208 THE STORY OF LIFE'S MECHANISM. 



of building this primitive living machine, the 

 cell. 



It is useless to try to go further at present. 

 The origin of living matter is shrouded in as 

 great obscurity as ever. We must admit that 

 the disclosures of the modern microscope have 

 complicated rather than simplified this problem. 

 While a few years ago chemists and biologists 

 were eagerly expecting to discover a method of 

 manufacturing a bit of living matter by artificial 

 means, that hope, has now been practically 

 abandoned. The task is apparently hopeless. 

 We can manipulate chemical forces and produce 

 an endless series of chemical compounds. But 

 we cannot manipulate the minute bits of matter 

 which make up the living machine. Since living 

 matter is made of the adjustment of these micro- 

 scopic parts of matter, we cannot hope to make a 

 bit of living matter until we find some way of 

 making these little parts and adjusting them 

 together. Most students of protoplasm have 

 therefore abandoned all expectation of making 

 even the simplest living thing. We are appar- 

 ently as far from the real goal of a natural 

 explanation of life as we were before the dis- 

 covery of protoplasm. 



GENERAL SUMMARY. 



It is now desirable to close this discussion of 

 seemingly somewhat unconnected topics by 

 bringing them together in a brief summary. 

 This will enable us to see more clearly the 

 position in which science stands to-day upon 



