Chap. V. 
CIVILISED NATIONS. 
169 - 
noblest part of our nature. The surgeon may harden 
himself whilst performing an operation, for he knows 
that he is acting for the good of his patient ; but if we 
were intentionally to neglect the weak and helpless, it 
could only be for a contingent benefit, with a certain 
and great present evil. Hence we must bear without 
complaining the undoubtedly bad effects of the weak 
surviving and propagating their kind ; but there appears 
to be at least one check in steady action, namely the 
weaker and inferior members of society not marrying 
so freely as the sound ; and this check might be inde- 
finitely increased, though this is more to be hoped for 
than expected, by the weak in body or mind refraining 
from marriage. 
In all civilised countries man accumulates property 
and bequeaths it to his children. So that the children 
in the same country do not by any means start fair in 
the race for success. But this is far from an unmixed 
evil ; for without the accumulation of capital the arts 
could not progress ; and it is chiefly through their power 
that the civilised races have extended, and are now 
everywhere extending, their range, so as to take the place 
of the lower races. Nor does the moderate accumulation 
of wealth interfere with the process of selection. When 
a poor man becomes rich, his children enter trades or 
professions in which there is struggle enough, so that 
the able in body and mind succeed best. The presence 
of a body of well-instructed men, who have not to 
labour for their daily bread, is important to a degree 
which cannot be over-estimated ; as all high intellectual 
work is carried on by them, and on such work material 
progress of all kinds mainly depends, not to mention 
other and higher advantages. No doubt wealth when 
very great tends to convert men into useless drones, but 
their number is never large ; and some degree of elimi- 
