historical lectures and essays(查尔斯金斯利历史讲座)





the   human   race   sprang   from   a   single   pair;   there   must   have   been   among 

their   individual   descendants   an   equality   far   greater   than   any   which   has 

been known on earth during historic times。                  But that equality was at best 

the infantile innocence of the primary race; which faded away in the race 

as   quickly;   alas!   as   it   does   in   the   individual   child。 Divinetherefore   it 

was   one   of  the   first   blessings   which   man   lost;   one   of   the  last;  I   fear;   to 



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which he will return; that to which civilisation; even at its best yet known; 

has   not   yet   attained;   save   here   and   there   for   short   periods;   but   towards 

which it is striving as an ideal goal; and; as I trust; not in vain。 

     The eldest of things which we see actually as history is not equality; 

but   an   already   developed   hideous   inequality;   trying   to   perpetuate   itself; 

and yet by a   most divine and gracious law; destroying itself by the very 

means which it uses to keep itself alive。 

     〃There were giants in the earth in those days。                 And Nimrod began to 

be a mighty one in the earth〃 … 

       A mighty hunter; and his game was man。 

        No; it is not equality which we see through the dim mist of bygone 

ages。 

     What we do see isI know not whether you will think me superstitious 

or old…fashioned; but so I holdvery much what the earlier books of the 

Bible   show   us   under   symbolic   laws。        Greek   histories;   Roman   histories; 

Egyptian histories; Eastern histories; inscriptions; national epics; legends; 

fragments of   legendsin   the  New World   as   in   the  Oldall tell   the  same 

story。    Not the   story  without an   end; but   the story  without   a beginning。 

As   in   the   Hindoo   cosmogony;   the   world   stands   on   an   elephant;   and   the 

elephant on a tortoise; and the tortoise onwhat?                  No man knows。           I do 

not   know。   I   only   assert   deliberately;   waiting;   as   Napoleon   says;   till   the 

world   e   round   to   me;   that   the   tortoise   does   not   standas   is   held   by 

certain   anthropologists;   some   honoured   by   me;   some   personally   dear   to 

meupon       the   savages     who    chipped     flints   and   fed   on   mammoth        and 

reindeer   in   North…Western   Europe;   shortly   after   the   age   of   ice;   a   few 

hundred   thousand   years   ago。         These   sturdy   little   fellowsthe   kinsmen 

probably of the Esquimaux and Lappscould have been but the AVANT… 

COURIERS;           or   more    probably      the  fugitives     from    the   true   mass    of 

mankindspreading   northward   from   the   Tropics   into   climes   being; 

after the long catastrophe of the age of ice; once more genial enough to 

support men who knew what decent fort was; and were strong enough 

to   get   the   same;   by   all   means   fair   or   foul。 No。      The   tortoise   of   the 



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human   race   does   not   stand   on   a   savage。     The   savage   may   stand   on   an 

ape…like creature。        I do not say that he does not。 I do not say that he does。 

I do not know; and no man knows。                  But at least I say that the civilised 

man and his world stand not upon creatures like to any savage now known 

upon   the   earth。    For   first;   it   seems   to   be   most   unlikely;   and   next;   and 

more important to an inductive philosopher; there is no proof of it。                      I see 

no   savages   being   really   civilised   menthat   is;   not   merely   men   who 

will ape the outside of our so…called civilisation; even absorb a few of our 

ideas;     not   merely     that;  but   truly    civilised   men     who     will   think   for 

themselves; invent for themselves; act for themselves; and when the sacred 

lamp   of   light   and    truth   has   been   passed   into   their   hands;   carry   it   on 

unextinguished;  and   transmit   it   to   their   successors   without   running  back 

every   moment   to   get   it   relighted   by   those   from   whom   they   received   it: 

and who are boundremember thatpatiently and lovingly to relight it for 

them; to give freely to all their fellow…men of that which God has given to 

them and to their ancestors; and let God; not man; be judge of how much 

the Red Indian or the Polynesian; the Caffre or the Chinese; is capable of 

receiving and of using。 

     Moreover; in history there is no record; absolutely no record; as far as I 

am   aware;   of   any   savage   tribe   civilising   itself。    It   is   a   bold   saying。 I 

stand by my assertion:             most happy to find myself confuted; even in a 

single instance; for my being wrong would give me; what I can have no 

objection to possess; a higher opinion than I have now; of the unassisted 

capabilities of my fellow…men。 

     But   civilisation   must   have   begun   somewhen;   somewhere;   with   some 

person; or some family; or some nation; and how did it begin? 

     I have said already that I do not know。                But I have had my dream 

like the philosopherand as I have not been ashamed to tell it elsewhere; I 

shall not be ashamed to tell it here。           And it is this: 

     What   if   the   beginnings   of   true   civilisation   in   this   unique;   abnormal; 

diseased;       unsatisfied;     inprehensible;         and     truly   miraculous       and 

supernatural       race   we   call  man;    had    been   literally;   and   in  actual   fact; 



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miraculous and supernatural likewise?              What if that be the true key to the 

mystery of humanity and its origin? What if the few first chapters of the 

most ancient and most sacred book should point; under whatever symbols; 

to the actual and the only possible origin of civilisation; the education of a 

man; or a family by beings of some higher race than man?                       What if the 

old   Puritan   doctrine   of   Election   should   be   even   of   a   deeper   and   wider 

application than divines have been wont to think?                 What if individuals; if 

peoples; have been chosen out from time to time for a special illumination; 

that they might be the lights of the earth; and the salt of the world?                 What 

if   they   have;   each   in  their   turn;  abused    that   divine   teaching    to  make 

themselves   the   tyrants;   instead   of   the   ministers;   of   the   less   enlightened? 

To increase the inequalities of nature by their own selfishness; instead of 

decreasing them; into the equality of grace; by their own self… sacrifice? 

What if the Bible after all was right; and even more right than we   were 

taught to think? 

     So runs my dream。          If; after I have confessed to it; you think me still 

worth listening to; in this enlightened nineteenth century; I will go on。 

     At   all   events;   what   we   see   at   the   beginning   of   all   known   and   half… 

known history; is not savagery; but high civilisation; at least of an outward 

and material kind。        Do you demur?          Then recollect; I pray you; that the 

three   oldest   peoples   known   to   history   on   this   planet   are   Egypt;   China; 

Hindostan。       The first glimpses of the world are always like those which 

the book of Genesis gives us; like those which your own continent gives 

us。    As it was 400 years ago in America; so it was in North Africa and in 

Asia 4000 years ago; or 40;000 for aught I know。                  Nay; if anyone should 

askAnd   why   not   400;000   years   ago;   on   Miocene   continents   long   sunk 

beneath the Tropic   sea?         I   for   one have   no   rejoinder   saveWe   have   no 

proofs as yet。 

     There loom up; out of the darkness of legend; into the as yet dim dawn 

of history; what the old Arabs call Races of pre…Adamite Sultanscolossal 

monarchies;   with   fixed   and   often   elaborate   laws;   customs;   creeds;   with 

aristocracies; priesthoodsseemingly always of a superior and conquering 



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race; with a mass of mon folk; whether free or half…free; posed of 

older conquered races; of imported slaves too; and their descendants。 

     But whence es the royal race; the aristocracy; the priesthood? You