146 THE IMMORTALITY OF ANIMALS 



of thoughts by which actions are governed, and is 

 the internal evidence of conscious thoughts and the 

 power to arrive at a conclusion. To be governed 

 by reason or abstract ideas is a general law imposed 

 by the Creator upon all animals. An orang-outang, 

 in Paris, when left alone, tried to escape ; and as he 

 could not reach the lock of his door, he carried a 

 stool to the spot, and mounting upon it, took his 

 master's keys and tried each one until finding the 

 right one, he unlocked the door as he had seen his 

 master do, and walked out. Reason only could 

 have prompted this act, as it would require a com- 

 bination of ideas to perform it. 



It is plain that reason is of a commanding 

 nature. It enjoins this, condemns that, and ap- 

 proves or disapproves things as may be best suited 

 to the notion of the animal. 



A dog will grieve to death over the memory of a 

 lost master, as was the case with the dog of Emile 

 Zola, the noted French author. "While he was 

 an exile, his faithful and loving dog, after search- 

 ing everywhere for several da} r s and failing to 

 find his devoted master, died of a broken heart. 

 Zola says : " It seemed to me as if my departure 

 had killed him, and I wept like a child. Even now 



