第4章

类别:其他 作者:Mark Twain字数:12108更新时间:18/12/18 14:51:42
Y。M。Goon。Illustrate。 O。M。Doyouknowchess? Y。M。Ilearneditaweekago。 O。M。Didyourmindgoonplayingthegameallnightthatfirstnight? Y。M。Don’tmentionit! O。M。Itwaseagerly,unsatisfiablyinterested;itriotedinthecombinations;youimploredittodropthegameandletyougetsomesleep? Y。M。Yes。Itwouldn’tlisten;itplayedrightalong。ItworemeoutandIgotuphaggardandwretchedinthemorning。 O。M。Atsometimeorotheryouhavebeencaptivatedbyaridiculousrhymejingle? Y。M。Indeed,yes! \"IsawEsaukissingKate,AndshesawIsawEsau; IsawEsau,hesawKate,Andshesaw\" Andsoon。Mymindwentmadwithjoyoverit。ItrepeateditalldayandallnightforaweekinspiteofallIcoulddotostopit,anditseemedtomethatImustsurelygocrazy。 O。M。Andthenewpopularsong? Y。M。Ohyes!\"IntheSweeeetByandBy\";etc。Yes,thenewpopularsongwiththetakingmelodysingsthroughone’sheaddayandnight,asleepandawake,tilloneisawreck。Thereisnogettingthemindtoletitalone。 O。M。Yes,asleepaswellasawake。Themindisquiteindependent。Itismaster。Youhavenothingtodowithit。Itissoapartfromyouthatitcanconductitsaffairs,singitssongs,playitschess,weaveitscomplexandingeniouslyconstructeddreams,whileyousleep。Ithasnouseforyourhelp,nouseforyourguidance,andneveruseseither,whetheryoubeasleeporawake。Youhaveimaginedthatyoucouldoriginateathoughtinyourmind,andyouhavesincerelybelievedyoucoulddoit。 Y。M。Yes,Ihavehadthatidea。 O。M。Yetyoucan’toriginateadreamthoughtforittoworkout,andgetitaccepted? Y。M。No。 O。M。Andyoucan’tdictateitsprocedureafterithasoriginatedadreamthoughtforitself? Y。M。No。Noonecandoit。Doyouthinkthewakingmindandthedreammindarethesamemachine? O。M。Thereisargumentforit。Wehavewildandfantasticdaythoughts?Thingsthataredreamlike? Y。M。YeslikeMr。Wells’smanwhoinventedadrugthatmadehiminvisible;andliketheArabiantalesoftheThousandNights。 O。M。Andtherearedreamsthatarerational,simple,consistent,andunfantastic? Y。M。Yes。Ihavedreamsthatarelikethat。Dreamsthatarejustlikereallife;dreamsinwhichthereareseveralpersonswithdistinctlydifferentiatedcharactersinventionsofmymindandyetstrangerstome:avulgarperson;arefinedone; awiseperson;afool;acruelperson;akindandcompassionateone;aquarrelsomeperson;apeacemaker;oldpersonsandyoung; beautifulgirlsandhomelyones。Theytalkincharacter,eachpreserveshisowncharacteristics。Therearevividfights,vividandbitinginsults,vividlovepassages;therearetragediesandcomedies,therearegriefsthatgotoone’sheart,therearesayingsanddoingsthatmakeyoulaugh:indeed,thewholethingisexactlylikereallife。 O。M。Yourdreamingmindoriginatesthescheme,consistentlyandartisticallydevelopsit,andcarriesthelittledramacreditablythroughallwithouthelporsuggestionfromyou? Y。M。Yes。 O。M。ItisargumentthatitcoulddothelikeawakewithouthelporsuggestionfromyouandIthinkitdoes。Itisargumentthatitisthesameoldmindinbothcases,andneverneedsyourhelp。 Ithinkthemindispurelyamachine,athoroughlyindependentmachine,anautomaticmachine。HaveyoutriedtheotherexperimentwhichIsuggestedtoyou? Y。M。Whichone? O。M。Theonewhichwastodeterminehowmuchinfluenceyouhaveoveryourmindifany。 Y。M。Yes,andgotmoreorlessentertainmentoutofit。I didasyouordered:Iplacedtwotextsbeforemyeyesoneadulloneandbarrenofinterest,theotheronefullofinterest,inflamedwithit,whitehotwithit。Icommandedmymindtobusyitselfsolelywiththedullone。 O。M。Diditobey? Y。M。Well,no,itdidn’t。Itbusieditselfwiththeotherone。 O。M。Didyoutryhardtomakeitobey? Y。M。Yes,Ididmyhonestbest。 O。M。Whatwasthetextwhichitrefusedtobeinterestedinorthinkabout? Y。M。Itwasthisquestion:IfAowesBadollarandahalf,andBowesCtwoandthreequarter,andCowesAthirty fivecents,andDandAtogetheroweEandBthreesixteenthsofofIdon’tremembertherest,now,butanywayitwaswhollyuninteresting,andIcouldnotforcemymindtosticktoitevenhalfaminuteatatime;itkeptflyingofftotheothertext。 O。M。Whatwastheothertext? Y。M。Itisnomatteraboutthat。 O。M。Butwhatwasit? Y。M。Aphotograph。 O。M。Yourown? Y。M。No。Itwashers。 O。M。Youreallymadeanhonestgoodtest。Didyoumakeasecondtrial? Y。M。Yes。Icommandedmymindtointerestitselfinthemorningpaper’sreportoftheporkmarket,andatthesametimeI remindeditofanexperienceofmineofsixteenyearsago。Itrefusedtoconsidertheporkandgaveitswholeblazinginteresttothatancientincident。 O。M。Whatwastheincident? Y。M。Anarmeddesperadoslappedmyfaceinthepresenceoftwentyspectators。ItmakesmewildandmurderouseverytimeI thinkofit。 O。M。Goodtests,both;verygoodtests。Didyoutrymyothersuggestion? Y。M。TheonewhichwastoprovetomethatifIwouldleavemymindtoitsowndevicesitwouldfindthingstothinkaboutwithoutanyofmyhelp,andthusconvincemethatitwasamachine,anautomaticmachine,setinmotionbyexteriorinfluences,andasindependentofmeasitcouldbeifitwereinsomeoneelse’sskull。Isthattheone? O。M。Yes。 Y。M。Itriedit。Iwasshaving。Ihadsleptwell,andmymindwasverylively,evengayandfrisky。Itwasrevelinginafantasticandjoyfulepisodeofmyremoteboyhoodwhichhadsuddenlyflashedupinmymemorymovedtothisbythespectacleofayellowcatpickingitswaycarefullyalongthetopofthegardenwall。Thecolorofthiscatbroughtthebygonecatbeforeme,andIsawherwalkingalongthesidestepofthepulpit;sawherwalkontoalargesheetofstickyflypaperandgetallherfeetinvolved;sawherstruggleandfalldown,helplessanddissatisfied,moreandmoreurgent,moreandmoreunreconciled,moreandmoremutelyprofane;sawthesilentcongregationquiveringlikejelly,andthetearsrunningdowntheirfaces。I sawitall。ThesightofthetearswhiskedmymindtoafardistantandasaddersceneinTerradelFuegoandwithDarwin’seyesIsawanakedgreatsavagehurlhislittleboyagainsttherocksforatriflingfault;sawthepoormothergatherupherdyingchildandhugittoherbreastandweep,utteringnoword。 Didmymindstoptomournwiththatnudeblacksisterofmine? Noitwasfarawayfromthatsceneinaninstant,andwasbusyingitselfwithaneverrecurringanddisagreeabledreamofmine。InthisdreamIalwaysfindmyself,strippedtomyshirt,cringinganddodgingaboutinthemidstofagreatdrawingroomthrongoffinelydressedladiesandgentlemen,andwonderinghowIgotthere。Andsoonandsoon,pictureafterpicture,incidentafterincident,adriftingpanoramaofeverchanging,everdissolvingviewsmanufacturedbymymindwithoutanyhelpfrommewhy,itwouldtakemetwohourstomerelynamethemultitudeofthingsmymindtalliedoffandphotographedinfifteenminutes,letalonedescribethemtoyou。 O。M。Aman’smind,leftfree,hasnouseforhishelp。Butthereisonewaywherebyhecangetitshelpwhenhedesiresit。 Y。M。Whatisthatway? O。M。Whenyourmindisracingalongfromsubjecttosubjectandstrikesaninspiringone,openyourmouthandbegintalkinguponthatmatterortakeyourpenandusethat。Itwillinterestyourmindandconcentrateit,anditwillpursuethesubjectwithsatisfaction。Itwilltakefullcharge,andfurnishthewordsitself。 Y。M。Butdon’tItellitwhattosay? O。M。Therearecertainlyoccasionswhenyouhaven’ttime。 Thewordsleapoutbeforeyouknowwhatiscoming。 Y。M。Forinstance? O。M。Well,takea\"flashofwit\"repartee。Flashistherightword。Itisoutinstantly。Thereisnotimetoarrangethewords。Thereisnothinking,noreflecting。Wherethereisawitmechanismitisautomaticinitsactionandneedsnohelp。 Wherethewhitmechanismislacking,noamountofstudyandreflectioncanmanufacturetheproduct。 Y。M。Youreallythinkamanoriginatesnothing,createsnothing。 TheThinkingProcessO。M。Ido。Menperceive,andtheirbrainmachinesautomaticallycombinethethingsperceived。Thatisall。 Y。M。Thesteamengine? O。M。Ittakesfiftymenahundredyearstoinventit。Onemeaningofinventisdiscover。Iusethewordinthatsense。 Littlebylittletheydiscoverandapplythemultitudeofdetailsthatgotomaketheperfectengine。Wattnoticedthatconfinedsteamwasstrongenoughtoliftthelidoftheteapot。Hedidn’tcreatetheidea,hemerelydiscoveredthefact;thecathadnoticeditahundredtimes。Fromtheteapotheevolvedthecylinderfromthedisplacedlidheevolvedthepistonrod。Toattachsomethingtothepistonrodtobemovedbyit,wasasimplemattercrankandwheel。Andsotherewasaworkingengine。[1] Onebyone,improvementswerediscoveredbymenwhousedtheireyes,nottheircreatingpowersfortheyhadn’tanyandnow,afterahundredyearsthepatientcontributionsoffiftyorahundredobserversstandcompactedinthewonderfulmachinewhichdrivestheoceanliner。 Y。M。AShakespeareanplay? O。M。Theprocessisthesame。Thefirstactorwasasavage。Hereproducedinhistheatricalwardances,scalp dances,andsoon,incidentswhichhehadseeninreallife。A moreadvancedcivilizationproducedmoreincidents,moreepisodes;theactorandthestorytellerborrowedthem。Andsothedramagrew,littlebylittle,stagebystage。Itismadeupofthefactsoflife,notcreations。IttookcenturiestodeveloptheGreekdrama。Itborrowedfromprecedingages;itlenttotheagesthatcameafter。Menobserveandcombine,thatisall。Sodoesarat。 Y。M。How? O。M。Heobservesasmell,heinfersacheese,heseeksandfinds。Theastronomerobservesthisandthat;addshisthisandthattothethisandthatsofahundredpredecessors,infersaninvisibleplanet,seeksitandfindsit。Theratgetsintoatrap;getsoutwithtrouble;infersthatcheeseintrapslacksvalue,andmeddleswiththattrapnomore。Theastronomerisveryproudofhisachievement,theratisproudofhis。Yetbotharemachines;theyhavedonemachinework,theyhaveoriginatednothing,theyhavenorighttobevain;thewholecreditbelongstotheirMaker。Theyareentitledtonohonors,nopraises,nomonumentswhentheydie,noremembrance。Oneisacomplexandelaboratemachine,theotherasimpleandlimitedmachine,buttheyarealikeinprinciple,function,andprocess,andneitherofthemworksotherwisethanautomatically,andneitherofthemmayrighteouslyclaimaPERSONALsuperiorityorapersonaldignityabovetheother。 Y。M。Inearnedpersonaldignity,then,andinpersonalmeritforwhathedoes,itfollowsofnecessitythatheisonthesamelevelasarat? O。M。Hisbrothertherat;yes,thatishowitseemstome。 Neitherofthembeingentitledtoanypersonalmeritforwhathedoes,itfollowsofnecessitythatneitherofthemhasarighttoarrogatetohimself(personallycreated)superioritiesoverhisbrother。 Y。M。Areyoudeterminedtogoonbelievingintheseinsanities?Wouldyougoonbelievingintheminthefaceofableargumentsbackedbycollatedfactsandinstances? O。M。Ihavebeenahumble,earnest,andsincereTruthSeeker。 Y。M。Verywell? O。M。Thehumble,earnest,andsincereTruthSeekerisalwaysconvertiblebysuchmeans。 Y。M。IamthankfultoGodtohearyousaythis,fornowI knowthatyourconversion O。M。Wait。Youmisunderstand。IsaidIhaveBEENaTruthSeeker。 Y。M。Well? O。M。Iamnotthatnow。Haveyourforgotten?ItoldyouthattherearenonebuttemporaryTruthSeekers;thatapermanentoneisahumanimpossibility;thatassoonastheSeekerfindswhatheisthoroughlyconvincedistheTruth,heseeksnofurther,butgivestherestofhisdaystohuntingjunktopatchitandcaulkitandpropitwith,andmakeitweatherproofandkeepitfromcavinginonhim。HencethePresbyterianremainsaPresbyterian,theMohammedanaMohammedan,theSpiritualistaSpiritualist,theDemocrataDemocrat,theRepublicanaRepublican,theMonarchistaMonarchist;andifahumble,earnest,andsincereSeekerafterTruthshouldfinditinthepropositionthatthemoonismadeofgreencheesenothingcouldeverbudgehimfromthatposition;forheisnothingbutanautomaticmachine,andmustobeythelawsofhisconstruction。 Y。M。Afterso O。M。HavingfoundtheTruth;perceivingthatbeyondquestionmanhasbutonemovingimpulsethecontentingofhisownspirit andismerelyamachineandentitledtonopersonalmeritforanythinghedoes,itisnothumanlypossibleformetoseekfurther。 Therestofmydayswillbespentinpatchingandpaintingandputtyingandcaulkingmypricelesspossessionandinlookingtheotherwaywhenanimploringargumentoradamagingfactapproaches。 1。TheMarquessofWorcesterhaddoneallofthismorethanacenturyearlier。 VI InstinctandThoughtYoungMan。Itisodious。Thosedrunkentheoriesofyours,advancedawhileagoconcerningtheratandallthatstripManbareofallhisdignities,grandeurs,sublimities。 OldMan。Hehasn’tanytostriptheyareshams,stolenclothes。HeclaimscreditswhichbelongsolelytohisMaker。 Y。M。Butyouhavenorighttoputhimonalevelwitharat。 O。M。Idon’tmorally。Thatwouldnotbefairtotherat。 Theratiswellabovehim,there。 Y。M。Areyoujoking? O。M。No,Iamnot。 Y。M。Thenwhatdoyoumean? O。M。ThatcomesundertheheadoftheMoralSense。Itisalargequestion。Letusfinishwithwhatweareaboutnow,beforewetakeitup。 Y。M。Verywell。YouhaveseemedtoconcedethatyouplaceManandtheratonAlevel。Whatisit?Theintellectual? O。M。Informnotadegree。 Y。M。Explain。 O。M。Ithinkthattherat’smindandtheman’smindarethesamemachine,butofunequalcapacitieslikeyoursandEdison’s; liketheAfricanpygmy’sandHomer’s;liketheBushman’sandBismarck’s。 Y。M。Howareyougoingtomakethatout,whentheloweranimalshavenomentalqualitybutinstinct,whilemanpossessesreason? O。M。Whatisinstinct? Y。M。Itismerelyunthinkingandmechanicalexerciseofinheritedhabit。 O。M。Whatoriginatedthehabit? Y。M。Thefirstanimalstartedit,itsdescendantshaveinheritedit。 O。M。Howdidthefirstonecometostartit? Y。M。Idon’tknow;butitdidn’tTHINKitout。 O。M。Howdoyouknowitdidn’t? Y。M。WellIhavearighttosupposeitdidn’t,anyway。 O。M。Idon’tbelieveyouhave。Whatisthought? Y。M。Iknowwhatyoucallit:themechanicalandautomaticputtingtogetherofimpressionsreceivedfromoutside,anddrawinganinferencefromthem。 O。M。Verygood。Nowmyideaofthemeaninglessterm\"instinct\"is,thatitismerelyPETRIFIEDTHOUGHT;solidifiedandmadeinanimatebyhabit;thoughtwhichwasoncealiveandawake,butitbecomeunconsciouswalksinitssleep,sotospeak。 Y。M。Illustrateit。 O。M。Takeaherdofcows,feedinginapasture。Theirheadsareallturnedinonedirection。Theydothatinstinctively;theygainnothingbyit,theyhavenoreasonforit,theydon’tknowwhytheydoit。Itisaninheritedhabitwhichwasoriginallythoughtthatistosay,observationofanexteriorfact,andavaluableinferencedrawnfromthatobservationandconfirmedbyexperience。Theoriginalwildoxnoticedthatwiththewindinhisfavorhecouldsmellhisenemyintimetoescape;thenheinferredthatitwasworthwhiletokeephisnosetothewind。Thatistheprocesswhichmancallsreasoning。Man’sthoughtmachineworksjustliketheotheranimals’,butitisabetteroneandmoreEdisonian。Man,intheox’splace,wouldgofurther,reasonwider:hewouldfacepartoftheherdtheotherwayandprotectbothfrontandrear。 Y。M。Didyoustaytheterminstinctismeaningless? O。M。Ithinkitisabastardword。Ithinkitconfusesus; forasaruleitappliesitselftohabitsandimpulseswhichhadafarofforigininthought,andnowandthenbreakstheruleandappliesitselftohabitswhichcanhardlyclaimathoughtorigin。 Y。M。Giveaninstance。 O。M。Well,inputtingontrousersamanalwaysinsertsthesameoldlegfirstnevertheotherone。Thereisnoadvantageinthat,andnosenseinit。Allmendoit,yetnomanthoughtitoutandadopteditofsetpurpose,Iimagine。Butitisahabitwhichistransmitted,nodoubt,andwillcontinuetobetransmitted。 Y。M。Canyouprovethatthehabitexists? O。M。Youcanproveit,ifyoudoubt。Ifyouwilltakeamantoaclothingstoreandwatchhimtryonadozenpairsoftrousers,youwillsee。 Y。M。Thecowillustrationisnot O。M。Sufficienttoshowthatadumbanimal’smentalmachineisjustthesameasaman’sanditsreasoningprocessesthesame? Iwillillustratefurther。IfyoushouldhandMr。Edisonaboxwhichyoucausedtoflyopenbysomeconcealeddevicehewouldinferaspring,andwouldhuntforitandfindit。Nowanuncleofminehadanoldhorsewhousedtogetintotheclosedlotwherethecorncribwasanddishonestlytakethecorn。Igotthepunishmentmyself,asitwassupposedthatIhadheedlesslyfailedtoinsertthewoodenpinwhichkeptthegateclosed。 Thesepersistentpunishmentsfatiguedme;theyalsocausedmetoinfertheexistenceofaculprit,somewhere;soIhidmyselfandwatchedthegate。Presentlythehorsecameandpulledthepinoutwithhisteethandwentin。Nobodytaughthimthat;hehadobservedthenthoughtitoutforhimself。HisprocessdidnotdifferfromEdison’s;heputthisandthattogetheranddrewaninferenceandthepeg,too;butImadehimsweatforit。 Y。M。Ithassomethingoftheseemingofthoughtaboutit。 Stillitisnotveryelaborate。Enlarge。 O。M。SupposeMr。Edisonhasbeenenjoyingsomeone’shospitalities。Hecomesagainbyandby,andthehouseisvacant。Heinfersthathishosthasmoved。Awhileafterward,inanothertown,heseesthemanenterahouse;heinfersthatthatisthenewhome,andfollowstoinquire。Here,now,istheexperienceofagull,asrelatedbyanaturalist。ThesceneisaScotchfishingvillagewherethegullswerekindlytreated。Thisparticulargullvisitedacottage;wasfed;camenextdayandwasfedagain;cameintothehouse,nexttime,andatewiththefamily;keptondoingthisalmostdaily,thereafter。But,oncethegullwasawayonajourneyforafewdays,andwhenitreturnedthehousewasvacant。Itsfriendshadremovedtoavillagethreemilesdistant。Severalmonthslateritsawtheheadofthefamilyonthestreetthere,followedhimhome,enteredthehousewithoutexcuseorapology,andbecameadailyguestagain。Gullsdonotrankhighmentally,butthisonehadmemoryandthereasoningfaculty,yousee,andappliedthemEdisonially。 Y。M。YetitwasnotanEdisonandcouldn’tbedevelopedintoone。 O。M。Perhapsnot。Couldyou? Y。M。Thatisneitherherenorthere。Goon。 O。M。IfEdisonwereintroubleandastrangerhelpedhimoutofitandnextdayhegotintothesamedifficultyagain,hewouldinferthewisethingtodoincaseheknewthestranger’saddress。Hereisacaseofabirdandastrangerasrelatedbyanaturalist。AnEnglishmansawabirdflyingaroundabouthisdog’shead,downinthegrounds,andutteringcriesofdistress。 Hewenttheretoseeaboutit。Thedoghadayoungbirdinhismouthunhurt。Thegentlemanrescueditandputitonabushandbroughtthedogaway。Earlythenextmorningthemotherbirdcameforthegentleman,whowassittingonhisveranda,andbyitsmaneuverspersuadedhimtofollowittoadistantpartofthegroundsflyingalittlewayinfrontofhimandwaitingforhimtocatchup,andsoon;andkeepingtothewindingpath,too,insteadofflyingthenearwayacrosslots。Thedistancecoveredwasfourhundredyards。Thesamedogwastheculprit;hehadtheyoungbirdagain,andoncemorehehadtogiveitup。Nowthemotherbirdhadreasoneditallout:sincethestrangerhadhelpedheronce,sheinferredthathewoulddoitagain;sheknewwheretofindhim,andshewentuponhererrandwithconfidence。 HermentalprocesseswerewhatEdison’swouldhavebeen。SheputthisandthattogetherandthatisallthatthoughtISandoutofthembuiltherlogicalarrangementofinferences。Edisoncouldn’thavedoneitanybetterhimself。 Y。M。Doyoubelievethatmanyofthedumbanimalscanthink? O。M。Yestheelephant,themonkey,thehorse,thedog,theparrot,themacaw,themockingbird,andmanyothers。Theelephantwhosematefellintoapit,andwhodumpeddirtandrubbishintothepittillbottomwasraisedhighenoughtoenablethecaptivetostepout,wasequippedwiththereasoningquality。 Iconceivethatallanimalsthatcanlearnthingsthroughteachinganddrillinghavetoknowhowtoobserve,andputthisandthattogetheranddrawaninferencetheprocessofthinking。 Couldyouteachanidiotofmanualsofarms,andtoadvance,retreat,andgothroughcomplexfieldmaneuversatthewordofcommand? Y。M。Notifhewereathoroughidiot。 O。M。Well,canarybirdscanlearnallthat;dogsandelephantslearnallsortsofwonderfulthings。Theymustsurelybeabletonotice,andtoputthingstogether,andsaytothemselves,\"Igettheidea,now:whenIdosoandso,asperorder,Iampraisedandfed;whenIdodifferentlyIampunished。\" FleascanbetaughtnearlyanythingthataCongressmancan。 Y。M。Granting,then,thatdumbanimalsareabletothinkuponalowplane,isthereanythatcanthinkuponahighone? Isthereonethatiswelluptowardman? O。M。Yes。Asathinkerandplannertheantistheequalofanysavageraceofmen;asaselfeducatedspecialistinseveralartssheisthesuperiorofanysavageraceofmen;andinoneortwohighmentalqualitiessheisabovethereachofanyman,savageorcivilized! Y。M。Oh,come!youareabolishingtheintellectualfrontierwhichseparatesmanandbeast。 O。M。Ibegyourpardon。Onecannotabolishwhatdoesnotexist。 Y。M。Youarenotinearnest,Ihope。Youcannotmeantoseriouslysaythereisnosuchfrontier。 O。M。Idosayitseriously。Theinstancesofthehorse,thegull,themotherbird,andtheelephantshowthatthosecreaturesputtheirthis’sandthatstogetherjustasEdisonwouldhavedoneitanddrewthesameinferencesthathewouldhavedrawn。 Theirmentalmachinerywasjustlikehis,alsoitsmannerofworking。TheirequipmentwasasinferiortotheStrasburgclock,butthatistheonlydifferencethereisnofrontier。 Y。M。Itlooksexasperatinglytrue;andisdistinctlyoffensive。Itelevatesthedumbbeaststoto O。M。Letusdropthatlyingphrase,andcallthemtheUnrevealedCreatures;sofaraswecanknow,thereisnosuchthingasadumbbeast。 Y。M。Onwhatgroundsdoyoumakethatassertion? O。M。Onquitesimpleones。\"Dumb\"beastsuggestsananimalthathasnothoughtmachinery,nounderstanding,nospeech,nowayofcommunicatingwhatisinitsmind。WeknowthatahenHAS speech。Wecannotunderstandeverythingshesays,butweeasilylearntwoorthreeofherphrases。Weknowwhensheissaying,\"Ihavelaidanegg\";weknowwhensheissayingtothechicks,\"Runhere,dears,I’vefoundaworm\";weknowwhatsheissayingwhenshevoicesawarning:\"Quick!hurry!gatheryourselvesundermamma,there’sahawkcoming!\"Weunderstandthecatwhenshestretchesherselfout,purringwithaffectionandcontentmentandliftsupasoftvoiceandsays,\"Come,kitties,supper’sready\";weunderstandherwhenshegoesmourningaboutandsays,\"Wherecantheybe?Theyarelost。Won’tyouhelpmehuntforthem?\"andweunderstandthedisreputableTomwhenhechallengesatmidnightfromhisshed,\"Youcomeoverhere,youproductofimmoralcommerce,andI’llmakeyourfurfly!\"Weunderstandafewofadog’sphrasesandwelearntounderstandafewoftheremarksandgesturesofanybirdorotheranimalthatwedomesticateandobserve。Theclearnessandexactnessofthefewofthehen’sspeecheswhichweunderstandisargumentthatshecancommunicatetoherkindahundredthingswhichwecannotcomprehendinaword,thatshecanconverse。AndthisargumentisalsoapplicableinthecaseofothersofthegreatarmyoftheUnrevealed。Itisjustlikeman’svanityandimpertinencetocallananimaldumbbecauseitisdumbtohisdullperceptions。 Nowastotheant Y。M。Yes,gobacktotheant,thecreaturethatasyouseemtothinksweepsawaythelastvestigeofanintellectualfrontierbetweenmanandtheUnrevealed。 O。M。Thatiswhatshesurelydoes。InallhishistorytheaboriginalAustralianneverthoughtoutahouseforhimselfandbuiltit。Theantisanamazingarchitect。Sheisaweelittlecreature,butshebuildsastrongandenduringhouseeightfeethighahousewhichisaslargeinproportiontohersizeasisthelargestcapitolorcathedralintheworldcomparedtoman’ssize。Nosavageracehasproducedarchitectswhocouldapproachtheairingeniusorculture。Nocivilizedracehasproducedarchitectswhocouldplanahousebetterfortheusesproposedthancanhers。Herhousecontainsathroneroom;nurseriesforheryoung;granaries;apartmentsforhersoldiers,herworkers,etc。;andtheyandthemultifarioushallsandcorridorswhichcommunicatewiththemarearrangedanddistributedwithaneducatedandexperiencedeyeforconvenienceandadaptability。 Y。M。Thatcouldbemereinstinct。 O。M。Itwouldelevatethesavageifhehadit。Butletuslookfurtherbeforewedecide。Theanthassoldiersbattalions,regiments,armies;andtheyhavetheirappointedcaptainsandgenerals,wholeadthemtobattle。 Y。M。Thatcouldbeinstinct,too。 O。M。Wewilllookstillfurther。Theanthasasystemofgovernment;itiswellplanned,elaborate,andiswellcarriedon。 Y。M。Instinctagain。 O。M。Shehascrowdsofslaves,andisahardandunjustemployerofforcedlabor。 Y。M。Instinct。 O。M。Shehascows,andmilksthem。 Y。M。Instinct,ofcourse。 O。M。InTexasshelaysoutafarmtwelvefeetsquare,plantsit,weedsit,cultivatesit,gathersthecropandstoresitaway。 Y。M。Instinct,allthesame。 O。M。Theantdiscriminatesbetweenfriendandstranger。 SirJohnLubbocktookantsfromtwodifferentnests,madethemdrunkwithwhiskeyandlaidthem,unconscious,byoneofthenests,nearsomewater。Antsfromthenestcameandexaminedanddiscussedthesedisgracedcreatures,thencarriedtheirfriendshomeandthrewthestrangersoverboard。SirJohnrepeatedtheexperimentanumberoftimes。Foratimethesoberantsdidastheyhaddoneatfirstcarriedtheirfriendshomeandthrewthestrangersoverboard。Butfinallytheylostpatience,seeingthattheirreformatoryeffortswentfornothing,andthrewbothfriendsandstrangersoverboard。Comeisthisinstinct,orisitthoughtfulandintelligentdiscussionofathingnew absolutelynewtotheirexperience;withaverdictarrivedat,sentencepassed,andjudgmentexecuted?Isitinstinct?thoughtpetrifiedbyagesofhabitorisn’titbrandnewthought,inspiredbythenewoccasion,thenewcircumstances? Y。M。Ihavetoconcedeit。Itwasnotaresultofhabit; ithasallthelookofreflection,thought,puttingthisandthattogether,asyouphraseit。Ibelieveitwasthought。 O。M。Iwillgiveyouanotherinstanceofthought。Franklinhadacupofsugaronatableinhisroom。Theantsgotatit。 Hetriedseveralpreventives;andantsrosesuperiortothem。 Finallyhecontrivedonewhichshutoffaccessprobablysetthetable’slegsinpansofwater,ordrewacircleoftararoundthecup,Idon’tremember。Atanyrate,hewatchedtoseewhattheywoulddo。Theytriedvariousschemesfailures,everyone。Theantswerebadlypuzzled。Finallytheyheldaconsultation,discussedtheproblem,arrivedatadecisionandthistimetheybeatthatgreatphilosopher。Theyformedinprocession,crossthefloor,climbedthewall,marchedacrosstheceilingtoapointjustoverthecup,thenonebyonetheyletgoandfelldownintoit!Wasthatinstinctthoughtpetrifiedbyagesofinheritedhabit? Y。M。No,Idon’tbelieveitwas。Ibelieveitwasanewlyreasonedschemetomeetanewemergency。