[More Letters of Charles Darwin by Charles Darwin]@TWC D-Link bookMore Letters of Charles Darwin CHAPTER 1 17/203
(241/3. "Mr.Darwin tells us, and gives us excellent reasons for thinking, that 'the men of each race prefer what they are accustomed to behold; they cannot endure change.' Yet is there not an inconsistency between this fact and the other that one race differs from another exactly because novelties presented themselves, and were eagerly seized and propagated ?") Permit me to add a few other remarks.
I believe your criticism is quite just about my deficient historic spirit, for I am aware of my ignorance in this line.
(241/4.
"In the historic spirit, however, Mr.Darwin must fairly be pronounced deficient.
When, for instance, he speaks of the 'great sin of slavery' having been general among primitive nations, he forgets that, though to hold a slave would be a sinful degradation to a European to-day, the practice of turning prisoners of war into slaves, instead of butchering them, was not a sin at all, but marked a decided improvement in human manners.") On the other hand, if you should ever be led to read again Chapter III., and especially Chapter V., I think you will find that I am not amenable to all your strictures; though I felt that I was walking on a path unknown to me and full of pitfalls; but I had the advantage of previous discussions by able men.
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