New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-01
MIVARTS ESSAYS.
DISCUSSION UPON A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS.

DISCUSSION UPON A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS.
ESSAYS AND CRITICISMS BY St. George Miv1rt J., F.
brown & Co.
Even if the conjecture Of certain men of science
that the earliest step in the formation of the
ordered universe was the concurrence Of two
atoms that had in them the potency of union,
should rise to the dignity of working hypothesis
and then gradually take its place among demon
strated facts, there should he nothing in such a
result TO dismay the Thcist TO whom Mr.. Mivart
so frequently makes his appeal Tie assumption
of fitness the part of the two atoms 10 unite Is
the assumption Of what belonged TO neither oil
them, az necessary TO bring them together
Since this tcrtium quid, the cause why. cannot DE
excluded from the remotcst possibility OF sclen'inc
guesswork, ii follows in the nature OF things 'ha'
it cannot be excluded from any subsequent step III
the process of evolution.
For this reason il must seem that the author
puts too high a value upon the effort 10 distin-
euish not merely in degree but in kind between the
mental operations Of animals and man. Suppose.
TO take the most extreme casc-that ANIMALS
should he found capable Of laying down premises
and drawing conclusions. even Of collating facts
md making differences within certain narrow limits.
the one supreme point scf-cOnsciousncSs, would re-
main, and that is the indispensable factor in the
evil. cat might violate every command OF the
Decalogue without conjunction on it's own part
Or accusation from any other source, but wrctched
Fucgian cannot kill bird unnecessarily without
the consciousness that lie deserves punishment or
she fear that the punishment may come in the shape
Of destructive tempest. There i no lndlcauoh
that the animal in this respect is wiser than the
young child which persiStcntly speaks Of itself III
the third person and as many persons can remem-
ber-an example being the acute ANALYSIS OF the
baby mind in verse Of " In Mcmoriam thinks
lust as il speaks If the child failed 10 attain con-
seriousness of It's own identity it would remain
without moral responsibility FOR Its acts.
though il might be able TO form
opinions about means for satisfying hunger. and
might contrivc really intricate methods of crafty
inr it's Observation-Disclosures which. if they did not
display skill and foresight. would betrav some
thing very like these qualities Now all this
can be said of beasts In fact it las been sad
of them by Albcrtus Magnus. author whom for
another purpose Mr. Mivart cites with respect
If the INVESTIGATIONS now in progress as to the
speech of animals attain results of trustworthy
character we may hope for distinct advance IN
pur knowledge of the thinking done by them.
At present science on this point Is hardly pre-
pared TO say more than Albcrtus Magnus declared
Is the result of his observations lie attributed
70 animals in various degrees of perfection per
ceptive faculty-whch nobody Will deny 10 them
faculty of provision. OF something like IL; and
in some cases, intelligence and intellect. lie par
ticularly admired the skill-astuia as lie called
it-of some of the smaller creatures. particularly
birds and cited two species of swallow. which !
displayed in making their nests both skill and
thought. In the of all this variety Of terms /
cOgnitio, prCdcnta. astutla, prOvldcntla. lnteec-
tus ars, sagactas. subtilitas so!lcrta, he passed
far beyond the narrow bounds of instinct Perhaps /
the words of the old naturalist no; appeal !
strongly 20 some, but Mr. Mvart would be the 7
last TO deny their force or the capacity Of the /
writer who used them for accurate thought and |
correct expression. 1t is true that Allert1S did |
rot use ratio But there is plausible reason
for this in the fact that usage had adopted this
word as a distinctive mark Of mani
Remarkable stories about animals arc too often
the product of vivid ina snaton unrcstrancd
by regard for facts Whenever one reads anecdotes
Of this Sort even in proicssedly scientific books.
he is obliged to scan every statement with Scepti-
cal antpathy if nc hopes TO find the truth One
of the sharpcst points which tie author makes
l.al1st Darwin is in reference to statements given
on the authority sometimes secondhand authority /
of others which afford little evidence of care
full criticism, a neglect he adds the more note
worthy when VIC consider the conscientious care
and pains which he hcstows Oh al. the phenomena
which he examines himself" Bnt il is not the re-
markable cases that needs 10 recall for the (
sake Of comparing human mental processes with |
thtec of brutcs. The simplest cases are tiH Ient /
Ii can hardly bc questioned that Il hoy learning !
TO swim exercises both vOlitjon and reason though
neither, perhaps, in very high degree The /
difference both in will and intelligence in group !
of individuals learning 10 swim together is often
very marked Similar phenomena may be OBJ
served in Tie ncighborhood OF robins nest wien
their young are old enough 10 fly. the same APP
pcarancc of timdity the failure and finally
tile same success Members of the same brood
exhibit marked differences in respect both Of will
lngness and quckness 10 learn. Mr.. Mvart
cites examples where he says il would b. sratu-
itous 10 invoke reason in behalf of anim1ls-
IT is equally gratuitoIs 10 assume III
the case Of two processes in appearance
precisely similar, performed By man
and another by brute, that tie reason
present in the case Is absent in the other.
OF course when il IT, definition, the author
is safe enough. What We deny T. hrutc> he
writes, is power of reflection. ana the con
scious possession Of ideas such: and III an
other place. We deny TO them TIE power OF
rejecting their own existence, or Of In1urlnS
into the nature Of objects and their causes. We
deny mat tney KNOW OF kH)N lHcmS''''H u"
knowing In other words we deny them reason
1t will lie observed that hc has here assumed that
knowing and knowing ones self as knowing are the
some thing While this i in human pSy
chology. il is not necessarily true beyond the
limits Of human nature. II Towscr can be sup /
posed capable of arguing point and coming 20 /
a conclusion, it is possible also for him 10 reach
this conclusion without rising 20 the consideration
that il was he and not Carlo which did the think
ing He might act on the matter from con- (
sninnsncss Avhat he lad LnlLrlt of tie snhlcct