THE ORIGIN OF LIFE 



spine. But this is pure hypothesis, without a 

 shadow of proof; and to assert it, simply because 

 you decline to believe that the bacteria can have 

 arisen de novo in the spine, is not science, but 

 prejudice. It remains for those who deny that the 

 bacteria can have arisen de novo since this would 

 clash with their dogma to prove that such ultra- 

 microscopic bacteria do exist, and can force their 

 way into the spine of the Cyclops or else to admit 

 that their dogma is unproved. 



Other remarkable photographs show a similar ev- 

 olution of bacteria parentless bacteria in the cells 

 of a potato. Of course, in both of these cases, the 

 bacteria arise in tissue that is already organic; 

 but, if they can so arise, we must cease to hold the 

 accepted belief that the bacteria of to-day have 

 all descended from bacterial ancestors which were 

 present on the earth scores of millions of years 

 ago. 



The easiest and most natural belief, according 

 with the law of continuity and with all known 

 analogies, is that life still arises on the earth by 

 natural processes. Harmonizing with this belief 

 of Dr. Bastian's or at any rate conflicting with 

 Lord Kelvin's is a recent paper by Professor 

 Pickering, who finds excellent reason to believe 

 that there are upon the moon traces of the action of 

 vegetation. Now, the moon was certainly born 

 from the earth when she was far too hot to sustain 

 life; so that, if Professor Pickering be right, living 

 matter has spontaneously developed on the moon. 



