98 THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN REASON. 



then there would be no essential difference between us, 

 and Mr. Romanes's book, so far as we are concerned, 

 need never have been written. We are, however, very- 

 thankful that it has-been written, and we rejoice to note 

 every point of agreement which it shows to exist 

 between its author and ourselves. One such point 

 concerns the present relation of thoughts to words, his 

 remarks as to which seem to us to be very useful and 

 very true. 



He says,* " On reading a letter, for instance, we 

 may instantaneously decide upon our answer, and yet 

 have to pause before we are able to frame the proposi- 

 tions needed to express that answer. Or, while writing 

 an essay, how often does one feel, so to speak, that a 

 certain truth stands to be stated, although it is a truth 

 which we cannot immediately put into words," etc. f 

 Mr. Romanes, however, makes a singular mistake in the 

 use of the expression " verbum mentale." He employs it J 

 as if it meant a mental utterance of words, instead of 

 (as it does mean) the thought which accompanies what- 

 ever words, or other external signs, may be made use of. 



Towards the end of this chapter he says, " On 

 the whole, therefore, I conclude that, although lan- 

 guage is a needful condition to the original construc- 

 tion of conceptional thought, when once the building 

 has been completed, the scaffolding may be with- 

 drawn, and yet leave the edifice as stable as before." 

 But why should he deem that language was thus prior 

 and originally necessary? If thought can now exist 



* p. 82. t As to this, see further, " On Truth," p. 230. 



X p. 82. 



