PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS SECTION D. 97 



•evolved, it seems to me that chromatin in the form of specks or 

 granules, as "dust," to use the Biblical expression, was the first 

 living substance, probably secreting around itself a slight covering 

 of cytoplasm. Probably we have in the filterable or ultra-visible 

 viruses, such as are responsible for scarlet fever, primitive organisms 

 not far removed from the earliest and simplest living organisms. 

 There are probably free-living, ultra-visible viruses, even in the 

 sea, where life began. Bacteria, although many of them are de- 

 graded by parasitism, may represent to-day a stage in evolution 

 between the primitive organismal granule and simple unicellular 

 plants and animals forming a primitive plankton. The Biblical 

 statement that God breathed into man, formed from dust or 

 organismal chromatin, the breath of life may quite correctly imply 

 that the chromatin granules, carrying the hereditary characters, 

 came from God, and so the hereditary characters may have 

 originally come from God, which explains the Biblical statements, 

 often affirmed in varying terms, that man is in the image of God, 

 many intervening evolutionary epochs being assumed. Regarding 

 the doctrine of immortality, we have in the germ cells of the body 

 "a cellular autonomous immortal line" continuous through suc- 

 cessive generations. 



We read frequently in the Scriptures of "sin," and it forms, 

 or did form, an almost never-ending theme on the part of divines. 

 Probably the preachings of the doctrine of "sin" did more to 

 loosen the hold of the orthodox religions on the masses than any 

 other theme. However, "sin" can quite easily be explained scien- 

 tifically as "disease." We now know that when an organism 

 which has become parasitic is out of "harmony with its host (i.e., 

 its environment) it will probably be disease-producing. This may 

 account for the old ideas of sin and punishment by plagues. The 

 visiting of the "sins of the fathers upon the children" may be 

 thus explained, as for example we know to-day of the transmission 

 of syphilis from the parents to the children, even before birth. 

 Although I should like to elaborate some of these ideas, which of 

 necessity are difficult, I must content myself with mere suggestions. 

 I put them forward in the humble hope that their own inherent 

 interest and importance may secure for them a consideration in 

 this age of excitement and turmoil. In real social growth it has 

 been well said that "science and religion are the outstanding co- 

 operative agents." 



Prominent thinkers have recently deplored the almost dormant 

 intellectual life of many of the homes. The lack of thought in the 

 homa underlies the carelessness and want of a sense of responsi- 

 bility so prevalent to-day. It is unfortunate that machinery has 

 tended to lessen the interest of the worker in his work, as crafts- 

 manship has become mere drudgery. This subject should receive 

 most careful consideration at the hands of masters and men, as 

 the capacity and intelligence of the individual manual worker is 

 being unconsciously lowered, with corresponding danger to society. 



Much in the past has been expected from education. But 

 • education has drifted alons' wrong lines, it has become mere 



