Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-12-05
WILL INSECTS FINALLY
0VERRUN THE UNIVERSE?
Scientific Writer Casts Doubt on
Man Being Worlds Eventual
Master Creature.

Man through long course OF evolu-
tion-the latter part of which was
enormously accelerated. while en-
bracing virtually the whole history
Of his psychic development-has nov
become the apparently undisputed
mastcr-crcature Of the earth. Will
he continue in this dominan, position
aa long a. the earth remains habit
able? Or Will human hcgcmony be
ctcded by that OF some other speci-
at!z:d mcmber Of the geological Life
group?
Manifestly this is not a question
10 be answered in our age, and so, to
MAN. thousands, ii will appear as al
together futile. But II might be sug-
gested that they, who feel concern
about what Will happen million
years in the future thereby give sign
OF having in them the potency of be-
i"s rt!ii in existence, somewhere, q
million years hence. while those
whose imagination makes no curious
outreach!ngs across the narrow from
tiers OF the brief, ordinary life Of
man. may be by nature essentially
The question comes to me. stirred
up by something which | have just
been reading. quoted by the American
naturalist, Professor W. NJ: Wheeler
Bouyier. who. in his turn. quotes IL
from the Belgian French poet, think
er and observer. Maurice Maeterlinck
lie wrote it in writing about another
great naturalist. j. II. I'abrc.
The insect" wrote Maeterlinck,
does not belong to our world. Other
animals. and even the plants, despite
their mute lives and the great secrets
they cnfoid. Seem not to be such total
strangers. for we still feel in them.
Notwithstanding all their peculiari-
ties. a certain terrestrial fraternity.
Something TO Think About.
They may surprise, or even amaze
us at times. but they do not com
pletely. upse, our thoughts. Some
thing in the insects. however, seems
to be alien 20 the habits. morals
and psychology of our globe. as II ii
mad come from some other planet.
more monstrous. more energetic more
fernal than our own.
No doubt in this establishment and
FAILURE to comprehend We are besct
with an indcfinable, profound and in
stinctivc uneasiness. inspired by be-
inGs so incomparably better armed
and endowed than ourselves, concen-
trations of energy and activity. in
which we divine our most mysterious
foes, the rivals of our last hours,
and perhaps our successors"
Professor Wheeler says OF this that
deed II is. II you have, ever shud
deringly met n spider under magni-
Tying glass you will understand the
applicability q Maeterlinck's adjec-
sensate" 10 the physical appearance
OF such creatures. y spider To be
sure. is not technically AN insect,
but he is an old fashioned articuiate,
linck was not thinking of as much OF
the forms of insects-strange, ont
land:sh. horrible mocking and hide
Gus as they often areas he was OF
what we may call their moral and
mental character. 1t is this that really
dinerentiates creatures.
susceptible OF something at least
suggesting sympathetic relationship
with human beings. Setting aside
such plain examples rs horses, dogs,
many. species OF birds. mice, etc,
consider animals so far from the
human stage and so repellant by
their physical peculiuritics as
snakes. Yet snakes can be tanned.
and will show fondncss for and
trust in their human teachers. Fish
are tamcablc in similar way. But
can you tame an insect? Can you
teach il anything? Can you detect
tile least sign OF comprehension of
your ideas, even in such insects as
bees?
4 Possible Catastrophe.
The ant is famous for its indica-
lions OF supposedly hnman-likc in
telligencc. Internationally It has Il
position that 1t mimics human men
tally is evidently an error. Not
long ago French investigator
spent much time in an elaborate at
tempt to penetrate the secret OF
ant intelligence. He was q civil
engineer as we'll as naturalist. and
he followed out their roads, their
Explorations and voyages" and he
found that these creatures. though
their doings are efficient for their
own purposes. have no unmistak-
able points of contact with even the
simplest human forms of intclli-
gence. This was to be expected, on
account OF their possession OF sense
organs utterly incomprchensible to
us.
And therein. perhaps. lies tho
strongest line OF distinction he
tween the physiology OF insects and
that OF other animals. Insects are
they seem to obtain informn-
ton about the world they 1.-Two in Of
Kinds unknown To II2S The. arpana