Publisher's Synopsis
Concerning uncivilized peoples we know but little except what we are told bytravelers-who, speaking generally, can know very little but the fact ofuncivilization, as shown in externals and irrelevances, and are moreover, greatlygiven to lying. From the savages we hear very little. Judging them in all things byour 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 makeus intelligent enough to understand that the contrary of a virtue is not necessarily avice. Because, as a rule, we have but one wife and several mistresses each it is notcertain that polygamy is everywhere-nor, for that matter, anywhere-either wrongor inexpedient
