II2 VITALITY. 



which is about to become living passes in the opposite di- 

 rection (see p. 47) ; or, in other words, the inanimate matter 

 passes into the centre of a particle which already lives, 

 becomes living, and then moves outwards. The flow of the 

 inanimate matter is centripetal, and the movement of the 

 living matter is centrifugal. But both sets of movements 

 are to be accounted for by the centrifugal tendency of the 

 living matter ; for it is obvious that as it thus tends to move 

 from a centre, a flow in the opposite direction must be 

 induced. Such tendency to move from a centre, it would 

 seem, must be due to a force very different from that which 

 controls the movements of inanimate matter. Moreover, 

 while cosmical force influences masses of the largest magni- 

 tude and of infinite minuteness, through varying distance, the 

 vital forces can only exert their sway when the distance is 

 infinitely short ; and it would seem that this influence can 

 only affect matter which has arrived at the very centre of the 

 living particle. 



New Centres not formed by Aggregation. It cannot 

 be supposed that the new centres of living matter are 

 in any way formed by the aggregation of particles derived 

 from distant parts ; for, if this were so, these living 

 particles must have traversed formed material, and passed 

 to the very centre of the living germinal matter. But we 

 have ample evidence to prove that the movement of living 

 particles is in one direction only, from and not towards 

 centres. Moreover, there is reason to think that the only 

 matter passing towards centres is dissolved non-living 

 pabulum, and if living particles were suspended in this, they 

 would be filtered off by the formed material, and would never 



