The Red Cloud chief., 1888-06-15
ANIMAL LANGUAGE.

In-e0ntr0vertible Evidence That Speech ID
Not Limited to Man.
The intellectual superiority of civil.
zcd man owe his savage brethren is
due to the multiplicity of his objects OF
thought, and precisely so is it with the
intellectual superiority of the savage
man over his Simian ancestors. The
actions of all have the same aim-viz..
the supplying of the wants of physical
nature and the gratifying Of the desires
aroused in the mind. The old theory
that speech was altogether limited to
tie human ace has o W to be given
~ once and for all. for such a state
ment a not stand against the
scientific evidence brought forward to
oppose it from all quarters
Language is but a product Of reflec-
ton and experience. and originated.
in all probability. in intersection or the
instructive expression of the subjective
impressions, derived from external
nature; and just as tho reflective
powers of the race were developed and
shown more brilliantly rs each stage
in the evolutionary march of intellect
was passed. SO did language pass from
the simple monosyllabic cries of the
lower animals and savage men to the
complex dialects Of modern civilization;
and it is worthy of note that at the
present day. or at least very recently.
there were of savage men inhab-
iting the earth who possessed no
proper language at all. and could not,
on account of their name of living.
be placed on a higher intellectual
level than the higher apes; while we
have the authority of the leading phil
ogists of the day in support of the fact
that the mOnOsvllabic cries of some of
the lower human tribes are we'll within
the grasp of the apes voice.
Travellers whose veracity and ability
can not be impugned have described
long conferences held by monkeys where
one individual addressed the assem-
bly, at great length. fixing the attention
of all upon himself and quellins every
disturbance by a loud and harsh cry.
which was at once recognized and
obeyed BY the multitude; and We need
no traveller to point out to us tho
many notes of call and recognition
possessed by birds of all kinds. who thor
Oughly well understand each others
expressions, and. moreover. are able
to produce quite a string of different
notes consccutiyelv, and without any
hesitation. In fact, the organ of voice
in some Of the lower animals far ex-
ceeds in power that of some tribes OF
the human family.
The Euphonia mus,ca of the East
InIies can perform the seven notes in the
the chafiinch not only sings real
songs. but invents them. one Of his
songs containing as many as five long
strophes. while the songs of many
races of men never run to half
hat length. and when Cook visited the
Fiji archipelago the native women
only sing from Ia to mi. Asia
appears to have been the birthplace OF
Instruments, no Southern
RIDES ever having been discovered
Using such musical appliances. We
therefore. a gradual improvement
place in vocal apparatus as We
Use in the animal scale. which results
n speech and song. and. indirectly. in
music Of various degrees;
md We find fresh proof that there il
IS wide q difference between tue de-
of civilized European and
he savage man as between that of the
avage man and his brute ancestry
Magazine.