REASON AND LANGUAGE. \yj 



This treatment of the subject is indeed a convenient 

 one for Mr. Romanes's purpose, but it is a quite un- 

 justifiable treatment. At the beginning of this chapter 

 we were careful to point out the really fundamental 

 distinction which exists with respect to the different 

 classes of actions thus conveniently confounded together 

 under this ambiguous and misleading use of the terms 

 "natural" and "conventional," and we think it only 

 necessary now to refer to what we have before said.* 

 Not one tittle of credible evidence has been adduced 

 that any mere animal ever made, or was able to make, 

 any real sign whatever. 



In his sixth chapter the author applies himself to 

 the consideration of " tone and gesture," as being the 

 most natural and least conventional form of the sign- 

 making faculty, and that which, in his opinion, comes 

 first " in the order of its probable evolution." He says,t 

 truly enough, that animals express their feelings by 

 ''hissings, spittings, growlings, screamings, cooings, 

 etc.," as well as by bodily movements, and that, "even 

 in fully developed speech, rational meaning is largely 

 dependent for its conveyance upon slight differences of 

 intonation." 



He observes, and we entirely agree with him, " that 

 an infant makes considerable advance in the language 

 of tone and gesture before it begins to speak; and, 

 according to Dr. Scott, who has had a very large experi- 

 ence in the instruction of idiotic children, ' those to whom 

 there is no hope of teaching more than the merest 

 rudiments of speech, are yet capable of receiving a con- 

 * See, once more, above, pp. 65, 122. t p. 104. 



