ON QUADRUPEDS. 43 



a bird to avoid a hawk, and a rabbit to get into 

 its hole to escape from a fox. I will now give 

 you an instance of reason in men. You may 

 remember the circumstance, for it only happened 

 a very few years ago. A number of passengers, 

 with many women and children, embarked in a 

 ship, and in which was a company of soldiers. 

 The ship sprung a leak, and it was soon evident 

 that it could not be stopped, but that she must 

 sink. The boats were lowered, but would not 

 possibly hold the whole numbers on board. The 

 brave, noble soldiers, called out that the women 

 and children should be saved first ; and they were 

 so, the boats being soon filled with them and the 

 passengers and crew. The soldiers were thus 

 left alone on the deck, drawn up in line, daunt- 

 less and unwavering, their captain at their head. 

 They felt the foundering vessel gradually sink- 

 ing beneath them, but, strong in their sense of 

 duty as well as of discipline, without an effort to 

 save themselves, they went down with the vessel, 

 and all perished ; the women, children, and pas- 

 sengers and crew, were saved. Here was the 

 triumph of reason over instinct. Instinct would 

 have led these noble soldiers to seize one of the 

 boats and to save themselves. Reason inter- 



