New-York tribune., 1873-05-17
VITAL CHARACTERISTICS.

EIGHTH LECTURE BY PROF. AGASSlz.
,,,.,,r., powpps AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION
AMONG ANIMALs-PossIDIIIfY of h'H"i'
sgssING AN UTTERLY DIFFERENT KIND VI ~
,,,,tcvx r-ruE BRAINS OF FisHEs--A BRIEF
SKETCH or THE RADIATEs.
tyRox AS OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE
C.uBpIpGE. Mass, May 15.-The following
lecture was delivered by Prof Agnssz on tDe '' '"''
at the Museum OF Comp ratve Zoology
From the highest an iq nty the mental po"oi - ~ ,
have been a subject for the study aud meuti'on "
| pbiospphers MetaphysicianS have conSidered TINS
ned of as exclusively aud essentlaJ 'ner
OWL and have looked with Jealousy upon any uV'op
"a dea with the subject from another point VI 'io"
With the revival learning, however III tho sA'e0
century naturaists began to consider the "ani'o
ops of mental energy animals with reference 10 theH
,,,,re From that time forward research has taken
nov direction: psychology and physiology nave Deeh
studied together 1t has been recognizod tha tno @c
of the mental power both ia men aud animals Is noio
or less connected with their structural OrSanzilon ~
ia impossible in our day to discuss any metapnS sioi
onestIons except in connection with certain organs ID
the living body, without which mental manleS'a',n'
are impossible. shall not say, nor 40 Oehe'e' 'nas
tbe mental faculties are product Of these organs Dut
[ will say what indeed, every observing mnn mu''
ackno wedga that without brain you nave no tn'hA'h@
without brain you have no expression Oh ihIe"oo'"
mower: without certain structure no manifestation
lower animals is possible. In the structure Win tue
st,cture through the structure d. these powers act
and IL il by the study OF structure In connection WIN
these powers that we mas hope to learn sonetunS VI
their true nature. do not mean TO say that ihtecc-
ual processes may not be considered Dy SnenSoNe'
from purely me physical point OF view; Dut we arc
led more and more to conlder the structure OF the
organs through which the mind acts as an esena Pi'
of the subject. Anatomy and physiology are the nat
ura associates OF metaphysics aud must be taken L'o
partnership whether the loyeans like 1t or not uno's.
indeed they are con:entcd rehearse tho radltohal
speculatons Of philosophy I'm past ages
ARE THE MENTAL FACULTIES oNEf
There is another way OF approaching the SUBJECT
which has its great value The wisdom OF the human
race il con sodaed as il were In language. Thus men
have consciously or unconsciousy preserved the Dst
results OF their mental efforts, tho spontaneous eN
preston OF their natural mental gifts By carrlu co
parison OF languages, and even OF Isolated "Orus' We
may form some idea OF the estimate men themselves
have put upon their own mental faculties through all
ages. Different nations have by no means the
same richness OF expression designate these acutes
and some natious make nice distinctions between
special mental powers which others do not rccoghizr
The Germans give the rerstd'd aud refh"VI 70
two sides OF mental powers, meaning ny the lorncr
the reflective argumentative combining power, which
we may translate intellect Intelligence, reason; anu
by the latter the unconscious, spontaneous action OF
mental force without element OF logical sequence
and combination which belongs to conscious intellectual
effort Our Ehglish word Intelligence renders perfectly
the German rerStdHd but sense, unless we quily IL do
good sense OF common orjudgment-that qialty
in short which takes cOgnzInce OF and guides our uy
lives without conscious effort hardly translates the
German reritnd This is not tho place nor nave inc
ledge TO follow this kind OF illustration. allude
20 il only because the comparative value ana sgnh'
cance OF words has large share IN the investigation Vi
mental qualities and their expression.
Are all mental faculties Onei II there only one kinn
of mcntal power throughout the whole animal Kingdom
dfering only in intensity aud OF manifestation
In series of admirable lectures given lately IN Boston
by Dr. rowns6auard he laid before his audience new
philosophy of mental powers Through physiooSlca TX
perrrnts combined with careful study and comparison
Of biological cases. he has come to the CONCLUSION that
there are two SETS or double Of mental powers In
the human organism acting through the human
oreanism essentially different from each other The one
may lie designated as one ordinary conscious Intelligence
the other as superior power which controls our better
nature, solves, sometimes suddenly anu unexpectedy'
nay even in sleep. problems and perpextles, sug
gests right thing at the right time, acting through
us without action OF our own though suscepu
BILE OF training and elevation. or perhaps should
rather say our own organism may be trained 10 more
plastic instrument through whchtLis power actsln U.s.
MENTAL FACULTIES OF ALL vERTEBRArEs SIMILAR.
lido not see why this view should be accepted. 1t
f. harmony with facts as FAR as we know tnen Inc
experiments through which my friend Dr. Brownse-
GUARD has satisfied himself that the subtle mechanism
OF the human Frame about which know 80 little IN
its connection with mental processes, is sometimes
acted upon by power outside OF us as fanllar Win
that ORGANIZATION ignorant OF II, are no less
acute than they curious and interesting ii tls
view be Just the question arises whether these faculties
exist to certain degree and within certain limits IN
all higher animals, aud whether they are found at all
in the lower animals In the decision OF this question
anatomical considerations cannot fail TO be OF import
ane. The structure Of the frame aud the disposition OF
te nervous ccnters have certain uniformity through
out the whole type OF vertebrates, including mammals
and man. In all, the brain and spinal marrow hold
the same relation 20 tho rest OF the struc-
ture, and from these nervous centers arise
the nerves which 90 to all parts OF the body am
not mistaken we can trace IN all verebrates mental
powers akin to those OF man. We cannot deny 10 the
higher animals some degree of argumentative power
nor an action OF the reason and affections similar 10 our
own without shutting eyes to the panest and most
upmistakable facts. You will lind 1t difficult to per-
suade IL an who has been intimate with intelligent
dog that It's plays ITS antics its Of its young, its
love OF friends its memory OF them and loyalty to
them differ IN kind from like sentiments or his own'
How does the delight of dog who starts with his mas
ter for days hunting evidently with conscious antlc
patton OF tho pleasure before him. differ except in child
lshness Of expression from that OF the hunter hii-
self Animals are certainly as keen in perception
as ready In avoiding danger, as watchful OF
their young as man putting him to shame sometimes
by their tender unsesh care OF their offspring Indeed
in their moral relations they give evidence OF natural
sense OF right and wrong keen II not as susceptible
OF higher development as that which we find in some
men, Therefore, / say we have no right to claim
privileged position among created animals on the
ground OF the essential nature OF our mental powers
We have only this great privilege and superiority that
we can tram powers to higher Development that
we acquire, Increase and preserve wisdom through
accumulated knowledge. and with this higher endow-