26 MENTAL POWERS OF MAN 



has descended from apes, apes from lower mammalian 

 forms, or that the lowest mammals have been evolved 

 through still lower vertebrates from invertebrates. 



In regard to the Mental Powers of Man and the 

 lower animals, Evolutionists assume that the differ- 

 ence, great as it is, is in degree only, not fundamental ; 

 and in respect to connecting words with definite ideas, 

 Mr. Darwin says, that * it does not appear altogether 

 incredible ' mark the argument, ' not incredible / ' 

 * that some unusually wise ape- like animal should, have 

 thought of imitating the growl of a beast of prey, so 

 as to indicate to his fellow apes the nature of the 

 expected danger.' ' This/ he continues, ' would have 

 been a first step in the formation of a language.' On 

 this I would remark, that to give point to such a 

 supposition, we must, at the same time, assume it as 

 ' not incredible ' that the fellow apes, to whom the 

 growl was addressed, were able to understand the 

 meaning of it, and, therefore, already as wise as 

 the growler. 



Mr. Darwin admits that ' the mental powers of 

 some early progenitor of man must have been more 

 highly developed than those of any existing ape, 

 before even this most imperfect form of speech could 

 have come into use ! ' No doubt of it, I say, though 

 we must look upon any such early progenitors of man 

 as imaginary beings, like the Yahoos of Gulliver's 

 travels. 



In regard to the curious argument of a relation 



