Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-05-29

down. Thus we have a body with
four limbs, two eyes, nose, mouth
ears and hair, the kitten and 1, and
though her toenails are much the
sharper and better fitted for fighting,
yet they are only notifications of my
own, and he walks on all tours as
did until / was older than he. We
humans have not a tail like the cat,
but our skeletons show the rudiments
which indicate that our ancestors
were adorned with such an appendage.
Another point OF Resemblance is that
each OF us had ancestors and were
born of parents of different sex and
have. instincts which indicate race
memory persisting through unnum-
bered generations. Thus when
scratch a wooden object the kitten re-
members the mice which his ancestors
heard gnawing during thousands OF
years and comes cautiously creeping
ready to pounce upon a mouse though
he has never seen one with his own
individual eyes. 1t is race memory
such as we have when we shirk from
a serpent because thousands of years
ago one of our ancestors was bitten
by poisonous snake and the horror
has come down to u.s.
Then our kitten has an enquiring
mind and wants to investigate every
thing that comes to view. Darwin
was no more keen observer though it
cannot be claimed that the like gen.
eral differences are made from kitty's
observations and yet he learns accu-
rately the facts and knows how to
IL hiy,pcalf of fharn in hio SnOrfS
and cambles. We have been told that
all men are brothers and that of one
blood are all the people who dwell up
on the face of the earth, but when we
see the numerous points of resem-
blance in structure, in bodily and
mental character we have to widen
our family ties to take in all the anil
NAL creation and perhaps even the
as Thoreau considered the
trees to be companions even more
than men.
But there are points of difference
between the kitten and me, even more
striking than the points of likeness,
.hough when you come to ex-
mime them the differences are
more in degree than in kind
Our pet evidently thinks that
he whole world exists for his indivi-
lual amusements. The house, the fur
liture, the family exist for no other
purpose than to serve as toys for him
% play with, and if caller appears
t is Just a new olaything for him to
snjoy and it is not a confidence that
1leases such people as feel repug-
nance to animals of this kind. Most
If us have learned before we have
lalf passed through the days of child
md that there are many griefs as well
IS pleasures in life. 1t is only the
babe that is so confidently
selfish as our kitten.
Another noticeable difference. In
his very narrow and restricted sphere
# intelligence and activity the kitten
s immensely superior to a human be-
ng of the same age. But we have the
opportunity of making comparison in
| child only little older. Though the
Kitten seems so wonderfully bright in
Ter small sphere it is evident that this
sphere will always be small. On the
,ther hand the baby, fearless. lively
ind alert can use some symbols Show
hg capacity for immensely greater
hings. She can distinguish her father
ind mother and name them. Several
objects in number growing every day
mere numerous she can tell by their
names and this the kitten can never
do. Owners OF animals speak of 1t
with pride if a dog or a cat under
stands word that is spoken to them,
but the baby speaks the word and ap-
plies it in an understanding way to
the appropriate object. Still the diff
ferences are in degree and the more
intelligent animals have the rudiments
of moral sense. This is denied by
many but is firmly believed by those
having most sympathy with animals
Newburyport Herald.