The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1914-04-30

! ropOlitan Magazine, afford
most interesting reading for anyone
interested in the subject of animal in
telligence. Even for one not interest
ed in this particular field, the in
formation impaired by these articles
is SO far out of the ordinary, COM
monty accepted beliefs as to give one
at first the impression that he is in
the sphere Of romance rather than of
real truth. But the facts detailed by
Maeterlinck have been we'll known in
scientific circles for nearly ten years,
and there can be no doubt that the
author is here dealing with the same
sort of verified results that he gave
Jus in "The Life of the Bee" a few
years ago The striking intelligence
'pf which the horse is capable of at
taining under proper instruction is
well illustrated in the case of the Ell
)berfelds These horses have been
taught the rudiments of the German
language to such an extent as to be
able to express themselves, to answer
questions, TO impart information, and
to convey the results Of even complex |
mental processes. Not only that, but |
they have mastered the elements of
and are able to perform /
the ordinary processes of arithmetic I
Ito add, subtract, multiply, divide,
and to extract the square and cube
roots of large numbers. The tests APP
piled have left no doubt in the au-
.hor's mind that these phenomena are
there is not mere trick
n mechanical responses about the af-
air-that the horses actually do the
linking and the calculating in pre-
isely the same sense that a school
10Y does. Students of animal intelli-
.ence, following the doctrine of evo-
ltien, are almost unanimously agreed
hat there is no distinction in kind )
etween the mind of man and the
lind of the higher animals; that the
is one only of degree or in :
rode of expression. Those who main
ain the opposite thesis are those who, :
Or the most part, are professionally >
censed to teach that there must be
difference of kind, and who are pro-
interested in intoxicating
lat idea for it's value to traditional t
If a difference of kind h
ere admitted, it would give at least Fl
coloring in favor of their disem- e
odied ghost theory as to futurity, "
JUS marking off man as entirely n
nique in this one respect But the d
Ieory as to disparity in kind be- o.
veen human intelligence and animal ri
telligence is supported only by b
etoric, dogma and egoism; the facts Of
e all on the other side. When we te
fleet that the East Coast African, te
ded by the power of speech and the st
e of two hands-in daily need of m
lowing numerical relationships not So
It learned to count five, or to COM W
ne three and two by the simple pro- al
IS of addition, and when we COM II
re this fact with the fact that an tn
'abian stallion has been taught to III
tract the cube root of number tv
tn seven digits, to solve problems fe
yolving the manipulation of common ad
actions, and to convey thoughts and co
,lings through the medium of an as
iected language, we are somewhat SUI
posed to rant less about "the i'm pc
rial intellect of man. or to regard co
ntal qualities among animals as bill
nd instincts and mechanical re- tic
,nses. re;
ne
We note little comment In the Re- frs
olican press with regard to the to