Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-03-25
MAN A RATHER ,.OOR LOT.
Some of His Faculties ComparsA
with Those Of Other Animals.


"Man is a vain sort of an animal at
all times" observed thoughtful citi-
zen. Ind in his process Of naming ana
classifying things around him he has
attempted to leave reminders OF him.
self in every possible place, and be has
generally succeeded, for ones eyes
may not escape falling on something,
named after some Of his attributes.
But when we come to think Of 1t, when
we come to look nature squarely In the
face, man is not the only thing In the
land which can lay claim to highly de-
velOped senses.
Take the human eye. Unquestton-
ably the little bundle of nerves in the
eve. which make Installation possible
and which present the mind with pho
tographic refinements which no art has
vet euualed, is one Of the physiological
marvels and opens up an endless field
for speculation in the realm OF psychol-
Ogy. that unsolved riddle Of science In
whose presence even the giants have
covered and skulked in hopeless ig-
norance Yet this eye, Discerning with
so much dellcacy when the picture Is
no farther than the wall Of ones room
this eye with its circumscribed linn
its would be looked upon with dignlhed
scorn by yon soaring eagle II he only
knew how much farther he could see
than human being.
"rake the human ear. We may not
hear so well as the rats and mice that
burrow under the palaces in which we
live or the squirrel that capers yonder
I'm the forest and countless other things
one might mention. We may differen-
tiate with greater accuracy and trace
refinements in sound which these low
er creatures may not trace, but when
II comes to the matter Of catching the
sound at long range their ears seem to
have been more perfectly constructed.
sit is conceded that no human voice
has ever been heard which could equal
I'm sweetness of tone the lays which
one may hear in the orchard. No hui
man being ever sang more sweetly
than Patti, but she never sang so
sweetIy as the meadow lark when lie
pours his gurgling love song out on
the summer air or the oriole when he
shades his silvered octave from the
bending bough.
"What device for measuring water
pressure has man invented which VIII
compare with the nerves which string
the sides of the fish? 1t Is q sense
which is not represented in the human
category. Man must resort to artlh-
cialities in order to learn the air pres
sure and the degree Of heat. or cold.
But it Is different with the fish, for he
can always tell just what the water
pressure Is, and he knows how much he
can stand, and he acts accordingly.
"Take the olfactory nerves. Man is
all right when it comes to altar OF roses,
violet perfumcres and this and that
sort. but you may pick out the measll-
est old hound in the swamps OF Missis-
sippi, and if he knew how much su-
perior his sense Of smell Is to MANS
well, he wouldn't want to be caught In
q mans company.
"No, am not running my own creed
down am just relating few things
which ought to make us all natural low
ers Of the many deserving beauties
that we wot not Of in these hurrying
times, and among them may be counted
the things mentioned. Prove 1t? Prove
nothing. am just telling you."-New
Orleans Timcs-Democrat.