DH. XVIII.] TZIE EVOLUTION OF SOCIETY, 203 



circumstances to which the immediately preceding genera- 

 tion 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 environ- 

 meiit, as thus continually modified, the community must 

 reciprocally conform itself. 



Now in the primitive, isolated, savage condition of man- 

 kind, 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 explorers, 

 and others who have carefully studied the primitive phases 

 of society, leaves us in little doubt as to this question. As 

 Mr. M'Lennan concisely expresses it, " The state of hostility 

 is the normal state of the race in early times." ^ The environ- 

 ment of each little tribe is a congeries of neighbouring liostile 

 tribes; and the necessity of escaping captivity or death 

 involves continual readiness for warfare, and the continual 

 manifestation of the entire class of warlike unsocial passions. 

 While, on the other hand, the tribe is so small and homo- 

 geneous, that the opportunity for the exercise of sympathetic 

 and social feelings is confined chiefly to the conjugal and 

 parental relations. Nevertheless in the exercise of these feelings 

 in these relations are contained the germs of all subsequent social 

 'progress. "While without the limited sphere of the tribe all 

 is hatred, revenge, and desire to domineer, within the limits 

 of the tiibe there is room for the rudimentary display of 

 such feelings as loyalty, gratitude, equity, family affection, 

 personal friendship, and regard for the claims of others. 

 Since these feelings can be exercised only within family or 

 tribal limits, it follows that the sphere for their exercise is 

 relatively small ; while as the hostile or egoistic feelings 

 are conformed to the whole environment outside of the tribe, 

 it follows that the sphere for their exercise is large. Hence, 

 in this primitive state of society, the egoistic feelings, being 

 *• Primitive Marriage, p. 134. 



