Chap. V.] CIVILIZED NATIONS. 175 



* 



in some places, originated in counting the fingers, first of 

 one hand and then of the other, and lastly of the toes. 

 We have traces of this in our own decimal system, and in 

 the -Roman numerals, which after reaching to the number 

 V., change into VI., etc., when the other hand no doubt 

 was used. So again, " when we speak of threescore and 

 ten, we are counting by the vigesimal system, each score 

 thus ideally made, standing for 20 — for * one man' as 

 a Mexican or Carib would put it." 31 According to a large 

 and increasing school of philologists, every language bears 

 the marks of its slow and gradual evolution. So it is with 

 the art of writing, as letters are rudiments of pictorial 

 representations. It is hardly possible to read Mr. M'Len- 

 nan's work 32 and not admit that almost all civilized nations 

 still retain some traces of such rude habits as the forcible 

 capture of wives. What ancient nation, as the same author 

 asks, can be named that was originally monogamous? 

 The primitive idea of justice, as shown by the law of 

 battle and other customs of which traces still remain, was 

 likewise most rude. Many existing superstitions are the 

 remnants of former false religious beliefs. The highest 

 form of religion — the grand idea of God hating sin and 

 loving righteousness — was unknown during primeval 

 times. 



Turning to the other kind of evidence : Sir J. Lubbock 

 has shown that some savages have recently improved a 

 little in some of their simpler arts. From the extremely 



31 ' Royal Institution of Great Britain,' March 15, 1867. Also, ' Re- 

 searches into the Early History of Mankind, ' 1865. 



32 ' Primitive Marriage,' 1865. See, likewise, an excellent article, 

 evidently by the same author, in the ' North British Review,' July, 1869. 

 Also, Mr. L. H. Morgan, "A Conjectural Solution of the Origin of the 

 Class. System of Relationship," in ' Proc. American Acad, of Sciences,' 

 vol. vii. Feb. 1868. Prof. Schaaff hausen (' Anthropolog. Review,' Oct 

 1869, p. 373) remarks on " the vestiges of human sacrifices found both 

 in Homer and the Old Testament." 



