176 TH^^ ^ TUSCENT OF MAN 



vantage which disciplined soldiers have over undisciplined 

 hordes follows chiefly from the confidence which each man 

 feels in his comrades. Obedience, as Mr. Bagehot has well 

 shown,' is of the highest value, for any form of government 

 is better than none. Selfish and contentious people will not 

 cohere, and without coherence nothing can be effected. A 

 tribe rich in the above qualities would spread and be victo- 

 rious over other tribes; but in the course of time it would, 

 judging from all past history, be in its turn overcome by 

 some other tribe still more highly endowed. Thus the so- 

 cial and moral qualities would tend slowly to advance and 

 be^diffused throughout the world. 



But it may be asked, how within the limits of the same 

 tribe did a large number of members first become endowed 

 with these social and moral qualities, and how was the stand- 

 ard of excellence raised ? It is extremely doubtful whether 

 the offspring of the more sympathetic and benevolent par- 

 ents, "or of those who were the most faithful to their com- 

 rades, would be reared in greater numbers than the children 

 of selfish and treacherous parents belonging to the same 

 tribe. He who was ready to sacrifice his life, as many a 

 savage has been, rather than betray his comrades, would 

 often leave no offspring to inherit his noble nature. The 

 bravest men, who were always willing to come to the front 

 in war, and who freely risked their lives for others, would 

 on an average perish in larger numbers than other men. 

 Therefore it hardly seems probable that the number of men 

 gifted with such virtues, or that the standard of their excel- 

 lence, could be increased through natural selection, that is, 

 by the survival of the fittest; for we are not here speaking 

 of one tribe being victorious over another. 



Although the circumstances leading to an increase in the 

 number of those thus endowed within the same tribe are 



' See a remarkable series of articles on "Physics and Politics," in the 

 "Fortnightly Beview," Nov. 1867; April 1, 1868; July 1, 1869, since sepa- 

 rately published. 



