DARWIN. 119 



and animals. The great variety of interesting subjects 

 dealt with cannot be detailed here. We must only notice 

 a few points about mankind which are of special import- 

 ance. 



Darwin concludes that man's predominance over woman 

 in size, strength, courage, pugnacity, and even energy was 

 acquired in primeval times, and that these advantages 

 have been subsequently augmented chiefly through the 

 contests between men for women. Even man's intellec- 

 tual vigour and inventiveness are probably due to natural 

 selection, combined with inherited effects of habit, 

 for the most able men will have succeeded best in 

 defending and providing for their wives and offspring. 

 Beards, beardlessness, voice, beauty are all related to 

 sexual charm, and have been selectively developed. Early 

 man, less licentious, not practising infanticide, was in 

 several respects better calculated to carry out sexual 

 selection than he is now; and thus we find the various 

 races of men fully differentiated at the earliest date of 

 historic records. 



Incidentally Darwin gives us his views on the mental 

 differences between man and woman. Woman is more 

 tender and less selfish than man, whose ambition "passes 

 too easily into selfishness," which latter qualities "seem to 

 be his natural and unfortunate birthright." Woman's 

 powers of intuition, of rapid perception, and perhaps of 

 imitation, are more strongly marked than in man. Yet the 

 chief pre-eminence of man he considers to consist in 

 attaining greater success in any given line than woman, 

 by reason of greater energy, patience, &c. " In order that 

 woman should reach the same standard as man, she 



