Man and Animals Coinpared. 277 



from ignorance ; and this shows that he is not a 

 perfect being now, even in the agencies which se- 

 cure progress. His nobleness is seen in the outfit 

 given him, which forbids him to remain in ignorance, 

 and enables him to improve by the experience and 

 labors of all the generations before him. 



The perfection of the animal will appear in ev- 

 ery one of the species, if his activities have full play. 

 That there shall be such uniformity of excellence, 

 among members of the human race, if not impossi- 

 ble, is something for many generations yet to come 

 to aim at. There have, thus far, in every age, been 

 those whose higher nature ruled. They might be 

 wanting in some kinds of knowledge, but they had 

 reached the highest plane of action which it is pos- 

 sible for man to reach. There have been others, 

 who have given themselves up to their bodily appe- 

 tites and instincts. This is the lowest plane of ac- 

 tion to which man can sink. He is then vastly 

 lower, in his actions, than the brutes can be, be- 

 cause his animal propensities have no such limita- 

 tion and self-guidance, as theirs have. 



The works of an animal are for himself and 

 those associated with him, or to spring from him. 

 The works of man are for generations to come, and 

 often for those of foreign and even hostile nations. 

 The animal acts best when he acts as his appetites 

 and instincts impel. Man feels all these impulses, 

 and has, in addition, the Sense of Obligation, as an 

 impulse, that may work with them or against them ; 

 and which he must obey, in all its commands, or 

 suffer its immediate and terrible punishment. 



