Heredity, Variation and Genius 95 



good and bad actions evil, not of course mani- 

 festly and directly to the individual doer but 

 directly or indirectly to the social body, there is 

 no need now for anyone to put himself into an 

 ecstatic or metaphysical transport in order to dis- 

 cover the laws of morality in the heavens, saying 

 over and over again with wearisome iteration 

 what has been said before and all that ever can 

 be said from such ethereal altitudes. Morality 

 owns no immaculate conception ; its experi- 

 mental foundations are laid concretely on earth 

 and can be laid open in detail by exposition of 

 the positive stages of human progress. 



The history of that long progress from repul- 

 sive savagery to decent humanity, from animality 

 to rationality, is conclusive proof that, being 

 originally and fundamentally predatory animals, 

 men gradually perceived the necessity of enacting 

 various systems of laws, statutes and ordinances 

 and of setting up suitable judicial authorities to 

 prevent ruthless preying on one another ; and 

 they still acknowledge the need of, however 

 imperfectly they put in practice, successive amend- 

 ments and additions to law in order to check and 

 control the more subtle outcomes of the predatory 

 spirit which stealthily and poisonously infiltrates 

 the increasing complexities of an advancing civiliza- 

 tion. Thus by degrees they have evolved out of 

 experience of pains and penalties, of approbations 

 and awards, of praise and blame, a series of 

 corresponding consciences ; for there is not, as 



