Chap. V. 
CIVILISED NATIONS. 
177 
evil habits consequent on the disruption of the family, 
and to grief. On the whole we may conclude with Dr. 
Farr that the lesser mortality of married than of unmar- 
ried men, which seems to be a general law, “ is mainly 
“ due to the constant elimination of imperfect types, and 
“ to the skilful selection of the finest individuals out of 
“ each successive generation;” the selection relating only 
to the marriage state, and acting on all corporeal, in- 
tellectual, and moral qualities. We may, therefore, 
infer that sound and good men who out of prudence 
remain for a time unmarried do not suffer a high rate 
of mortality. 
If the various checks specified in the two last para- 
graphs, and perhaps others as yet unknown, do not 
prevent the reckless, the vicious and otherwise inferior 
members of society from increasing at a quicker rate 
than the better class of men, the nation will retro- 
grade, as has occurred too often in the history of the 
world. W e must remember that progress is no invari- 
able rule. It is most difficult to say why one civilised 
nation rises, becomes more powerful, and spreads more 
widely, than another ; or why the same nation progresses 
more at one time than at another. We can only say 
that it depends on an increase in the actual number of 
the population, on the number of the men endowed 
with high intellectual and moral faculties, as well as 
on their standard of excellence. Corporeal structure, 
except so far as vigour of body leads to vigour of mind, 
appears to have little influence. 
It has been urged by several writers that as high 
intellectual powers are advantageous to a nation, the 
old Greeks, who stood some grades higher in intellect 
than any race that has ever existed , 24 ought to have 
24 See the ingenious and original argument on this subject by Mr. 
Galton, * Hereditary Genius/ p. 340-342. 
von i. 
N 
