surroundings, and of the certain great
lines of development along which the
race is moving. Every leading race
has its characteristic thought concern-
ing its own nature, its relation to the
world, and the character and quality
of life. These various fundamen-
tal conceptions have shaped all defi-
nite thinking, and have very largely
moulded race character, and, there-
fore, determined race destiny. The
Hebrew, the Greek, and the Roman
conceptions of life constitute not only
the key to the diverse histories of the
leaders of ancient civilisation, but also
their most vital contribution to civi-
lisation. These conceptions were not
definitely thought out; they were
worked out. They were the result
of the contact of these different peo-
ples with Nature, with the circum-
stances of their own time, and with

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v?