CAUSE OF EVOLUTION 403 



purpose. If we bear this comparison in mind and apply 

 this significant idea of the developed many celled organ- 

 ism as a civil union of many individuals to the history of 

 the evolution of this organism, we shall obtain a correct 

 view of the real nature of the first and most important 

 processes of evolution. We can even on deeper reflection 

 guess the first stages of development and establish them 

 a priori, before we call observation, a posterior knowl- 

 edge, to our aid. 



"Let us therefore first answer this question : 'Granting 

 the correctness of the fundamental law of Biogeny, how 

 would the original one-celled organism, which founded 

 the first cell state and thus became the ancestor of the 

 higher many celled animals how must that organism 

 have acted at the beginning of organic life on the earth 

 or at the beginning of creation, as it is usually expressed?' 

 The answer is very simple. It must have acted just as 

 man who founds a state or a colony for a given purpose. 



"Their only purpose in life for centuries has remained 

 as simple as that of the lower animals or plants ; the sim- 

 ple aim of self preservation and of the production of de- 

 scendants. They have been contented with the simplest 

 organic function, nutrition and reproduction. Hunger 

 and love are their only motive for action. For a long 

 period these savages must have aimed at the one single 

 object of self preservation. Gradually, however, several 

 families collected at certain places larger communities 

 arose and now many reciprocal relations began to arise 

 between individuals ; in consequence a rude division of 

 labor took place. Certain savages continued to fish and 

 hunt, others began to cultivate the ground, others de- 

 voted themselves to religion and medicine, which now 

 began to develop, etc. In short the ever increasing divi- 

 sion of labor specializes the people into various ranks 



