84 Unconscious Memory 



of the human infant are subjected to the principles we 

 have laid down above ? Man certainly finds it difficult to 

 acquire arts of which the lower animals are born masters ; 

 but the brain of man at birth is much farther from its 

 highest development than is the brain of an animal. 

 It not only grows for a longer time, but it becomes stronger 

 than that of other living beings. The brain of man may 

 be said to be exceptionally young at birth. The lower 

 animal is born precocious, and acts precociously ; it 

 resembles those infant prodigies whose brain, as it were, 

 is born old into the world, but who, in spite of, or rather 

 in addition to, their rich endowment at birth, in after life 

 develop as much mental power as others who were less 

 splendidly furnished to start with, but born with greater 

 freshness of youth. Man's brain, and indeed his whole 

 body, affords greater scope for individuality, inasmuch 

 as a relatively greater part of it is of post-natal growth. 

 It develops under the influence of impressions made by 

 the environment upon its senses, and thus makes its 

 acquisitions in a more special and individual manner, 

 whereas the animal receives them ready made, and of a 

 more final, stereotyped character. 



Nevertheless, it is plain we must ascribe both to the 

 brain and body of the new-born infant a far-reaching 

 power of remembering or reproducing things which have 

 already come to their development thousands of times 

 over in the persons of its ancestors. It is in virtue of this 

 that it acquires proficiency in the actions necessary for 

 its existence — so far as it was not already at birth pro- 

 ficient in them — much more quickly and easily than would 

 be otherwise possible ; but what we call instinct in the 

 case of animals takes in man the looser form of aptitude, 

 talent, and genius.^ Granted that certain ideas are not 



1 I interpret this : " There are fewer vibrations persistent within 

 the bodies of the lower animals ; those that there are, therefore, are 

 stronger and more capable of generating action or upsetting the 

 status in quo. Hence also they require less accession of vibration 



