"
"And what has she not?"
"Moustache."
They next produced the likeness of man with no moustache.
"What's this?"
"Why is it a man?"
"Weil kurz Hr hd: because he has short hair."
I could multiply these examples indefinitely by drawing on the
voluminous Elberfeld minutes, which, I may say in passing, have
the convincing force of photographic records. All this, it must
be agreed, is unexpected and disconcerting, had never been
foreseen or suspected and may be regarded as one of the strangest
prodigies, one of the most stupefying revelations that have taken
place since man has dwelt in this world of riddles, Nevertheless,
by reflecting, by comparing, by investigating, by regarding
certain forgotten or neglected landmarks and starting-points, by
taking into consideration the thousand imperceptible gradations
between the greatest and the least, the highest and the lowest,
it is still possible to explain, admit and understand. We can, if
it comes to that, imagine that, in his secret self, in his tragic
silence, our dog also makes similar remarks and reflections. Once
again, the miraculous bridge which, in this instance, spans the
gulf between the animal and man is much more the expression of
thought than thought itself. We may go further and grant that
certain elementary calculations, such as little additions, little
subtractions of one or two figures, are, after all, conceivable;
and I, for my part, am inclined to believe that the horse really
executes them.
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