50 THE LIVING WORLD. 



whole theory of cognition," says Zollner. To the 

 scientist who is convinced of the universal truth of 

 the law of continuity, therefore, the natural origin of 

 life, though not possible now, was possible and did 

 occur in early times under conditions about which 

 we can only speculate. Carbon in former times 

 certainly did crystallize in the form of diamond, 

 because of conditions which then existed, and it does 

 not do so now because of the absence of those 

 conditions. So, we are told, the elements carbon, 

 oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, did in former 

 times unite together to form protoplasm, under 

 conditions which then existed, but have long since 

 passed away. 



But this may seem to be attacking the problem 

 from the wrong end. The law of continuity is the 

 law to be proved. To any one who is disposed to 

 question the far-reaching significance of this law the 

 matter is by no means so evident. If we are willing 

 to accept the existence of breaks, few or many, in 

 the history of the universe, we may well place one 

 at the beginning of life. The break exists to-day, at 

 least, and no amount of ingenious speculation is suf- 

 ficient to cover it. Incapable of proof or disproof, 

 demanded by no bit of evidence, and if we do not 

 accept the law of continuity, not demanded by any 

 philosophical necessity, these speculations of science 

 will be regarded as worthless. They are laborious 

 searches after something which does not exist. But 

 on the other hand, when we remember how persist- 

 ently scientific advance is leading us toward a 

 mechanical conception of the phenomena of nature, 



