﻿CANNIBALISM. 
  135 
  

  

  this 
  loathsome 
  practice 
  was 
  not 
  primeval, 
  

   probably 
  because 
  he 
  considers 
  it 
  as 
  un- 
  

   natural.* 
  And 
  so 
  it 
  is, 
  — 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  it 
  

   is 
  against 
  the 
  better 
  nature 
  of 
  Man 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  

   fact 
  of 
  its 
  existence 
  proves 
  that 
  within 
  the 
  

   limits 
  of 
  that 
  nature 
  there 
  are 
  elements 
  liable 
  

   to 
  perversions 
  even 
  so 
  horrible 
  as 
  this. 
  And 
  

   so 
  we 
  come 
  upon 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  natures 
  

   of 
  Man, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  worst 
  parts 
  

   of 
  his 
  nature 
  to 
  overcome 
  the 
  best. 
  It 
  is 
  

   thus 
  that 
  customs 
  the 
  most 
  cruel 
  and 
  

   depraved 
  become 
  established. 
  But 
  if 
  this 
  be 
  

   the 
  explanation, 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  possible 
  ex- 
  

   planation, 
  of 
  cannibalism, 
  is 
  it 
  not 
  evident 
  

   that 
  this 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  the 
  explanation 
  of 
  

   other 
  customs 
  which 
  are 
  violent 
  and 
  horrible 
  

   * 
  "Prehistoric 
  Times," 
  p. 
  371. 
  

  

  