Chap. 11 f. Mental Powers. 89 



endeavoured to show that they have this power, at least in a 

 nxde and incipient degree. As far as concerns infants of from 

 ten to eleven months old, and deaf-mutes, it seems to me in- 

 credible, that they should be able to connect certain sounds with 

 certain general ideas as quickly as they do, unless such ideas 

 were already formed in their minds. The same remark may be 

 extended to the more intelligent animals ; as Mr. Leslie Stephen 

 observes,"' " A dog frames a general concept of cats or sheep, 

 " and knows the corresponding words as well as a philosopher. 

 " And the capacity to understand is as good a proof of vocal 

 " intelligence, though in an inferior degree, as the capacity to 

 " speak." 



Why the organs now used for speech should have been 

 originally perfected for this purpose, rather than any other 

 organs, it is not difficult to see. Ants have considerable powers 

 of intercommunication by means of their antennae, as shewn by 

 Huber, who devotes a whole chapter to their language. We 

 might have used our fingers as efficient instruments, for a 

 person with practice can report to a deaf man every word of a 

 speech rapidly delivered at a public meeting; but the loss of 

 our hands, whilst thus employed, would have been a serious 

 inconvenience. As all the higher mammals possess vocal organs, 

 constructed on the same general plan as ours, and used as a 

 means of communication, it was obviously probable that these 

 same organs would be still further developed if the power of 

 ^ommunication had to be improved ; and this has been effected by 

 the aid of adjoining and well adapted parts, namely the tongue 

 and lips."' The fact of the higher apes not using their vocal 

 organs for speech, no doubt depends on their intelligence not 

 havjng been sufficiently advanced. The possession by them of 



" thinking, to the distinctness and *' fingers into imitation of spoken 



" variety and complexity of cogni- " words." Max Muller gives in 



" tions to the full mastery of con- italics (' Lectures on Mr. Darwin's 



" sciousness ; therefore he would Philosophy of Language,' 1873, 



" fain make thought absolutely im- third lecture) the following aphor- 



" pcssible without speech, identify- ism: "There is no thought with- 



" ing the faculty with its instru- " out words, as little as there are 



" ment. He might just as reason- " words without thought." What 



" ably assert that the human hand a strange definition must here be 



'■ caunot act without a tool. With given to the word thought ! 

 " such a doctrine to start from, he "* ' Es.says on Free-thinking,' &c., 



" cannot stop short of Miiller's 1873, p. 82. 



" wor.st paradoxes, that an infant '' See some good remarks to this 



'^ (in fans, not speaking) is not a effect by Dr. Maudsley, 'The Phy- 



" liuman being, and that deaf-mutes siology and Pathology of Mind, 



•* do not become possessed of reason 1868, p. 199. 

 " until they learn to twist their 



