Chap. V. CIVILISED NATIONS. 177 



evil habits consequent on the disruption of the family, 

 and to grief. On the whole we may conclude with Dr. 

 Farr that the lesser mortality of married than of unmar- 

 ried men, which seems to be a general law, " is mainly 

 " due to the constant elimination of imperfect types, and 

 " to the skilful selection of the finest individuals out of 

 " each successive generation;" the selection relating only 

 to the marriage state, and acting on all corporeal, in- 

 tellectual, and moral qualities. We may, therefore, 

 infer that sound and good men who out of prudence 

 remain for a time unmarried do not sutler a high rate 

 of mortal it v. 



If the various checks specified in the two last para- 

 graphs, and perhaps others as yet unknown, do not 

 prevent the reckless, the vicious and otherwise inferior 

 members of society from increasing at a quicker rate 

 than the better class of men, the nation will retro- 

 grade, as has occurred too often in the history of the 

 world. We must remember that progress is no invari- 

 able rule. It is most difficult to say why one civilised 

 nation rises, becomes more powerful, and spreads more 

 widely, than another ; or why the same nation progresses 

 more at one time than at another. We can only say 

 that it depends on an increase in the actual number of 

 the population, on the number of the men endowed 

 with high intellectual and moral faculties, as well as 

 on their standard of excellence. Corporeal structure, 

 except so far as vigour of body leads to vigour of mind, 

 appears to have little influence. 



It has been urged by several writers that as high 

 intellectual powers are advantageous to a nation, the 

 old Greeks, who stood some grades higher in intellect 

 than any race that has ever existed, 24 ought to have 



24 See the ingenious and original argument on this subject by Mr. 

 Galton, 'Hereditary Genius,' p. 310-342. 



VOL. I. N 



