GERM DOCTRINE OF BONNET. 263 



more than the existence, and which belong to another world, 

 which I would call the world of the invisible." {Paling., Part 

 X, Chap. VII, p. 279.) 



The Difficulty with Hydra. 



Bonnet struggled hard in the attempt to apply the doctrine 

 of germs and the theory of evolution to Hydra. The cele- 

 brated experiments of Trembley presented most formidable 

 difficulties, and they seemed to threaten the most precious 

 article of his creed — the immortality of the soul — for the 

 sake of which a germ trinity had been devised. 



Could the personality of such a divisible creature be caged 

 in a triple-germ case, such as seemed to fit man and " the spe- 

 cies which are best known to us " } Bonnet did not affirm 

 positively that animals have souls ; but he regarded it as prob- 

 able. Assuming that they have a soul, it must be immaterial 

 and indivisible. " The soul of Hydra will also be indivisible. 

 We do not then divide this soul, when we divide the Hydra ; 

 but we thus render it possible for certain germs to develop. 

 ... As many new persons will be formed as new individual 

 wholes are developed." All this is according to principles laid 

 down in Chap. Ill of the Corps Organises (Tableau, p. 70). 



Bonnet gives the results of Trembley' s observations on 

 Hydra in the first part of the Corps Organises (Chap. XI), but 

 postpones his '^ essai d' explication " until the second chapter of 

 the second part, in order to bring analogous facts, found 

 among plants and worms, to bear on the difficulty. 



"My readers," says Bonnet, "who will take the trouble to 

 follow my steps and to reflect upon my ideas, will conclude 

 with me that the facts concur in establishing the great princi- 

 ple of the preexistence of germs. TJiey will not consider them- 

 selves obliged to abandon it in view of the luonders that the his- 

 tory of polyps reveals to 7is ; but they zvill prefer to seek with me 

 the reconciliation of those strange facts with the law of evolution. 

 I shall not force these facts to come and range themselves 

 under this law; I shall confine myself to comparing them to 

 analogous facts that are evidently subject to it, and where I do 

 not see a satisfactory solution I shall say so ; I shall try never 



