228 



CANNIBALISM. 



kills bis fellow-man, in what we term, cold blood. 

 But, in the simple act of eating the flesh of man, 

 he does not feel himself culpable ; because, civili- 

 zation has not worked upon his imagination, so 

 as to place the act in a repugnant, and in a 

 disgusting point of view. 



By the way, this imagination of ours in civilized 

 life, is a stern commander. We all know, that 

 stewed horse, is just as good, nay, sometimes 

 much better, than stewed cow : yet, such is the 

 general prejudice, that in nine cases out of ten, 

 the latter would be eaten with an appetite ; whilst 

 the former would be rejected with abhorrence. 



Before I can bring my mind to believe in the 

 existence of cannibalism, such as I have defined 

 it, at the commencement of these fugitive notes, 

 I must be convinced, that there really does exist 

 a human being, no matter in what part of the 

 world, who will slay his fellow-man, without any 

 provocation having been offered, or any excitement 

 produced ; but that he is known to deprive him 

 of bis life, merely for a supply of daily food ; just 

 exactly with the same feelings, and with no others, 

 than we would shoot a hare or a pheasant to 

 entertain a dinner-party. 



Sometimes, even in civilized life, we witness 

 strange things, very nearly approaching to canni- 

 balism, in the common acceptation of the word. 



