Still it remains to be noticed in what manner this determination of equality by comparison of linear magnitudes originated. Once more may we perceive that surrounding natural objects supplied the needful lessons. From the beginning there must have been a constant experience of like things placed side by side--men standing and walking together; animals from the same herd; fish from the same shoal. And the ceaseless repetition of these experiences could not fail to suggest the observation, that the nearer together any objects were, the more visible became any inequality between them. Hence the obvious device of putting in apposition, things of which it was desired to ascertain the relative magnitudes. Hence the idea of _measure_. And here we suddenly come upon a group of facts which afford a solid basis to the remainder of our argument; while they also furnish strong evidence in support of the foregoing speculations. Those who look sceptically on this attempted rehabilitation of the earliest epochs of mental development, and who more especially think that the derivation of so many primary notions from organic forms is somewhat strained, will perhaps see more probability in the several hypotheses that have been ventured, on discovering that all measures of _extension_ and _force_ originated from the lengths and weights of organic bodies; and all measures of _time_ from the periodic phenomena of either organic or inorganic bodies. Thus, among linear measures, the cubit of the Hebrews was the _length of the forearm_ from the elbow to the end of the middle finger; and the smaller scriptural dimensions are expressed in _hand-breadths_ and _spans_. The Egyptian cubit, which was similarly derived, was divided into digits, which were _finger-breadths_; and each finger-breadth was more definitely expressed as being equal to four _grains of barley_ placed breadthwise. Other ancient measures were the orgyia or _stretch of the arms_, the _pace_, and the _palm_. So persistent has been the use of these natural units of length in the East, that even now some of the Arabs mete out cloth by the forearm. So, too, is it with European measures. The _foot_ prevails as a dimension throughout Europe, and has done since the time of the Romans, by whom, also, it was used: its lengths in different places varying not much more than men's feet vary. The heights of horses are still expressed in _hands_. The inch is the length of the terminal joint of _the thumb_; as is clearly shown in France, where _pouce_ means both thumb and inch. Then we have the inch divided into three _barley-corns_.