So-called Lower Animals 23 



Unquestioning subordination of the individual to the 

 general welfare would appear to be the rule among 

 them, thus forming undoubtedly the germ of what 

 develops into a sort of rudimentary brute morality. 

 What, then, is the distinction between man and the 

 so-called lower animals? Is it his prolonged period 

 of infancy, and the opportunity which this gives to 

 develop his mind? But the orang-outang does not 

 appear to reach adult age until between ten and fifteen, 

 an age not much beyond that of human adults in the 

 tropics. 1 Is it his intelligence? But many of the 

 lower animals too would appear to possess intelligence 

 in at least its rudimentary form. Is it his language ? 

 But they too would seem to have means of communi- 

 cating with others of their own species, however im- 

 perfectly developed those means may be. Is it his 

 emotions, his will? But they too show fear, anger, 

 love, etc. ; they too show the power of volition. There 

 would appear to be a difference in degree, but hardly 

 in kind. Man, however, has been defined as a reli- 

 gious animal, and I suspect it is here that the cardinal 

 difference begins to show itself. The lower animals 

 do not seem to manifest the faintest symptoms of 

 spiritualizing the powers of nature, the enemies of life, 

 as we have seen man doing even in early race infancy. 

 They do not appear to live as man does in a constant 

 superstitious dread of death, whether for himself or 

 for those he loves. True, they will cower before an 

 approaching thunderstorm or earthquake, they will 

 > Ibid. p. 13. 



