l66 THE SPEECH OF MONKEYS. 



which reason intercepts life. The degree in 

 which all the powers of sense and faculty are 

 developed determines the horizon of the thing 

 which possesses them. The aggregation of 

 powers to act constitutes life, and the aggrega- 

 tion of powers to guide the action constitutes 

 reason. 



Leaving the realm of metaphysics and returning 

 to the order of primates, to which we shall con- 

 fine our present work, I shall resume by repeat- 

 ing that not only do primates have the faculty 

 of speech, but the whole family of mammals have 

 some form of speech which is in keeping with 

 their conditions of life. In addition to this 

 declaration, I assert that all mammals reason by 

 the same means and to the same ends, but not to 

 the same degree. The reason which controls the 

 conduct of a man is just the same in kind as that 

 which prompts the ape. The latter cannot carry 

 the process to such a great extent, but microsophic 

 pedants have not shown in what respect the 

 methods differ, only in degree. That same fac- 

 ulty which guided man to tame the winds of 

 commerce taught the nautilus to lift its tentacles 

 and embrace the passing breeze. Yet we are 

 told that reason guides the man and instinct 



