AND OTHER ANIMALS. 105 



Captain Burton. Here, again, is what Baker thinks of the 

 Baris of Tropical Africa : ' How is it possible to improve 

 such abject animals ? They are not worth the trouble, and 

 they are only fit for slaves, to which position their race 

 appears to have been condemned.' A correspondent of 

 ' Nature,' writing quite recently from Samoa regarding the 

 present Polynesians, points out that, as a rule, savage races, 

 unaided, do not better their condition make no progress. 

 ' From personal observation of savage and semi- savage life, 

 I feel almost certain that a real savage is utterly incapable 

 of in any way raising himself. He lacks the sensibility 

 which must serve as a fulcrum for the lever which is to lift 

 him.' China, Egypt, Assyria, Greece, Koine, Palestine, 

 Mexico, Peru, afford illustrations of the fact that, even in 

 the most highly favoured nations, steady, progressive im- 

 provement is not the rule. So far, indeed, from there having 

 been progress in the human race as a whole, there are thou- 

 sands of worthy people who believe that man has degene- 

 rated in morals, if not also in mind from the Paradisiacal 

 type of perfection illustrated by Adam and Eve before the 

 Fall. 



On the other hand, the whole phenomena of education 

 show the wonderful extent to which both the moral and 

 mental powers of the lower animals may be cultivated or 

 developed. 



8. The love of knowledge for its own sake the wish to 

 know for the sake of knowing. This exists only in a limited 

 number of men. There are whole races without any desire 

 for knowledge even for selfish ends ; and the little know- 

 ledge they possess the fruit, mainly, of stern necessity is 

 of the most limited kind. The crass stupidity or non- 

 intelligence of certain savage races has been dwelt upon by 

 travellers. Thus the Brazilian Botokudo * is not interested 

 in anything uncommon. Nothing excites his curiosity or 

 attention' (Biichner). Sir John Eoss described the Eskimo 

 as ' without any principle or rational emotion.' The ignor- 

 ance of primitive peoples, even about themselves, is some- 

 times astounding. According to Houzeau, negroes cannot 

 tell their own age, and the same has been said of the Apache 



