Organic Nature's Riddle 349 



A perception of this truth has led to the conception of 

 the universal presence of true intelhgence, as it were in a 

 rudimentary form, throughout the whole material universe 

 — the universal diffusion of Avhat the late Professor CHfford 



^^led ' mind-stuff' in every particle of matter. 



^f Such a behef can, however, be entertained only by those 

 who neglect to note the differences of objects presented to 

 the senses, attending solely to their resemblances, and de- 

 scribing them by inadequate and misleading terms. The 

 habit of perverting language in this manner has been 

 lately well spoken of as using intellectual false coin. By 

 such an abuse of language and disregard of points of 

 unlikeness, all diversities may easily be reduced to identity. 

 Against such abuse the scientific biologist must energetically 

 protest. The expression 'Hfe' refers to definite phenomena 

 which are not found but in animals and plants. The crystal 

 is not really alive, because it does not undergo the cycle 

 of changes characteristic of life. It does not sustain itself 

 by alimentation, reproduce its kind, and die. Any one 

 choosing to stretch terms may say that molecules of 

 inorganic matter live, because molecules exist. But in that 

 case we shall have to create a new term to denote what 

 we now call life. We might as well say a lamp-post ' feels ' 

 because we can make an impression on it, or that crystals 

 ' calculate ' because of their geometrical proportions, or that 

 oxygen 'lusts' after that which it rusts. As the late Mr. 

 G. H. Lewes has said : — 



'We deny that a crystal has sensibility; we deny it on the 

 ground that crystals exhibit no more signs of sensibility than plants 

 exhibit signs of civilisation, and we deny it on the ground that among 

 the conditions of sensibility there are some positively known to us, 

 and these are demonstrably absent from the crystal. We have full 

 evidence that it is only special kinds of molecular change that 

 exhibit the special signs called sentient ; we have as good evidence 



