Page:Mind (Old Series) Volume 9.djvu/522

 510 CHAELES MEECIEE : degree than those in which the noxiousness is active, and hence it follows that the Eepulsive feelings as a group lie upon the confines of the great Class (I.) of feelings that we are now considering those that affect the conservation of the organism and approach in character those of Class V., which correspond with actions that are neither conservative nor destructive. 1 When we observe that this last Class in- cludes the ^Esthetic feelings, it will, I think, be admitted that there is a real and well recognised connexion, partly direct, partly antithetical, between them and such feelings as Horror and Disgust. Circumstances that are passively noxious are much less common than those whose noxiousness is active, and hence feelings of the class now considered are much less numerous and less definitely characterised than those of Antagonism. If the matter be considered in the light of Evolution, it will appear that in the history of the race a vast number of cases in which a thing has been spontaneously meddled with by the organism and thereupon found to be noxious, have been cases in which the thing was taken as food. Hence may be formed a natural division of the Repulsive feelings according to the way in which the noxiousness is manifested. TABLE IV. CLASS I. Sub-class I. Order II. Genus 2 : The Feelings of Repugnance. The feeling corre- ("..-, ., ( and moderately noxious. Disgust. spends with the re- lationtotheorgan- and intensely noxious. Loathing. d f ior which is cognised as passively nox- ious. i or generally and of superior power. Abhorrence, and of overwhelming power. Horror. The feeling of Horror occupies in this class a position homologous with that of Terror in the last, the sole differ- ence being the character, as active or passive, of the noxious- ness of the circumstance by which they are aroused. Now a circumstance which is only passively noxious will not be cognised both as noxious and as of overwhelming power, unless both of these qualities are very conspicuous. Every agent whose power is overwhelming is passively noxious, since if we get in its way it will crush us, but in the great majority of such cases the power alone is cognised. The noxiousness, being inconspicuous, is omitted from the cogni- 1 Cf. MIND XXXV. 337.