第4章
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  Y。M。Goon。Illustrate。

  O。M。Doyouknowchess?

  Y。M。Ilearneditaweekago。

  O。M。Didyourmindgoonplayingthegameallnightthatfirstnight?

  Y。M。Don’tmentionit!

  O。M。Itwaseagerly,unsatisfiablyinterested;itriotedinthecombinations;youimploredittodropthegameandletyougetsomesleep?

  Y。M。Yes。Itwouldn’tlisten;itplayedrightalong。ItworemeoutandIgotuphaggardandwretchedinthemorning。

  O。M。Atsometimeorotheryouhavebeencaptivatedbyaridiculousrhymejingle?

  Y。M。Indeed,yes!

  \"IsawEsaukissingKate,AndshesawIsawEsau;

  IsawEsau,hesawKate,Andshesaw\"

  Andsoon。Mymindwentmadwithjoyoverit。ItrepeateditalldayandallnightforaweekinspiteofallIcoulddotostopit,anditseemedtomethatImustsurelygocrazy。

  O。M。Andthenewpopularsong?

  Y。M。Ohyes!\"IntheSweeeetByandBy\";etc。Yes,thenewpopularsongwiththetakingmelodysingsthroughone’sheaddayandnight,asleepandawake,tilloneisawreck。Thereisnogettingthemindtoletitalone。

  O。M。Yes,asleepaswellasawake。Themindisquiteindependent。Itismaster。Youhavenothingtodowithit。Itissoapartfromyouthatitcanconductitsaffairs,singitssongs,playitschess,weaveitscomplexandingeniouslyconstructeddreams,whileyousleep。Ithasnouseforyourhelp,nouseforyourguidance,andneveruseseither,whetheryoubeasleeporawake。Youhaveimaginedthatyoucouldoriginateathoughtinyourmind,andyouhavesincerelybelievedyoucoulddoit。

  Y。M。Yes,Ihavehadthatidea。

  O。M。Yetyoucan’toriginateadreamthoughtforittoworkout,andgetitaccepted?

  Y。M。No。

  O。M。Andyoucan’tdictateitsprocedureafterithasoriginatedadreamthoughtforitself?

  Y。M。No。Noonecandoit。Doyouthinkthewakingmindandthedreammindarethesamemachine?

  O。M。Thereisargumentforit。Wehavewildandfantasticdaythoughts?Thingsthataredreamlike?

  Y。M。YeslikeMr。Wells’smanwhoinventedadrugthatmadehiminvisible;andliketheArabiantalesoftheThousandNights。

  O。M。Andtherearedreamsthatarerational,simple,consistent,andunfantastic?

  Y。M。Yes。Ihavedreamsthatarelikethat。Dreamsthatarejustlikereallife;dreamsinwhichthereareseveralpersonswithdistinctlydifferentiatedcharactersinventionsofmymindandyetstrangerstome:avulgarperson;arefinedone;

  awiseperson;afool;acruelperson;akindandcompassionateone;aquarrelsomeperson;apeacemaker;oldpersonsandyoung;

  beautifulgirlsandhomelyones。Theytalkincharacter,eachpreserveshisowncharacteristics。Therearevividfights,vividandbitinginsults,vividlovepassages;therearetragediesandcomedies,therearegriefsthatgotoone’sheart,therearesayingsanddoingsthatmakeyoulaugh:indeed,thewholethingisexactlylikereallife。

  O。M。Yourdreamingmindoriginatesthescheme,consistentlyandartisticallydevelopsit,andcarriesthelittledramacreditablythroughallwithouthelporsuggestionfromyou?

  Y。M。Yes。

  O。M。ItisargumentthatitcoulddothelikeawakewithouthelporsuggestionfromyouandIthinkitdoes。Itisargumentthatitisthesameoldmindinbothcases,andneverneedsyourhelp。

  Ithinkthemindispurelyamachine,athoroughlyindependentmachine,anautomaticmachine。HaveyoutriedtheotherexperimentwhichIsuggestedtoyou?

  Y。M。Whichone?

  O。M。Theonewhichwastodeterminehowmuchinfluenceyouhaveoveryourmindifany。

  Y。M。Yes,andgotmoreorlessentertainmentoutofit。I

  didasyouordered:Iplacedtwotextsbeforemyeyesoneadulloneandbarrenofinterest,theotheronefullofinterest,inflamedwithit,whitehotwithit。Icommandedmymindtobusyitselfsolelywiththedullone。

  O。M。Diditobey?

  Y。M。Well,no,itdidn’t。Itbusieditselfwiththeotherone。

  O。M。Didyoutryhardtomakeitobey?

  Y。M。Yes,Ididmyhonestbest。

  O。M。Whatwasthetextwhichitrefusedtobeinterestedinorthinkabout?

  Y。M。Itwasthisquestion:IfAowesBadollarandahalf,andBowesCtwoandthreequarter,andCowesAthirty

  fivecents,andDandAtogetheroweEandBthreesixteenthsofofIdon’tremembertherest,now,butanywayitwaswhollyuninteresting,andIcouldnotforcemymindtosticktoitevenhalfaminuteatatime;itkeptflyingofftotheothertext。

  O。M。Whatwastheothertext?

  Y。M。Itisnomatteraboutthat。

  O。M。Butwhatwasit?

  Y。M。Aphotograph。

  O。M。Yourown?

  Y。M。No。Itwashers。

  O。M。Youreallymadeanhonestgoodtest。Didyoumakeasecondtrial?

  Y。M。Yes。Icommandedmymindtointerestitselfinthemorningpaper’sreportoftheporkmarket,andatthesametimeI

  remindeditofanexperienceofmineofsixteenyearsago。Itrefusedtoconsidertheporkandgaveitswholeblazinginteresttothatancientincident。

  O。M。Whatwastheincident?

  Y。M。Anarmeddesperadoslappedmyfaceinthepresenceoftwentyspectators。ItmakesmewildandmurderouseverytimeI

  thinkofit。

  O。M。Goodtests,both;verygoodtests。Didyoutrymyothersuggestion?

  Y。M。TheonewhichwastoprovetomethatifIwouldleavemymindtoitsowndevicesitwouldfindthingstothinkaboutwithoutanyofmyhelp,andthusconvincemethatitwasamachine,anautomaticmachine,setinmotionbyexteriorinfluences,andasindependentofmeasitcouldbeifitwereinsomeoneelse’sskull。Isthattheone?

  O。M。Yes。

  Y。M。Itriedit。Iwasshaving。Ihadsleptwell,andmymindwasverylively,evengayandfrisky。Itwasrevelinginafantasticandjoyfulepisodeofmyremoteboyhoodwhichhadsuddenlyflashedupinmymemorymovedtothisbythespectacleofayellowcatpickingitswaycarefullyalongthetopofthegardenwall。Thecolorofthiscatbroughtthebygonecatbeforeme,andIsawherwalkingalongthesidestepofthepulpit;sawherwalkontoalargesheetofstickyflypaperandgetallherfeetinvolved;sawherstruggleandfalldown,helplessanddissatisfied,moreandmoreurgent,moreandmoreunreconciled,moreandmoremutelyprofane;sawthesilentcongregationquiveringlikejelly,andthetearsrunningdowntheirfaces。I

  sawitall。ThesightofthetearswhiskedmymindtoafardistantandasaddersceneinTerradelFuegoandwithDarwin’seyesIsawanakedgreatsavagehurlhislittleboyagainsttherocksforatriflingfault;sawthepoormothergatherupherdyingchildandhugittoherbreastandweep,utteringnoword。

  Didmymindstoptomournwiththatnudeblacksisterofmine?

  Noitwasfarawayfromthatsceneinaninstant,andwasbusyingitselfwithaneverrecurringanddisagreeabledreamofmine。InthisdreamIalwaysfindmyself,strippedtomyshirt,cringinganddodgingaboutinthemidstofagreatdrawingroomthrongoffinelydressedladiesandgentlemen,andwonderinghowIgotthere。Andsoonandsoon,pictureafterpicture,incidentafterincident,adriftingpanoramaofeverchanging,everdissolvingviewsmanufacturedbymymindwithoutanyhelpfrommewhy,itwouldtakemetwohourstomerelynamethemultitudeofthingsmymindtalliedoffandphotographedinfifteenminutes,letalonedescribethemtoyou。

  O。M。Aman’smind,leftfree,hasnouseforhishelp。Butthereisonewaywherebyhecangetitshelpwhenhedesiresit。

  Y。M。Whatisthatway?

  O。M。Whenyourmindisracingalongfromsubjecttosubjectandstrikesaninspiringone,openyourmouthandbegintalkinguponthatmatterortakeyourpenandusethat。Itwillinterestyourmindandconcentrateit,anditwillpursuethesubjectwithsatisfaction。Itwilltakefullcharge,andfurnishthewordsitself。

  Y。M。Butdon’tItellitwhattosay?

  O。M。Therearecertainlyoccasionswhenyouhaven’ttime。

  Thewordsleapoutbeforeyouknowwhatiscoming。

  Y。M。Forinstance?

  O。M。Well,takea\"flashofwit\"repartee。Flashistherightword。Itisoutinstantly。Thereisnotimetoarrangethewords。Thereisnothinking,noreflecting。Wherethereisawitmechanismitisautomaticinitsactionandneedsnohelp。

  Wherethewhitmechanismislacking,noamountofstudyandreflectioncanmanufacturetheproduct。

  Y。M。Youreallythinkamanoriginatesnothing,createsnothing。

  TheThinkingProcessO。M。Ido。Menperceive,andtheirbrainmachinesautomaticallycombinethethingsperceived。Thatisall。

  Y。M。Thesteamengine?

  O。M。Ittakesfiftymenahundredyearstoinventit。Onemeaningofinventisdiscover。Iusethewordinthatsense。

  Littlebylittletheydiscoverandapplythemultitudeofdetailsthatgotomaketheperfectengine。Wattnoticedthatconfinedsteamwasstrongenoughtoliftthelidoftheteapot。Hedidn’tcreatetheidea,hemerelydiscoveredthefact;thecathadnoticeditahundredtimes。Fromtheteapotheevolvedthecylinderfromthedisplacedlidheevolvedthepistonrod。Toattachsomethingtothepistonrodtobemovedbyit,wasasimplemattercrankandwheel。Andsotherewasaworkingengine。[1]

  Onebyone,improvementswerediscoveredbymenwhousedtheireyes,nottheircreatingpowersfortheyhadn’tanyandnow,afterahundredyearsthepatientcontributionsoffiftyorahundredobserversstandcompactedinthewonderfulmachinewhichdrivestheoceanliner。

  Y。M。AShakespeareanplay?

  O。M。Theprocessisthesame。Thefirstactorwasasavage。Hereproducedinhistheatricalwardances,scalp

  dances,andsoon,incidentswhichhehadseeninreallife。A

  moreadvancedcivilizationproducedmoreincidents,moreepisodes;theactorandthestorytellerborrowedthem。Andsothedramagrew,littlebylittle,stagebystage。Itismadeupofthefactsoflife,notcreations。IttookcenturiestodeveloptheGreekdrama。Itborrowedfromprecedingages;itlenttotheagesthatcameafter。Menobserveandcombine,thatisall。Sodoesarat。

  Y。M。How?

  O。M。Heobservesasmell,heinfersacheese,heseeksandfinds。Theastronomerobservesthisandthat;addshisthisandthattothethisandthatsofahundredpredecessors,infersaninvisibleplanet,seeksitandfindsit。Theratgetsintoatrap;getsoutwithtrouble;infersthatcheeseintrapslacksvalue,andmeddleswiththattrapnomore。Theastronomerisveryproudofhisachievement,theratisproudofhis。Yetbotharemachines;theyhavedonemachinework,theyhaveoriginatednothing,theyhavenorighttobevain;thewholecreditbelongstotheirMaker。Theyareentitledtonohonors,nopraises,nomonumentswhentheydie,noremembrance。Oneisacomplexandelaboratemachine,theotherasimpleandlimitedmachine,buttheyarealikeinprinciple,function,andprocess,andneitherofthemworksotherwisethanautomatically,andneitherofthemmayrighteouslyclaimaPERSONALsuperiorityorapersonaldignityabovetheother。

  Y。M。Inearnedpersonaldignity,then,andinpersonalmeritforwhathedoes,itfollowsofnecessitythatheisonthesamelevelasarat?

  O。M。Hisbrothertherat;yes,thatishowitseemstome。

  Neitherofthembeingentitledtoanypersonalmeritforwhathedoes,itfollowsofnecessitythatneitherofthemhasarighttoarrogatetohimself(personallycreated)superioritiesoverhisbrother。

  Y。M。Areyoudeterminedtogoonbelievingintheseinsanities?Wouldyougoonbelievingintheminthefaceofableargumentsbackedbycollatedfactsandinstances?

  O。M。Ihavebeenahumble,earnest,andsincereTruthSeeker。

  Y。M。Verywell?

  O。M。Thehumble,earnest,andsincereTruthSeekerisalwaysconvertiblebysuchmeans。

  Y。M。IamthankfultoGodtohearyousaythis,fornowI

  knowthatyourconversion

  O。M。Wait。Youmisunderstand。IsaidIhaveBEENaTruthSeeker。

  Y。M。Well?

  O。M。Iamnotthatnow。Haveyourforgotten?ItoldyouthattherearenonebuttemporaryTruthSeekers;thatapermanentoneisahumanimpossibility;thatassoonastheSeekerfindswhatheisthoroughlyconvincedistheTruth,heseeksnofurther,butgivestherestofhisdaystohuntingjunktopatchitandcaulkitandpropitwith,andmakeitweatherproofandkeepitfromcavinginonhim。HencethePresbyterianremainsaPresbyterian,theMohammedanaMohammedan,theSpiritualistaSpiritualist,theDemocrataDemocrat,theRepublicanaRepublican,theMonarchistaMonarchist;andifahumble,earnest,andsincereSeekerafterTruthshouldfinditinthepropositionthatthemoonismadeofgreencheesenothingcouldeverbudgehimfromthatposition;forheisnothingbutanautomaticmachine,andmustobeythelawsofhisconstruction。

  Y。M。Afterso

  O。M。HavingfoundtheTruth;perceivingthatbeyondquestionmanhasbutonemovingimpulsethecontentingofhisownspirit

  andismerelyamachineandentitledtonopersonalmeritforanythinghedoes,itisnothumanlypossibleformetoseekfurther。

  Therestofmydayswillbespentinpatchingandpaintingandputtyingandcaulkingmypricelesspossessionandinlookingtheotherwaywhenanimploringargumentoradamagingfactapproaches。

  1。TheMarquessofWorcesterhaddoneallofthismorethanacenturyearlier。

  VI

  InstinctandThoughtYoungMan。Itisodious。Thosedrunkentheoriesofyours,advancedawhileagoconcerningtheratandallthatstripManbareofallhisdignities,grandeurs,sublimities。

  OldMan。Hehasn’tanytostriptheyareshams,stolenclothes。HeclaimscreditswhichbelongsolelytohisMaker。

  Y。M。Butyouhavenorighttoputhimonalevelwitharat。

  O。M。Idon’tmorally。Thatwouldnotbefairtotherat。

  Theratiswellabovehim,there。

  Y。M。Areyoujoking?

  O。M。No,Iamnot。

  Y。M。Thenwhatdoyoumean?

  O。M。ThatcomesundertheheadoftheMoralSense。Itisalargequestion。Letusfinishwithwhatweareaboutnow,beforewetakeitup。

  Y。M。Verywell。YouhaveseemedtoconcedethatyouplaceManandtheratonAlevel。Whatisit?Theintellectual?

  O。M。Informnotadegree。

  Y。M。Explain。

  O。M。Ithinkthattherat’smindandtheman’smindarethesamemachine,butofunequalcapacitieslikeyoursandEdison’s;

  liketheAfricanpygmy’sandHomer’s;liketheBushman’sandBismarck’s。

  Y。M。Howareyougoingtomakethatout,whentheloweranimalshavenomentalqualitybutinstinct,whilemanpossessesreason?

  O。M。Whatisinstinct?

  Y。M。Itismerelyunthinkingandmechanicalexerciseofinheritedhabit。

  O。M。Whatoriginatedthehabit?

  Y。M。Thefirstanimalstartedit,itsdescendantshaveinheritedit。

  O。M。Howdidthefirstonecometostartit?

  Y。M。Idon’tknow;butitdidn’tTHINKitout。

  O。M。Howdoyouknowitdidn’t?

  Y。M。WellIhavearighttosupposeitdidn’t,anyway。

  O。M。Idon’tbelieveyouhave。Whatisthought?

  Y。M。Iknowwhatyoucallit:themechanicalandautomaticputtingtogetherofimpressionsreceivedfromoutside,anddrawinganinferencefromthem。

  O。M。Verygood。Nowmyideaofthemeaninglessterm\"instinct\"is,thatitismerelyPETRIFIEDTHOUGHT;solidifiedandmadeinanimatebyhabit;thoughtwhichwasoncealiveandawake,butitbecomeunconsciouswalksinitssleep,sotospeak。

  Y。M。Illustrateit。

  O。M。Takeaherdofcows,feedinginapasture。Theirheadsareallturnedinonedirection。Theydothatinstinctively;theygainnothingbyit,theyhavenoreasonforit,theydon’tknowwhytheydoit。Itisaninheritedhabitwhichwasoriginallythoughtthatistosay,observationofanexteriorfact,andavaluableinferencedrawnfromthatobservationandconfirmedbyexperience。Theoriginalwildoxnoticedthatwiththewindinhisfavorhecouldsmellhisenemyintimetoescape;thenheinferredthatitwasworthwhiletokeephisnosetothewind。Thatistheprocesswhichmancallsreasoning。Man’sthoughtmachineworksjustliketheotheranimals’,butitisabetteroneandmoreEdisonian。Man,intheox’splace,wouldgofurther,reasonwider:hewouldfacepartoftheherdtheotherwayandprotectbothfrontandrear。

  Y。M。Didyoustaytheterminstinctismeaningless?

  O。M。Ithinkitisabastardword。Ithinkitconfusesus;

  forasaruleitappliesitselftohabitsandimpulseswhichhadafarofforigininthought,andnowandthenbreakstheruleandappliesitselftohabitswhichcanhardlyclaimathoughtorigin。

  Y。M。Giveaninstance。

  O。M。Well,inputtingontrousersamanalwaysinsertsthesameoldlegfirstnevertheotherone。Thereisnoadvantageinthat,andnosenseinit。Allmendoit,yetnomanthoughtitoutandadopteditofsetpurpose,Iimagine。Butitisahabitwhichistransmitted,nodoubt,andwillcontinuetobetransmitted。

  Y。M。Canyouprovethatthehabitexists?

  O。M。Youcanproveit,ifyoudoubt。Ifyouwilltakeamantoaclothingstoreandwatchhimtryonadozenpairsoftrousers,youwillsee。

  Y。M。Thecowillustrationisnot

  O。M。Sufficienttoshowthatadumbanimal’smentalmachineisjustthesameasaman’sanditsreasoningprocessesthesame?

  Iwillillustratefurther。IfyoushouldhandMr。Edisonaboxwhichyoucausedtoflyopenbysomeconcealeddevicehewouldinferaspring,andwouldhuntforitandfindit。Nowanuncleofminehadanoldhorsewhousedtogetintotheclosedlotwherethecorncribwasanddishonestlytakethecorn。Igotthepunishmentmyself,asitwassupposedthatIhadheedlesslyfailedtoinsertthewoodenpinwhichkeptthegateclosed。

  Thesepersistentpunishmentsfatiguedme;theyalsocausedmetoinfertheexistenceofaculprit,somewhere;soIhidmyselfandwatchedthegate。Presentlythehorsecameandpulledthepinoutwithhisteethandwentin。Nobodytaughthimthat;hehadobservedthenthoughtitoutforhimself。HisprocessdidnotdifferfromEdison’s;heputthisandthattogetheranddrewaninferenceandthepeg,too;butImadehimsweatforit。

  Y。M。Ithassomethingoftheseemingofthoughtaboutit。

  Stillitisnotveryelaborate。Enlarge。

  O。M。SupposeMr。Edisonhasbeenenjoyingsomeone’shospitalities。Hecomesagainbyandby,andthehouseisvacant。Heinfersthathishosthasmoved。Awhileafterward,inanothertown,heseesthemanenterahouse;heinfersthatthatisthenewhome,andfollowstoinquire。Here,now,istheexperienceofagull,asrelatedbyanaturalist。ThesceneisaScotchfishingvillagewherethegullswerekindlytreated。Thisparticulargullvisitedacottage;wasfed;camenextdayandwasfedagain;cameintothehouse,nexttime,andatewiththefamily;keptondoingthisalmostdaily,thereafter。But,oncethegullwasawayonajourneyforafewdays,andwhenitreturnedthehousewasvacant。Itsfriendshadremovedtoavillagethreemilesdistant。Severalmonthslateritsawtheheadofthefamilyonthestreetthere,followedhimhome,enteredthehousewithoutexcuseorapology,andbecameadailyguestagain。Gullsdonotrankhighmentally,butthisonehadmemoryandthereasoningfaculty,yousee,andappliedthemEdisonially。

  Y。M。YetitwasnotanEdisonandcouldn’tbedevelopedintoone。

  O。M。Perhapsnot。Couldyou?

  Y。M。Thatisneitherherenorthere。Goon。

  O。M。IfEdisonwereintroubleandastrangerhelpedhimoutofitandnextdayhegotintothesamedifficultyagain,hewouldinferthewisethingtodoincaseheknewthestranger’saddress。Hereisacaseofabirdandastrangerasrelatedbyanaturalist。AnEnglishmansawabirdflyingaroundabouthisdog’shead,downinthegrounds,andutteringcriesofdistress。

  Hewenttheretoseeaboutit。Thedoghadayoungbirdinhismouthunhurt。Thegentlemanrescueditandputitonabushandbroughtthedogaway。Earlythenextmorningthemotherbirdcameforthegentleman,whowassittingonhisveranda,andbyitsmaneuverspersuadedhimtofollowittoadistantpartofthegroundsflyingalittlewayinfrontofhimandwaitingforhimtocatchup,andsoon;andkeepingtothewindingpath,too,insteadofflyingthenearwayacrosslots。Thedistancecoveredwasfourhundredyards。Thesamedogwastheculprit;hehadtheyoungbirdagain,andoncemorehehadtogiveitup。Nowthemotherbirdhadreasoneditallout:sincethestrangerhadhelpedheronce,sheinferredthathewoulddoitagain;sheknewwheretofindhim,andshewentuponhererrandwithconfidence。

  HermentalprocesseswerewhatEdison’swouldhavebeen。SheputthisandthattogetherandthatisallthatthoughtISandoutofthembuiltherlogicalarrangementofinferences。Edisoncouldn’thavedoneitanybetterhimself。

  Y。M。Doyoubelievethatmanyofthedumbanimalscanthink?

  O。M。Yestheelephant,themonkey,thehorse,thedog,theparrot,themacaw,themockingbird,andmanyothers。Theelephantwhosematefellintoapit,andwhodumpeddirtandrubbishintothepittillbottomwasraisedhighenoughtoenablethecaptivetostepout,wasequippedwiththereasoningquality。

  Iconceivethatallanimalsthatcanlearnthingsthroughteachinganddrillinghavetoknowhowtoobserve,andputthisandthattogetheranddrawaninferencetheprocessofthinking。

  Couldyouteachanidiotofmanualsofarms,andtoadvance,retreat,andgothroughcomplexfieldmaneuversatthewordofcommand?

  Y。M。Notifhewereathoroughidiot。

  O。M。Well,canarybirdscanlearnallthat;dogsandelephantslearnallsortsofwonderfulthings。Theymustsurelybeabletonotice,andtoputthingstogether,andsaytothemselves,\"Igettheidea,now:whenIdosoandso,asperorder,Iampraisedandfed;whenIdodifferentlyIampunished。\"

  FleascanbetaughtnearlyanythingthataCongressmancan。

  Y。M。Granting,then,thatdumbanimalsareabletothinkuponalowplane,isthereanythatcanthinkuponahighone?

  Isthereonethatiswelluptowardman?

  O。M。Yes。Asathinkerandplannertheantistheequalofanysavageraceofmen;asaselfeducatedspecialistinseveralartssheisthesuperiorofanysavageraceofmen;andinoneortwohighmentalqualitiessheisabovethereachofanyman,savageorcivilized!

  Y。M。Oh,come!youareabolishingtheintellectualfrontierwhichseparatesmanandbeast。

  O。M。Ibegyourpardon。Onecannotabolishwhatdoesnotexist。

  Y。M。Youarenotinearnest,Ihope。Youcannotmeantoseriouslysaythereisnosuchfrontier。

  O。M。Idosayitseriously。Theinstancesofthehorse,thegull,themotherbird,andtheelephantshowthatthosecreaturesputtheirthis’sandthatstogetherjustasEdisonwouldhavedoneitanddrewthesameinferencesthathewouldhavedrawn。

  Theirmentalmachinerywasjustlikehis,alsoitsmannerofworking。TheirequipmentwasasinferiortotheStrasburgclock,butthatistheonlydifferencethereisnofrontier。

  Y。M。Itlooksexasperatinglytrue;andisdistinctlyoffensive。Itelevatesthedumbbeaststoto

  O。M。Letusdropthatlyingphrase,andcallthemtheUnrevealedCreatures;sofaraswecanknow,thereisnosuchthingasadumbbeast。

  Y。M。Onwhatgroundsdoyoumakethatassertion?

  O。M。Onquitesimpleones。\"Dumb\"beastsuggestsananimalthathasnothoughtmachinery,nounderstanding,nospeech,nowayofcommunicatingwhatisinitsmind。WeknowthatahenHAS

  speech。Wecannotunderstandeverythingshesays,butweeasilylearntwoorthreeofherphrases。Weknowwhensheissaying,\"Ihavelaidanegg\";weknowwhensheissayingtothechicks,\"Runhere,dears,I’vefoundaworm\";weknowwhatsheissayingwhenshevoicesawarning:\"Quick!hurry!gatheryourselvesundermamma,there’sahawkcoming!\"Weunderstandthecatwhenshestretchesherselfout,purringwithaffectionandcontentmentandliftsupasoftvoiceandsays,\"Come,kitties,supper’sready\";weunderstandherwhenshegoesmourningaboutandsays,\"Wherecantheybe?Theyarelost。Won’tyouhelpmehuntforthem?\"andweunderstandthedisreputableTomwhenhechallengesatmidnightfromhisshed,\"Youcomeoverhere,youproductofimmoralcommerce,andI’llmakeyourfurfly!\"Weunderstandafewofadog’sphrasesandwelearntounderstandafewoftheremarksandgesturesofanybirdorotheranimalthatwedomesticateandobserve。Theclearnessandexactnessofthefewofthehen’sspeecheswhichweunderstandisargumentthatshecancommunicatetoherkindahundredthingswhichwecannotcomprehendinaword,thatshecanconverse。AndthisargumentisalsoapplicableinthecaseofothersofthegreatarmyoftheUnrevealed。Itisjustlikeman’svanityandimpertinencetocallananimaldumbbecauseitisdumbtohisdullperceptions。

  Nowastotheant

  Y。M。Yes,gobacktotheant,thecreaturethatasyouseemtothinksweepsawaythelastvestigeofanintellectualfrontierbetweenmanandtheUnrevealed。

  O。M。Thatiswhatshesurelydoes。InallhishistorytheaboriginalAustralianneverthoughtoutahouseforhimselfandbuiltit。Theantisanamazingarchitect。Sheisaweelittlecreature,butshebuildsastrongandenduringhouseeightfeethighahousewhichisaslargeinproportiontohersizeasisthelargestcapitolorcathedralintheworldcomparedtoman’ssize。Nosavageracehasproducedarchitectswhocouldapproachtheairingeniusorculture。Nocivilizedracehasproducedarchitectswhocouldplanahousebetterfortheusesproposedthancanhers。Herhousecontainsathroneroom;nurseriesforheryoung;granaries;apartmentsforhersoldiers,herworkers,etc。;andtheyandthemultifarioushallsandcorridorswhichcommunicatewiththemarearrangedanddistributedwithaneducatedandexperiencedeyeforconvenienceandadaptability。

  Y。M。Thatcouldbemereinstinct。

  O。M。Itwouldelevatethesavageifhehadit。Butletuslookfurtherbeforewedecide。Theanthassoldiersbattalions,regiments,armies;andtheyhavetheirappointedcaptainsandgenerals,wholeadthemtobattle。

  Y。M。Thatcouldbeinstinct,too。

  O。M。Wewilllookstillfurther。Theanthasasystemofgovernment;itiswellplanned,elaborate,andiswellcarriedon。

  Y。M。Instinctagain。

  O。M。Shehascrowdsofslaves,andisahardandunjustemployerofforcedlabor。

  Y。M。Instinct。

  O。M。Shehascows,andmilksthem。

  Y。M。Instinct,ofcourse。

  O。M。InTexasshelaysoutafarmtwelvefeetsquare,plantsit,weedsit,cultivatesit,gathersthecropandstoresitaway。

  Y。M。Instinct,allthesame。

  O。M。Theantdiscriminatesbetweenfriendandstranger。

  SirJohnLubbocktookantsfromtwodifferentnests,madethemdrunkwithwhiskeyandlaidthem,unconscious,byoneofthenests,nearsomewater。Antsfromthenestcameandexaminedanddiscussedthesedisgracedcreatures,thencarriedtheirfriendshomeandthrewthestrangersoverboard。SirJohnrepeatedtheexperimentanumberoftimes。Foratimethesoberantsdidastheyhaddoneatfirstcarriedtheirfriendshomeandthrewthestrangersoverboard。Butfinallytheylostpatience,seeingthattheirreformatoryeffortswentfornothing,andthrewbothfriendsandstrangersoverboard。Comeisthisinstinct,orisitthoughtfulandintelligentdiscussionofathingnew

  absolutelynewtotheirexperience;withaverdictarrivedat,sentencepassed,andjudgmentexecuted?Isitinstinct?thoughtpetrifiedbyagesofhabitorisn’titbrandnewthought,inspiredbythenewoccasion,thenewcircumstances?

  Y。M。Ihavetoconcedeit。Itwasnotaresultofhabit;

  ithasallthelookofreflection,thought,puttingthisandthattogether,asyouphraseit。Ibelieveitwasthought。

  O。M。Iwillgiveyouanotherinstanceofthought。Franklinhadacupofsugaronatableinhisroom。Theantsgotatit。

  Hetriedseveralpreventives;andantsrosesuperiortothem。

  Finallyhecontrivedonewhichshutoffaccessprobablysetthetable’slegsinpansofwater,ordrewacircleoftararoundthecup,Idon’tremember。Atanyrate,hewatchedtoseewhattheywoulddo。Theytriedvariousschemesfailures,everyone。Theantswerebadlypuzzled。Finallytheyheldaconsultation,discussedtheproblem,arrivedatadecisionandthistimetheybeatthatgreatphilosopher。Theyformedinprocession,crossthefloor,climbedthewall,marchedacrosstheceilingtoapointjustoverthecup,thenonebyonetheyletgoandfelldownintoit!Wasthatinstinctthoughtpetrifiedbyagesofinheritedhabit?

  Y。M。No,Idon’tbelieveitwas。Ibelieveitwasanewlyreasonedschemetomeetanewemergency。

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