A Cynic Looks at Life

Concerning uncivilized peoples we know but little except what we are told by travelers-who, speaking generally, can know very little but the fact of uncivilization, as shown in externals andirrelevances, and are moreover, greatly given to lying. From the savages we hear very little. Judgingthem in all things by our own standards in default of a knowledge of theirs, we necessarily condemn, disparage and belittle. One thing that civilization certainly has not done is to make us intelligentenough to understand that the contrary of a virtue is not necessarily a vice. Because, as a rule, wehave but one wife and several mistresses each it is not certain that polygamy is everywhere-nor, forthat matter, anywhere-either wrong or inexpedient. Because the brutality of the civilized slaveowners and dealers created a conquering sentiment against slavery it is not intelligent to assume thatslavery is a maleficent thing amongst Oriental peoples (for example) where the slave is notoppressed. Some of these same Orientals whom we are pleased to term half-civilized have no regardfor truth. "Takest thou me for a Christian dog," said one of them, "that I should be the slave of myword?" So far as I can perceive, the "Christian dog" is no more the slave of his word than the TrueBeliever, and I think the savage-allowing for the fact that his inveracity has dominion over fewerthings-as great a liar as either of them. For my part, I do not know what, in all circumstances, isright or wrong; but I know that, if right, it is at least stupid, to judge an uncivilized people by thestandards of morality and intelligence set up by civilized ones. Life in civilized countries is socomplex that men there have more ways to be good than savages have, and more to be bad; more tobe happy, and more to be miserable. And in each way to be good or bad, their generally superiorknowledge-their knowledge of more things-enables them to commit greater excesses than thesavage can. The civilized philanthropist wreaks upon his fellows a ranker philanthropy, the civilizedrascal a sturdier rascality. And-splendid triumph of enlightenment!-the two characters are, incivilization, frequently combined in one perso