TsTo. 4.] NICHOLSON — SEXUAL SELECTION IN MAN. 453 



often singularly like children, and one can imagine many cases 

 in which a savage might carry of his wife from several competi- 

 tors by his mental ascendency alone, without having recourse to 

 the carnal weapon. Lastly, Mr. Darwin himself afterwards 

 points out at length that there are many cases even amongst 

 savages in which the woman has a free choice, and in which she 

 does not play the merely passive part of espousing the strongest 

 of her suitors. Whenever this is the case, and we have no 

 right to assume that it was not the case in a hypothetical semi- 

 human race, the strongest would, of course, by no means always 

 be the most successful in his matrimonial aflairs. 



We cannot, then, agree with Mr. Darwin in thinking that 

 man owes his greater size and strength as compared with woman, 

 '' together with his broader shoulders, more developed muscles, 

 rugged outline of body, and greater courage and pugnacity," to 

 the continued success of the strongest man of some primaeval 

 race in a long series of combats for the possession of their wives. 

 On the contrary, if any " selection" of this kind lias ever taken 

 place to an extent sufficient to produce any palpable and recog- 

 nisable effect, we believe that it has been in favour of the most 

 cunning, clever, inventive, and skilful men. We also cannot 

 believe that man's superior strength, as compared with woman, 

 has been kept up amongst the civilized races by the fact that 

 '• the men, as a general rule, have to work harder than the 

 women for their mutual subsistence." Civilized man has as a rule 

 to work harder than his wife, but his work in a very large pro- 

 portion of cases is itself of a nature to diminish his physical 

 strength, or it is attended with concomitant circumstances which 

 do not favour his physical development. It is also worthy of 

 notice here that the physical superiority of man as compared 

 with women is even higher amon<rst civilized races than amono'St 

 savages, and this not only relatively but absolutely. Amongst 

 savages, the women have generally to work at least as hard as 

 the man, and thus the disproportion between the sexes is 

 reduced. In a state of civilisation, on the other hand, whilst 

 the women may have to work less and may tlius be physically 

 stunted of their full development, the man, contrary to what 

 might have been expected — are on the whole physically superior 

 to the savnge races, in spite of the fact that their avocations are 

 not such as always promote physical strength. That civilized 

 man is a finer animal than savage man may be disputed, but 



