Thrown ashore on a barren stretch of sand, the philosopher was
very sad at first. He observed on the sand the remains of
certain geometrical drawings, and instantly exclaimed: "There is
help near. Here I see signs of thinking men, of civilization."
----
Voltaire tells of wrecked individuals thrown on a lonely coast,
and also much distressed and frightened.
They saw no geometrical tracings in the sand. But on a bleak
moor in the twilight they saw the black beams of a gibbet, and
below the cross-piece, swinging in the wind, they saw a human
skeleton with bony wrists and ankles chained together.
Prayerfully the wanderers dropped on their knees and exclaimed
with upturned eyes:
"Thank God, we have got back to civilization." ----
Thus, you see, there are varying signs of civilization. There is
a great gulf between the signs perceived by Aristippus--signs of
the mental activity which engages in geometrical
demonstrations--and Voltaire's sign of civilization--the brutal
execution of a brutal criminal. ----
Those accustomed to waste time in speculations that cannot bring
a financial return may be interested in the following application
of the sign of civilization which Aristippus immediately
recognized back in the days of two thousand years ago.
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