Chap. III. MORAL SENSE. 69 



ual powers had become as well developed, or nearly as 

 well developed, as in man. For, firstly, the social in- 

 stincts lead an animal to take pleasure in the society of 

 its fellows, to feel a certain amount of sympathy with 

 them, and to perform various services for them. The ser- 

 vices may be of a definite and evidently instinctive nature ; 

 or there may be only a wish and readiness, as with most 

 of the higher social animals, to aid their fellows in certain 

 general ways. But these feelings and services are by no 

 means extended to all the individuals of the same species, 

 only to those of the same association. Secondly, as soon 

 as the mental faculties had become highly develojDed, 

 images of ail past actions and motives would be inces- 

 santly passing through the brain of each individual ; and 

 that feeling of dissatisfaction which invariably results, as 

 we shall hereafter see, from any unsatisfied instinct, would 

 arise, as often as it was perceived that the enduring and 

 always present social instinct had yielded to some other 

 instinct, at the time stronger, but neither enduring in its 

 nature, nor leaving behind it a very vivid impression. It 

 is clear that many instinctive desires, such as that of hun- 

 ger, are in their nature of shoi't duration ; and after being 

 satisfied are not readily or vividly recalled. Thirdly, 

 after the power of language had been acquired and the 

 wishes of the members of the same community could be 

 distinctly expressed, the common opinion how each mem- 

 ber ought to act for the public good, would naturally be- 

 come to a large extent the guide to action. But the so- 

 cial instincts would still give the impulse to act for the 

 good of the community, this impulse being strengthened, 

 directed, and sometimes even deflected, by public opinion, 

 the power of which rests, as we shall presently see, on in- 



p. 481) and others believe that the moral sense is acquired by each indi- 

 vidual during his lifetime. On the general theory of evolution this is at 

 least extremely improbable. 



