94 
THE DESCENT OF MAN. 
Part I. 
cuts off the head of an unoffending person and dries it 
as a trophy. The murder of infants has prevailed on 
the largest scale throughout the world , 24 and has met 
with no reproach ; but infanticide, especially of females, 
has been thought to be good for the tribe, or at least 
not injurious. Suicide during former times was not 
generally considered as a crime , 25 but rather from the 
courage displayed as an honourable act ; and it is still 
largely practised by some semi-civilised nations without 
reproach, for the loss to a nation of a single individual 
is not felt : whatever the explanation may be, suicide, 
as I hear from Sir J. Lubbock, is rarely practised by the 
lowest barbarians. It has been recorded that an Indian 
Thug conscientiously regretted that he had not strangled 
and robbed as many travellers as did his father before 
him. In a rude state of civilisation the robbery of 
strangers is, indeed, generally considered as honour- 
able. 
The great sin of Slavery has been almost universal, and 
slaves have often been treated in an infamous manner. 
As barbarians do not regard the opinion of their women, 
wives are commonly treated like slaves. Most savages 
are utterly indifferent to the sufferings of strangers, or 
even delight in witnessing them. It is well known that 
the women and children of the North- American Indians 
aided in torturing their enemies. Some savages take a 
horrid pleasure in cruelty to animals , 26 and humanity 
with them is an unknown virtue. Nevertheless, feelings 
of sympathy and kindness are common, especially 
24 The fullest account which I have met with ijs by Dr. Gerland, in 
his ‘ Ueber das Aussterben der Naturvolker,’ 1868 ; but I shall have to 
recur to the subject of infanticide in a future chapter. 
25 See the very interesting discussion on Suicide in Lecky’s ‘ History 
of European Morals/ vol. i. 1869, p. 223. 
26 See, for instance, Mr. Hamilton’s account of the Kaffirs, 4 Anthro- 
pological Review,’ 1870, p. xv. 
