The Organisation of Matter 



micellae. Animated matter is composed of cells 

 and micellae, as brute matter is composed of 

 molecules and atoms. But it is not sufficiently 

 realised, and the fact must be insisted upon that 

 this brute matter is not a simple pile of molecules 

 and atoms. It has a very complicated archi- 

 tecture, belonging to the most varied types, 

 which frequently present to a striking degree 

 the characteristic forms of living beings. 



This power of organisation of matter is 

 visible in the crystal. We have all admired 

 in a chemist's shop window, or in a display of 

 chemical products, crystallisations of bismuth, 

 of sulphate of copper or of alum, jewels whose 

 facets have been cut by the forces of Nature, or 

 these trees of Saturn and of Diana in which lead 

 or silver crystals imitate, roughly and superfici- 

 ally it is true, the appearance of plants. No par- 

 ticular conclusions can be drawn from the con- 

 templation of this rigid and dead matter. What 

 would be interesting to see is the birth of the first 

 crystal within a transparent solution, which is 

 being cooled or concentrated by evaporation. 



A German scientist, Von Schron, believes 



he was able to observe this birth and describes 



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