^ Human Physiology. 



of introducing universal licentiousness, should be met upon 

 purely scientific grounds. It is not enough to exhort people 

 to temperance and chastity: we must show them that Nature 

 herself requires them, and that they lie at the foundation of 

 health and happiness. 



Man has lived upon the earth we know not how many 

 thousand years. His records and monuments reach back at 

 least four thousand years. At the earliest historic period he 

 had a considerable degree of civilisation he worked in 

 metals, made clothing, ornaments, arms, and musical instru- 

 ments, built magnificent edifices, and spoke and wrote 

 noble and beautiful languages. It can hardly be said that 

 man has made much progress in language from Sanscrit or 

 Greek ; in architecture, from the temples of Egypt and 

 Greece; or in sculpture and poetry, from Praxiteles and 

 Homer. Assuredly, the course of humanity has not been 

 regularly progressive; development has been arrested; the 

 countries and races which led and governed the world three 

 or four thousand years ago, have fallen into barbarism. There 

 are monuments whose meanings are unknown, and whose 

 builders are forgotten, dead languages and lost arts, archi- 

 tecture and sculpture we are content to imitate, but have no 

 hope of excelling.- 



We need but glance at the little that is known of human 

 history, to see how much man differs from all other animals. 

 As far back as we can trace him, he built cities and temples ; 

 organised empires ; and led armies to conquest ; and revelled 

 in beauty and song. Some animals prey upon others to 

 satisfy hunger ; men alone organise great armies to slay each 

 other. The males of some species of animals combat 

 for the possession of females ; men fight for ambition, glory, 

 and a name which shall be honoured or execrated by pos- 

 terity. Animals are content to satisfy hunger and thirst 

 with the food nature provides for their wants ; men have 



