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178 paradise that must be left over for future treatment. The aim has been to correlate the facts concerning the localisation of early centres of civilisation with the cycle of myths concerning the Isles of the Blest. That involves the jettisoning of the discussion of many features of these places, and the concentration on one aspect only. It has also prevented any extended discussion of the topic of givers of life in general, fruitful as it is in all its ramifications. But before closing the paper it would be profitable to consider briefly one more topic. We have on this earth communities that are progressive and others that are not. What are the causes of this difference in mentality, often between peoples of the same stock? Many factors have been adduced in the past to account for this diversity, among which race and climate have played a conspicuous part. But it is surely now time that we should turn rather to man himself, possessed of the most wonderful thing in the world, the human mind, as the prime cause of the development of civilisation. The chief problem is that of accounting for the dynamic attitude towards life that is characteristic of certain peoples and states. I venture to suggest that, in the possession of ideas with regard to the life-giving properties of gold and other substances, we have one such motive which will help to account in part for the development of civilisation.

In order to establish the truth of this suggestion it would be necessary to show that the unprogressive races had not these ideas. I think that it can be shown without much trouble that the story of the Isles of the Blest and of earthly paradises in general, with stores of gold and precious substances, have not formed part of the beliefs of peoples of the lower culture of the unprogressive races of mankind. Indeed, as has been stated, it can be shown that many such peoples have been in contact with men who attached such ideas to gold and other substances and have remained entirely indifferent to these ideas.