action of sexual selection with mankind On the women in savage tribes
having some power to choose their husbands Absence of hair on the body,
and development of the beard Colour of the skin Summary.
CHAPTER XXI.
GENERAL A SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION.
Main conclusion that man is descended from some lower form Manner of
development Genealogy of man Intellectual and moral faculties Sexual
selection Concluding remarks.
THE DESCENT OF MAN; AND SELECTION IN RELATION TO SEX.
INTRODUCTION.
The nature of the following work will be best understood by a brief
account of how it came to be written. During many years I collected
notes on the origin or descent of man, without any intention of
publishing on the subject, but rather with the determination not to
publish, as I thought that I should thus only add to the prejudices
against my views. It seemed to me sufficient to indicate, in the first
edition of my Origin of Species, that by this work light would be
thrown on the origin of man and his history; and this implies that man
must be included with other organic beings in any general conclusion
respecting his manner of appearance on this earth. Now the case wears a
wholly different aspect. When a naturalist like Carl Vogt ventures to
say in his address as President of the National Institution of Geneva
(1869), personne, en Europe au moins, n ose plus soutenir la creation
independante et de toutes pieces, des especes, it is manifest that at
least a large number of naturalists must admit that species are the
modified descendants of other species; and this especially holds good
with the younger and rising naturalists. The greater number accept the
agency of natural selection; though some urge, whether with justice the
future must decide, that I have greatly overrated its importance. Of
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