Ohap IV. Moral Sense. 117 



that they may associate in a body, are those which are still 

 tecognised as the most important. But they are practised 

 almost exclusiTely in relation to the men of the same tribe ; and 

 their opposites are not regarded as crimes in relation to the men 

 3i other tribes. No tribe could hold together if murder, 

 robbery, treachery, &c., were common ; consequently such 

 crimes within the limits of the same tribe "are branded with 

 "everlasting infamy;'"'' but excite no such sentiment beyond 

 these limits. A North-American Indian is well pleased with 

 himself, and is honoured by others, when he scalps a man of 

 another tribe ; and a Dyak cuts off the head of an unoffending 

 person, and dries it as a trophy. The murder of infants has 

 prevailed on the largest scale throughout the world,'^ and has 

 met with no reproach ; but infanticide, especially of females, has 

 been thought to be good for the tribe, or at least not injurious. 

 Suicide during former times was not generally considered as a 

 crime,'* but rathei', from the courage displayed, as an honourable 

 act ; and it is still practised by some semi-civilised and savage 

 nations without reproach, for it does not obviously concern 

 others of the tribe. It has been recorded that an Indian Thug 

 conscientiously regretted that he had not robbed and strangled 

 as many travellers as did his father before him. In a rude state 

 of civilisation the robbery of strangers is, indeed, generally 

 considered as honourable. 



Slavery, although in some ways beneficial during ancient 

 times,"* is a great crime ; yet it was not so regarded until quite 

 recently, even by the most civiUzed nations. And this was 

 especially the case, because the slaves belonged in general to a 

 race different from that of their masters. As barbarians do not 

 regard the opinion of their women, wives are commonly treated 

 like slaves. Most savages are utterly indifferent to the sufferings 

 of strangers, or even delight in witnessing them. It is well 



3' See an able article in the of European Morals,' vol. i. 1869, 



' North British Review,' 1867, p. p. 223. With respect to savages, 



395. See also Mr. W. Bagchot's Mr. Winwood Eeade informs me 



articles on the Importance of Obe- that the negroes of West Africa 



dience and Coherence to Primitive often commit suicide. It is well 



Man, in the ' Fortnightly Review,' known how common it was amongst 



1867, p. 529, and 1868, p. 457, &c. the miserable aborigines of South 



"^ The fullest account which I America, after the Spanish conquest, 



have met with is by Dr. Gerland, in For Kew Zealand, see the voyage ot 



his ' Ueber dan Aussterben der the " Novara," and for the Aleutian 



Naturvblker,' 1868; but I shall Islands, Miiller, as quoted by Hou- 



.aave to recur to the subject of zeau, ' Les Facultds Mentalss,' ■Ssc, 



infanticide in a future chapter. torn. ii. p. 136. 



'5 See the very interesting discus- ^* See Mr. Bagehot, 'Physics ana 



*icn on Suicide .in Lecky's 'History Politics,' 1872, p. 72. 



