Chap. XIX. 
MUSICAL POWERS. 
337 
human progenitors of man, during the season of court- 
ship, when animals of all kinds are excited by the 
strongest passions. In this case, from the deeply-laid 
principle of inherited associations, musical tones would 
be likely to excite in us, in a vague and indefinite man- 
ner, the strong emotions of a long-past age. Bearing in 
mind that the males of some quadrumanous animals 
have their vocal organs much more developed than in 
the females, and that one anthropomorphous species 
pours forth a whole octave of musical notes and may be 
said to sing, the suspicion does not appear improbable 
that the progenitors of man, either the males or females, 
or both sexes, before they had acquired the power 
of expressing their mutual love in articulate language, 
endeavoured to charm each other with musical notes 
and rhythm. So little is known about the use of the 
voice by the Quadrmnana during the season ot love, that 
We have ha rdly any means of judging whether the habit 
of singing was first acquired by the male or female 
progenitors of mankind. Women are generally thought 
to possess sweeter voices than men, and as far as this 
serves as any guide we may infer that they first acquired 
musical powers in order to attract the other sex . 35 But 
if so, this must have occurred long ago, before the pro- 
genitors of man had become sufficiently human to treat 
and value their women merely as useful slaves. The 
impassioned orator, bard, or musician, when with his 
Varied tones and cadences he excites the strongest 
emotions in his hearers, little suspects that he uses the 
s ame means by which, at an extremely remote period, 
bis half-human ancestors aroused each other’s ardent 
passions, during their mutual courtship and rivalry. 
55 See an interesting discussion on tliis subject by H'ackel, 1 Generelle 
Sl orph.’ B. ii. 18C6, s. 246. 
VOL. II. 
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