252 THE AMERICAN BEAVER. 



manifestations as absolutely as memory or imagina- 

 tion. Indeed, it is an axiom in moral as well as in 

 intellectual science, that pain and pleasure are expe- 

 rienced in the mind, and not in the organs of the 

 body. When, therefore, we find the phenomena of 

 pleasure and pain displayed by individuals of every 

 species, and to be essentially the same in kind 

 among them all, it leads to the same general con- 

 clusion; namely, that all living creatures possess a 

 similar mental principle. This leaves the question of 

 difference in degree, which was rendered necessary 

 by difference in species. 



I propose to submit, in a brief form, a series of con- 

 siderations or arguments based upon the structural 

 organization, and authenticated acts, of the higher 

 animals, tending to show : first, that they possess a 

 mental principle; secondly, that the qualities which 

 it manifests are essentially the same as those displayed 

 by the human mind ; and lastly, that the difference 

 between these qualities, and, inferentially, between 

 the principles they respectively represent, is one o^ 

 degree and not of kind. The discussion, to be brief, 

 must necessarily be general ; and it is entered upon 

 rather for the purpose of offering suggestions upon 

 branches of the subject, than of treating it systematic- 

 ally as a whole. I have neither the facts nor the 

 ability to prepare a treatise upon this important but 

 difficult theme. 



I. Structural Organization. It has been demon- 

 strated, by anatomical comparisons, that the struct- 

 ural organization of the vertebrate animals conforms 

 to a general plan, the fundamental features of which 

 run through all the species, genera, orders, and classes 



