54 PRESENT-DAY RATIONALISM 



even in the process of cell-division by the nucleus, in the 

 formation of suitable tissues and organic substances, and 

 also in the construction of entire organs, producing results 

 which Paley and the teleological school of old thought 

 must have been designed. 



Whether created all at once by a ^at, as Milton but 

 too graphically describes it, or evolved by adaptation, 

 the result is precisely the same, forcing on every one 

 who is not blinded by the preconception of Atheism, a 

 Dominant or Directive Agent in every particle of living 

 matter. 



It is sometimes desirable to supply concrete illustra- 

 tions, as many readers may not be scientific ; and so may 

 not see the significance of the above remarks. Let us 

 take, for example, an illustration of use and disuse and 

 their effects. The familiar increase of the size of the 

 muscles of the arm by exercise is a case in point. How 

 is it done ? The living protoplasm responds to the call 

 upon the activities of the muscle to meet them. It sets 

 to work and builds up fresh cells and muscular fibres, 

 and so strengthens the arm. The bones, if required to 

 do so, will as readily respond to efforts and increase in 

 size. Thus, in consequence of the great weight thrown 

 upon them they are enormous in the elephant as com- 

 pared with those of a horse or gazelle. The formation 

 of the foot corresponds with the habits of the animal 

 and nature of the ground it frequents. Thus, the so- 

 called " cloven hoof," really consists of two effective 

 toes which are spread out in animals living on soft soil, 

 while their tongue is correlated with the foot in adapta- 

 tion to the requirement of grasping long grass, as may 

 readily be observed in grazing oxen. On the other 

 hand, the horse has lost four toes from each foot and now 

 stands upon the middle toe only of the original five. 



