THE HISTORY OP MENTAL DEVELOPMENT 141 



young one, who had been unable to keep up in the 

 scramble over the rocks, and was left on a bowlder 

 surrounded by the dogs. Then one old orang turned 

 back, fought his way through the dogs, tucked the little 

 fellow under one arm, fought his way out with the other, 

 and brought the young one to safety. I call that old 

 orang a hero, but I am prejudiced and may easily be 

 mistaken. 



In a cage in a European zoological garden there 

 were kept together a little American monkey and a 

 large baboon of which the former was greatly afraid. 

 The keeper, to whom the little monkey was strongly 

 attached, was one day attacked and thrown down by 

 the baboon and in danger of being killed. Then the 

 little monkey ran to his help, and bit and beat his 

 tyrant companion until he allowed the keeper to escape. 

 We are all proud that the little monkey was an Ameri- 

 can. 



Instances of disinterested actions are so common 

 among dogs and horses that farther illustrations are 

 entirely unnecessary. And disinterested action is 

 limited to fewer cases because the environment is rarely 

 suited to its development in the animal world. But 

 do you answer that the affection of the dog is never 

 really disinterested, but a very refined form of selfish- 

 ness. Possibly. But it were to be greatly desired 

 that selfishness would more frequently take that same 

 refined form among men. But I cannot see how self- 

 ishness can ever become so refined as to lead an ani- 

 mal to die of grief over its master's grave. 



And if refined selfishness were all, I for one cannot 

 help believing that the dog would long ago have been 

 asleep on a full stomach before the kitchen fire. Has 



