WHAT IS LIFE? 43 



the constitution of matter itself. Moreover, since the law 

 of evolution seems of universal application and affords 

 the key to more great problems than any other generaliza- 

 tion of the human mind, one would say on primordial 

 grounds that life is an evolution ; that its genesis is to be 

 sought in the inherent capacities and potentialities of 

 matter itself. How else could it come? This is certainly 

 the only natural road and it leads straight to the physico- 

 chemical theory of the origin of life the view held by an 

 increasing number of biologists and bio-chemists of our 

 day. It is the scientific view ; no other view is possible 

 to science as such. Science cannot go outside of matter 

 and its laws for an explanation of any phenomena that 

 appear in matter. It goes inside of matter instead and in 

 its mysterious molecular attractions and repulsions in 

 the whirl and dance of the atoms and electrons in their 

 amazing potencies and activities, sees or seems to see the 

 secret of the origin of life itself. 



"To the scientist the earth is complete in itself. He 

 can admit of no break or discontinuity anywhere. Threads 

 of relation, visible and invisible, chemical, mechanical, 

 electric, magnetic, solar, stellar, lunar, geologic and bio- 

 logic forming an intricate web of subtle forces and influ- 

 ences bind all things, living and dead, into cosmic unity. 



"The disruptions and antagonisms which we fancy we 

 see are only the result of our limited vision. Nature is 

 not at war with itself. There is no room or need for mira- 

 cles. There is no outside to the universe, because there 

 are no bounds to matter or spirit. Science traces the 

 chain of cause and effect everywhere and finds no break. 

 It follows down animal life until it merges into vegetable, 

 though it cannot put its finger or its microscope on the 

 point where one ends and the other begins. It finds 

 forms that partake of the characteristics of both. It is 



