88 THE LESSON OF EVOLUTION 



globules of various substances, which are, probably, 

 the intermediate products of assimilation. 



Structure of Protoplasm. A network of threads 

 or mitomes, formed by granules of chromatin, held 

 together by linin. This " spongioplasm " holds in 

 its meshes a more fluid portion called ' ' hyaloplasm ' ' 

 or paramitome. The nucleus is formed by altered 

 and concentrated mitomes, in which the chromatin 

 granules are larger and the linin in small quantity 

 or absent. The hyaloplasm is also much reduced 

 and is now called nuclear sap, while the altered 

 mitomes are called chromoromes. 



Judging from what we know about the lowest 

 forms of animals and plants and this is the only 

 kind of evidence we can ever have it appears pro- 

 bable that at first all protoplasm consisted of delicate 

 fibres of a substance called mitome, running through 

 a more fluid and granular substance called para- 

 mitome. There was no nucleus. The first step in 

 development was that, after a certain amount of 

 growth had taken place, the protoplasm kept dividing 

 into two similar and nearly equal halves, self -fission 

 being necessary for the health of the growing 

 organism. Protoplasm is a substance in which 

 chemical re-actions are constantly taking place, and 

 the results of these are, in most cases, detrimental. 

 If the protoplasm by taking in nourishment was to 

 grow into a large mass, these deleterious product's 

 would accumulate in the interior. So, for sanitary 

 reasons, the protoplasm divides; and in the lowest 

 plants and animals, separates into two individuals. 

 But the association of individuals, for a common 



