SEXUAL SELECTION IN RELATION TO MAN 763 



CHAPTER XX 



SECONDAKY SEXUAL CHARACTEES OP MAN — continued 



On the effeots of the continued selection of women according to a difEerent 

 standard of beauty in each race — On the causes which interfere with 

 sexual selection in civilized and savage nations — Conditions favorable 

 to sexual selection during primeval times — On the manner of action of 

 sexual selection vrith mankind — On the women in savage tribes having 

 some power to choose their husbands — Absence of hair on the body, 

 and development of the beard — Color of the skin — Summary 



WE have seen in the last chapter that with all barbar- 

 ous races ornaments, dress, and external appear- 

 ance are highly valued; and that the men judge 

 of the beauty of their women by widely difEerent standards. 

 We must next inquire whether this preference, and the con- 

 sequent selection during many generations of those women 

 which appear to the men of each race the most attractive, 

 has altered the character either of the females alone or of 

 both sexes. With mammals the general rule appears to be 

 that characters of all kinds are inherited equally by the 

 males and females; we might therefore expect that with 

 mankind any characters gained by the females or by the 

 males, through sexual selection, would commonly be trans- 

 ferred to the offspring of both sexes. If any change has 

 thus been effected, it is almost certain that the different 

 races would be differently modified, as each has its own 

 standard of beauty. 



With mankind, especially with savages, many causes 

 interfere with the action of sexual selection as far as the 

 bodily frame is concerned. Civilized men are largely at- 

 tracted by the mental charms of women, by their wealth, 

 and especially by their social position ; for men rarely marry 



