158 THE DESCENT OF MAN. [Part I. 



and this instinct no doubt was originally acquired, like all 

 tlic other social instincts, through natural selection. At 

 how early a period the progenitors of man, in the course 

 of their development, became capable of feeling and being 

 impelled by the praise or blame of their fellow-creatures, 

 w^ cannot, of course, say. But it appears that even dogs 

 appreciate encouragement, praise, and blame. The rudest 

 savages feel the sentiment of gloiy, as they clearly show 

 by preserving the trophies of their prowess, by their 

 liabit of excessive boasting, and even by the extreme care 

 which they take of their personal appearance and decora- 

 tions ; for unless tliey regarded the opinion of their com- 

 rades, such habits would be senseless. 



They certainly feel shame at the breach of some of 

 their lesser rules ; but how far they experience remorse is 

 doubtful. I was at first surprised that I could not recol- 

 lect any recorded instances of this feeling in savages ; and 

 Sir J. Lubbock ' states that he knows of none. But if Ave 

 banish from our minds all cases given in novels and plays 

 and in death-bed confessions made to priests, I doubt 

 whether many of us hav.e actually vritnessed remorse; 

 though we may have often seen shame and contrition for 

 smaller offences. Remorse is a deeply-hidden feeling. It 

 is incredible that a savage, who will sacrifice his life 

 rather than betray his tribe, or one who will deliver him- 

 self up as a prisoner rather than break his parole,' would 

 not feel remorse in his inmost soul, though he might con- 

 ceal it, if he had failed in a duty which he held sacred. 



We may therefore conclude that primeval man, at a 

 very remote pei-iod, would have been influenced by the 

 praise and blame of his fellows. It is obvious, that the 

 members of the same tribe would approve of conduct 



6 'Origin of Civilization,' 1870, p. 2G5. 



' Mr. Wallace gives cases in his ' Contributions to the Theory of 

 Natural Selection,' 1870, p 331. 



