THE ORIGIN OF LIFE. 2$ 



rived from this. If instead of a single cell there were 

 a large number of cells attached together, growth 

 might lead them all to divide in a similar manner 

 after the cohesion of parts had ceased to be sufficient 

 to keep them together. And such a method of re- 

 production docs occur in large groups of organ- 

 isms. Or it might be that certain parts, perhaps 

 a single cell only, would undergo this division, the 

 parts of this cell becoming free to form new indi- 

 viduals, and thus spores would arise. Perhaps two 

 individuals might fuse into one, and thus the vigor 

 of both would be combined into one. This would 

 lead to sexual reproduction. And so on. Of course 

 the details of this process are purely hypothetical, 

 and it is not our purpose to dwell upon them ; but 

 it is easy to see that reproduction can probably be 

 explained upon a mechanical basis as the result of 

 assimilation and growth. 



It is thus seen that the three properties of life can 

 receive at least a provisional explanation from a me- 

 chanical standpoint in accordance with the laws of 

 chemistry and physics, and since we are at present 

 dealing with life in its simplest form, we need not 

 here trouble ourselves with its higher properties of 

 consciousness and intelligence. The explanations 

 thus offered are accepted with practical universality 

 by biologists, and we may regard the preliminary 

 question in the problem of life as definitely settled. 



Difference between the Dead and Living Organism. 



With all of this explanation and reduction of vital 

 manifestations to physical laws, no one can fail to 



