THE PATH OF DEGENERATION IN SOCIOLOGY 219 



It cannot be established, however, as a general 

 principle, that the pathway of degeneration as 

 regards societies or institutions, is inverse to that 

 pursued by their progressive evolution. In the 

 first place, the mere explanation of this supposed 

 law shows that it is quite untenable. 



What .reason is given for supposing the decline 

 of memory or will power, the degeneration of writ- 

 ing and speech, the decadence of societies and 

 institutions, to be a retracing of the steps of 

 progressive development ? The reason given is 

 that, other things being equal, the more fragile, 

 unsteady and complicated structures are the first 

 to fall. 



Now, although the most fragile structures are 

 frequently those most recently formed, and which 

 have not had time to settle down and firmly estab- 

 lish themselves, it is also true that in many cases 

 the more recent acquisitions and structures attain 

 a more solid basis than those which have preceded 

 them. 



There is nothing invariable about the pathway of 

 degeneration. It can no more be said to retrace the 

 pathway of progress in an inverse direction than it 

 could be said that in a country abandoned by its 

 inhabitants the more recently formed paths of com- 

 munication would be the first to become effaced. It 

 is quite true that the broader roads, which would 

 naturally last longer, are frequently the oldest 

 paths of communication ; whereas the footpaths, 



