50 ORIGIN OF MAN. 



not now arise spontaneously, under favour- 

 able circumstances ; their spontaneous 

 generation may still be going on in much 

 the same way, under similar conditions. 

 Why not ? The law omne vivum e vivo y 

 applies only as far as we can see ; it is not 

 reasonable to suppose that nature's forces, 

 that originally produced protoplasm, have 

 ceased to operate. Similar soil, moisture, 

 warmth, sunshine, and darkness still exist, 

 and are likely to produce similar effects 

 [See p. 27]. 



It is not contended that the Creator 

 could not have communicated life directly 

 to not-living matter, could not have made 

 not-living matter into living matter at once ; 

 it is only maintained that such would be 

 contrary to the whole plan of creation, 

 and would have involved a break in the 

 chain of evolution, and a special inter- 

 position on the part of the Creator. 



Now the laws of orderly development 

 rule throughout the universe. The highest 

 plant life is gradually developed from the 

 lowest the graceful palm from the proto- 

 phyte : so also is the highest animal life 

 similarly developed by slow degrees, from 

 the amoeba to the most highly developed 

 member of the animal kingdom man 



