3 oo LIFE AND HABIT. 



Life, then, is memory. The life of a creature is the 

 memory of a creature. "We are all the same stuff to 

 start with, but we remember different things, and if we 

 did not remember different things we should be abso- 

 lutely like each other. As for the stuff itself of which 

 we are made, we know nothing save only that it is 

 " such as dreams are made of." 



I am aware that there are many expressions through- 

 out this book, which are not scientifically accurate. 

 Thus I imply that we tend towards the centre of the 

 earth, when, I believe, I should say we tend towards to 

 the centre of gravity of the earth. I speak of " the pri- 

 mordial cell," when I mean only the earliest form of 

 life, and I thus not only assume a single origin of life 

 when there is no necessity for doing so, and perhaps no 

 evidence to this effect, but I do so in spite of the fact 

 that the amoeba, which seems to be " the simplest form 

 of life," does not appear to be a cell at all. I have used 

 the word " beget," of what, I am told, is asexual genera- 

 tion, whereas the word should be confined to sexual 

 generation only. Many more such errors have been 

 pointed out to me, and I doubt not that a larger num- 

 ber remain of which I know nothing now, but of which 

 I may perhaps be told presently. 



I did not, however, think that in a work of this 

 description the additional words which would have 

 been required for scientific accuracy were worth the 

 paper and ink and loss of breadth which their intro- 

 duction would entail. Besides, I know nothing about 



