74 PRODUCTION OF NATIONALITY 



War must have an important effect differing from 

 country to country. It acts in many ways, varying 

 with the number, frequency, and extent of the wars 

 actually undertaken, the relative reward given to 

 those who become professional soldiers, as compared 

 with the rewards of other professions, the objects for 

 which war is undertaken, the nature of the enemy, 

 and many other factors. Opinions as to the nature 

 of the effect of war on nations are diverse. Darwin, as 

 usual, when he was dealing with deductive inferences 

 and not drawing generalizations from known facts, 

 was extremely cautious, in striking contrast with 

 many of those who claim to be expounding or attack- 

 ing his opinions. Writing of the effect of war as a 

 selective agent, he said : " It is extremely doubtful 

 whether the offspring of the more sympathetic and 

 benevolent parents, or of those who were most faith- 

 ful to their comrades, would be reared in greater 

 number than the children of selfish and treacherous 

 parents of the same tribe. He who was ready to 

 sacrifice his life, as many a savage has been, rather 

 than to betray his comrades, would often leave no 

 offspring to inherit his noble nature. The bravest 

 men, who were always willing to come to the front 

 in war, and freely risked their lives for others, would, 

 on the average, perish in larger numbers than other 

 men. Therefore it seems scarcely possible (bearing 

 in mind that we are not here speaking of one tribe 

 being victorious over another) that the number of 

 men gifted with such virtues, or that the standard 

 of their excellence could be increased through natural 

 selection, that is, by the survival of the fittest " 

 [Descent of Man, first edition, I, p. 163). In 



