554 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



able that the sudden clatter impressed the 

 startled animal as being the sound uttered 

 by some dangerous enemy. If such were 

 the case, it was natural for the beast to 

 search for the thing itself that terrified him, 

 which in fact was done, for he immediately 

 fastened his gaze upon the leaf that lay on 

 the floor and commenced against it his timid 

 hostilities. This conduct upon his part jus- 

 tifies the inference that the noise of the fall- 

 ing stick suggested a visible enemy, possibly 

 a serpent ; and so, the withdrawing of his 

 paw accompanied by the licking of it would 

 seem to tell us that the illusion or hallucina- 

 tion affected the sense of touch as well as 

 those of hearing and sight. 



Having once passed through this experi- 

 ence as following the hearing of the noise 

 made by the falling stick, it was natural 

 that there should be an association within 

 him between sudden noises in general and 

 the thing of terror, and hence, as Mr. Ringue- 

 berg tells us, he was apt to be thrown by 

 such noises into paroxysms ; and so, the 

 sound which caused the first trouble having 

 arisen in the kitchen, noises coming subse- 



quently from that quarter were the most 

 disturbing to him, just as stated. Proceed- 

 ing one step further, as the first attack came 

 upon Pluto in the kitchen, it was natural for 

 him to regard that spot as the abiding-place 

 of this enemy, and to show signs of terror, 

 as he did, at all times when passing through 

 that apartment. And, when particularly dis- 

 posed to a violent attack, the association of 

 ideas connected with the kitchen was most 

 likely to there bring upon him the climax of 

 his trouble. 



Mr. Ringueberg speaks always of these 

 paroxysms as accompanied by a fixed star- 

 ing at some particular object, whether a 

 spot upon the ceiling, a hanging towel, or 

 something else, and a terrified retreat there- 

 from ; all of which suggests a false sight, 

 bringing up the image of some material 

 enemy, and it is rather imaginative, under 

 all the circumstances, to suppose that it was 

 ghosts, or things spiritual, which he had be- 

 fore him, in imagination. 



Respectfully yours, 



Frank McGloin. 

 New Orleans, May 18, 1SS3. 



EDITOR'S TABLE. 



HERBERT SPENCER AND THE FRENCH 

 ACADEMY. 



MR. HERBERT SPENCER has 

 been chosen a member of the In- 

 stitute of France. "We learn that he was 

 elected in May by a nearly unanimous 

 vote as a Foreign Correspondent of the 

 Academy of Moral and Political Sci- 

 ences, to fill a vacancy caused by the 

 death of Henry P. Tappan, of Detroit. 

 These academical distinctions are so 

 often unworthily bestowed, that Mr. 

 Spencer does not hold them in much 

 esteem as indications of genuine merit; 

 but, as it may be assumed that he is not 

 indifferent to the good opinion of his 

 eminent contemporaries, he will, no 

 doubt, appreciate at its true worth this 

 well-intended compliment, and make 

 his acknowledgments accordingly. 



But there is an interest in the trans- 

 action not confined to the immediate 

 parties to it. When an institution, 

 standing highest in the world as a dis- 

 penser of the titles to intellectual emi- 

 nence, and which has become a kind 



of authoritative arbiter in such matters, 

 undertakes to assign the position of a 

 man like Spencer, there are many who 

 will desire to know with what discrim- 

 ination, and what rectitude of judg- 

 ment, the award has been made. The 

 honors of the Institute are not all of 

 equal dignity: that of Foreign Associ- 

 ate is highest, while that of Foreign 

 Correspondent is of secondary rank. 

 The French academicians, after having 

 certainly taken abundant time for de- 

 liberation, now decide that Mr. Spen- 

 cer's claims are not such as to entitle 

 him to the highest rank among the in- 

 tellectual leaders of the time. We think 

 the Academy has here made a consid- 

 erable mistake, which it is important 

 should be corrected.* 



* It may be as well to say that wo are not to 

 expect too much from the French Academy. Its 

 predominant historic spirit has been time-serving, 

 and it is declared by high authority that, instead of 

 fostering originality, it has rather been its policy to 

 hamper and crush it. We should not, therefore, 

 look to it for a very liberal appreciation of Herbert 

 Spencer; his qualities, in fact, are very much those 

 which it has not been its policy to honor. The fol- 

 lowing estimate of its influence, by M. Langfrey, is 



