2
T H E TORCH OF REASON, SIL V E R T O N , O REG O N , D E C E M B E R 20, E. M. 300 (1900.;
tion of the m am m al-brain which speech] extinguishes its function next three decades,
' )n every side we find beauty and
we call the seat [preferably the [speechj.
The slow gradual degeneration of excellence held in the balance of
organ] of consciousness is a p art of
In fact, there is proof enough in the higher m ental powers, w hich things. We know that work is
the cerebrum, an area in the late- the most fam iliar phenom ena of characterizes senility, usually sets needful, th a t winter is as necessary
developed gray bed, or c o rte x ,, consciousness of their com plete de- in a t the com m encem ent of thesev- as sum m er, th at rig h t is as useful
which is evolved out of the convex peudence ou chemical changes in ©nth decade— som etim es earlier, as day, th at death is a m anifesta-
dorsal portion of the prim ary cere- the substance of the brain. M ary som etim es later.
M emory, recep- tion of life, and just as good
We
bral vesicle, the ‘ fore-brain.’ Now beverages [such as coffee and tea] tiveness, and interest in p articu lar believe in the Now ai d H ere
We
the morphological proof of this stim ulate our powers of thought; objects g rad u ally decay; though believe in you, and we believe in
physiological thesis has been sue- others [such as wine and beer] in- productivity, m ature consciousness, Power th a t is in Ourselves that
cessfully given by the rem arkable tensify feeling; musk and cam- »»d philosophic interest in general i m akes for R ighteousness ’’
progress of the microscopic anato- phor reanim ate the fainting con- tru th s often rem ain for m any years
y , s “ the U *
s planned
m y of the brain, which we owe to sciousness; ether and chloroform longer.
I .
»
for good ’ as we ad a p t and adopt it
th e perfect m ethods of research of deaden it, and so forth.
How
The individual developm ent of
to our goodness, as stock and scion
m odern science (K olliker, Plechsig, would th a t he possible if conscious- consciousness in earlier youth
to each ether. Thus the goodless
Golgi, Edinger, A\ eigert, and oth- ness were an im m aterial entity, in- proves the universal validity of
and badless wild of the U niverse be­
^ rs)-
dependent of these anatom ical or- the biogenetic law; and, indeed, it
comes our flower and fruit garden,
The m ost im portant developm ent gans? And w hat becomes of the is still recognizable in m any ways
as the good m akes it “ good.” And
In any
is the discovery of the organs of consciousness of the “ im m ortal d u rin g the latter years.
yet n atu re m akes us too, and “ is
th o u g h t by Paul Flechaig, of Leip­ soul” when it no longer has the a n y case, the ontogenesis of con­
made belter by no mean, hut n a ­
sciousness makes it perfectly clear
zig; he proved th a t in the gray use of these organs?
ture makes th a t m ean .”
th
a
t
it
is
not
an
“
im
m
aterial
enti-
bed of the brain are found the four
These and other fam iliar facts
seats of the cen tral sense-organs, prove th a t m a n ’s consciousness
hut a physiological function of
W ho O wns The C hild?
or four “ inner spheres of sensation” — and th a t of the nearest mam- ^he hrain, a °d th at it is, conse-
— the sphere of touch in the v e rti­ m ais— is changeable, and th a t its q n en tly , no exception to the gener­
The child belongs to itself, and not
cal lobe, the sphere of smell in the activity is alwa> s open to modifi­ al law of substance.
to the S tate or the C hurch, nor the
frontal lobe, the sphere of sight in cation from inner [alim entation,
parent. The doctrine th a t the child
the occipital lobe, and the sphere circulation, etc.] and outer causes
Moreover, th a t highest stage of belongs to the parent, is a survival
of hearing in the tem poral lobe. [lesion of the brain, stim ulation, consciousness, which is reached bv
Between these four “ sense-centres” etc.] Very instructive, too, are man alone, has been evolved step of the savage times when the fath ­
lie the four great “ thought-cen­ the facts of double ami in term ii- by step—even by the very progress er m ight »ell or kill his child. Ac­
cording to the priests of all relgions
tres,” or centres of association, the te n t
consciousness,
w h i c h of civilization— from a lower con­
the child belongs to God and pa­
real organs of m ental life; they are rem ind
us of “ a 1 t e r n a t e dition, as we find illustrated today
rents m ust hand it to them as his
those highest instrum ents of psy­ generations
of
preseuta- in the case of uncivilized races.
chic activity th a t produce thought tions.” The same individual has T hat is easily proved by a com par­ vicars. By our civil law, m ade by
and consciousness.
In front we i an entirely different consciousness ison of their languages, which is the people for the people, the child
have the frontal brain or centre of; On different days, with a change of closely connected with the com par­ is not a property but a personality,
association; behind, on top there is circumstances; he does not know ison of their ideas. The higher the and the State is the guardian of the
the vertical brain, or parietal cen­ today what he did yesterday: yes- conceptional faculty advances in child as a coming factor in the civil
As the State holds the man
tre of association, and underneath terdry he could say, “ I am I ” ; to­ thoughtful civilized m an, the more firm.
th e principal brain, or “ the great day he m ust say, “ I am another qualified he is to detect cou mon responsible to itself, so also is It re-
occipito-tem poral centre of associ- being.”
Such interm itteuce of features am id a m ultitude of de­ sponuible to the child, and is both
c ia tio n ” (th e most im portant of consciousness m ay last not only tails, and em body them in general entitled and bound to see th at it is
a ll); lower down, and internally, day, but m ouths, and even years; concepts, and so much the clearer protected and rig h tly educated as
th e in su lar brain or the insula of the change may even become perm ­ and deeper does his consciousness a citizen, loyal first of all to th at
governm ent which cares for its wel­
Keil, the in su lar centre of associa­ anent.
become.
fare and claim s its future support.
tion.
These four “ thought-cen­
As everybody knows, the new­
The regent of th at religion which
tres,” distinguished from t he in ter­ born infant has no consciousness.
Book N otes.
more th an any other asserts its
m ediate “ sense-centres” by a pecul­ Preyer has shown th a t it is only
au th o rity above all others, is most
ia r and elaborate nerve-structure, developed alter the child has begun
[From “ L ittle Journeys to the
inconsistent of all together, in de­
. re the true and sole organs of to speak; for a long time it speaks
Homes of English A uthors,” from
m anding rights on the grounds of
thought and consciousness. Flech- of itself in the th ird person.
In the “ P hilistine, a periodical of
those secuiar and religious liberties
»ig has recently pointed out th at, the im p o rtan t m om ent when it first
protest,” published by the Roycrof-
which it is one of its four c a rd in al
in the case of man, very specific pronounces the word “ I,” when
ters, E ast A urora, N. Y.]
principles to condemn and to ever
structures are found in one part of the feeling of self becomes clear, we
Q uaiutness and hum or and wis­ affirm the Church above the S tate 1
th em ; these stru ctu res are w anting have the beginning of self-con­
in the other m am m als, and they, sciousness, and of the an tith esis to dom are a trin ity which we all wor­ If the State has any right, it is to
Even the sad victim s of repel such doctrine, and if the child
therefore, afford an explanation of the non-ego.
The rapid and solid ship.
the su periority of m an ’s m ental progress in knowledge which the “ the liver-trouble belief” cannot has any right, it is to rebel against
being lau g h t such dogm atism as
powers.
child makes in its first ten years he wholly indifferent thereunto.
So all welcome these “ Jo u rn ey s” this and its like abom inations. The
'Phe m om entuous announcem ent under tne care of parents an i
and the “ P h ilistin e” which put a whole logical argum ent against the
of modern physiology, th a t the teachers, and the slower progress of
a soft mellow, yet alterative su n ­ Bible in public school is this: The
cerebrum is the organ of conscious­ the second decade, until it reaches
Bible is a religious book, the public
ness and m ental action in man and com plete m aturity of m ind, are in ­ light over the world, and make us
school is a secular in stitu tio n .
the higher m am m als, is illustrated tim ately connected with a great ad ­ see and feel, and so appreciate
We do not insist enough on the
and confirmed by the pathological vancem ent in the growth and de­ things and fellows as we could not
Did we ever see and feel rig h ts of the State to control the
study of its diseases.
W hen parts velopm ent of consciousness and of before.
education of the* children an d to
of the cortex are destroy« d by dis­ its organ, the brain.
But even our creed, for instance, more lov­
resist the efforts of the C hurch,
ease tlo ir respective functions are when the pupil has got his “certifi­ ingly and livingly th an in these
or ra th e r of its priests who try to
affected and thus we are enabled to cate of m a tu rity ” his consciousness words over poor Coleridge.
“ We no longer accept the doctrine tw ist heaven and earth to th eir
some extent, to localize the activi- is still far from m ature; it is then
own will. W hen the C atholics stop
ties of the brain; when certain th a t his “ world-consciousness” first th at our n atu res are rooted in in ­
parts of the area are diseased, th at begins to develop, in his manifold famy, and th a t the desires of the th eir holy devotions in those public
schools which they control we can
portion of thought and conscious­ relations with the outer world. flesh are cunning trap s set by Sa-
ness disappears which depends on Then, in the third decade, we have tan, with G od’s perm ission to un th in k them more sincere in their
We believe th a t no one protest against sectarian teaching
those particular sections.
P ath o ­ the
full
m atu rity of rational do us.
logical experim ent yields the sam e thought and consciousness, which, can harm us but ourselves, th a t i° seeula r in stitu tio n s.
.. .k . j
t
v.
i
©in i® m isdirected energy; th a t
J* P- G .
eeult, the decay of some known jn cases of norm al developm ent, there is no devil <
r.
.
,
- i ----- -
- — -- hut fear, and th a t
I’eopie
who act very sm all
:e a [for instance, the centre of yield their ripe fruits during th e j the U niverse is planned for good. (are not to be noticed.