The Crest-Wave of Evolution

Crest-Wave of Evolution, The

The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Crest-Wave of Evolution, by Kenneth Morris
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: The Crest-Wave of Evolution
Author: Kenneth Morris
Release Date: January 4, 2005 [eBook #14587]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CREST-WAVE OF EVOLUTION***
E-text prepared by M. R. Jaqua

THE CREST-WAVE OF EVOLUTION
A Course of Lectures in History, Given to the Graduates' Class in the Raja-Yoga College, Point Loma, in the College-Year 1918-1919.*
by
KENNETH MORRIS

CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION II. HOMER III. GREEKS AND PERSIANS IV. AESCHYLUS AND ATHENS V. SOME PERICLEAN FIGURES VI. SOCRATES AND PLATO VII. THE MAURYAS OF INDIA VIII. THE BLACK-HAIRED PEOPLE IX. THE DRAGON AND THE BLUE PEARL X. "SUCH A ONE" XI. CONFUCIUS THE HERO XII. TALES FROM A TAOIST TEACHER XIII. MANG THE PHILOSOPHER, AND BUTTERFLY CHWANG XIV. THE MANVANTARA OPENS XV. SOME POSSIBLE EPOCHS IN SANSKRIT LITERATURE XVI. THE BEGINNINGS OF ROME XVII. ROME PARVENUE XVIII. AUGUSTUS XIX. AN IMPERIAL SACRIFICE XX. CHINA AND ROME: THE SEE-SAW XXI. CHINA AND ROME: THE SEE-SAW (Continued) XXII. EASTWARD HO! XXIII. "THE DRAGON, THE APOSTATE, THE GREAT MIND" XXIV. FROM JULIAN TO BODHIDHARMA XXV. TOWARDS THE ISLANDS OF THE SUNSET XXVI. "SACRED IERNE OF THE HIBERNIANS" XXVII. THE IRISH ILLUMINATION
------------ * Serialized in Theosophical Path in 27 Chapters from March, 1919 through July, 1921. -----------

I. INTRODUCTORY
These lectures will not be concerned with history as a record of wars and political changes; they will have little to tell of battles, murders, and sudden deaths. Instead, we shall try to discover and throw light on the cyclic movements of the Human Spirit. Back of all phenomena, or the outward show of things, there is always a noumenon in the unseen. Behind the phenomena of human history, the noumenon is the Human Spirit, moving in accordance with its own necessities and cyclic laws. We may, if we go to it intelligently, gain some inkling of knowledge as to what those laws are; and I think that would be, in its way, a real wisdom, and worth getting. But for the most part historical study seeks knowledge only; and how it attains its aim, is shown by the falseness of what passes for history. In most textbooks you shall find, probably, a round dozen of lies on as many pages. And these in themselves are fruitful seeds of evil; they by no means end with the telling, but go on producing harvests of wrong life; which indeed is only the Lie incarnate on the plane of action. The Eternal Right Thing is what is called in Sanskrit SAT, the True; it opposite is the Lie, in one fashion or another, always; and what we have to do, our mission and _raison d'etre_ as students of Theosophy, is to put down the Lie at every turn, and chase it, as far as we may, out of the field of life.
For example, there is the Superior-Race Lie: I do not know where it shall not be found. Races A, B, C, and D go on preaching it for centuries; each with an eye to its sublime self. In all countries, perhaps, history is taught with that lie for mental background. Then we wonder that there are wars. But Theosophy is called onto provide a true mental background for historical study; and it alone can do so. It is the mission of Point Loma, among many other things, to float a true philosophy of history on to the currents of world-thought: and for this end it is our business to be thinkers, using the divine Manasic light within us to some purpose. H.P. Blavatsky supplied something much greater than a dogma: she--like Plato --gave the world a method and a spur to thought: pointed for it a direction, which following, it might solve all problems and heal the wounds of the ages.
A false and foolish notion in the western world has been, tacitly to accept the Greeks and Hebrews of old for the two fountains of all culture since; the one in secular matter, the other in religion and morality. Of the Hebrews nothing need be said here; but that true religion and morality have their source in the ever-living Human Spirit, not in any sect, creed, race, age, or bible. I doubt there has been any new discovery in ethics since man was man; or rather, all discoveries have been made by individuals for themselves; and each, having discovered anything, has found that that same principle was discovered a thousand times before, and written a thousand times. There is no platitude so platitudinous, but it remains to