88 Chapter II. 



had any idea of consanguinity, then this behavior of 

 the old pratensis of that confederate colony during the 

 maltreating of their sisters would be altogether inex- 

 plicable. On the other hand, the instinctive nature 

 of ant sensation will furnish a very satisfactory expla- 

 nation of this phenomenon, which is in evident con- 

 tradiction with animal intelligence. Yet, it should 

 not be forgotten, that societies of apes and other 

 higher animals have nothing to compare with the con- 

 federacies of ants. No one has as yet observed, that 

 wars carried on between different hordes of apes 

 ended with a peaceful alliance between the combatants. 

 This clearly shows, how wrong it is to exalt the 

 societies of higher animals above those of ants in the 

 matter of psychic endowments. 



Evolutionists, therefore, such as Darwin and Zieg- 

 ler, are sadly mistaken when they point to the battles 

 sometimes waged between hordes of apes, and adduce 

 these as conclusive evidence, that the societies of 

 higher animals are so closely allied to the "primitive" 

 societies of man, that a little, unimportant "step" 

 bridges the difference ; for first they imagine a 

 "primitive state" of human society, which is depicted, 

 of course, as brutal and as devoid of reason as 

 possible ; then, to match the picture, they exalt the 

 societies of higher animals to the greatest possible 

 similarity with reasonable man, and finally, from this 

 twofold hypothesis they draw the conclusion that 

 human society has evidently developed from the ani- 

 mal societies. And this is called the "consistent, 

 scientific application of the theory of evolution to 

 man!" If ants were endowed with reason and risi- 



