CAUSE OF EVOLUTION 409 



they must use to effect chemical action in the manufacture 

 of the different kinds of building material and food. All 

 the cells of the plant, be it root or stem, understand their 

 business and know what they are about and what they 

 want. This is clearly proven by the fact that a piece of 

 root placed in the ground will grow in both directions 

 and so will a piece of stem or branch. The cells in either 

 place in the root or stem know what they must have to 

 develop their colony, which we call a plant. A plant is 

 a vast colony of individual cells, working together to per- 

 petuate their existence. To build their habitation called 

 a plant, they must have building material, and this they 

 produce from mixing chemically and mechanically the 

 minerals of the earth and the elements contained in air 

 and water. The cells of the plant building the root going 

 down into the ground for minerals are no more geotropic 

 than a professor going down into his cellar for a can of 

 sour milk ; nor are the cells building the stem up into the 

 sunlight any more heliotropic than a preacher going up 

 into his garret for a piece of dried mutton. They all act 

 for a purpose. 



Such is the case also with the polyps. Any part of them 

 will grow into a complete polyp. It is clear that in cer- 

 tain cases each cell from the entire colony of cells knows 

 how to build the entire animal or plant. We find this 

 to be the case until the animal or plant becomes very 

 highly organized and specialized, and then we find certain 

 cells are set apart for the specific purpose of building the 

 individual at the proper time, and these are given, as you 

 might say, a special training and college course in the 

 business. 



The industries of the bee and their social organization 

 is so very similar to that of the cell that they can be used 

 to illustrate the actions of the cell in many ways, espe- 



