THE HISTORY OF MENTAL DEVELOPMENT 125 



bee remembers the gaining of honey in the past, as- 

 sociated with the color of the flower which she now 

 sees, and knows that honey is to be attained again. 

 Thus in time association leads to inference, and un- 

 derstanding has dawned. But the highest faculty of 

 the intellect is the rational intelligence, which per- 

 ceives beauty, truth, and goodness. This is the last to 

 develop. Traces of its working may be perhaps dis- 

 covered below man, but only in man does it become 

 dominant. Through it I perceive my rights and 

 duties, and come to the consciousness of my own per- 

 sonality as a moral agent. This tells me of the rela- 

 tion of my own personality to other persons and 

 things. And these are evidently the most important 

 objects of human study. The attainment of this 

 knowledge and the development of this faculty are evi- 

 dently the goal of human intellectual development. 

 This it is which has insured progress and raised man 

 ever higher above the brutes. 



Before we can proceed to the study of the will we 

 must clearly recognize and define certain modes of 

 mental and nervous action, which sooner or later man- 

 ifest themselves in muscular activity. For, while cer- 

 tain of our bodily activities are clearly voluntary, 

 others take place wholly, or in part independently, of 

 the individual will. Between these different modes of 

 bodily action we must distinguish as clearly as may 

 be possible. 



1. Reflex Action. I touch something cold or hot in 

 the dark, suddenly and unexpectedly. I draw back 

 my hand involuntarily and before I have perceived 

 the sensation of cold or heat. You tell me to keep 

 my eyes open while you make a sudden pass at them 



