LETTERS TO BROTHER JOHN. 91 



perpetual building up by the arteries, and pulling 

 down by the absorbents. For if contractility could 

 continue to exist in full energy, in an organized 

 body, during the whole time that body was destined 

 to exist, what necessity was there for this constant 

 renewal this constant disorganization and re- 

 organization this constant pulling down and build- 

 ing up ? 



The evanescent nature of contractility may, I 

 think, be accounted for thus: It seems to have 

 been a predetermined law of nature, that the only 

 permanent condition of matter should be the in- 

 organic condition. Nevertheless, certain ends in 

 the general scheme of creation were to be fulfilled, 

 which required for their accomplishment the exis- 

 tence of organized matter. But, in order that orga- 

 nized matter might not be permanent, and so destroy 

 or neutralize that original law by which it was 

 enacted that there should be no permanent condi- 

 tion of matter except the inorganic, all organized 

 matter was made subject to the laws of fermentation 

 and putrefaction, as they are usually called ; whose 

 office it is, to destroy its organism, and bring it back 

 to its original inorganic condition. But if this had 

 been all that was done, the objects for which matter 

 had been organized could never have been accom- 



