Chap. V. CIVILISED NATIONS. 169 



noblest part of our nature. The surgeon may harden 

 himself whilst performing an operation, for he knows 

 that he is acting for the good of his patient ; but if we 

 were intentionally to neglect the weak and helpless, it 

 could only be for a contingent benefit, with a certain 

 and great present evil. Hence we must bear without 

 complaining the undoubtedly bad effects of the weak 

 surviving and propagating their kind ; but there appears 

 to be at least one check in steady action, namely the 

 weaker and inferior members of society not marrying 

 so freely as the sound ; and this check might be inde- 

 finitely increased, though this is more to be hoped for 

 than expected, by the weak in body or mind refraining 

 from marriage. 



In all civilised countries man accumulates property 

 and bequeaths it to his children. So that the children 

 in the same country do not by any means start fair in 

 the race for success. But this is far from an unmixed 

 evil ; for without the accumulation of capital the arts 

 could not progress ; and it is chiefly through their power 

 that the civilised races have extended, and are now 

 everywhere extending, their range, so as to take the place 

 of the lower races. Nor does the moderate accumulation 

 of wealth interfere with the process of selection. When 

 a poor man becomes rich, his children enter trades or 

 professions in which there is struggle enough, so that 

 the able in body and mind succeed best. The presence 

 of a body of well-instructed men, who have not to 

 labour for their daily bread, is important to a degree 

 which cannot be over-estimated ; as all high intellectual 

 work is carried on by them, and on such work material 

 progress of all kinds mainly depends, not to mention 

 other and higher acl vantages. No doubt wealth when 

 very great tends to convert men into useless drones, bu^\\3^ 

 their number is never large ; and some degree of elimi- 



