Mark Twain, "Man's Place in the Animal World" (1896)

I have been scientifically studying the traits and dispositions of the "lower animals" (so-called) and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man.  I find the result profoundly humiliating to me.  For it obliges me to renounce my allegiance to the Darwinian theory of the Ascent of Man from the Lower Animals; since it now seems plain to me that that theory ought to be vacated in favor of a new and truer one, this new and truer one to be named the Descent of Man from the Higher Animals.

[...]

Some of my experiments were quite curious.  In the course of my reading I had come across a case where, many years ago, some hunters on our Great Plains organized a buffalo hunt for the entertainment of an English earl—that, an to provide some fresh meat for his larder. They had charming sport.  They killed seventy-two of those great animals; and ate part of one of them and left the seventy-one to rot.  In order to determine the difference between an anaconda and an earl—if any—I caused seven young calves to be turned into the anaconda's cage [of the London Zoological Garden].  The grateful reptile immediately crushed one of them and swallowed it, then lay back satisfied.  It showed no further interest in the calves, and no disposition to harm them.  I tried this experiment with other anacondas; always with the same result.  The fact stood proven that the difference between an earl and an anaconda is, that the earl is cruel and the anaconda isn't; and that the earl wantonly destroys what he has no use for, but the anaconda doesn't.  This seemed to suggest that the earl was descended from the anaconda, and had lost a good deal in the transition.

I was aware that many men who have accumulated more millions of money than they can ever use, have shown a rabid hunger for more, and have not scrupled to cheat the ignorant and the helpless out of their poor savings in order to partially appease that appetite.  I furnished a hundred different kinds of wild and tame animals the opportunity to accumulate vast stores of food, but none of them would do it.  The squirrels and bees and certain birds made accumulations, but stopped when they had gathered a winter's supply, and could not be persuaded to add to it either honestly or by chicane.  In order to bolster up a tottering reputation the ant pretended to store up supplies, but I was not deceived.  I know the ant.  These experiments convinced me that there is a difference between man and the Higher Animals: he is avaricious and miserly, they are not.

[...]

Among my experiments was this.  In an hour I taught a cat and a dog to be friends.  I put them in a cage.  In another hour I taught them to be friends with a rabbit.  In the course of two days I was able to add a fox, a goose, a squirrel and some doves.  Finally a monkey.  They lived together in peace; even affectionately.

Next, in another cage I confined an Irish Catholic from Tipperary, and as soon as he seemed tame I added a Scotch Presbyterian from Aberdeen.  Next a Turk from Constantinople; a Greek Christian from Crete; an Armenian; a Methodist from the wilds of Arkansaw; a Buddhist from Chrina; a Brahmin from Benares.   Finally, a Salvation Army Colonel from Wapping.  Then I stayed away two whole days.  When I came back to note results, the cage of Higher Animals was all right, but in the other there was but a chaos of gory odds and ends of turbans and fezzes and plaids and bones and flesh—not a specimen left alive.  These Reasoning Animals had disagreed on a theological detail and carried the matter to a Higher Court.

I transcribe these excerpts because 1) it seems not to be available online, 2) I hold vain hope that retyping masterful prose has an osmotic effect of my own, and 3) because it contains two of the best sentences in the English language.   Care to guess?  The answer's in the comments.

Comments

[SEK]

1. "I know the ant."

2. "Finally a monkey."

[Loki]

Ants pretend to do things? I always thought the little jerks in my kitchen were smart, but now that I know they're capable of dissembling I shall have no mercy.

[Tim Lacy]

Great excerpt. As a native Missourian, I'm obliged - happily - to venerate Mr. Clemens.

On your favorite sentences, I would've guessed:

1. "They had charming sport." and
2. "They lived together in peace; even affectionately."

- TL

[Jake]

Now Twain... he's so dreamy.

[Adam Roberts]

There's some confusion here in Twain's mind about whether Darwin's book is called the Ascent or Descent of Man that rather takes the shine of the comedy, I feel. Unless this was a prophetic dig at Jacob Bronowski.

[Sisyphus]

Twain also said "Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to."

[sharon]

"This seemed to suggest that the earl was descended from the anaconda, and had lost a good deal in the transition."

"I know the ant."

Especially the second one.

[chloe sprei]

Philosophy: man's cruel and obsessive desire to experiment with other beings and nature is the same descent from higher animals.