THE DESCENT OB ORIGIN OjT MAN 193 



pathy, which it can hardly be doubted was originally 

 developed through natural selection as one of the most 

 important elements of the social instincts. "' 



On the Evidence that all Civilized Nations were once 

 Barbarous. — The present subject has been treated in so full 

 and admirable a manner by Sir J. Lubbock," Mr. Tyler, 

 Mr. M'Lennan, and others that I meed here give only the 

 briefest summary of their results. The arguments recently 

 advanced by the Duke of Argyll," and formerly by Arch- 

 bishop Whately, in favor of the belief that man came into 

 the world as a civilized being, and that all savages have 

 since undergone degradation, seem to me weak in compari- 

 son with those advanced on the other side. Many nations, 

 no doubt, have fallen away in civilization, and some may 

 have lapsed into utter barbarism, though on this latter head 

 I have met with no evidence. The Puegians were probably 

 compelled by other conquering hordes to settle in their in- 

 hospitable country,, and they may have become in conse- 

 quence somewhat more degraded; but it would be difficult 

 to prove that they have fallen much below the Botocudos, 

 who inhabit the finest parts of Brazil. 



The evidence that all civilized nations are the descend- 

 ants of barbarians, consists, on the one side, of clear traces of 

 their former low condition in still-existing customs, beliefs, 

 language, etc. ; and, on the other side, of proofs that savages 

 are independently able to raise themselves a few steps in 

 the scale of civilization, and have actually thus risen. The 

 evidence on the first head is extremely curious, but cannot 

 be here given; I refer to such cases as that of the art of 

 enumeration, which, as Mr. Tylor clearly shows by reference 

 to the words still used in some places, originated in count- 

 ing the fingers, first of one hand and then of the other, and 



^' I am much indebted to Mr. John Morley for some good criticisms on this 

 subject: see, also, Broca, "Les Selections," "Eevue d'Anthropologie, " 1872. 



"'^ "On the Origin of Civilization," "Proc. of the Ethnological Society," 

 November 26, ISet. 



88 "Primeval Man," 1869. 

 Descent — ^Tol. I. — 9 



