THE SUBSTITUTE. 
179 
tific inquiry into the tempers and 
dispositions of the inferior crea- 
tion ; in other words by a consist- 
ent system of animal psychology. 
So inveterate is our habit of 
viewing animals as machines, that 
these opinions will inevitably be 
at first regarded as considerably 
more strange than true. Why, it 
will be asked, credit animals with 
any character at all? Are they 
not the slaves of natural impulse 
and “blind instinct?” Do not 
entire species collectively present 
the same disposition ? Observa- 
tion says no. Let any one devote 
a little attention to his acquaint- 
ances’ pets, and he will discover, as 
we lately observed of the sea-ane- 
mones, that the individuals of the 
different species agree to differ, 
displaying as great a variety of 
disposition as their owners. He 
will find that the vague and un- 
philosophie term instinct is in 
fact made to cover as many di- 
verse qualities as charity covers 
1 sins ; and that, when employed in 
its ordinary acceptation, it cannot 
fairly be used to account for more 
than the animal’s method of meet- 
ing the physical necessities of its 
llife, and has nothing to do with 
the finer varieties of temperament. 
'To state onr position briefly and 
plainly, all the qualities that are 
I common to every member of any 
) particular species belong to in- 
: stinct; and everything that can be 
predicated of individuals belongs 
ito character. Instinct may very 
' well leach every cat to catch her 
mouse, but catinot teach one to 
leap on your knee and another to 
run into a corner. These are 
varieties of disposition, and to in- 
vestigate varieties of disposition is 
I the province of psychology. Is it 
said this can only apply to the 
higher animals ? Our imperfect 
knowledge of natural laws teaches 
us at any rate their universality. 
Finding the rudiments of higher 
physical organizations in the sim- 
plest beings, we may infer traces 
of mental organization also, how- 
ever at present invisible to our 
gross perception that the study is 
uninteresting ? The objection 
cannot come from a lover of Na- 
ture. That it is uncertain, fanci- 
ful, incapable of establishment on 
a secure foundation, but very 
capable of leading to wild specu- 
lation and grotesque absurdity of 
thought ? Is not all this equally 
true of human metaphysics 
and psychology ? Yet mankind 
would feel under small obligation 
to him who should make a tabula 
rasa of the labours of all who have 
speculated from Anaxagoras to 
Schopenhauer. — Literary Ga- 
zette. 
BRIGHTON. 
Young Men’s Christian 
Association. 
On Tuesday last, the 27th inst., 
Mr. H. T. Stainton delivered a 
Lecture on Entomology at the 
Town Hall to this Institution. 
The Lecture was quite of an ele- 
mentary nature. Mr. Stainton 
mentioned the distinctive charac- 
ters of insects, touched brielly on 
the various orders, and after allu- 
ding to the transformations of in- 
sects, gave as examples the histo- 
ries of several well known species. 
