294 THE ORIGIN OF HUMAN REASON. 



there are, or ever were) with no way of speaking of 

 themselves save in modes which correspond with our use 

 of the third person. We do not deny that what is vah'd 

 for the child is valid for the race, though the parallel 

 between *' the race " and " a child " is by no means 

 exact. Mr. Romanes, however, affirms the resemblance, 

 and since in the child the origin of self-consciousness is 

 not " marked by the change from objective to subjective 

 phraseology," neither need it be so in the race. 



This penultimate chapter, though it is interesting as 

 a record of speculative imaginings, and as indicating 

 conspicuously the fallacies which traverse Mr. Romanes's 

 work from cover to cover, is in itself valueless, since (as 

 we have seen) its author, with commendable candour, has 

 declared * that he attaches " no argumentative import- 

 ance to any of these hypotheses." 



The last chapter of Mr. Romanes's work, being 

 merely a summary and brief restatement of what has 

 gone before, does not, we think, need any detailed 

 criticism from us. Therein he speaks f of a great weight 

 of " authority " on his side. Did we so appeal, we, in 

 our turn, might boast that we have supporting us a con- 

 sensus of the deepest and acutest intellects which the 

 world has ever seen. But, as we said at the outset, we 

 rest our case on no " authority," but on reason only ; 

 and, with a simple appeal from Mr. Romanes, to that 

 reason which he has so inadequately appreciated, we 

 leave the arguments we have advanced to the calm and 

 unprejudiced judgment of our readers. 



* p. 361. t p. 395- 



