variation of
species find an unforeseen application here. It is maintained that the
immigration of Orientals, of Syrians in particular, was considerable enough
to provoke an alteration and rapid deterioration in the robust Italic and
Celtic races. In addition, a social status contrary to nature, and a bad
political regime effected the destruction of the strongest, the
extermination of the best and the ascendancy of the worst elements of the
population. This multitude, corrupted by deleterious cross-breeding and
weakened by bad selection, became unable to {26} oppose the invasion of the
Asiatic chimeras and aberrations. A lowering of the intellectual level and
the disappearance of the critical spirit accompanied the decline of morals
and the weakening of character. In the evolution of beliefs the triumph of
the Orient denoted a regression toward barbarism, a return to the remote
origins of faith and to the worship of natural forces. This is a brief
outline of explanations recently proposed and received with some favor.[6]

It cannot be denied that souls and morals appear to have become coarser
during the Roman decline. Society as a whole was deplorably lacking in
imagination, intellect and taste. It seemed afflicted with a kind of
cerebral anemia and incurable sterility. The impaired reason accepted the
coarsest superstitions, the most extreme asceticism and most extravagant
theurgy. It resembled an organism incapable of defending itself against
contagion. All this is partly true; but the theories summarized proceed
from an incorrect conception of things; in reality they are based on the
illusion that Asia, under the empire, was inferior to Europe. While the
triumph of the Oriental religions sometimes assumed the appearance of an
awakening of savagery, these religions in reality represented a more
advanced type in the evolution of religious forms than the ancient national
devotions. They were less primitive, less simple, and, if I may use the
expression, provided with more organs than the old Greco-Roman idolatry. We
have indicated this on previous occasions, and hope to bring it out with
perfect clearness in the course of these studies.

It is hardly necessary to state that a great religious conquest can be
explained only on moral grounds. {27} Whatever part must be ascribed to the
instinct of imitation and the contagion of example, in the last analysis we
are always face to face with a series of individual conversions.