FASHION. 213 



This competitive imitation begins quite as early as the 

 reverential. Members of savage tribes are not unfrequent- 

 ly led by the desire for applause into expenditure relatively 

 more lavish than are the civilized. There are barbarous 

 peoples among whom the expected hospitalities on the occa 

 sion of a daughter s marriage, are so costly as to excuse 

 female infanticide, on the ground that the ruinous expense 

 which rearing the daughter would eventually entail is thus 

 avoided. Thomson and Angas unite in describing the ex 

 travagance into which the New Zealand chiefs are impelled 

 by fashion in giving great feasts, as often causing famines- 

 feasts for which chiefs begin to provide a year before : each 

 being expected to out-do his neighbours in prodigality. 

 And the motive thus coming into play early in social evolu 

 tion, and making equals vie with one another in display, 

 similarly all along prompts the lower to vie, so far as they 

 are allowed, with the higher. Everywhere and always the 

 tendency of the inferior to assert himself has been in an 

 tagonism with the restraints imposed on him ; and a preva 

 lent way of asserting himself has been to adopt costumes 

 and appliances and customs like those of his superior. 

 Habitually there have been a few of subordinate rank who, 

 for one reason or other, have been allowed to encroach by 

 imitating the ranks above; and habitually the tendency 

 has been to multiply the precedents for imitation, and so to 

 establish for wider classes the freedom to live and dress in 

 ways like those of the narrower classes. 



Especially has this happened as fast as rank and wealth 

 have ceased to be coincident as fast, that is, as industrial 

 ism has produced men rich enough to compete in style of 

 living with those above them in rank. Partly from the 

 greater means, and partly from the consequent greater 

 power, acquired by the upper grades of producers and dis 

 tributors ; and partly from the increasing importance of the 

 financial aid they can give to the governing classes in pub 

 lic and private affairs ; there has been an ever-decreasing re- 

 72 



