13 

 Kctoplasni and Evolution 



J HE PRINCIPLE OF EVOLUTION IS AS FIRMLY ESTABLISHED 



as any in biology. The evolution-theory constitutes a 

 fundamental postulate of the science of biology and has 

 proved a guiding principle of uncalculable value for bio- 

 logical research. Among biologists exists the almost unani- 

 mous verdict that evolution took place. According to 

 the prevailing opinion, the world of living things was 

 evolved from a unicellular organism. 



It should however be emphasized that this first form of 

 life was not that of some now existing protozoon. The 

 word, Protozoa, literally means first animals; but we should 

 bear in mind that among the Protozoa themselves evolution 

 has taken place. We therefore assume that the first form 

 of life was a simpler unicellular structure than the proto- 

 zoan. From this both the Protozoa as we now know them 

 and multicellular animals came, the former evolving in one 

 direction, the latter in another. 



We encounter two questions: How did this first living 

 thing arise ? What was (and is) the cause of evolution ? 



With the first question most biologists will not concern 

 themselves — they deem it unanswerable and thus only 

 provocative of fruitless speculation. And yet such specula- 

 tion will always be alluring. The drama of the universe in 

 the act now before us is a tremendously moving spectacle, 

 but the prologue to its pageantry is also capable of moving 

 the dullest imagination. One need, therefore, make no 

 apology in voicing a note concerning the origin of the world 

 of living things. The answers to the second question are 



3S4 



