Morals as a Factor in Organic Evolution 661 



So, amongst the mentally higher animals, the resultant of 

 numerous satisfied responses between two or more of these 

 animals gradually establishes the sympathetic attitude, the 

 resultant of several sympathetic responses gives rise to the 

 attitude we call love. Thus the deep affectionate attachment 

 that most of us have known to occur between two dogs even 

 of the same sex, the endearing attacliments between not a 

 few birds and mammals of the same or of opposite sex, the 

 like relation of the Davids and Jonathans, the Davids and 

 Absaloms, the Dantes and Beatrice Portinaris of history, 

 are all exhibitions of genuine love that have gradually cumu- 

 lated from the linking together of several sympathetic re- 

 sponses, as these again represent the resultant linking together of 

 several simple satisfied responses to stimuli established through 

 the eye, the ear, the skin, or other receptive sensory centers. 



Next therefore, it may be asked whether some definite cen- 

 ter or structure, in the brain of those animals that show a 

 decided moral sense, has not been built up for the elaboration 

 of moral thoughts and for the production of moral responses. 

 From all that we at present know experimentally it is the 

 cortex substance of the fore-brain that is wholly concerned 

 with the development and performance of moral acts. In 

 cases of insanity therefore, where the moral nature is decidedly 

 lacking, this region of the brain is defective. 



Leaving the study of morals in the lower animals for the 

 present, it may well be said that historically and so evolu- 

 tionarily we are in a greatly better position today than were 

 Hume, Bentham, or Mill, for viewing human morals and con- 

 science in their true scientific relation. Only within the past 

 75 years has our knowledge become fairly adequate for weigh- 

 ing the evidence yielded by most — nearly all — of the races 

 of the world, as to moral condition and moral evolution. Within 

 the same time also we have alone been able to gain a fair, im- 

 partial, and scientific view of the origin, character, influence, 

 and advance of the great moral systems developed during 

 what may be called the written period of human history, and 

 which extends over 3000 to 7000 years. 



