THE ORIGIN OF MICROBES 99 



beings which made their appearance on the earth, 

 for it is well known that all microbes require mois- 

 ture, while many live m water or similar media. 

 From these and other facts it is probable that the 

 Schizomycetes were the forms of life which originated 

 in the polar regions of the earth the other parts of 

 the earth, at that remote time, being too hot for life 

 to exist. But if life originated in the particular 

 part of the earth indicated, this does not explain the 

 origin of life. How did life begin ? This question 

 has occupied the thoughts of men in all ages, but if 

 we regard living and non-living matter as composed 

 of elements which are common to both kinds of 

 matter, wherein lies the difference which gives as 

 one result non-living matter, and as another result 

 living matter? The difference must lie in the 

 mixing of these elements. If the first form of living 

 matter were a microbe it originated either by a 

 creative act or by spontaneous generation. Both the 

 theory of creation and that of spontaneous genera- 

 tion account for the origin of life : in fact, the be- 

 ginning of life can only be explained theoretically, 

 for there is no practical or direct proof of how life 

 originated. On this point Professor Huxley 1 says : 

 ' If it were given me to look beyond the abyss of 

 geologically recorded time to the still more remote 

 period when the earth was passing through physical 

 and chemical conditions, which it can no more see 

 again than a man can recall his infancy, I should 

 expect to be a witness of the evolution of living 

 protoplasm from not living matter. I should expect 



i Critiques and Addresses, p. 238. 



