much that made for comfort and beauty. What everyone has had an opportunity of seeing, in magazines and books, is the exquisiteness of mosaic flooring and dadoes—the Romans were quite late in .the day in the establishing of thesej and the adding of wonderful brass and copper work, as- well as statuary, in the decorations of .their Jiomes. All these things found expression ■ long before the establishment of the great .Roman' Empire. . It is possible that the Eomans excavated and found . wonders below the earth, and adapted the beauties learned for, the joy of their own. lives. :

The author ■of the "Conquest of Ma" writes of the two great lost continents, Atlantis, which was probably submerged in: the Atlantic Ocoan, and another touching the coast of Mexico, investigations in both directions show that there were cities there, and even casual observations on such islands as Las. Pahnas and others seem to show that-they are the remaining pieces of a continent, for old caves, fortifications, buildings (which suggest temples with ambulatory paths), and outlines .' of houses in these places—all tell the same tale. • It all emphasises tho fact that very little yet is known about the early history of this marvellous old earth, and it might well suggest to those who "want-to-know-all—before they-believe-ariything"—that there is a great deal to be believed without ocular proof.

The question of present-day civilisation is. always an interesting one, and leads to many a train of thought. Justice, for instance, is so comparative. It. is. not, at present, dependent on truth, or what is right or wrong. It is' dependent on a number of circumstances which have nothing to do with a. case—with many a case it might be said. Money, influence, expediency, 'the. cleverness of an advocate- in presenting the ' seamy side as the right side, the truthfulness or otherwise of witnesses, the cleverness shown, iv coiif using the nervous—all thes-j things lead to misprision of -justice, and many a person suffers a lifetime of injury and .misery in (-onsequence. Whilo these things happen the world cannot bo . said to be properly civilised. Real civilisation surely shoulcVargue justice at least, leaving out generosity. Take

the latter quality. In the opinion of most writers, and in the experience of many people those who might bo supposed to be the first ones to be generous are quite often found wanting. Want of proper civilisation again. Then take the present vogue in form and sound among a number of so-called artists. Tho cult.of the hideous, the deformed and the horrible jn colour, the abandonment of perspective which is the art of representing scenes or people as they appear to the ordinary eyes, all these things seem to show that there are some who are definitely uncivilised. The same appears in music, or the art of sound. Discord, real or simulated, harshness, jumpy syncopation, a reverting to the negroid mode of expression—these again show a want of civilisation, and a definite throw-back to earlier times, which may, perhaps, lead to the loss of the- cultivated music which has been the joy of millions in the past few hundred years. It is a quostion whether art, in the form of picture, sculpture, and music, will retrogradj to'"the-primitive.■ If so a great deal of culture will be lost for a while, till some persons some- hundreds of years hence evolve a beauty which will be new to them and their compeers, and yet will be old to the present folk. All these questions are full of interest. -

Then there .is. the treatment of the helpless and the poverty-stricken. There has been a great advance in these modern days when the story of a hundred, years ago is read. Still, there is plenty of room, for improvement. Take the occurrences of any day's news in the papers, from, abroad, and in any country. What a story of lack of civi. Used thought and action! Murders,.suicides, evil actions of: oppression, revengej fear, disasters, from preventable causes, offences .against children, women, and property.. The deadly sword of iv-ar: incessantly brandished, here, there, and everywhere. Lack of cohesion to prevent troubles in trading; lack of means to prevent starvation and misery on the one side, arid piled up wealth and goods on the other. The destruction of go*l food when millions arc starving; the production of millions of pounds' worth of. goods that nobody has. money to buy^—making .for unemployment, and.its attendant miseries, and ovils—are.not all these things definite signs of lack of decent civilisation? The cruelty, of Nature, which is made so.much of by some people, that of:_ animals : and birds, one to another, is in many instances but.a small thing to the cruelty of .man to man.

It is a fortunate thing that some can see an underlying hope, and look at the tiny rift in the clouds which is shown by comparing the present state of the peoples with that of the past, taking a hundred years ago. One finds that some of the countries which were shut up within themselves, and were, to a great .extent uncivilised, aro coming forward' in art, letters, and commerce in a very fine way. • They will' be a strength to civilisation rather than a drag, as formerly. Again, conditions of labour have been marvellously improved in a number of directions. It has been demonstrated that employees who. aro.well housed and treated give a, far better 'service, and the improvement is considerable. Comfort and reasonable means of. pleasure aro improved, and schools are well advanced towards better things. Charity is becoming organised,. and will be better administered; but the hope should be, that charity, however lovely a quaU it}-., it may be, cannot be "twice blessed," for there should be none who should need it.: Those who seek the creation of a healthy mind in a healthy body are the ones who aro doing the finest work,- for these are the root of all good.'