THE COMMON-SENSE VIEW 195 



chance; and climb trees like monkeys. Some of 

 these races know nothing of fire, religion, or a 

 moral world, chatter to each other like apes, and 

 live on such natural products as roots, fruits, 

 serpents, mice, ants, and honey. One of these 

 creatures, we are told, will lie flat on his front for 

 an hour by the runway of a field-mouse, waiting 

 for a chance to snatch up the little creature when 

 it comes along and eat it. Dozens of such de- 

 graded races are mentioned by Buchner in his 

 ' Man : Past, Present, and Future,' and by Sir 

 John Lubbock in his ' Origin of Civilisation.' 



Non-human beings have, as a rule, neither the 

 psychic variety nor the intensity of higher humans. 

 And it is not contended that in language, science, 

 and superstition they are capable of being com- 

 pared with the foremost few of civilised societies, 

 any more than savages, especially the lowest 

 savages, are capable of such comparison. But it 

 is maintained that the non-human races of the 

 earth are not the metallic and soulless lot of 

 fixtures they are vulgarly supposed to be ; that 

 they are just as real living beings, with just as 

 precious nerves and just as genuine feelings, rights, 

 heartaches, capabilities, and waywardnesses, as we 

 ourselves ; and that, since they are our own kith 

 and kindred, we have no right whatever, higher 

 than the right of main strength (which is the 

 right of devils), to assume them to be, and to 

 treat them as if they were, our natural and legiti- 

 mate prey. 



132 



