132 THE DESCENT OF MAN. 



It is obvious that every one may with an easy conscience 

 gratify his own desires, if they do not interfere with his 

 social instinct s, that i s with the <yood of othe rs: but in 

 order to l)e*quite free from self-reproacli, or at least of 

 anxiety, it is almost necessary for him to avoid the disap- 

 probation, whether reasonable or not, of his fellow-men. 

 Nor must he break through the fixed habits of his life, 

 especially if these are supported by reason; for if he does, 

 he will assuredly feel dissatisfaction. He must likewise 

 avoid the reprobation of the one God or gods in whom, 

 according to his knowledge or superstition, he may believe; 

 but in this case the additional fear of divine punishment 

 often supervenes. 



The Strictly Social Virtues at First Alone Regarded. 

 The above view of the origin and nature of the moral sense, 

 which tells us what we ought to do, and of the conscience 

 which reproves us if we disobey it, accords well with what 

 we see of the early and undeveloped condition of this faculty 

 in mankind. The virtues which must be practiced, at least 

 generally, by rude men, so that they may associate in a body, 

 are those which aie still recognized as the most important. 

 But they are practiced almost exclusively in relation to the 

 men of the same tribe; and their opposites are not regarded 

 as crimes in relation to the men of other tribes. No tribe 

 could hold together if murder, robbery, treachery, etc., 

 were common, consequently such crimes within the limits 

 of the same tribe *^ are branded with everlasting infamy;''* 

 but excite no such sentiment beyond these limits. A North 

 American Indian is well pleased with himself, and is hon- 

 ored by others, when he scalps a man of another tribe; and 

 a Dyak cuts oif the head of an unoffending person, and 

 dries it as a trophy. The murder of infants has prevailed 

 on the largest scale throughout the world,! and has met 

 with no reproach; bu t infanticid e, especially of females, 

 has been thought to be" good for Ihe tribe, or at least not 

 injurious. Suicide during former times was not generally 



*See an able article in the " Nortli British Review," 1867, p. 395. 

 See also Mr. W. Bagehot's articles on the " Importance of Obedience" 

 and " Coherence to Primitive Man," in the " Fortnightly Review," 

 1867, p. 529, and 1868, p. 457, etc. 



f The fullest account which I have met with is by Dr. Gerland, in 

 his " Ueber dan Aussterben der Naturvolker," 1868; but I shall have 

 to recur to the subject of infanticide in a future chapter. 



