61S The Descent of Man. Part II). 



will never be even partially realised until the laws of inheritance 

 are thoroughly known. Everyone does good service, who aids 

 towards this end. When the principles of breeding and in- 

 heritance are better understood, we shall not hear ignorant 

 members of our legislature rejecting with scorn a plan for 

 ascertaining whether or not consanguineous marriages are 

 injurious to man. 



The advancement of the welfare of mankind is a most intricate 

 problem : all ought to refrain from marriage who cannot avoid 

 abject poverty for their children ; for poverty is not only a great 

 evil, but tends to its ow r n increase by leading to recklessness in 

 marriage. On the other hand, as Mr. Galton has remarked, if 

 the prudent avoid marriage, whilst the reckless marry, the 

 inferior members tend to supplant the better members of 

 society. Man, like every other animal, has no doubt advanced 

 to his present high condition through a struggle for existence 

 consequent on his rapid multiplication ; and if he is to advance 

 still higher, it is to be feared that he must remain subject to a 

 severe struggle. Otherwise he would sink into indole ace, and 

 the more gifted men would not be more successful in the battle 

 of life than the less gifted. Hence our natural rate of increase, 

 though leading to many and obvious evils, must not be greatly 

 diminished by any means. There should be open competition 

 for all men ; and the most able should not be prevented by laws 

 or customs from succeeding best and rearing the largest number 

 of offspring. Important as the struggle for existence has been 

 and even still is, yet as far as the highest part of man's nature 

 is concerned there are other agencies more important. For the 

 moral qualities are advanced, either directly or indirectly, 

 much more through the effects of habit, the reasoning powers, 

 instruction, religion, &c, than through natural selection; 

 though to this latter agency may be safely attributed the 

 social instincts, w r hich afforded the basis for the development of 

 the moral sense. 



The main conclusion arrived at in this work, namely that 

 man is descended from some lowly organised form, will, I regret 

 to think, be highly distasteful to many. But there can hardly 

 be a doubt that we are descended from barbarians. The aston- 

 ishment which I felt on first seeing a party of Fuegians on a 

 wild and broken shore will never be forgotten by me, for the 

 reflection at once rushed into my mind — such were our ancestors. 

 These men were absolutely naked and bedaubed with paint, 

 their long hair was tangled, their mouths frothed with excite- 

 ment, and their expression w^as wild, startled, and distrustful. 



