CAUSE OF EVOLUTION 405 



that we know so far are against him. He makes this 

 statement : "How must that organism (meaning the 

 cell) have acted at the beginning of organic life on the 

 earth or at the beginning of creation, as it is usually ex- 

 pressed? The answer is very simple. It must have acted 

 just as man who founds a state or a colony for a given 

 purpose." 



It seems to me perfectly clear that if the cell organized 

 his civilized communities and colonies in the same man- 

 ner as man did his, that he should also be and necessarily 

 was an intelligent being like man. If man is able to do 

 these things by reason of his intelligence, the same reason 

 or cause must also be back of the cell. Our knowledge 

 of the cell is, as yet, very limited, but if man is intelligent 

 so is the cell that built him. If the cell can invent and 

 produce machines for different purposes and organize 

 himself socially in the same manner as man does, why is 

 he less intelligent? I want the reader to carefully con- 

 sider the following statement by Mr. Haeckel in describ- 

 ing the actions of the single cell called amoeba, which is 

 so very similar to the man and animal building cell. He 

 states : 



"If one of these creeping amoeba is touched with a 

 needle or if a drop of acid is added to the water, the whole 

 body at once contracts in consequence of this mechanical 

 or chemical irritation. Usually it reassumes its spherical 

 form. Under certain circumstances, for example if the 

 impurities remain in the water, the amoeba begins to 

 encase itself. It exudes a homogeneous envelope or cap- 

 sule, which immediately hardens and in a state of repose 

 assumes the form of a spherical cell surrounded by a pro- 

 tecting membrane." 



Now what would you do under similar circumstances? 

 If someone should punch you with a crowbar or soak you 



