THE RELIGION OF NATURE 



blurred and imperfect way the evolution of the 

 race to which the creature belongs, from the 

 original, lowest type of life the simple, one-celled 

 creatures, neither plant nor animal, which were 

 first endowed with life by God, when the earth was 

 void. 



Since, then, natural evolution thus reproduces 

 its great processes in each small thing and sum- 

 marizes the work of ages in the life of each in- 

 dividual, we are justified in looking around to see 

 if there are any cases in which evolution has, so 

 to speak, proceeded so far as to give us a clue 

 to the mystery of the future. If everything works 

 according to the same rule, may there not be some 

 small things which complete their evolution before 

 our eyes? In other words, are there no "little 

 worlds " for every organized body is said to be 

 a "microcosm," or little world which give us a 

 clue to the mystery of the future of this great 

 world and its inhabitants? 



As a matter af fact such clues are offered to us 

 on every hand, if we study nature. 



The everyday occurrence of the birth of a 

 chicken from the egg is the crown of a complete 

 evolution in miniature ; for it shows how the germ 

 of life in an infinitely small cell in the substance of 

 the egg gradually permeates and brings to its use 

 all the contents of the egg, until the force of life 

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