The Problem of the Scoliae 



or taking possession of fire, the primordial 

 element of progress. Master of implements 

 and of fire ! These two aptitudes, simple 

 though they be, characterize man better than 

 the number of his vertebrae and his molars. 



You tell us that man, at first a hairy brute, 

 walking on all fours, has risen on his hind- 

 legs and shed his fur; and you complacently 

 demonstrate how the elimination of the hairy 

 pelt was effected. Instead of bolstering up 

 a theory with a handful of fluff gained or 

 lost, it would perhaps be better to settle how 

 the original brute became the possessor of 

 implements and fire. Aptitudes are more 

 important than hair; and you neglect them 

 because it is there that the insurmountable 

 difficulty really resides. See how the great 

 master of evolution hesitates and stammers 

 when he tries, by fair means or foul, to fit 

 instinct into the mould of his formulae. It 

 is not so easy to handle as the colour of the 

 pelt, the length of the tail, the ear that 

 droops or stands erect. Yes, our master 

 well knows that this is where the shoe 

 pinches ! Instinct escapes him and brings 

 his theory crumbling to the ground. 



Let us return to what the Scolias teach us 

 on this question, which incidentally touches 

 on our own origin. In conformity with the 

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