THE ERA OF HELPLESSNESS 43 



vation of the race, and its wonderful supremacy on 

 earth. In all physical attributes man is obviously 

 the inferior of the higher mammalia ; and to account 

 for his survival and supremacy one involuntarily 

 turns to the one faculty in the quantity and quality 

 of which he so greatly surpasses all known forms 

 of life; viz., to his intelligence. 



The opinions of the competent seem to agree that 

 the changes in consciousness which comprise the 

 activities of the mind correspond with and are de- 

 pendant upon parallel changes occurring in the ner- 

 vous system. The special class of mental activities, 

 which is distinguished as appertaining to the intel- 

 ligence, is with equal unanimity held to be co-or- 

 dinated with parallel changes occurring somewhere 

 in the brain. Broadly speaking, then, the brain may 

 be called the organ. of intelligence to this extent at 

 least, that morbid conditions excepted, there exists 

 a variable, but yet indubitable proportion, between 

 the intellectual capacity of any creature and the 

 quantity and quality of the brains it possesses. So 

 that future arguments may appear in due proportions 

 and be given their proper bearings, it will be useful 

 to clarify thought firstly with reference to the average 

 quantity and quality of brain possessed by our very 

 earliest upright brute ancestors ; secondly, with regard 

 to the difference between this and the kind with which 

 our distinctly human progenitors were endowed when 

 they began to arm and warm themselves artificially ; 

 thirdly, with reference to the length of the period 



