an theory, at
least he does not say so; but that each man, and the entire human race,
has descended from an unknown pair of animals, he appears to receive as
indubitable. This would not, so far as I can see, make the slightest
difference in the so-called dignity of mankind. If man had a prehensile
tail, it would not detract from his worth. I myself have little doubt that
there were men with tails in prehistoric or even in historic times. I go
still farther and declare that if ever there should be an ape who can form
ideas and words, he would _ipso facto_ be a man. I have therefore no
prejudices such as the advocates of the simian theory like to attribute to
us. What I and those who agree with me demand of our opponents, is merely
somewhat keener thought, and a certain consideration for the results of
our knowledge, such as we on our side have bestowed on their researches.
They have taught us that the body in which we live was at first a simple
cell. The significance of this "at first" is left somewhat vague. This
cell was really what the word means, the _cella_ (room) of a dumb
inhabitant, the Self. The essential thing is and remains what was in the
cell. Through gemmation, differentiation, segmentation, evolution, or
whatever other technical expressions we may use for division,
multiplication, budding, increase, etc., each cell became a hundred, a
thousand, a million. Within this cell is a bright spot into which not even
the microscope can penetrate, although whole worlds may be contained
therein. If it is now remembered that no one has ever succeeded in
distinguishing the human cell from the cell of a horse, an elephant, or an
ape, we shall see how much unnecessary indignation has been expended in
recent years over the simian origin of the human race, and how much
intelligent thought has been wasted about the animal origin of man, that
is of the individual. My body, your body, his body, is derived
(ontogenetically) from the cell, is in fact the cell which has remained
persistently the same from beginning to end, without ever, in spite of all
changes, losing its identity. This cell in its transformations has shown
remarkable analogies with the transformations of other animal cells.
While, however, the other animal cells in their transformations remain
stationary here and there, either at the boundary line of worms, fishes,
amphibia, reptiles, or mammals, the one cell which was destined to become
man moves on to the stage