Inthepreviouschapterswehaveseenhowscience，especiallywithintheeighteenthandnineteenthcenturies，hasthoroughlychangedtheintelligentthoughtoftheworldinregardtotheantiquityofmanuponourplanet；andhowthefabricbuiltuponthechronologicalindicationsinoursacredbooks——first，bytheearlyfathersoftheChurch，afterwardbythemedievaldoctors，andfinallybythereformersandmodernorthodoxchronologists——hasvirtuallydisappearedbeforeanentirelydifferentviewforceduponus，especiallybyEgyptianandAssyrianstudies，aswellasbygeologyandarcheology。
InthischapterIpurposetopresentsomeoutlinesoftheworkofAnthropology，especiallyasassistedbyEthnology，inshowingwhattheevolutionofhumancivilizationhasbeen。
Here，too，thechangefromtheoldtheologicalviewbasedupontheletterofoursacredbookstothemodernscientificviewbaseduponevidenceabsolutelyirrefragableiscomplete。Here，too，weareatthebeginningofavastchangeinthebasisandmodesofthoughtuponman——achangeevenmorestrikingthanthataccomplishedbyCopernicusandGalileo，whentheysubstitutedforauniverseinwhichsunandplanetsrevolvedabouttheearthauniverseinwhichtheearthisbutthemerestgrainoratomrevolvingwithotherworlds，largerandsmaller，aboutthesun；
andalltheseformingbutoneamonginnumerablesystems。
Eversincethebeginningofman’seffectivethinkinguponthegreatproblemsaroundhim，twoantagonisticviewshaveexistedregardingthelifeofthehumanraceuponearth。Thefirstoftheseisthebeliefthatmanwascreated“inthebeginning“aperfectbeing，endowedwiththehighestmoralandintellectualpowers，butthattherecamea“fall。”and，asitsresult，theentranceintotheworldofevil，toil，sorrow，anddeath。