180 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 



Then again there is theqaestion of the immortality of the minds 

 of the lower animals. It has been thought if the admission is 

 made that the lower animals have minds, that this will oblige us 

 to concede to them immortality, equally with man. But why not 

 ■do this? What harm could come of such an admission? What 

 forbids it ? Would it be contrary to scripture, to reason, to the 

 true interests of men present or to come, or would it conflict with 

 any well authenticated facts ? Would it be degrading to men, 

 or cheapen future existence? But if we refuse it, what shall we 

 ■do with the intelligent principle, whatever it may be, which feels, 

 .and thinks, and wills, and suffers, and enjoys, and remembers, in 

 the lower animals ? What is it in them that appeals in hunger 

 and distress, or is the spring of pride or joy, or satisfaction, or 

 fidelity, that devises expedients, draws conclusions, etc. ? If it 

 perishes with the body, on what logical grounds can we refuse to 

 surrender the mind of man to a similar fate? If we can do all 

 the things done by the animals by means of a perishable combina- 

 tion of physical and vital forces, why not join in with the so-called 

 materialists, and do the same for mind in man ? If not, why not ? 



But suppose the ground is taken, that we must attribute all the 

 phenomena bearing the marks of mind exhibited by the lower 

 animals to the immediate presence and action of the Divine mind, 

 how shall we reclaim the human mind from being swallowed up 

 in the Divine mind, thus destroying all except the shadow or pre- 

 tense of individuality ? Hence, on such grounds as these, it 

 seems hardly possible to refuse to the lower animals the pos- 

 session of mind in the same sense, but not necessarily in the same 

 ^degree as in man. 



Ol course there are many other reasons which may be used in 

 -support of the position that the lower animals have minds, but I 

 cannot refer to all of them, or indeed to any, except in a brief way. 



But I will call your attention to two or three of the stronger 

 reasons that may be urged against this view. I will state and 

 briefly discuss them before I close. 



One of the objections which may be raised is to this effect: 



1. That there is no real proof that animals possess immortal 

 spirits, or minds. Without a revelation we could not really know, 

 except on the grounds of a frail inference, that the mind of ani- 



