The St. Mary banner., 1909-05-08
DO ANIMALS
REASON

1t is not easy to nail down the
word reason so securely that every
one can apply it uniformly to all
acts OF animals. A little leeway in
our definition at this point may make
a world Of difference later on-just
the difference we want.
Something happened here the 9th
er day which illustrates very we'll
this point: A barrel of molasses ar
rived at the monastery which some
of the students were told to tap. In
stead of up-ending the big barrel they
bored into the head as it lay on
the concrete floor. Had they stopped
to think, i. e., reason, they would
have foreseen the result; as it was
the molasses quirted halfway across
the kitchen. Instantly the student
who had done the boring clapped his
hand over the hole. stopping the flow
until plug could be found.
Now this act, this simple, obvious
act of stopping the flow or waste Of
molasses with his hand, was some
thing quite beyond the mental capa-
city of any animal. Simple as it
was it showed reason, showed con-
ception Of quantity and waste, show
ed resource in the face of new AMI
unexpected conditions. Although
animals show all the instincts-and
more-that we show, have all our
senses and more, have all the emo
tions of hate, fear, love, Jealousy.
ETC., that we have. and can be train
ed to do wonderful and complicated
things. yet not an animal in the world
would have had reasoning powers
enough to save its food supply by
simply holding it's paw on a hole
through which it was escaping.
Place dozen intelligent Gogs in
a room with slat floor and give
them their supply of water once in
two days in tall, easily upset vcs-
sci. The chances are that they would
upset and SO lose their water every
time, nor would they learn before
they had perished of thirst. Place
a piece Of meat just out of reach OF
hungry, chained-up dog. Place
hooked stick within his reach. Will
the dog take the stick in his mouth
and draw the meat to himself? VIII
he even turn around and haul the
meat in reach of his mouth with his
hind foot? No, simply because any
Of these acts involves a mental con-
ception, an act of what the psyche
logists call reason.
A friend told me story of some
thing dog did which he said was
an act of reason. replied by tei.-
ing him of weed. called the red
root, that grows on our farm and
what it did this summer. This red
root begins to grow as soon as |.
gets warm in June. Last year the
drought and the cultivator prevent
ed its growing until the drought and
the cultivator stopped in September.
Immediately thousands of red roots
came up, which, instead OF growing
to be tall, luxuriant, branching
plants, as is their habit of growth.
put out only one or two leaves and
q seed stalk. Ordinarily the red
root grows shoulder high; those
plants tried-and many succeeded
to ripen few seeds. often one-hun-
dredth part of what a red root bears,
an inch or two of the ground. Now.
those weeds reasoned that since the
season was late, 1t being September,
there was no time for their custom
ary growth. Who would say weed
can reason? Yet this act, not of one
but Of thousands, is just as much an
act Of reason as any dog, wild ami
NAL or bird story that l have yet
Burroughs, in Forest |
and Stream.
y AEMc nv TEL EDAnAE