became capable of feeling and being impelled by, the praise or blame of
their fellow-creatures, we cannot of course say. But it appears that
even dogs appreciate encouragement, praise, and blame. The rudest
savages feel the sentiment of glory, as they clearly shew by preserving
the trophies of their prowess, by their habit of excessive boasting,
and even by the extreme care which they take of their personal
appearance and decorations; for unless they regarded the opinion of
their comrades, such habits would be senseless.
They certainly feel shame at the breach of some of their lesser rules,
and apparently remorse, as shewn by the case of the Australian who grew
thin and could not rest from having delayed to murder some other woman,
so as to propitiate his dead wife s spirit. Though I have not met with
any other recorded case, it is scarcely credible that a savage, who
will sacrifice his life rather than betray his tribe, or one who will
deliver himself up as a prisoner rather than break his parole (6. Mr.
Wallace gives cases in his Contributions to the Theory of Natural
Selection, 1870, p. 354.), would not feel remorse in his inmost soul,
if he had failed in a duty, which he held sacred.
We may therefore conclude that primeval man, at a very remote period,
was influenced by the praise and blame of his fellows. It is obvious,
that the members of the same tribe would approve of conduct which
appeared to them to be for the general good, and would reprobate that
which appeared evil. To do good unto others to do unto others as ye
would they should do unto you is the foundation-stone of morality. It
is, therefore, hardly possible to exaggerate the importance during rude
times of the love of praise and the dread of blame. A man who was not
impelled by any deep, instinctive feeling, to sacrifice his life for
the good of others, yet was roused to such actions by a sense of glory,
would by his example excite the same wish for glory in other men, and
would strengthen by exercise the noble feeling of admiration. He might
thus do far more good to his tribe than by begetting offspring with a
tendency to inherit his own high character.
With increased experience and reason, man perceives the more remote
consequences of his actions, and the self-regarding virtues, such as
temperance, chastity, etc., which during early times are, as we have
before seen, utterly disregarded, come to be highly esteemed or even
held sacred. I need not, however, repeat what I have said on this head
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