Probably the most important difference between man and other members of
the same or any order, is the higher physical development of the brain.
Not only is the size greater in proportion to the rest of the body, but
it presents a more elaborate series of folds, or convolutions. When it
is understood that the physical processes corresponding to the highest
mental activities are located in the cortex, or rind of the brain, it is
seen that the extent and number of the convolutions, by increasing the
area of the cortex, must play a considerable part in determining the
intellectual effectiveness of the animal.
In addition to mere size of brain, may be noted the adaptability of his
hands to many uses, allowing a degree of skill impossible to other
animals. The senses, too, are so nicely balanced and accurately adjusted
as to enable him to obtain an intimate acquaintance with the properties
of the world around him, in a manner that will contribute to his
pleasure, and at the same time ensure his elevation and happiness. He
possesses the gift of language by which to denote his wants; the colors
of the earth and sea and sky gladden his eye; melody enchants his ear;
the sweet odors of flowers delight his nostrils; the fruits of summer
please his palate; the glorious sun and the spangled canopy of heaven
entrance him--and all lead him to the contemplation of the Deity, of
whose wondrous scheme he is himself the corner-stone.
When differences other than physical are considered, the superiority of
man is so great as to incline many to the opinion that he is a separate
creation on the ground of his mentality alone.
However great this superiority is, it does not appear that man possesses
any faculty or fairly fundamental mental process which is not possessed
in some degree by some lower animal or other. Memory, the powers of
abstraction, and of reasoning are possessed by certain animals, if only
in a very simple form.
He alone can produce fire; and this acquaintance with fire and the art
of cooking has also frequently been regarded as the most distinctive
characteristic of the human race. Clothing and decoration are also early
peculiarities of man. Alone among animals, he covers himself with the
skins of the beasts he has slain, and adorns himself with feathers,
shells, teeth, and bones. Yet from these simple beginnings all the arts
gradually developed.