Sophisms. 9 7 



suggest that no such thing as Ablogenesis ever 

 has taken place in the past, or ever will take 

 place in the future. With organic chemistry, 

 molecular physics, and physiology yet in their 

 infancy, and every day making prodigious strides, 

 I think it would be the height of presumption 

 for any man to say that the conditions under 

 which matter assumes the properties we call 

 ' vital ' may not some day be artificially brought 

 together. All I feel justified in affirming is, 

 that I see no reason for believing that the feat 

 has been performed yet." 1 



Analysing this declaration we have three 

 several propositions. Spontaneous generation 

 is a dogma for which "no^alid or intelligible 

 reason is assigned." As between life derived 

 Irom antecedent life, and life derived from some- 

 thing that was not alive, Professor Huxley 

 "cannot understand how choice can be, even 

 for a moment, doubtful." And "this convic- 

 tion " of his he " cannot express too strongly." 

 At the same time, however, he is not quite sure 

 that the opposite of all this may not be also 

 true of some possible future, or perhaps even 

 of some actual past. 



But the climax is yet to come. The declara- 

 tion above quoted, " All I feel justified in af- 

 1 " Critiques and Addresses," p. 238. 



