THE Microscopr. ay | 
the truth, the uncolored truth, from nature. But it must be re- 
membered that the present existence of what has been called 
"ee apie generation,’ the origin of life de novo to-day by 
physical law, is by no means required by the doctrine of evolu- 
tion. Prof. Huxley, for example, says, ‘If all living beings 
have been evolved from pre-existing forms of life, it is enough 
that a single particle of protoplasm should once have appeared 
upon the globe, as the result of no matter what agency; any 
further independent formation of protoplasm would be sheer 
waste.’ And why? we may ask. Because one of the most 
marvelous and unique properties of protoplasm, and the living 
forms built out of it, is the power to multiply indefinitely and 
forever ! 
What need, then, of spontaneous generation? A. locomo- 
tive on a great journey, that is specifically endowed with the 
power to generate its own steam, surely does not need station- 
ary engines placed all along the line to generate steam for it. 
It is certainly true that evidence has been adduced purporting 
to support. if not establish, the origin in dead matter of the 
least and lowest forms of life. But it evinces no prejudice to 
say it is inefficient. For a moment study the facts. The organ- 
isms which were used to test the point at issue were those 
known as septic. The vast majority of these are inexpressibly 
minute. The smallest of them, indeed, is so small that 50 mil- 
lions of them, if laid in order, would only fill the one-hundredth 
part of acubic inch. Many are relatively larger, but all are 
supremely minute. Now, these organisms are universally pres- 
ent in enormous numbers, and ever rapidly increasing—in all 
moist putrefaction over the surface of the globe.” Referring 
to an experiment made with afew shreds of fish muscle and 
brain in pure water, and which ina brief time gave rise to a 
multitude of many living and moving organisms, Dr. Dallinger 
asked, ‘ How did these organisms arise? The water was pure; 
they were not discoverable in the fresh muscle of fish. Yet in 
a dozen hours the vessel of water is peopled with hosts of in- 
dividual forms which no mathematics could number! How did 
they arise—from universally diffused eggs, or from the direct 
physical change of dead matter into living forms ? 
Twelve years ago the life-histories of these forms were un- 
