“Well, the environment of the race is in reality, the environment of every individual in it, for every individual inherits the impress made upon the race during all past ages. For this reason a human infant just born is a being of far greater experience than a mature elephant; the experience of the race is his and it is expressed in the structure of his brain and body. In like manner an individual of our race has the long life of his race behind him and is older at birth than a human being is at 80, because our race has a vastly longer history and experience than yours.” “Your idea is ingenious, but yet it must be admitted that a mature elephant knows more than a new born human infant.” “That depends on what you mean by knowledge,” he replied. “The most knowing person has no knowledge when he is asleep, but he possesses the potentiality of getting it when he wakes up, and when he is awake, his knowledge extends only to the things about which his brain is active for the moment, while as to other things, the most that can be said is that, he may possess the potentiality of knowing them when the activity of his brain is directed to them, by appropriate stimulations. In like manner the potentiality of all the knowledge belonging to his race, slumbers in the new born infant; and as he gradually wakes up in the process of his growth and development, this knowledge, upon proper stimulation of the brain, flashes into view. Therefore everything depends upon the race to which one belongs. Our race had already reached a high degree of cultivation before yours was distinguishable from four footed beasts.” My disposition to generalize, unwittingly influenced no doubt by my early Sunday School education, here led me to make an observation, that a moment later I perceived to be crude and ill considered. It was to the effect that this great age to which his race had attained, had made their superior mental development possible and had given the time necessary for their physical evolution through and from the human form. His answer to this was a loud and prolonged, ha ha ha! That is to say, I heard nothing quite like that, but was impressed by a sensation that his mental state exhibited in human expression would be laughter loud and long. Said he; “the conceit of the human race is the laughing stock of all our people, but you are a very young race and you will know a great deal more when you get older. Individuals of our race and kindred races have visited the earth, and allowed themselves to be seen. And descriptions of them have been attempted by some of your ancient seers.