190 ORIGIN AND NATURE OF LIFE 



as a unit gave, with the development of the 

 microscope, about a century ago. 



It was no fortuitous combination of chances, 

 and no cosmic dust, which brought life to the 

 womb of our ancient mother earth in the far 

 distant Palaeozoic ages, but a well-regulated 

 orderly development, which comes to every 

 mother earth in the Universe in the maturity 

 of her creation when the conditions arrive 

 within the suitable limits. 



Given the presence of matter and energy 

 ty forms under the proper conditions, life must 

 come inevitably, just as, given the proper 

 conditions of energy and complexity of matter 

 in the fertilized ovum, one change after 

 another must introduce itself and give place 

 to another, and spin along in kaleidoscopic 

 sequence till the mature embryo appears, 

 and this in turn must pass through the phases 

 of growth, maturity, reproduction, decay, 

 and death. 



If this view be the true one, there must 

 exist a whole world of living creatures which 

 the microscope has never shown us leading 

 up to the bacteria and the protozoa. The 

 brink of life lies not at the production of 

 protozoa and bacteria, which are highly 

 developed inhabitants of our world, but 

 away down amongst the colloids, and the 



