438 IMITATION. 



of inquiry which animates the lifetime of the scientific 

 man, and which makes him, even in his last hours, 

 observe his own symptoms with interest, and take notes 

 on death as it draws near. It has been said that 

 genius is curiosity. That instinct is at least an element 

 of genius; it is the chief stimulant of labour; it keeps 

 the mind alive. 



The artistic spirit is, in the same manner, developed 

 from the Imitative instinct, the origin of which is more 

 obscure than that of the Inquisitive propensity. How- 

 ever, its purpose is clear enough ; the young animal 

 learns from its parent, by means of imitation, to feed, 

 to arrange its toilet with beak or tongue, and to per- 

 form all the other offices of life. The hen, for instance, 

 when she discovers food, pecks the ground, not to eat, 

 but to show her chickens how to eat, and they follow 

 her example. The young birds do not sing entirely 

 by instinct, they receive lessons from their parents. 

 The instinct of Imitation, so essential to the young, 

 remains more or less with the adult, and outlives its 

 original intent. Animals imitate one another, and 

 with the monkeys this propensity becomes a mania. 

 It is inherited by men, with whom even yet it is half 

 an instinct, as is shown by the fact that all persons, 

 and especially the young, reflect, in spite of their own 

 efforts, the accent and the demeanour of those with 

 whom they live. This instinct, when adroitly managed, 

 is a means of education ; it is, in fact, the first princi- 

 ple of progress. The Red Indians are not imitative, 

 and they have now nearly been destroyed; the negroes 

 imitate like monkeys, and what is the result ? They 

 are preachers, traders, clerks, and artisans, all over the 

 world, and there is no reason to suppose that they will 



