06 THE DESCENT OF MAN. [Part I. 



The behavior of a dog when returning to his master after 

 an absence, and, as I may add, of a monkey to his beloved 

 keeper, is widely different from that toward their fellows. 

 In the latter case the transports of joy appear to be some- 

 what less, and the sense of equality is shown in every ac- 

 tion. Prof. Braubach 65 goes so far as to maintain that a 

 dog looks on his master as on a god. 



The same high mental faculties which first led man to 

 believe in unseen spiritual agencies, then in fetishism, 

 polytheism, and ultimately in monotheism, would infalli- 

 bly lead him, as long as his reasoning powers remained 

 poorly developed, to various strange superstitions and cus- 

 toms. Many of these are terrible to think of — such as the 

 sacrifice of human beings to a blood-loving god ; the trial 

 of innocent persons by the ordeal of poison or fire ; witch- 

 craft, etc. — yet it is well occasionally to reflect on these 

 superstitions, for they show us what an infinite debt of 

 gratitude we owe to the improvement of our reason, to 

 science, and our accumulated knowledge. 66 As Sir J. 

 Lubbock has well observed, " it is not too much to say 

 that the horrible dread of unknown evil hangs like a thick 

 cloud over savage life, and embitters every pleasure." 

 These miserable and indirect consequences of our highest 

 faculties may be compared with the incidental and occa- 

 sional mistakes of the instincts of the lower animals. 



55 'Religion, Moral, etc., der Darwin'schen Art-Lehre,' 1869, s. 53. 



56 ' Prehistoric Times,' 2d edit. p. 571. In this work (at p. 553) 

 there will be found an excellent account of the many strange and capri. 

 cious customs of savages. 



