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the Garden of Eden sbould hâve been left behind ; the movement away from it sprang out of an act of disobedience ; the whole structure of orthodox Christian theology rests upon this reading of the situation. The question is eminently arguable, but for illustrative purposes it is suffident to take the f acts as given, and to say that the passage from a lower to a higher order of perfection is mediated by the intrusion into the former of Something — symbolised by the Serpent — which disorganises the unity existing at the first level, introduces opposition and ferment, breeds discord and evil, and, as it works itself out, gives rise to pain, sufiering, the sensé of division and aliénation, delusive wandering, the consdousness of sin. Through this strif e and strain the higher order is reached ; and it is a h^her order because the intermediate heat and pressure hâve served to develop dormant possibilities and powers, to disclose new principles, which did not manifest in the lower order and could not hâve done so long as its conditions persisted inviolate.

The Serpent has received several interprétations. Let us say hère that it stands for Individualism. For what are the f acts ? The writings of anthropologists (e.g. Reclus, Hall, Rink, Boas) f umish us with examples of small localised races, discovered lying remote from the main track of world-movement, say, within or near the Arctic Circle; as, for example, the Eskimos and the

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Chukchees. Thèse peoples are found to possess an almost perfect communistic sjrstem: they hold ail things in common ; the fisheitnan or the hunter has private property in bis weapons and tools, but that is ail; and when the needs of himself and his family hâve been satisfied ont of his " catch," the remainder goes automatically to the community ; there is no law, and there is no crime : there is no govemment, as a " civilized" State understands and practises it — ^for Law and Govemipent are made (as Macaulay has said) for Propert^ ; there is no class-division, no class-poverty, no compétition, and great content.

It must be added, however, that there is no progress. From ail that can be gathered by scientific inquiry, such a state of tlûngs, in precisely its présent form, has been from time immémorial ; and there is neither expectation nor ground of change, so long as the community is in this manner eut off and self-contained.

Cornes along the trader, and inoculâtes this ancient age-long communism with the germs of individualism and the compétitive principle. What f oUows ? Disorganizing, disintegrating, demoralising forces are set loose. The immémorial order begins to break down. Traditional sanctions lose their hold, laws hâve to be framed. Discontent and division arise. Personal différences in ability become the means of personal advantage in possession. Crimes are committed ; the people enter into the knowledge of evil ; oid