The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-10-30
D HUMAN NATURE.
eAvAcE INSTINCTS STILL COAT ITS
VENEER OF CIVILIZATION.

T8I ~ NGuGAty Nu1Ss
ucated Minority Has Shifted the Scenes
Of Action and Glasses.
The first Of modern historians, Thu
eydides, remarks that his study of events
In Greece will illustrate human nature
ssas long as the nature Of man is the
same" 1t is tolerably clear that in his
opinion human nature will always be
the same, and every one who reflects at
all must often ask himself. Was Thu
cydides right? The great political and
social changes of the world do not
disproye his theory. They only show
a change in mems views of their own
Interest," change in organization.
Again, nothing is more common or
apparently more just h the assertion
that we must judge the people OF the
past by the current morality and prac-
tee of their age. It is added that NOR
ais and practice have altered and have
improved immensely. The two chief
points insisted on by advocates of the
notion that human rature has altered
are the idea Of cruelty and the idea of
honor and good faith in politics. Yet
even in the% obvious matters 1t Is most
difficult to come to p conclusion.
Take the case Of cruelty: You have
Assyrians. Romans, red Indians, massa-
cring ana torturirg their captives taken
in war. Assyrians. civilized men, and
Pawnees, uncivillzed men. are on a level
of abominable wickedness. David of
Israel was as bad Che could not be worse)
according to sacred history. The Roman
treatment of prisoners-"How cold are
thy baths, O, Apollo!"-turns us chill
with horror. The middle ages show an
Improvement here. .Captives in war are
held to ransom and are treated with
courtesy.
But were the middle ages less cruel
than Pawnees, Hebrews, Romans or As
syrians? Obviously the medieval tor
lures inflicted on political prisoners,
witches and heretics We're as nefarlous
as any known to ancient or savage con-
querors. Nothing is changed bnt the
victims. Then you find Covenanters
torturing witches, E~piscopalians in Eng
land or Scotland torturing Jesuits, wiz
ards or Catholics at large. You find
Covenanters burning naughty little boys
alive; you find William and Mary just
as ready with the boot" as james IL
was. Then the burning of witches
slowly dice out as the educated class be-
comes skeptical,
But the hang1nan still fiogged men
and women through the streets, and the
pillory endured. As late as Moliere's day
it was a holiday To see IA criminal put to
the question. The cruelties of the French
revolution prove that the rack might
have gone out, but human nature had
not become milder. Then think Of the
horrors Of our jails and Australian penal
settlements. These denominations and
those of American slavery do not suggest
that man is really of milder mood.
Here, too. came humane reform: the pill
lory, the fogging of negroes, the rack,
the disemboweling of politicalopponents,
are all extinct for the moment, but mohs
still occasionally burn a negro criminal
alive.
Then consider the records of the So
ciety For the Protection of Children.
These awful pages prove that human ma
ture is now rather below the Pawnee 81
Assyrian level. The facts about bully.
ing at school are unfit to be told. Oneis
reluctantly driven to believe that there
is only a thin veneer Of humanity, that
the brute in mankind is what he always
has been. An educated minority has
shifted the scene of cruelty; has removed
some classes of victims, captives in war
poor old political adversaries
from the sweep of the whip, fame of fire
from the torture pole and the rack.
So far. we'll, but it does not follow tina
mems hearts are altered. The gladia
torial games would be as popular toda,
as before the Monk Telemachus died i
it were not for the sensitive minorit,
who preach and print and ~palaverin par
lament. After all, one would liefer SCI
aZulu fight a Maori in a circus than
scald or beat or starve a poor little child
as many do. The Zulu and the MAJOR
would enjoy the contest; so would tn
spectators If only they had the chance
The great fond of human nature is real,
unaltered as far as cruelty goes. V
can only do our infinitesimal best to keel
altering it, as not without hope.
If we turn to political morality, W
see no great cause for exultation. TAX
the case of marlborough, who is geueT
ally held up AZ the ideal traitor. 1t ma.
fairly be argued that he was merely
man of his age, who now shows wOrs
than most, because his genius was mol
splendid AID his opportunities wcr
greater. He was King Jamcs' creature
his led captain, and he deliberately &c
moralized Jane army, Corresponds
with James Son-in-law p~erha,s, OF prot
ably conspired to hand the king bodii
over to his rival, certainly deserted hiI
in the night after making profession c
fidelity.
William was not firm Oh the thron
before Marlborough was intriguing wit
James, probably meaning 70 throw hil
over again in the Interests 1t Anne Al
of his own alvGoM~ md aftsr Ann
wssqueen he intrigud 0eC6svali
q Gaoeun AR ~ p6GoA