THE PATH OF EVOLUTION 



sciousness and volition, leaving active only the un- 

 conscious vegetative life of the cerebellum, the cere- 

 brum and its higher faculties being in a state of 

 stupor. It is known that the grey matter of the 

 brain is the seat of the mental operations, but how 

 it acts, or what are the metaraorpheses that take place, 

 it is impossible even to conjecture. 



It is the mechanism by which the Volition of the 

 ULTIMATE POWER converts other forms of Energy 

 into Sensation, Consciousness and Will. When the 

 brain of various animals, successively lower in their 

 organization, are examined, the convolutions of the 

 cerebrum are found to be correspondingly fewer in 

 number, simpler, and smoother on their surface. 

 Descending still lower, the sensory ganglia alone are 

 found, which, with the spinal cord, are sufficient for 

 the functions of their life. With insects the cephalic 

 ganglia control or direct the ganglia of the nervous 

 system, giving rise to the reflex actions that mainly 

 constitute as Dr. Carpenter thinks the manifesta- 

 tions of instinct, often so wonderfully developed in 

 this class. Thus descending ever lower and lower 

 in organic life, increasing simplicity in general struc- 

 ture is found, until the Amoeba among animal life 

 and the Myxomycetes among plant life are reached. 

 They show consciousness, sensation and volition, low 

 in degree, but in no respect different in kind from 



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