.

American versus Chinese Civilization.
This is a big subject.

Its exhaustive treatment would require a large volume.

In a little chapter such as this I have no intention of doing more than to cast a glance at its cuff buttons and some of the frills on its shirt.

Those who want a thesis must look elsewhere.
Now what is Civilization?
According to Webster it is "the act of civilizing or the state of being civilized; national culture; refinement." "Civilization began with the domestication of animals," says Alfred Russell Wallace, but whether for the animal that was domesticated or for the man domesticating it is not clear.