INSTINCTIVE, EMOTIONAL AND REFLEX ACTION 33! 



adopt means to ends, but they do it blindly. In this case 

 of actions the animal does not benefit by its individual 

 experience. It strikes out on no new path. Rational ac- 

 tions are those in which the animal profits by its own ex- 

 perience and strikes out on new paths. 



"Numerous instances were given by the speaker as 

 illustrations of the different kinds of actions. There is 

 intelligence manifested in each kind of action/ he said. 

 'The intelligence of the reflex action is obviously not 

 that of the animal itself, for it is not conscious of the ac- 

 tion. The intelligence of the rational act is evidently 

 that of the animal itself, for it profits by its own expe- 

 rience.' " 



I agree with this minister in that these instinctive acts 

 are intelligent, but not that they are God's actions. If 

 God is back of the different instinctive acts in this world, 

 I would consider him a bad actor. The mating instinct 

 in man causes him to murder his fellow man sometimes 

 upon the slightest provocation. His extra muscular de- 

 velopment arose only from the mating instinct and we 

 know from other animals of his kind that such muscular 

 development is only for the purpose of contending with 

 his fellow man for the possession of the female. His mat- 

 ing instinct drives him against his own reason to murder 

 and suicide. This instinct will compel him to run away 

 with his wife's sister and leave his own wife and family 

 or to run away with another man's wife, while he has a 

 wife of his own living. You remove the cause of this 

 mating instinct and those instincts and troubles do not 

 arise. 



The instinct of the cat is to play with a mouse until 

 it is dead, and sometimes to keep up the torture of the 

 little nervous, sensitive creature for hours. This instinct 

 to torture the little innocent mouse is unjust and un- 



