Chap. Y. 
CIVILISED NATIONS. 
181 
some semi-human creature has been gradually raised to 
the rank of man in his most perfect state, the present 
subject cannot be quite passed over. But it has been 
treated in so full and admirable a manner by Sir J. 
Lubbock , 29 Mr. Tylor, Mr. McLennan, and others, that 
I need here give only the briefest summary of their 
results. The arguments recently advanced by the 
Duke of Argyll 30 and formerly by Archbishop Whately, 
in favour of the belief that man came into the world 
as a civilised being and that all savages have since 
undergone degradation, seem to me weak in comparison 
with those advanced on the other side. Many nations, 
no doubt, have fallen away in civilisation, and some 
may have lapsed into utter barbarism, though on this 
latter head I have not met with any evidence. The 
Fuegians were probably compelled by other conquering 
hordes to settle in their inhospitable country, and they 
may have become in consequence somewhat more 
degraded ; but it v r ouid be difficult to prove that they 
have fallen much below the Botocudos who inhabit the 
finest parts of Brazil. 
The evidence that all civilised nations are the de- 
scendants of barbarians, consists, on the one side, of 
clear traces of their former low condition in still-existing 
customs, beliefs, language, &c. ; and on the other side, 
of proofs that savages are independently able to raise 
themselves a few steps in the scale of civilisation, and 
have actually thus risen. The evidence on the first 
head is extremely curious, but cannot be here given : 
I refer to such cases as that, for instance, of the art of 
enumeration, which, as Mr. Tylor clearly shews by the 
words still used in some places, originated in counting 
29 ‘On the Origin of Civilisation,’ ‘ Proc. Ethnological Soc.’ Nov. 
26, 1867. 
30 ‘ Primeval Man,’ 1869. 
