THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE. 129 



itself- but it is impossible for us to assume that these 

 effects have been induced by such mere modifying 

 influences. Inherent attractions would of themselves 

 tend to make a homogeneous aggregate become hetero- 

 geneous; and inherent tendencies' are not annulled 

 but merely modified by the incidence of new external 

 forces, which produce effects only when they are capable 

 of inducing some alteration in the molecular arrange- 

 ment of the matter itself. Thus it is that the persistent 

 mutability of ^ living ' matter is the essential cause of 

 the marked tendency which it manifests to become 

 more and more differentiated (or organized) ; though 

 in this respect living' matter only display s, in a highly 

 marked degree, a property which is more or less pos- 

 sessed by all forms of matter — the homogeneous ever 

 tending to become heterogeneous \ 



New-born living matter must, therefore, inevitably 

 undergo differentiation. And just as this differen- 

 tiation in all past time has gone along those grooves 

 which result in the appearance of what we call ^ organ- 

 ization,' so is present new-born living matter likely 



^ As long as Archebiosis or Heterogenesis were disbelieved in as 

 present or recent occurrences, the occurrence of the very simplest forms 

 of life in the present day seemed quite incompatible with the existence 

 in living matter of an ' inherent tendency ' to develop. Hence it may 

 be that Mr. Spencer was led to deny, in its applicability to this particular 

 case, one of the first principles of the Evolution philosophy. A belief 

 in the present and continual occurrence of Archebiosis, however, would 

 relieve him from all difficulties. 



VOL. II. K 



