20. Its beauty and adaptation to the wants of man have made the hand an attractive theme for philosophers. They do not, however, always agree in their conclusions. One has the opinion that man has acquired his intelligence and achieved his place as "lord of creation," because he has this organ. Buffon, in effect, declares that with fingers twice as numerous and twice as long, we would become proportionally wiser; but Galen long ago took a more reasonable view, when he taught that "man is the wisest of animals, not because he possesses the hand; but because he is the wisest and understands its use, the hand has been given to him; for his mind, not his hand has taught him the arts." Another has well said, that "no one can study carefully the human hand and fail to be convinced of the existence of the Deity." [Sidenote: 21. The simplicity of touch? What does it teach us?] 21. THE SENSE OF TOUCH.--Touch is the simplest of the senses. It is that which the child first calls into exercise in solving the early problems of existence; and it is that which is in the most constant use throughout life. We are brought by the touch into the most intimate relations with external objects, and by it we learn the greater number, if not the most important, of the properties of {185} these objects; such as size, figure, solidity, motion, and smoothness or roughness of surface. [Sidenote: 22. Importance of the sense of touch to the development of the other senses?] 22. The sense of touch assists the other senses, especially that of sight, giving foundation and reality to their perceptions. Without it, the impressions received by the eye would be as vague and unreal as the figures that float through our dreams. A boy who had been blind from birth, at the age of twelve years received sight by means of a surgical operation: at first, he was unable to distinguish between a globe and a circular card, of the same color, before he had touched them. After that, he at once recognized the difference in their form. He knew the peculiarities of a dog and a cat by feeling, but not by sight, until one day, happening to take up the cat, he recognized the connection of the two sorts of impressions, those of touch and sight; and then, putting the cat down, he said: "So, puss, I shall know you next time." [Illustration: FIG. 45.] [Sidenote: 23. Liability of touch to err? Describe the illustration.]