Teachings of Thomas Huxley 65 



of his natural mental endowments, has the 

 right to defend and protect himself against the 

 tiger by inventing guns, knives, snares, etc., 

 and the right to use them as occasion demands. 

 In this sense right is almost synonymous with 

 ability. Animals of the same species seem to 

 appreciate a sort of equality, even though 

 recognizing the struggle for existence, and 

 hence find it more advantageous to band them- 

 selves together than to keep up a constant strug- 

 gle for supremacy by fighting each other. With 

 the higher types comes a still further analysis 

 of this condition, until in man one finds wilful 

 murder good and sufficient cause for the death 

 of the murderer by the hand of the law, which 

 represents nothing more than authoritative 

 opinion of the majority. The relationship of 

 man to the other animals is one of degree, and 

 he has only been able to place himself at the 

 head of the sentient world because of his great 

 success in the struggle for existence. This he 

 has done by seizing everything and holding it 

 tenaciously, and also by gentler qualities such 

 as cunning, sociability, curiosity, and imita- 

 tiveness. 



Man's political rights are artificial in origin, 

 and have been worked out by those of his fel- 

 lows who have a fondness for controlling and 

 governing. It has been found that peace and 

 order cannot be maintained in human society 

 without the setting up and close observance of 



