144 TIw Descent of Man. Past I. 



that they have fallen much below the Botocudos, who inhabit 

 the finest parts of Brazil. 



The evidence that all civilised nations are the descendants of 

 barbarians, consists, on the one side, of clear traces of their 

 former low condition in still-existing customs, beliefs, language. 

 &c. ; and on the other side, of proofs that savages are inde- 

 pendently able to raise themselves a few steps in the scale of 

 civilisation, 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 of the art of enumeration, which, as Mr. 

 Tylor clearly shews by reference to the words still used 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 Eoman numerals, where, 

 after the V., which is supposed to be an abbreviated picture of a 

 human hand, we pass on to VI., &c, when the other hand no 

 doubt was used. So again, " when we speak of three-score 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." 3i 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, for 

 letters are rudiments of pictorial representations. It is hardly 

 possible to read Mr. M'Lennan's work 35 and not admit that 

 almost all civilised nations still retain 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 mono- 

 gamous ? The primitive idea of justice, as shewn by the law of 

 battle and other customs of which vestiges 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 right- 

 eousness — was unknown during primeval times. 



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

 shewn that some savages have recently improved a little in 

 some of their simpler arts. From the extremely curious 

 account which he gives of the weapons, tools, and arts, in use 



84 'Royal Institution of Great 'A Conject jral Solution of' the 



ftritain,' March 15, 1867. A,so, Origin of the Class, System of 



4 Researches into the Early History Relationship,' in ' Proc. American 



of Mankind,' 1865. Acad, of Sciences,' vol. vii. Feb. 



84 'Primitive Marriage,' 1865. 1868. Prof. Schaaffhausen ('An- 



See, likewise, an excellent article, thropolog. Review,' Oct. 1869, p. 



evidently by the same author, in 373) remarks on "the vestiges of 



the 'North British Review,' Jnly, "human sacrifices found both in 



1869. Alio. Mi\ I, H. Morgan, " Homer and the Old Testament." 



