the expression of emotion in man and animals-第77章

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urd　gesture　which　is　made；　and　every　word　which　is　uttered　near　them；　even　in　a　foreign　language。＇1＇　In　the　case　of　animals；　the　jackal　and　wolf　have　learnt　under　confinement　to　imitate　the　barking　of　the　dog。　　How　the　barking　of　the　dog；　which　serves　to　express　various　emotions　and　desires；　and　which　is　so　remarkable　from　having　been　acquired　since　the　animal　was　domesticated；　and　from　being　inherited　in　different　degrees　by　different　breeds；　was　first　learnt　we　do　not　know；　but　may　we　not　suspect　that　imitation　has　had　something　to　do　with　its　acquisition；　owing　to　dogs　having　long　lived　in　strict　association　with　so　loquacious　an　animal　as　man？


＇1＇　See　the　interesting　facts　given　by　Dr。　Bateman　on　‘Aphasia；'　1870；　p。　　110。

In　the　course　of　the　foregoing　remarks　and　throughout　this　volume；　I　have　often　felt　much　difficulty　about　the　proper　application　of　the　terms；　will；　consciousness；　and　intention。　　Actions；　which　were　at　first　voluntary；　soon　became　habitual；　and　at　last　hereditary；　and　may　then　be　performed　even　in　opposition　to　the　will。　Although　they　often　reveal　the　state　of　the　mind；　this　result　was　not　at　first　either　intended　or　expected。　　Even　such　words　as　that　〃certain　movements　serve　as　a　means　of　expression〃　are　apt　to　mislead；　as　they　imply　that　this　was　their　primary　purpose　or　object。　This；　however；　seems　rarely　or　never　to　have　been　the　case；　the　movements　having　been　at　first　either　of　some　direct　use；　or　the　indirect　effect　of　the　excited　state　of　the　sensorium。　An　infant　may　scream　either　intentionally　or　instinctively　to　show　that　it　wants　food；　but　it　has　no　wish　or　intention　to　draw　its　features　into　the　peculiar　form　which　so　plainly　indicates　misery；　yet　some　of　the　most　characteristic　expressions　exhibited　by　man　are　derived　from　the　act　of　screaming；　as　has　been　explained。

Although　most　of　our　expressive　actions　are　innate　or　instinctive；　as　is　admitted　by　everyone；　it　is　a　different　question　whether　we　have　any　instinctive　power　of　recognizing　them。　　This　has　generally　been　assumed　to　be　the　case；　but　the　assumption　has　been　strongly　controverted　by　M。　Lemoine。＇2＇　Monkeys　soon　learn　to　distinguish；　not　only　the　tones　of　voice　of　their　masters；　but　the　expression　of　their　faces；　as　is　asserted　by　a　careful　observer。＇3＇　Dogs　well　know　the　difference　between　caressing　and　threatening　gestures　or　tones；　and　they　seem　to　recognize　a　compassionate　tone。　　But　as　far　as　I　can　make　out；　after　repeated　trials；　they　do　not　understand　any　movement　confined　to　the　features；　excepting　a　smile　or　laugh；　and　this　they　appear；　at　least　in　some　cases；　to　recognize。　This　limited　amount　of　knowledge　has　probably　been　gained；　both　by　monkeys　and　dogs；　through　their　associating　harsh　or　kind　treatment　with　our　actions；　and　the　knowledge　certainly　is　not　instinctive。　Children；　no　doubt；　would　soon　learn　the　movements　of　expression　in　their　elders　in　the　same　manner　as　animals　learn　those　of　man。　Moreover；　when　a　child　cries　or　laughs；　he　knows　in　a　general　manner　what　he　is　doing　and　what　he　feels；　so　that　a　very　small　exertion　of　reason　would　tell　him　what　crying　or　laughing　meant　in　others。　But　the　question　is；　do　our　children　acquire　their　knowledge　of　expression　solely　by　experience　through　the　power　of　association　and　reason？

As　most　of　the　movements　of　expression　must　have　been　gradually　acquired；　afterwards　becoming　instinctive；　there　seems　to　be　some　degree　of　_a　priori_　probability　that　their　recognition　would　likewise　have　become　instinctive。　There　is；　at　least；　no　greater　difficulty　in　believing　this　than　in　admitting　that；　when　a　female　quadruped　first　bears　young；　she　knows　the　cry　of　distress　of　her　offspring；　or　than　in　admitting　that　many　animals　instinctively　recognize　and　fear　their　enemies；　and　of　both　these　statements　there　can　be　no　reasonable　doubt。　It　is　however　extremely　difficult　to　prove　that　our　children　instinctively　recognize　any　expression。　　I　attended　to　this　point　in　my　first…born　infant；　who　could　not　have　learnt　anything　by　associating　with　other　children；　and　I　was　convinced　that　he　understood　a　smile　and　received　pleasure　from　seeing　one；　answering　it　by　another；　at　much　too　early　an　age　to　have　learnt　anything　by　experience。　　When　this　child　was　about　four　months　old；　I　made　in　his　presence　many　odd　noises　and　strange　grimaces；　and　tried　to　look　savage；　but　the　noises；　if　not　too　loud；　as　well　as　the　grimaces；　were　all　taken　as　good　jokes；　and　I　attributed　this　at　the　time　to　their　being　preceded　or　accompanied　by　smiles。　　When　five　months　old；　he　seemed　to　understand　a　compassionate；　expression　and　tone　of　voice。　When　a　few　days　over　six　months　old；　his　nurse　pretended　to　cry；　and　I　saw　that　his　face　instantly　assumed　a　melancholy　expression；　with　the　corners　of　the　mouth　strongly　depressed；　now　this　child　could　rarely　have　seen　any　other　child　crying；　and　never　a　grown…up　person　crying；　and　I　should　doubt　whether　at　so　early　an　age　he　could　have　reasoned　on　the　subject。　Therefore　it　seems　to　me　that　an　innate　feeling　must　have　told　him　that　the　pretended　crying　of　his　nurse　expressed　grief；　and　this　through　the　instinct　of　sympathy　excited　grief　in　him。


＇2＇　‘La　Physionomie　et　la　Parole；'　1865；　pp。　　103；　118。

＇3＇　Rengger；　‘Naturgeschichte　der　Saugethiere　von　Paraguay；'　1830；　s。　　55。

M。　Lemoine　argues　that；　if　man　possessed　an　innate　knowledge　of　expression；　authors　and　artists　would　not　have　found　it　so　difficult；　as　is　notoriously　the　case；　to　describe　and　depict　the　characteristic　signs　of　each　particular　state　of　mind。　But　this　does　not　seem　to　me　a　valid　argument。　We　may　actually　behold　the　expression　changing　in　an　unmistakable　manner　in　a　man　or　animal；　and　yet　be　quite　unable；　as　I　know　from　experience；　to　analyse　the　nature　of　the　change。　In　the　two　photographs　given　by　Duchenne　of　the　same　old　man　（Plate　III。　　figs。　　5　and　6）；　almost　every　one　recognized　that　the　one　represented　a　true；　and　the　other　a　false　smile；　but　I　have　found　it　very　difficult　to　decide　in　what　the　whole　amount　of　difference　consists。　　It　has　often　struck　me　as　a　curious　fact　that　so　many　shades　of　expression　are　instantly　recognized　without　any　conscious　process　of　analysis　on　our　part。　No　one；　I　believe；　can　clearly　describe　a　sullen　or　sly　expression；　yet　many　observers　are　unanimous　that　these　expressions　can　be　recognized　in　the　various　races　of　man。　　Almost　everyone　to　whom　I　showed　Duchenne's　photograph　of　the　young　man　with　oblique　eyebrows　（Plate　II。　　fig。　　2）　at　once　declared　that　it　expressed　grief　or　some　such　feeling；　yet　probably　not　one　of　these　persons；　or　one　out　of　a　thousand　persons；　could　beforehand　have　told　anything　precise　about　the　obliquity　of　the　eyebrows　with　their　inner　ends　puckered；　or　about　the　rectangular　furrows　on　the　forehead。　So　it　is　with　many　other　expressions；　of　which　I　have　had　practical　experience　in　the　trouble　requisite　in　instructing　others　what　points　to　observe。　　If；　then；　great　ignorance　of　details　does　not　prevent　our　recognizing　with　certainty　and　promptitude　various　expressions；　I　do　not　see　how　this　ignorance　can　be　advanced　as　an　argument　that　our　knowledge；　though　vague　and　general；　is　not　innate。

I　have　endeavoured　to　show　in　considerable　detail　that　all　the　chief　expressions　exhibited　by　man　are　the　same　throughout　the　world。　This　fact　is　interesting；　as　it　affords　a　new　argument　in　favour　of　the　several　races　being　descended　from　a　single　parent…stock；　which　must　have　been　almost　completely　human　in　structure；　and　to　a　large　extent　in　mind；　before　the　period　at　which　the　races　diverged　from　each　other。　No　doubt　similar　structures；　adapted　for　the　same　purpose；　have　often　been　independently　acquired　through　variation　and　natural　selection　by　distinct　species；　but　this　view　will　not　explain　close　similarity　between　distinct　species　in　a　multitude　of　unimportant　details。　Now　if　we　bear　in　mind　the　numerous　points　of　structure　having　no　relation　to　expression；　in　which　all　the　races　of　man　closely　agree；　and　then　add　to　them　the　numerous　points；　some　of　the　highest　importance　and　many　of　the　most　trifling　value；　on　which　the　movements　of　expression　directly　or　indirectly　depend；　it　seems　to　me　improbable　in　the　highest　degree　t