206 THE ANATOMY OF SCIENCE 



situations of an entirely new character, it is 

 generally conceded that modern man is no more 

 intelligent than his Cro-Magnon ancestors, 

 whose total material wealth was represented by 

 a few beads and implements of stone and ivory, 

 and whose lore fell equally short of the accumu- 

 lated knowledge of to-day. 



It is indeed doubtful whether, judged by any 

 objective criterion, the intelligence of man is 

 supreme. It is hard to find such a criterion 

 which is fair to both parties. We are apt to 

 introduce into our test some element in which 

 the one species or the other shows an expertness 

 that comes from habitude. Thus man certainly 

 has exceptional practice in the art of communi- 

 cating his ideas; yet if we consider intercom- 

 munication between men and animals we find 

 that we have little, if any, advantage. Of the 

 various desires that I might wish to communi- 

 cate to my dog he can understand about half a 

 dozen, and can make me understand about the 

 same number of his own. 



Our present era, which is sometimes called 

 the age of science and invention, might perhaps 

 be more appropriately designated as the age of 

 publicity and conservation. In former days, 

 inventions and discoveries often died with their 



