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Show 162 THE DESCENT OF MAN. PART J.. acquired the same instinctive feelings which impel other animals to live in a body; and they no doubt exhibited the same general disposition. They would have felt uneasy when separated from their comrades, for whom they would have felt some degree of love; they would have warned each other of danger, and have given mutual aid in attack or defence. All this implies some degree of sympathy, fidelity, and courage. Such social qualities, the paramount importance of ·which to the lower animals is disputed by no one, were no doubt acquired by the progenitors of man in a similar manner, namely, through natural selection, aided by inherited habit. When two tribes of primeval man, living in the same country, came into competition,. if the one tribe included (other circumstances being equal) a greater number of courageous, sympathetic-,_ and faithful members, who were always ready to warn each other of danger, to aid and defend each other, this tribe would without doubt succeed best and conquer the other. Let it be borne in mind how all-important, in the never-ceasing wars of savages, :fidelity and courage must be. The advantage which disciplined soldiers have over undisciplined hordes follows chiefiy from the confidence which each man feels in his comrades. Obedience, as Mr. Bagebot bas well shewn,5 is of the highest value, for any form of government is better than none. Selfish and contentious people will not cohere, and without coherence nothing can be effected. A tribe possessing the above qualities in a high de-gree would spread and be victorious over other tribes ; but in the course of time it would, judging from all past history, be in its turn overcome by some other· 6 See a remarkable se1·ics of articles on Physics aml Politics in the' Fol'tnigbtly Review,' Nov. 1867; Aprill, 1868; July 1, 1869. CHAP. v. MORAL FACULTIES. 163 and still more highly endowed tribe. Thus the social and moral qualities would tend slowly to advance and be diffused throughout the world. But it may be asked, how within the limits of the same tribe did a large number of members first become endowed with these social and moral qualities, and how was the standard · of excellence raised? It is extremely doubtful whether the offspring of the more sympathetic and benevolent parents, or of those which were the most faithful to their comrades, would be reared in gTeater number than the children of selfish and treacherous parents of the same tribe. He who was ready to sacrifice his life, as many a savage has been, rather than betray his comrades, would often leave no offspring to inherit his noble nature. The bravest men, who were always willing to come to the front in war, and who freely risked their lives for others; would on an average perish in larger number than other men. Therefore it seems scarcely possible (bearing in mind that we are not here speaking of one tribe being victorious over another) that the number of men gifted with such virtues, or that the standard of their excellence, could be increased through natural selection, that is, by the survival of the fittest. Although the circumstances which lead to an increase in the number of men thus endowed within the same tribe are too complex to be clearly followed out, we can trace some of the probable steps. In the :first place, as the reasoning powers and foresight of the members became improved, each man would soon learn ·from experience that if he aided his fellow-men, he would commonly receive aid in return. From this low motive he mjght acquire the habit of aiding his fellows; and the habit of performing benevolent actions certainly strengthens t4e feeling of sympathy, which gives the M2 |