THE EVOLUTION OF SOCIETY 



vironment is slowly but constantly changing. 

 Every city that is built, every generalization 

 that is reached, every invention that is made, 

 every new principle of action that is suggested, 

 alters in some degree the social environment, — 

 alters the sum total of external relations to which 

 the community must adjust Itself by Instituting 

 new internal relations. The entire organized 

 experience of each generation, so far as it is per- 

 petuated by literature or oral tradition, adds an 

 item to the environment of the next succeeding 

 generation ; so that the sum total of the cir- 

 cumstances to which each generation is required 

 to conform itself is somewhat different from 

 the sum total of circumstances to which the im- 

 mediately preceding generation was required to 

 conform itself Thus the community, by the 

 inevitable results of Its own psychical activity, 

 is continually modifying the environment; and 

 to the environment, as thus continually modi- 

 fied, the community must reciprocally conform 

 itself. 



Now in the primitive, isolated, savage con- 

 dition of mankind, what was the environment 

 of each family or petty tribe, and what kind 

 of emotional activity was it fitted to awaken ? 

 The unanimous testimony of scientific explor- 

 ers, and others who have carefully studied the 

 primitive phases of society, leaves us In little 

 doubt as to this question. As Mr. M'Lennan 

 297 



