78 INSTINCTS 



on a hillside, bees in a hive, and men in asocial 

 club all illustrate an identical tendency. Associa- 

 tion would be impossible without sympathy, an 

 impulse which may exercise irresistible sway over 

 herds of cattle, or mobs of men. Deference 

 may be allied with it : there is then engendered 

 the respect for public opinion which is so marked 

 a feature of human society, and, in remoter 

 descent, the democratic acceptance of the will of 

 the majority. If we incur the disapproval of our 

 fellows if we are " sent to Coventry " our 

 social life is blighted : the desire for approbation 

 is accordingly one of our most imperious impulses, 

 and there are few who are not rendered miserable 

 by unpopularity. Of sympathy is born the desire 

 for intercommunication, from which is derived 

 the capacity for expression by gestures, sounds, 

 or language. The regulation of society is based 

 upon the feeling of reverence, or admiration, the 

 bent of which is instinctively directed towards 

 the aged : amongst dogs and horses, age demands 

 and receives precedence ; children respect their 

 parents and teachers : the titles which we give 

 our leaders or advisers " senators," " pres- 

 byters," " aldermen " imply that age is of 

 itself a claim to respect. The traditions of the 

 past, the culture of the race, are in the hands of 

 the older generation and the prestige of age has 

 assured that they are passed on. Respect is also 

 given to the leader of the herd, be he amongst 

 men the tribal chief or an alien conqueror. 

 Undisciplined by a propensity towards obedience 

 communities could not exist : obedient con- 

 duct is (as we shall see) associated with the 

 imitative impulse which will be separately con- 

 sidered in Chapter VI. But the inclination to 

 imitate is much stronger in gregarious animals 

 than in those which live a solitary life. 



