192 THE ASCENT OF MAN 



their mental acquisitions: Man did the second. At 

 a comparatively early date, he found out a first-rate 

 and permanent investment for his money, so that he 

 could not only keep his savings and put them out at 

 the highest rate of interest, but have a share in all 

 the gain that was made by other men. That dis- 

 covery was Language. Many animals had hit upon 

 an imperfect form of this discovery ; but Man alone 

 succeeded in improving it up to a really paying 

 point. The condition of all growth is exercise, and 

 till he could find a further field and a larger oppor- 

 tunity to work what little brains he had, he had 

 little chance of getting more. Speech gave him this 

 opportunity. He rapidly ran up a fortune in brain- 

 matter, because he had found out new uses for it, 

 new exercises of it, and especially a permanent in- 

 vestment for husbanding in the race each gain as it 

 was made in the individual. When he did anything 

 he could now say it ; when he learned anything he 

 could pass it on ; when he became wise wisdom did 

 not die with him, it was banked in the Mind of 

 humanity. So one man lent his mind to another. 

 The loans became larger and larger, the interest 

 greater and greater ; Man's fortune was secured. In 

 the mere Struggle for Life, his wits were sharpened 

 up to a point ; but unless he had learned to talk, he 

 could never have passed very far beyond the animal. 



