MILITARY SELECTION. I71 



tliey are eminent in ancient history) in a great measure to 

 this artificial selection. 



Many tribes also among the Red Indians of North 

 America (who at present are succumbing in the struggle 

 for life to the superior numbers of the white intruders, in 

 spite of a most heroic and courageous resistance) owe their 

 rare degree of bodily strength and warlike bravery to a 

 •similar careful selection of the newly-born children. Among 

 them, also, all children that are weak or affected with any 

 infirmity are immediately killed, and only the perfectly 

 strong individuals remain in life, and propagate the race. 

 That the race becomes greatly strengthened, in the course 

 of very many generations, by this artificial selection cannot 

 in itself be doubted, and is sufficiently proved by many well 

 known facts. 



The opposite of this artificial selection of the wild Red- 

 skins and the ancient Spartans is seen in the individual 

 selection which is universally practised in our modern mili- 

 tary states, for the purpose of maintaining standing armies, 

 and which, under the name of military selection, we may 

 conveniently consider as a special form of selection. Un- 

 fortunately, in our day, militarism is more than ever promi- 

 nent in our so-called "civilization"; all the strength and 

 all the wealth of flourishing civilized states are squandered 

 on its development; whereas the education of the young, 

 and public instruction, which are the foundations of the 

 true welfare of nations and the ennobling of humanity, are 

 neglected and mismanaged in a most pitiable manner. And 

 this is done in states which believe themselves to be the 

 privileged leaders of the highest human intelligence, and to 

 stand at the head of civilization. As is well known, in 



