Chap. V. 
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 oidy the briefest summary of their 
results. The arguments recently advanced by the 
Luke of Argyll 30 and formerly by Archbishop Whately, 
in favour of the belief that man came into the world 
us a civilised being and that all savages have since 
undergone degradation, seem to me weak in comparison 
"ith those advanced on the other side. Many nations, 
no doubt, have fallen away in civilisation, and some 
uiay have lapsed into utter barbarism, though on this 
latter head I have not met with any evidence. The 
Luegians were probably compelled by other conquering 
hordes to settle in their inhospitable country, and they 
ru ay have become in consequence somewhat more 
degraded ; but it would be difficult to prove that they 
have fallen much below the Botocudos who inhabit the 
huest parts of Brazil. 
The evidence that all civilised nations are the de- 
fendants of barbarians, consists, on the one side, of 
°lear traces of their former low condition in still-existing 
°Ustoms, beliefs, language, &c. ; and on the other side, 
°f 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 
euumorat ion, which, as Mr. Tylor clearly shows by the 
"ords still used in some places, originated in counting 
29 ‘ On the Origin of Civilisation,’ ‘ Proc. Ethnological Soc.’ Nov. 
^6, 18G7. 
39 ‘ Primeval Man,’ 1S69. 
