INTELLIGENCE OF THE CELL 227 



ism we find mentioned so much in modern literature. 

 There are always thousands of credulous folk in educated 

 countries who are taken in by the performances of the 

 spiritualists and their media, and are ready to believe the 

 unbelievable. Spirit-rapping, table-turning, spirit-writing, 

 the materialization and photographing of deceased souls, 

 find credit, not only among the uneducated masses, but 

 even among the most cultured, and sometimes among 

 imaginative scientists." 



It is necessary to call the attention of the reader to 

 these facts and conditions to show what the human men- 

 tal machinery really is. 



The conjugation of the single cells living a separate 

 life is described by Binet, as follows : 



"Nevertheless, the two Stentors continue to be united 

 for a certain length of time by a bridge of matter, located 

 even with the point where the contraction took place ; 

 .this bridge of matter gradually grows thinner and thin- 

 ner and becomes as fine as a thread. Now Gruber has 

 observed that the two Stentors united by this bridge of 

 protoplasm exhibit perfect harmony in their movements ; 

 they always sway in the same direction at the same time ; 

 and this harmony is necessary, because the least con- 

 trariety of motion would suffice to break the feeble bond 

 that unites them. Moreover, their vibratile cilia beat in 

 unison. To explain this concordance in the movements 

 of the two animals, Gruber assumes that the entire mass 

 of their protoplasm performs the function of a diffused 

 nervous system, which has the effect of regulating their 

 movements and of making them harmonize." 



Just note the actions described here, and the opinion 

 that these actions indicate a nervous system. Now it does 

 not make any difference what they have or what you 

 call it, we must admit that they show intelligence of a 



