Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-06-30


mon from childhood, for IN this mon diner
yrom other animals, that of all they are the
most initiative, and through imitation ger
tbeir frst teachings" and upon tins fact
6e proceeds to explain the origin OF poetry;
Aristotle Is so shrcwd All observer thit ~
s. rarely safe to slighs what he says; aho
sor myself venture 20 doubt whether the
NAT which imitation has played IN the de-
volopmen. of our race Is often aoequ"'o'y
In many OF tho lower animals the prlnci-.
nile of imitation does not show usef
Very prominently; most OF our domesue
animals, profoundly as they are lnhnehceu
by man. show little tendency 10 initiate
either him or one another. rs regtus
Sosn they are rather his fellow-workers
-than his imitators.
birds
Amongst the birds imitation shows itself,
,,ut almost exclusively in regard 20 song
many of our singing birds seem TO copy one
another: Young hnnets adopt the hot'S Oh
Various singing birds under when tnCy
NAV be brought up; thrushes are sau %
Follow the leading of other oirds, anu 1
,annot doubt that some or many OF the
s,fteraDcos az the clever startling are lml-
Native. Jackdaws. magpies, parrots, are
,n0 celehrotcd for tho oleorncss with
which they learn and initiate sounds
both musical and artlcuiAte; ana
The hooking bird Of the United States
and the Msa'ua SrsTsybG OF AuStralla REMIND
ms that this initiative quality ~ moi con
fncd 10 the Old World. But IN these bros
81 vonld seem az if this quality were con-
fined 10 sounds-for none of those wmch
have mentioned show. i believe, any gen.
aral tendency toward imitation; the skiIl
81 the macpie in prOnOunclng WORDS anu
even short sentences Is wen knoWh- huo
MIR. Rlackwall Says that after almost dally
investigation of its habits ne mas never
Known II to display any usual capacity ior
in,i,afiop in a state Of nature, though whcn
demonstrated it appears tn have this facul-
~ moro highly developed than almost any
other British bird.
MONKEYS.
Bnt when we reach the monkeys the mat
OF ali the lower animals they are the
most distinguished for their mlmlcry-a
Sninicrv which extends TO most OF the ac-
lions of the body. and even the EXPRESSIONS
of the face, but which strangely goes not
Dunear 10 extend to sounds, Tor 10 has been
observed, and 1 believe justly. that mon
KEYS. even when long in captivity, never
nttegnpt 10 initiate the sounds OF the hu-
man voice. but on the contrary retain their
own peruliar sounds for pleasure and pam,
Tor anger and Joy. ~
1t has, indeed. been suggested that Win
Sanitation PLAYS a larger part and instinct
les-a,,r mart than IL often thought--that, Tor
instance. tho likeness between the nests OF
succoSsive generations of the same species
of birds is due tothe children initiating the
parents in their work. IL Is impossible 10
DENY that this NAY be 50 70 some extent
and equally impossible 70 ascertain win
precision how much OF the sum or the
habits Of q generation or an individual IS
60 r,h oil
how much TO the force Of imitation. There
IS, believe, no doubt that
BIRDS TKACH THEIB Young TO SING
and also give instructions in the art OF fly
Sng. and so far they appeal 70 the imlta-
tive faculty Of their young. But the early
AGE NJ which theprogeny leave the nest and
lose thec5re and soolety of their parents
would seem tOshOw that the opportunities
of Learning by imitation are but small. In
ono large group ofanimals this opportunity
Sc entirely absent. In great families OF IN
sects the mother lays her eggs, and both
parents die before the ecgsare hatched-die
often in the autumn or winter, whilst the
ofsprlnq do not leave the egg till spring.
In al these creatures the pOss bility Of lml-
Eating the parent is reduced - zero. A
father OF mothers face has never been
known 10 a single meuber OF the race since
The creation, and the children can have
learned nothing from parental example.
'To what an extent have they been losers
They appear not less to follow the pattern
of their parents than the birds or the beasts
which see and are seen by their progeny.
This principle of imitation seems TO lie
deem down in our nature amongst its most
primitive clements. As every one knows,
&r Is ono Of the most marked and charming
traits of childhood, In one way or other
su mmicry OF what he has seen or heard
4 or oil a. a
she child
ASH bis whole vocation
We're endless imitation
Again. II is strongly developed in the mi
crocephalic form Of idiocy, as has been
very fully expOunded by NJ. Vogt. and il Is
exaggerated 10 an extraordinary degree IN
certain morbid states OF the BRAIN such
patients are sometimes met with who. IN
stead of replying 10 question, simply re-
se.t tho words of the questioner, and so
srive what is known 10 medical men "a the
,cho SIN. Afrain. 1T the commencement
of infiammatOry softening Of the brain the
e,atieut viii often uncOnsciOusly initiate
eypry word uttered within hearing, whether
in his own or foreign language, and imi-
tate every gesture and action performed
near him. SO, too, amongst saYsges the
same strong tendency has been observed.
MAN.
Imitation. as we SEQ it in man, seems TO
extend over wider range OF action and
production than in any other animal. Ii is
mot confined, as in the monkeys, to the
production Of Ike attitudes or bodily acts b.;
ST Is not coufned, rs n the birds, TO the
imitation Of sounds; il includes all alike,
and is characterized, furthermore, by con-
scious pleasure in the doing.
If Aristotle be right IN the proposition
that of al the parts Of man the voiceIs the
4 tl.r.f Nrnfa Al
made as to monkeys never initiating with
the voice be also true, there Is in this par
ticular marked MISUNDERSTANDING like
IN antithesis between ourselves and our
poor cousins.
Furthermore. in man imitation is not q
single or homogeneous quality 1t presents
itself in different forms and degrees. 1t
NAV, l think, DO considered under three
leads: % The absolutely involuntary imi-
tom C., imitation neither voluntary nor
connected with voluntary oct; (2) lnNol-
untary imitation connected with vOlun-
tary act, and 60 imitation entirely volun-
tary.
All these forms Of imitation agree,
lcheve. in their initial step-attention.
Without attention, l suspect that no imi-
tation can arise, and l have strong con-
vic ion that it IS often, though not always,
in ,lropOrtiOn TO the attention given. A
man who bought monkeys TO act from
the Geological Garden at 70 apiece, was
willing 10 give twice - much if he might
keep them three or four DAYS IN order 10
select one, because he found that whether
"a monkey wonld turn out a good actor OF
not entirely depended on his power of at.
tention. If. when he was talking or ex-
planning anything TO the monkey, its at
tention was easily distracted, as by q fly on
the wall OF other trihing object, the case
was hopeless On the other hand, mon.
KEY which carefully attended To him could
always DO trained. OF the
LOWEST PORN or IMITATION
the elements seem 20 be-frst, attention
and, secondly, reflex action producing
the like result without consciousness oil
voliuon or intention; and, thirdly, as
negative element or condition, the absence
of any disturbing thought or idea of any
controlling voliton or intellectual direc
tsOn.
OF such imitation we have instances il
the familiar infection of gaping or yawn
ing. or even Of laughter. Merely to SO,
another cape often produces gaping in the
behoider-not often If occupied with SO