174 THE DESCENT OF MAN. [Part I. 



On the evidence that all civilized nations were once 

 barbarous. — As we have had to consider the steps by 

 which some semi-human creature has been gradually raised 

 to the rank of man in his most perfect state, the present 

 subject cannot be quite passed over. But it has been 

 treated in so full and admirable a manner by Sir J. Lub- 

 bock, 29 Mr. Tylor, Mr. M'Lennan, and others, that I need 

 here give only the briefest summary of their results. The 

 arguments recently advanced by the Duke of Argyll 30 

 and formerly by Archbishop Whately, in favor of the be- 

 lief that man came into the world as a civilized being and 

 that all savages have since undergone degradation, seem 

 to me weak in comparison with those advanced on the 

 other side. Many nations, no doubt, have fallen away in 

 civilization, and some may have lapsed into utter bar- 

 barism, though on this latter head I have not met with 

 any evidence. The Fuegians were probably compelled by 

 other conquering hordes to settle in their inhospitable 

 country, and they may have become in consequence some- 

 what more degraded ; but it would be difficult to prove 

 that they have fallen much below the Botocudos who in- 

 habit the finest parts of Brazil. 



The evidence that all civilized nations are the de- 

 scendants of barbarians, consists, on the one side, of clear 

 traces of their former low condition in still-existing cus- 

 toms, beliefs, language, etc. ; and, on the other side, of 

 proofs that savages are independently able to raise them- 

 selves a few steps in the scale of civilization, and have 

 actually thus risen. The evidence on the first head is 

 extremely curious, but cannot be here given : I refer to 

 such cases as that, for instance, of the art of enumeration, 

 which, as Mr. Tylor clearly shows by the words still used 



29 ' On the Origin of Civilization,' ' Froc. Ethnological Soc.' Nov. 

 2G, 1867. 



30 ' Primeval Man,' 18G9. 



