110 THE DESCENT OF MAN. 



A man cannot prevent past impressions often repassing 

 through his mind; he will thus be driven to make a comparison 

 between the impressions of past hunger, vengeance satisfied, or 

 danger shunned at other men's cost, with the almost ever-present 

 instinct of sympathy, and with his early knowledge of what others 

 consider as praiseworthy or blamable. This knowledge can- 

 not be banished from his mind, and from instinctive sympathy 

 is esteemed of great moment. He will then feel as if he had 

 been balked in following a present instinct or habit, and this 

 with all animals causes dissatisfaction, or even misery. 



The above case of the swallow affords an illustration, though 

 of a reversed nature, of a temporary though for the time strongly 

 persistent instinct conquering another instinct, which is usually 

 dominant over all others. At the proper season these birds 

 seem all day long to be impressed with the desire to migrate; 

 their habits change; they become restless, are noisy, and con- 

 gregate in flocks. Whilst the mother-bird is feeding, or brood- 

 ing over her nestlings, the maternal instinct is probably stronger 

 than the migratory; but the instinct which is the more persist- 

 ent gains the victory, and at last, at a moment when her young 

 ones are not in sight, she takes flight and deserts them. When 

 arrived at the end of her long journey, and the migratory in- 

 stinct has ceased to act, what an agony of remorse the bird 

 would feel, if, from being endowed with great mental activity, 

 she could not prevent the image constantly passing through her 

 mind, of her young ones perishing in the bleak north from cold 

 and hunger. 



At the moment of action, man will no doubt be apt to follow 

 the stronger impulse; and though this may occasionally prompt 

 him to the noblest deeds, it will more commonly lead him to 

 gratify his own desires at the expense of other men. But after 

 their gratification, when past and weaker impressions are judged 

 by the ever-enduring social instinct, and by his deep regard 

 for the good opinion of his fellows, retribution will surely come. 

 He will then feel remorse, repentance, regret, or shame; this 

 latter feeling, however, relates almost exclusively to the judg- 

 ment of others. He will consequently resolve more or less firmly 

 to act differently for the future; and this is conscience; for 

 conscience looks backwards, and serves as a guide for the future. 



The nature and strength of the feelings which we call regret, 

 shame, repentance or remorse, depend apparently not only on 

 the strength of the violated instinct, but partly on the strength 

 of the temptation, and often still more on the judgment of our 

 fellows. How far each man values the appreciation of others, 

 depends on the strength of his innate or acquired feeling of 

 sympathy; and on his own capacity for reasoning out the re- 

 mote consequences of his acts. Another element is most im- 



