THE HUMAN SPECIES. 213 



The oldest form of social existence was parental, or by fam- 

 il.es, which soon expanded into the patriarchal, still retained by- 

 nomad pastoral nations. With others it broke up by the sep- 

 aration of the priestly dignity from the head paternity of tribes. 

 As soon as dogmas and political considerations multiplied, the 

 struggle between authority by birth, and the suggestions of 

 expediency, began; for ambition pleaded the claims of valor, 

 justifying them by surrounding dangers and the inefficiency of 

 nonage ; the pontificate demanded an undying adequacy of 

 purpose, upheld by sanctity of example : arguments which, 

 being repeated as the social existence spread wider, hierarchies 

 were instituted, and the rights of pleading the cause of jus- 

 tice, or the art. of healing the sick, became separated, or clas- 

 sified into learned orders. 



In religious feeling, a deism, perhaps a form of Budhism, 

 can be traced back to Central Asia as early as the reign of 

 Sesostris. The Vedas, not much, if at all later, show the pos- 

 session of a higher truth than the subsequent philosophizing 

 social dogmas, depending upon dualisms and astronomical fan- 

 cies, could teach ; and those in the east have a more reasoned 

 cohesion than the Egyptian, and, still more, than the Greek 

 and Roman poetical physicalities, drawn from eastern sources 

 and misinterpreted. In high Asia we find the legends of Eu- 

 rope extant in their sources. Many of the arts of social life 

 are similarly derived from thence ; every wave of invasion 

 westward bringing new ideas ; and, in later ages, the crusad- 

 ers, coming from the east with loss and shame, still returned 

 with the additional information they had acquired. From 

 Madagascar, back to the Indus, we find a similar connection , 

 and, in the South Seas, there are everywhere evidences of an 

 Asiatic priority. Finally, the western continent of America i.s 

 redolent of Malay, Mongolic, Ouralian, and even purer Caucas- 

 ian sources, in physical as well as traditional objects. 



In order to proceed to their various destinations, each typical 

 stock naturally follow* i the great rivers in their course, for 



