Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-02-21
Thinking Without a Brain.
From Lippincott's Magazine

W thFlH IN an uuscuIc HJtlo glanu
buried in the centre of the brain and
known as the pineal. Concealed
snugly in that retreat lay, beyond
doubt, Hadrian's padillala, paula,
b1andula True, they confessed the
discovery did not help them great
deal The impalpabie object OF their
pursuit was there, but still they could
not put their finger on it, any more
than the living Cheops could be haul
ed out Of his sarcophagus in the
heart Of the Great Pyramid. They
bad found out it's burrow and that
sufficed.
This notable discovery has disap-
peared among the rubbish of worth
less Inventions and the follies OF
science. A longer and better sus.
tanned theory - that the mind, not
the soul, holds its seat in the brain,
and only in the brain--is seriously
threatened by some modern lnquir-
ers, who hold that the intellect runs
as far as the nerve-i. e. all over the
body. These pau.physchists-if we
may coin name for them-take
small account of Lavater's plan of
mapping out the convolutions of the
brain into score or two of mental
provinces labelled momory, causal-
ity, time, amativeness, etc. They
concede the existence ofsome appar-
ent relations between particular
parts of the brain and particular
phases Of the mental functions, and
that as time was "when the brains
were out that man would die" so
when a part of it is out a certain
part of it corresponding to it is very
apt to die, unless we arc to reject
many recorded surgical cases. But
they maintain that though the brain
is the GENRE OF the nervous, as the
heart is Of the circulatory system, it
differs from the rest Of the appara
tus in degree rather than kind that
mind is only sensation, present or
preserved and that we may be
held to think with the ends of our
fingers, toes and tongues as really as
with the phrenologists' "bumbs. ="
Man, az tho existing sum of devel-
oped creation, has larger proper
tomato cerebrum than any OF the
lower animals. progress having,
throughout the aons, taken that di.
rection. To remove bis brain, by
decapitation or otherwise, there is
therefore greater shock toshis .sys-
tenn than the like LESSON is to any of
theirs. TO him it is instantly fatal.
A reptile or barn yard fowl may,
on the other hand, live some days
with the brain-pan empty, and the
polyp suffers little inconv enience
from being cut in two. Many class
es of the inferior creatures have
nothing that can be called brain,
but they all have nerves and all think.
"Think % exclsims the old fash
toned reader. "Why, these things
are mere machines, set to certain
pitch Of instinct. and grinding out
the little conditions of their life as
the wasp does its cells or the beaver
bis dams"
But that is precisely what is said
of US now a-days We too are class
ell as machines, working automati
caliy, and oiled with what we call
reason in the case of ourselves, the
infinite minority, and instinct in
them, the wash majority Of animate
existences IL such things. however,
it is wrong TO be Gogmatic. The old
philosophers may be right and the
new lights wrong.
As we tap, doublingly and medi-
tAtively, the end of our penholder
against the desk, little atomy of a
moth, half an inch long, strange TO
us, and unknown even by name TO
anyone but dovotee of entomology
or "bugmaster- generaP'--as the
government official who takes note
Of insects prejudical to agriculture"
is I,rofanely termed-hss iumbled
down from the Ugh and is, like our
self endeavoring 70 get together his
small ideas, We place, abstractedly
the penhandle close in front of him
80 he resumes his prominade He goes
to the top of the obstruction, and we
shake him back again. He moves
off, and we place the penhandle once
moro before him. After q moments
hesitation he ascends it and is again
thrown down. A third time this
happens, with tho difference only
that bis pause is longer and his dis
inclination to renewal of tho exper-
iment more unmistakable. A fourth
offer be absolutely refuses, turns his
head resolutely away from the OBJ
stsce as it follows him around, tt kes
to his wings and fiutters off.
Here we have one of the hum blest
of The I.epidoptera,a creature unpro-
vided with anything that can be CALI
ed brain, and living the briefest
and simplest of lives, exerting be-
meath our eyes the highest processes
of intellect perception, association,
memory, etc. He observes, combines
and concludes. His syllogism is
worthy of an Aristotle i:
"Mdjor What deceives once,
twice. thrice, will deceive again.
"Minor This thing has deceived
me once. twice, thrice.
"Conclusion !: Ergo, it will deceive
me again. l will no more ont"
Profound philosopher as our little
winged visitor, the classic emblem of
the soul has shown himself, be is not
able to withstand the glamour of the
lamp any more than his biped CO.
cogitators. who are so often led by
false lights. We must not expect
too much from either moths or SER
wants. e. G. B.
QUERY: "Why will men smoke common TO
bacco when they can buy Marburg Bros Sea-
IF North G1101inn nj the same nrica ~ Ak